Please answer....... if your good at interior design (all opinions welcome)?

Question

My fiance and I just purchased a house and we will be moving in by the summer. We are now in the process of picking out colours for hardwood flooring, carpet (upstairs), kitchen cabinets, kitchen counter, ceramic tiles in the kitchen, front foyer, 3 bathrooms and the laundry room.
He thinks that the dark hardwood will make the rooms seem smaller (they are not small rooms) and wants to go with lighter colours with everything. I like dark hardwood and lighter tile with light kitchen cabinets.
Does that sound like it would look good?
I was also thinking of a black granite kitchen counter for contrast.
yes/no?

Answer 1

I am with you, not the fiance... I will send you an email so I can send you pics but...I like saturated colour and white for contrast.

My kitchen is cinnamon with white cabinets, a dark charcoal mottle grey countertop and marble floor (overall a lighter grey but each one different). My living room is gold with one navy wall, crown moldings and Japanese Cherry hardwood... rich red floor. My dining area is directly connected to the kitchen and is cinnamon as well but with the cherry floor. My master is olive green with crown moldings. My other bedrooms are medium brown and a dark seafoam-type green. The master has oatmeal coloured berber and the other two bedrooms have a light oak laminate. My family room is a dark wedgewood with a reddish tint pine floor. My main bath is deep lavender with white fixtures, countertop and cabinets. All my doors, trim, baseboard and ceilings are white for brightness and contrast. Everything seems to flow well as the house is quite open since we took down 8 walls. Live it up and add some colour, pastel is boring unless you have really intricate furniture that commands attention on it's own.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Hardwood of any color will not make a room seem smaller. However, the closer to natural you stay the more times they can be refinished if you are doing sand-in-place hardwood. Sand-in-place hardwood, a.k.a. "real" hardwood, can be sanded and refinished up to 4 times. The darker the stain, the more of the floor you have to take off to refinish. Color should more be determined by the amount of natural light in the rooms where the hardwood will be lain.

IF you must use carpet, go with a mid-tone neutral. This will show the least traffic and stains.

Tile for kitchen, etc., would be determined by the coutertop color and hardwood color. For example, If you go with a natural hardwood, you would probably want a darker tile for contrast, or vice versa.

Countertops, stay away from black on horizontal surfaces. Shows too much damage and filth. I am not a big fan of granite. It looks really nice in kitchens that don't get much use, but is easily stained and porous. After being a commercial cook, I cannot fathom putting anything in a kitchen that is porous. But if you don't do much cooking, it will look nice. Caution if there is a lot of countertop space, the seaming in granite is UBER-noticeable. Also, the veins that give the "movement" they keep spewing over are actually weak spots where the granite is likely to crack.

Cabinets against the tile you want contrast again. You don't want anything to turn out monochromatic. If you go w/ a dark hardwood, try to get a cabinet to match the hardwood. Then when selecting a tile, go with a lighter color that will make the room "pop" when you look in.

Another thing to consider when doing the kitchen is the appliance color. The biscuit or bisque is popular because people think it will hide fingerprints. I will settle that right here, it doesn't. Also, it tends to look blah and washed out. If you go w/ a darker cabinet use black, lighter cabinet use white. Stainless seem to be very popular right now, but they are anything but stainless. They show fingerprints like nothing else.

As I said, I am a maniacal home improver and could go on and on into boredom (I know, too late). Nuts and bolts, a lot of it has to be an extension of you. To decorate because of something you saw in a magazine that looked nice but isn't your style, it won't work. Your home has to be an extension of you. A lot has to do with personal taste. Try not to leave everything neutral, it will be boring. I tend to do the basics neutral, but bring in a shock of paint on an accent wall, crazy rugs, bright towels, etc.

The most important thing - HAVE FUN!!!

Answer 3

My wife and I just purchased a house and ran into similar debates. As far as the hardwood color, it is a matter of taste.
I'm not sure where the hardwood is going, but if it is close to the kitchen and you have light wood grain cabinets, the contrast might be too much. I do think you are on the right track with the kitchen. The black granite counter top will definitely make the room pop. Hope my opinion helps.....

Answer 4

I would meet in the middle (good for decorating & the relationship)
Something like a maple on the floors & cabinets. Try to keep them close in color if not the same. You can go lighter then on the tiles, but not too light, keep it neutral but not white (too cold against the wood) Another tip for the tile in the kitchen is to install it on the diagonal, it will make the room appear larger. Black granite for the counter top is gorgeous, I would suggest Uba Tuba granite (has flecks of other colors to show depth). Don't go too light with the carpet, try to keep it neutral while still dark enough to hide dirt on the high traffic areas. Hope that helps!

Answer 5

I think the darker floors will be OK, but I'm not sure if they will go with lighter cabinets. It's best to take pieces of flooring with you to the cabinet store to see how it will look together. I agree with the previous poster that the black granite counter tops will show everything. This could be good or bad depending on what pets/ children you have. You could suggest that you'd like to pick out the kitchen and let your fiance pick another room for a compromise. Either way have FUN and good luck!

Answer 6

Sounds like you got lots a advice on the colors. Let me give some advice on countertops. Unless you are absolutely in LOVE with granite, don't use it. I'd go with another solid surface material like Corian or Quartz. While granite is beautiful, it requires continuous maintainance to prevent staining of the surface from liquids such as spilled wine. Quartz, in my opinion, is a much better choice. It is a man-made material with natural pieces of quartz embedded into it. It has many of the same properties as granite without the hassle of remember to treat it every 6 months. Quartz is also around 25% less expensive than granite. One more thing to consider, granite is 100% natural, which means that the colors and patterns that the store sample show, will NOT be exactly what you get. So unless you go to an actual granite dealer that has the slabs on hand, you will not know exactly what you are getting until delivery day.

Answer 7

black counter tops with white cabinets is awsome, that's what i have and it really looks good together. pick a floor tile that picks up on the light colored small sparkles that are in the granite to accent that.

dark hardwoods tend to make a room feel more formal. i would go with a medium to light colored wood flooring. it matches wood furniture that you have and it makes a room seem comfy and cozy.

Answer 8

i think your idea sounds good, but i think that the black granite counter will show everything. you will have to constantly clean it. i would probably go with a lighter color on the counter top not too light if you dont want light maybe like a charcoal gray. maybe you two can make a decision and meet halfway on decorating the other rooms try to mix both of your likes. good luck and have fun decorating!!

Answer 9

I don't think hardwood would make the rooms seem smaller, and i wouldn't go with a lighter color. i would go with a medium colored wood, like cherry. The black counter top idea is good too.

Answer 10

hardwood does not make the room look smaller.....i think you should do dark hardwood if the kitchen will be light.....but if you are going to use dark colors then you have to use light hardwood!I think your idea is the best and that it will look really pretty! the black granite will look amazing...your house will be reall pretty!