I saw a pic posted by another commenter a few weeks ago. Se had done her kitchen with sofielund in the light wood grain on bottom (the middle choice in your pic) and white for uppers. It was a beautiful kitchen, and I was totally impressed. She had used white subway tiles, but with that soft wood grain and the white for cabinets, I could see a pale blue glass tile looking just stunning. I would opt for single color backsplash, just so things don't get too busy with the different uppers and lowers. But this might be your solution so that your room doesn't look too cold!

Thanks. I was thinking at white for upper, would glossy be OK ? What about tiles and counter?

You didn't mention what your objective is in your remodel. Do you want more light? Is the effect you desire more modern? I am assuming this is so as these cabinets look more contemporary than your existing cabinets. The hardware you choose and the wall color will have an effect on the overall look as well. I like what karemore55 suggested with white uppers and the middle choice in your pick appears fresh for the lowers. Your tiles can be neutral with different sheen/textures for interest and then your overall wall color can be your favorite.

I am renovating as the vinyl floor is really damaged, as are the cabinets and the rest . It looks much better in the pics than in reality, believe me. We bought the house like this 8 yrs ago. I like contemporary with rustic accents. Thanks!

Where do you keep your silverware, utensils, gadgets, dish towels and potholders?? I hope the base cabinet by the refrig. has drawers. You might want to consider changing most of the base cabinets to drawer bases.

Okay then not glossy for uppers if you want more "rustic". I do like the middle finish for the lowers.

Ankator, I think glossy white uppers would be perfect for a contemporary rustic look. If you like the idea, go for it! Because I guarantee you it looks good. If you don't like the idea of glossy white uppers, you could do top and bottom in that soft wood grain, then white countertops. Also, not sure what your overall budget is, but if the flooring will be vinyl, there is a great new vinyl out there that looks like hardwood. Apparently, its quite realistic. In the pic below, the flooring is a kind of driftwood mix, which might look good in your kitchen, but you can also get it in more traditional browns.

Thanks, everyone. I don't want vinyl, i have it now and want to get rid of it. I am thinking at a charcoal tiles for floors, white quartz countertop, and light blue glass tiles for backsplash, as karemore suggested. Or dark counter and light floor. I am not even sure I want a backsplash, but I am also considering backpainted glass. However, these are all cold colors, what about a light beige such as the fine lines in the sofielund pattern? I am not sure why it s described as a "warm" grey, the sample I have is pure grey, but the pictures and the store samples look good.

Remember when re-modelling that - at some point, you may want to move. Think about the packing, and unhooking before making the final decision. And when you are looking to move to your rural dream-home:

http://www.kootenaimoving.com

This is a kitchen I thought you might like for inspiration and as being white (and using tile) but still warm.
http://houzz.com/photos/520975

The backsplash tiles in that kitchen are travertine but you can get that look with porcelain tile as well.

Amatory, I think everything you are suggesting will look fabulous. I think the grey/beige base cabinets will be enough to keep it from feeling cold, but the best thing to do now is start collecting samples of all these materials and out them together in your space, and then you will know for sure. Don't worry about whether they look cold - just gauge your own emotional reaction to what you see. I would go with grey for the floors because I think white will drive you (or anyone) crazy, showing every little spot. When picking out countertop possibilities, look for warmer whites - not necessarily cream.

Ankaror, if you go to photos section on Houzz and type in sofielund kitchens,lots will pop up. You're sure to satisfy your doubts, and maybe narrow down what you want a little better.

I like the sofielund, it looks rather like the very high-end bulthaup line I was looking at (and only looking at) in NY (at least from a distance)

This will totally change the style of the room, it's very modern. I would personally love that, but is that what you want? You have pretty standard-issue cabinets right now...

Hi sstar, the cabinets I have now are not my choice nor my style. I bought a small door from Ikea and it looks much better than the sample, plus it s easier to shop for tiles, paints, etc. Karemore, the kitchen at Ikea has white glass backsplash which looks a bit blue-ish, it looks great. The uppers will be frosted glass with sofielund side panels, i believe its called Rubrik. The tiles and paint are a big headache, I'm afraid.

Are you saying you don't like the glass backsplash tiles that you saw at Ikea? Once you make your decisions for hard materials, post pics of each choice and we can help you with color. What colors are on rest of main floor (not just walls)?

Oh, you mean floor tiles - got it!

I think a black countertop would look great !!!

The grey tiles are amazing. I hope I can find something like this in Toronto. Speaking of main floor, I am renovating it as well, i.e. replacing the hardwood and painting. I am keeping the dining table in the attached pic, which is a massive wooden table, you can also see the door to the kitchen. I don't know what hardwood to choose to go with the table and the tiles. So more dilemmas!

Ankator, the picture didn't post.

Ankator, the tiles are from Lowe's. They are from Crossville Ceramic Co. 6X24" planks, The Great Indoors collection, color: Lead (described as a warm grey). It says they are on sale for $9./sq.ft., originally $14./sq.ft. That could be American. I am Canadian also, but I found this on Pinterest.

Oops, there it is.

For the hardwood, I would say darker than the table, but not a chocolate - somewhere in between. It will be easier to figure out once you can lay out samples of all your surfaces once you have decided on them. It's good to keep the big picture in mind, but don't let the hardwood choices stress you out now. There are several choices for wood, and many choices for stains, so you are sure to find something that works. I'm surprised you are replacing your hardwood - can it not be sanded and refinished?

Now that I said go darker with the hardwood floors, I can now see a light maple working nicely with sofielund cabinets and grey tile.

Another option could be to add more lights to the kitchen to help make the kitchen pop! Sometimes more light is needed in a kitchen and a popular place to put a little extra light is under the cabinets. Ikea has affordable kitchen accent lights, like the one attached is a 3 pack for $25! You could even search on the internet to find instructions to install the lights yourself to help save money: http://budgetmybuild.co/lighting/guide-installing-lighting-cabinets/

Getting rid of the soffit above the wall cabinets will make a huge difference.

If you go with ceramic tiles in the kitchen, make sure the floors are very rigid. Nothing worse than cracked tiles and missing grout on a year old floor. I am a fan of hardwood floors in a kitchen. Its a little easier on the feet, a little warmer and if you drop something hard/heavy on a hardwood floor it adds "character" as opposed to a crack!

maybe it's just me :) but I like the kitchen you have now :)

Dyiher, thanks, i like my kitchen too, especially in the pictures, but the floor is awful. Vinyl or whatever it is, cracked, worn, stained, hard to clean, etc. plus it goes all the way to the entrance, so its the first thing you see in the house. The cabinets are very worn too, the counter is cheap laminate.. And the hardwood cannot be sanded any more. So a renovation was long overdue I believe.

I picked some tiles for the floor. The 2nd picture is limestone, the rest are porcelain. Which one do you recommend, with a off white or cream countertop?

Maybe it is just me, but the only one that seemed to work was the tile in pic one that is in the upper left corner. The reason is because the others, as beautiful as they are, have striations in them that resemble the lines in the sofielund doors. To me, it would make it all too busy, and you would have the lower cabinets competing with the flooring. If the tiles had color variations, but not actual streaks or striations like these ones, then I think it would be OK. I also see grey being your best colour choice. The beige looked a little too much like the cabinet color. Hope others weigh in on this one!

I agree with Karemore55 in that have striations in the tile competes with the wood grain of the cabinets. I would also caution against using limestone as the natural stone will be much more work to keep clean and sealed. Go with porcelain for the floor tiles

Anca, I thought I'd share these pics that I came across this morning. So, first pic shows a kitchen with some awesome stonework. Might not be your taste at all, and not for the backsplash, but would there be a small area, say the end wall of an island, where you could work in a small amount of this great texture? Second pic shows some light grey mar oleum or linoleum (or could be that rubber flooring) in a hexagonal pattern that is subtle enough to work with your cabinets. This might be a better choice of material for your kitchen - as someone pointed out earlier, ceramic/porcelain tile is very hard on the feet and cold in the winter, and quite unforgiving if you drop a something breakable on it. I initially thought of suggesting linoleum, but thought it would be too much smooth surfaces in your kitchen. But a bit of texture like this floor, or a bit of rough cultured stone somewhere would give you that texture. More food for thought!

Hi karemore, i love the stonework, and i have an end wall where i could do this, but I m afraid it's very pricey, and i am renovating the entire floor. I have a big kitchen - the pics show only a half, it is a rectangle, and i am looking for something easy to clean. Anything textured would be difficult to clean. Hence the porcelain choice... Speaking of tiles, I asked some friends and they said that the dark one in the first pic, the one with the pattern similar to the cabinet, looks best. I know it competes with the cab in terms of pattern, but it is darker so i am thinking it wouldn't be so bad after all. I should look for more tiles, maybe I can find something light, and i can put a black countertop. I want to start in 2 weeks, so i should decide soon. Thanks again for all your help.

I hate to see you switch to black countertop - it will give off a totally different vibe. I'll scout around and see if I can help out. If you are re-doing the hardwood in the rest of the house, would you consider doing it in the kitchen? Every family is different, but we are in a home that is 18 yrs. old and the hardwood in the kitchen is still in excellent condition.

This one is a good price, but I suppose its American pricing. And not sure where The Tile Shop is, but if you can get the name of the manufacturer and other pertinent info, you may be able to find an Ontario supplier.
http://houzz.com/photos/1865380

Anca, Your friends may be right. This room has both floor tile and lower cabinets that have striations, and they seem to look fine.
http://houzz.com/photos/443652

This one is interesting:
http://houzz.com/photos/834711

The marble looking porcelain is very beautiful indeed. I will visit another store next weekend, maybe i can find more models. I cant put hardwood in the kitchen because i have a puppy which will stay in the kitchen when we re not home, and i want something easy to clean.

Gotcha!

I am back after a week in winnipeg and i visited more stores. I picked up a tile that looks like white washed wood an another white one. I really like the white wash, although the other one goes better. Is there too much white with a white countertop? Thanks

Anca, I think you could use the tile that looks like white-washed wood, if that's your favourite. My thinking is that because it's a wood-look, it would be like doing hardwood floors and cabinets in either the same species, or perhaps a different species of wood, the point being that the two wood grains work together because they aren't the same color.

I also don't think it will be too much white. I see kitchens that are almost devoid of color (which I personally don't like) but they work because by the time you add in all your countertop appliances and gadgets, not to mention dishes sitting around, etc., the white gains some contrast pretty fast. Also, you will be bringing some subtle color in the backsplash and walls, and if you're still worried about it being too much white, just hang a colorful tea towel, or set a plant in a colorful ceramic pot on the island or whatever. I can picture where this kitchen is going, and it will be beautiful!

Hi Anca, How's it going? Any updates to share?

Hi, we finished eventually... The window turned out horribly, we'll change both of them. In the meantime i can put some shades or blinds. Didnt have time to furnish the side with the tree, we are still recovering. Here are some pictures. I don't have "sunny" pictures, its been snowing a lot in Toronto.

Anca, Your kitchen turned out fantastic! Love the flooring, and the backsplash - all of it, actually. I don't see what the problem with the windows is??

Wonderful transformation!

Great job! Hope you posted at Before & After section!

Karemore, after you suggested glass backsplash I couldn't consider something else. It was painful to cut though, the contractor didn't do a great job at the margins. But after 3 renovations i learned that you can't get a perfect job without any planning, designer or architect, and with decisions made the day before the job, like we did with many things. Therefore, some of them turned out badly. But the big picture is ok.

Well the big picture is what I'm seeing in these photos then, because that backsplash looks just fine! Interestingly, over time you stop noticing all the little flaws. I guess you get so used to looking at them, they quit registering in your conscious mind lol.