Most of the clients we work with are trying to bring their late 1990’s- early 200o’s Tuscan kitchen into the white/gray/cream updated kitchen of the moment. Many of them are also looking to update their backsplash, but keep the granite. One of my favorite color experts, Maria Kilim has coined the phrase, “Bossy Granite” and rightly so. She says there should really only be ONE busy pattern in a kitchen. If you’ve got granite with multiple colors and movement- That’s your ONE pattern. And it’s the BOSS. The Boss of your color palette for your kitchen.
If your are updating your backsplash, you’ve really only got one option when working with Bossy Granite- a solid color tile. My preference is white or cream subway tile. It’s classic, timeless and it let’s the granite be the boss without a fight.
Solid color tile is the ONLY option for most people trying to update their kitchens with bossy-busy granite.
While we are talking about backsplashes. If your granite was installed with the 5″ granite backsplash on the wall-that’s it. You don’t need another backsplash. That is your backsplash. It looks wrong to install a back splash on top of that. I should know- I did it in our last house. As a matter of fact- I broke all my own rules before I had any rules. How do you think I learned them????
When NOT to install a tile backsplash. And HOW not to select tile for your granite
Dana’s Rules for working with granite in a kitchen update
- If your granite has orange, yellow or brown- your cabinet color should have a touch of cream like SW Creamy or SW Navajo White.
- If your granite is black- you are good to go for a classic black and white kitchen. My favorite whites are SW Alabaster, SW Pure White, and Porter Delicate White. You could also use your white trim color.
- If your granite has a touch of gray- you can usually pull off “greige”. My favorite is SW Accessible Beige.
- If you have Bossy Granite- use a solid color subway tile for your backsplash. You can use a solid color patterned tile like Arabesque, but those tend to get pricey.
- Your best flooring choice for Bossy Granite will always be a wood floor.
This arabesque tile works beautifully with these granite counters.
I love the arabesque tile in this kitchen designed by Karen Viscito.
Sometimes just a color change can make your whole kitchen feel updated without changing anything else.
BEFORE painting
AFTER painting. Same countertop-same tile
Tuscan kitchen BEFORE
AFTER- updated Tuscan kitchen with painted cabinets
Once you’ve updated your kitchen with freshly painted cabinets and a new solid color backsplash you can start saving your money for the NEXT BIG THING– Quartz Countertops. Read what Kristie Barnett- The Decorologist has to say about Quartz Countertops.
Ready to update your kitchen?
We can help. For your free online estimate- click below.
I totally agree Dana. Busy countertops, backsplashes and tile floors are like siblings who bicker. I can hear one of them say “You’re not tge boss of me”. But they will keep trying to be. It’s so true that only one surface can be the boss and they all need to “play nice” together.
Exactly!!! You get it 🙂
This post s really informative! I inherited a busy granite countertop with plenty of orange from the previous owners of my house. The cabinets are already a warm white and the backsplash a fairly solid brown colour. The walls, however, are a cool grey/blue! It makes the cabinets look yellow and the room look terrible overall. My gut instinct is to paint the walls a creamy white (like SW Creamy) but do I have any other options in the greige/taupe/beige world? I’d love to replace the countertop but it’s not in the budget at the moment!
You might be able to work with a color like SW Accessible Beige. It is a great bridge between beige and gray. If you want to send me a photo I’d be happy to take a look. Thanks for your comment.
We can’t take the dark ugly granite countertops and back splash in a house we are looking into buying. We’ve always wanted carerra marble. Does it stain easily though? I see it in some of your design pictures. The cabinets are a cream off white color. Do you think it would look ok with carerra marble countertops. If so what kind of backsplash would you recommend? Wish I could attach a picture so you could see it.
Thank you!
Cream and white play nicely together as long as it doesn’t have brown glazing in the details. You could Carerra marble in a honed finish. Be careful with wine and citrus which can etch the marble. I’d do a creamy/white solid color ceramic tile. It will be beautiful. Thanks for reading. 🙂
Love the rules for managing Bossy Granite. I bought a house with a small dotted granite tile countertop with brown, beige, slate grey, pink and red tones, which goes nicely with the Bossy Floor in a nature slate tile. I’m going through the process of getting the cabinets, backsplash and walls all painted white because I can’t take the noise anymore. Neither the granite nor slate tile floors will come up without doing damage, so I have to live with them for a while.
I’m so glad you found it helpful. Best of luck with your project!
We have existing white appliances and a bossy granite with shades of warmth with speckles of black. We are going to paint our cabinets white. What color white would you recommend? We were looking at SB pure white and thinking of a white backsplash. Unfortunately we were told we should go with ceramic floors since our wood floors nearby are about four years old and the colors would be a little off if we try to finish it with matching wood.
Just based on the information above, I would do a warm white like SW Navajo white. A bright white will be too stark against the warm countertops and tile. Best of luck!
This post (and your post on updating a Tuscan kitchen) have been a godsend! We don’t have the money for a full kitchen redo and it’s very inspiring to see that we can work with the bossy “faux granite” awhile longer. We have laminate that looks very much like the granite in the first photo above. Do you have any idea what color white/cream paint was used in the first photo (or any suggestions you can point us to)?
Thanks so much! So glad you found it helpful! Those cabinets are painted Sherwin Williams Creamy. Good luck with your kitchen. 🙂
I am moving into a new home with pink granite ( some specks of Black) and light wood/tan cabinets with white tile. I would like to paint the cabinets for a quick fix until we can afford wood floors. What color would you recommend for cabinets, would white be too close to the tile color?
What color is your floor? If the white tile and the pink countertops are working together, I’d paint the cabinets white too. Otherwise, I’d replace either the tile or the countertop. Best of luck to you on this project!!
The tile floor is white. It is large squares. I am hoping to redo the kitchen in a few years and gut everything. I was wondering what a quick fix could be so it would look more modern without spending a lot of money in the mean time. Would grey cabinets work?
I think a white cabinet is your best option.:)
We have a very bossy granite in the home we recently bought. I’d love to remplace them, but keep the creamy white cabinets we have. Is it possible to remove granite without harming the cabinets?
Yes ma’am. The countertop company should easily be able to remove and replace your countertops. Good luck to you!
We have tan brown granite with dark wood floors and cabinets. Thinking about doing a 2.75”x8” White subway time that has sort of a hand painted looking finish. Can I get away with dark grout?
thanks for sharing these tips! our kitchen is brown and beige. so blah. we totally have the bossy beige/brown granite with matte solid cream backsplah tiles , warm stained wood cabinets and white tile floors. I want to pain the cabinets to lighten it up but i would that work with white floors and matte white backsplash? I was thinking of switching out backsplah with the shiny subway tiles. how do I get any color in this place. oh light cream wall color – which i’m also open to painting i just unsure know what color. oh and dark brown sink.
Thanks so much for your comment. It’s hard for me to give advice without seeing a photo. I’d be happy to do an e-design consult for you. Here’s a link with info on my design services. We can do a facetime or skype if you are interested let me know. https://bella-tucker.com/design-services/
I wouldn’t do a white subway tile with brown granite. Try a cream subway tile with a cream grout and you should be good to go!
Trying to bring some new life to our “blah” Tuscan kitchen.
Cabinets are cocoa glaze. Floors are brazilian cherry hardwood. Countertops are Uba Tuba granite. Kitchen is huge with large island and butler’s pantry area, so replacing granite is cost prohibitive.
We replaced the original ugly 4×4 beige backsplash about a year ago with gray/blue mosaic glass tiles which brought a little more color to the pallet .
https://www.lowes.com/pd/allen-roth-Shimmering-Lights-Linear-Mosaic-Glass-Wall-Tile-Common-12-in-x-12-in-Actual-11-75-in-x-11-75-in/3878787
I was trying to lighten things up and bring out the gray/blue flecks in Uba Tuba, but not sure I’m thrilled with how it turned out.
Trying to talk DH into painting cabinets and your kitchen update photos gave some inspiration!
A question about appliances…
I have a built in range, microwave, dishwasher and second oven/range combo in the island which are all black with stainless handles. Are white cabinets with black appliances okay? Appliances are all very high end and less than 10 years old, so don’t want to replace. Do you have any photos to help me visualize?
Lisa, thanks for your comment. I’d love to help you solve your kitchen issues. Your question is complex and will require some study of photos and video to give you a correct response. Please let me know if you’d like to set up an e-design consult. https://bella-tucker.com/design-services/
We would like to paint our kitchen cabinets and have st Cecelia granite on the counter tops. Which cabinet color would you recommend?
I would try Sherwin Williams “Creamy” or Benjamin Moore “Swiss Coffee”
Love the in put!! not sure if you can open this pics. I most likely need someone to come look at the whole thing. I have no idea how to update this without totally starting over. The living room is on the other side of the wall of cabinets by the sink. beyond busy!! but love the ranch that comes with it. any help would be appreciated.
I’d love to help. Email me through the contact page or give me a call to set something up. Thanks!
We are buying a home with Wood cabinets that I’m having painted either Alabaster, Creamy or Navajo White from SW. There is bossy granite (not my fave) and a plain small square creamy stone rustic backsplash. Floor is larger creamy tile.
Am I ok with these color choices for our cabinets? We are having a pro do the work.
Hi! I have Santa Cecilia granite (the yellower/tanner one from the mid 2000s) and am thinking of refacing to a white of sorts (v a full renovation). Everything else in the kitchen had been replaced. Is Santa Cecilia totally outdated or could I get away with this? And if so how white? I get concerned that cremes will look too dirty and outdated. Thank you!
If everything else has been replaced, I recommend also replacing the granite when budget allows. Updating to a quartz or quartzite without the busy pattern of granite. Painting your cabinets SW Creamy or BM Swiss Coffee will lighten things up while working with both the Saint Cecillia now and also working with a whiter stone in the future. Good luck!
If your house has the 5in granite backsplash you say not to put any backsplash above it. So just paint above it? Do you think it’s easy enough to remove the granite backsplash without damaging the countertop if I have my heart set on subway tile?
Excellent question!! Yes, it is pretty easy to remove the 5″ backsplash. It’s definitely a DIY project. Your tile installer can then fix any drywall issues and tile right down to the countertop. If you want to keep the 5″ backsplash I recommend painting the wall color above it. Hope this helps!
Help please. . Just bought a new home and I’m totally baffled by the kitchen. Saltillo tile floors, maple cabinets, black granite counters and backsplash. Any suggestions? Thanks so much.
I’d be happy to help. Please email me to set up a consult!! dana@bellatucker.com
This is a really helpful article, though I didn’t see any examples of the really, REALLY orange granite counter tops we’ll be inheriting in the house we’re buying along with oat stained cabinets. Orange, orange, orange. Sigh. I really prefer cool colors like blues and grays, so I’m struggling to see how I can work with those super orange counter tops. They seriously make me cringe. Any suggestions?
I’ve enjoyed reading your suggestions to others. So, I will ask myself. When we purchased our home 10 years ago, we remodeled our kitchen with a lighter brown cabinet, ubatuba granite, and hardwood floors that are similar color to the cabinets. My walls began as green, but I painted them a very light yellow that is a hue of the darker yellow in my great room, which is open to the kitchen with a slight divide between. I hate something about my kitchen and have always thought of painting the cabinets white, but I am afraid to do it in case it turns out poorly. I’ve also wanted to change the counters, but that is too expensive. Some days I feel it looks ok, but other times I hate it. I just don’t know how to improve it. Something just doesn’t seem to go right together. Would white cabinets be better? I have white trim in the room, or should I paint the walls? Any suggestions?
Trying to update kitchen. Painted the cabinets SW alabaster. New wood floors. Have Santa Cecilia granite countertops. Removed granite backsplash and now installing AKDO almond glass subway tiles for backsplash. They appeared a neutral beige in color, however after installation they look a little more yellow/green, which I dislike. Would it be better to replace the backsplash, or replace the counters with a quartzite? Don’t really like the Santa Cecilia, but thought replacing the backsplash was easier and less expensive than new countertops. The ceiling is western red cedar. Thanks so much.
Gina, it’s so hard to give you advice without seeing photos of how it has come together. Would you want to set up a consult? You can email me at dana@bellatucker.com Thanks!!
Lynne, I’d be happy to facetime with you and give you some suggestions if you’d like to set up a consult you can email me at dana@bellatucker.com Thanks!
There are so many surfaces to consider when planning a kitchen that works beautifully together. If you’d like to set up a consult I’d be happy to give you some direction. 🙂
This is super helpful! Doing a kitchen update and this is the single most helpful piece I’ve found helping to show and guide me on our transformation of our particular kitchen. Thanks for sharing.
We have a brown/black combo for our Bossy countertops – I see that points us towards SW Creamy or SW Navajo White. Our painter said he suggests Vanilla Shake by Dunn Edwards. Any experience with that?
I’m so glad you found this helpful!! I am not familiar with that color. Undertones in off white paint colors are pretty tricky, so I can’t endorse, but I know the paint colors mentioned in my post work. Best of luck on your transformation!!
Great site and very helpful. I’m trying to update a townhouse kitchen with orange, rust, brown/black busy granite, light maple cabinets, and creamy tile floor. I’m going to replace the granite and floors but really don’t want to paint the cabinets. I need color suggestions to look updated. I’m considering a granite with some gray, black, and yellow and creamy white but not sure about wood floor color to choose.
You can’t go wrong with a mid tone brown floor stain. Also, I’d consider a solid color granite like leathered absolute black. Good luck!
I am looking to paint my oak cabinets as an inexpensive update. The floors in my kitchen are large white (12×12) marble tiles. The granite is cream/brown/ with a hint of gold (actual name is Takoda Dawn) I know white or cream cabinets is a safe bet, but I’m concerned the kitchen may look too white because of the floors. I’d love to do a greige color, but have no idea where to start(light, dark, ect.) Any suggestions are appreciated!
I’d paint the cabinets something like SW Creamy. I think repeating the floor color will be a nice bright option in this kitchen. Thanks for your comment!
Thank you so much for this road map for updating a kitchen with bossy granite (mine is primarily brown tones). You refer to off white or cream solid backsplash tile in your recommendations. I keep finding “biscuit” tiles. Is this what you meant? I seem to be finding either stark white or biscuit.
Thank you for such a great site.
Yes, biscuit is another name for off white tile. So glad you found the post helpful!!
Hi Dana, a very helpful and cost saving article. Planning to redo the kitchen in our new house. I have a very busy brown granite with grey n cream tones on the island (which was perhaps built later). Countertop in the Perimeter of the kitchen currently is black which looks old. M planning to change the black granite which is on perimeter and keep the countertop on the island. Can you suggest me how to pick a plain looking granite which is not black. I don’t want to get the same look after renovations. Someone at Home Depot suggested me to go for quartz on perimeter because you can get creamish plain Cambria type look in quartz, which will highlight the busy pattern of island. Also is it tough to get exact match of old countertop in granite?
I agree, I would pick a color from the granite and do the side countertops in almost a solid color so it doesn’t fight with the granite. Good luck
I’ve enjoyed reading your posts. I have an open room concept and needing to redo my hardwood floors due to water leak. I would love to redo my kitchen but will need to keep it as is for now, but a new fresh coat of paint on all my walls will brighten up the look I think. If I have Nova Brown granite in my kitchen along with a very large island and merillat spring valley kona cabinets, do you think painting all my walls with SW Alabaster or BM Cloud White would be too white for my dark kitchen? My floors are currently dark like the kona cabinets and I’m deciding if the floors should remain dark or should I try to go lighter. I’m just worried with the nova brown “bossy” granite. Looking forward to hearing from you
Thanks so much for your comment. This is a complicated answer and one that I would need to see in person. If you’d like to schedule a consult, please email me for scheduling at dana@bellatucker.com Thanks!
I agree with you but it’s so hard to decide on the color. I have Santa Cecilia counter top with cherry wood cabinets and cherry wood wood floor with a beige backsplash. It is so outdated, but can’t afford to change the counter top at this time. We are going to sand down the wood floor and stain it a greige color, and we have a lot of charcoal color and beige Greige color furniture. What do you recommend on the cabinet and backsplash?
This is such a helpful post! We want to update our early-2000’s DIY kitchen (done by someone else…poorly haha). 🙂 It currently has light maple wood cabinets, bossy granite countertops ( I believe the pattern is Vicenza…it’s dark with browns, greens and tan/peach…AKA camouflage for crumbs and spills), and an even bossier backsplash (very dark, skinny/rough tiles…natural stacked look). And yes, they put the 5″ granite backsplash with a tile backsplash. We just repainted the entire house with SW Shiitake (previously was an olive green). We were thinking of painting the cabinets a creamy white and changing the backsplash to a cream subway tile…is it an option to remove the granite backsplash or will that mess up the countertop?
I am so happy you found this post too! Yes!! You can totally remove the backsplash and the 5″ granite backsplash and replace with creamy white tile. You should have no problems with the existing countertops, but I recommend using a professional to remove the backsplash. Good luck with your kitchen update!
This is a pretty complicated situation. I would need to see photos. Please email me if you would like to set up a consultation. 🙂
hi my granite is a amber yellow granite some light and dark browns,dark grey and white speckles my floor is dark grey ceramic tiles and white cabinets, im looking for a backsplash to match can you help me out ?
I’d have to see photos to give specific suggestions, but I’d do a solid color backsplash in subway tile. If the same gray is in your countertop and floor, that would be a good option. If you’d like to schedule a consultation, please email me at dana@bellatucker.com Thanks!
I choose not to go for multi color tiles. I have been recommending my colleagues for some time now and due to some cost spillage, they end up mixing granite tops with different tiles to fill up the space.
Is UbaTuba granite considered “bossy?”
I think UbaTuba is one of the easier ones to work with with it’s dark black base. I would still consider a simple backsplash. 🙂 Good luck
I have Santa Cecilia granite (classic) with 4 ” backsplash, that is less gold and yellow and is the lightest of SC. My walls are SW Accessible Beige and all trim is SW Alabaster. My floors are laminate med to dark cherry which I will change to a mid tone brown LVP floors. What SW color should I paint my kitchen cabinets. PS: changing paint not an option it was freshly painted 2 months ago. Open to a contrast cabinet color ,too.
Thank you
Indecisive & Confused.
Cindy, is sounds like you might benefit from a facetime color consultation. Please email me if you’d like to set up a time to talk. dana@bellatucker.com Thanks!
Great post!! We have oak cabinets and tan family granite. I love the idea of SW creamy for kitchen cabinets. With that bring said, we are painting all the woodwork in the house white. Would you recommend the same creamy white? I’m assuming yes!
Hello,
We just bought a house with orange granite countertops and I am having a hard time finding a wall color. Cabinets are already cream. What would you suggest? We have medium brown hardwood floors.
Thank you!
Jenny
Hello! I love this article!! I have the Santa Cecilia counter tops and tile floor that has beige, whiteish and some grey with a grayish grout. My cabinets are ugly yellowish oak.. what color would you suggest for the cabinets? I’m going to be painting the whole house in a very very light grey.. almost white. Thank you!!!!
Thanks Blanca! It sounds like you might benefit from a facetime color consultation. Please email me if you’d like to set up a time to talk. dana@bellatucker.com
Thanks Jenny, it sounds like you might benefit from a facetime color consultation. Please email me if you’d like to set up a time to talk. dana@bellatucker.com
Thanks Mandy, it sounds like you might benefit from a facetime color consultation. Please email me if you’d like to set up a time to talk. dana@bellatucker.com
I have a bossy quartz countertop, Cambria Canterbury, with a myriad of colors including pinky beiges, browns, taupe, gold, gold beiges, bluish greys, black and shiny copper flecks. Also, very orange cherry cabinets. . I hate to say that the pink undertones are dominant. Will a creamy backsplash clash or can I get away with it? All my doors and wood work are BM ivory.
Patti, thanks for your comment. As you can imagine, it is very hard to give color advice without spending some time looking at your kitchen and the connecting rooms and talking to you about how you use and your kitchen. Because of this, I offer facetime color consultations. If you’d like to schedule a time to talk about your specific issues, please email me at dana@bellatucker.com Thanks so much!
Your story “The Tucker Story” is heartwarming and humbling. And also inspirational. Blessings to you and your family.
Love this post about Granite. I have brown and black granite counters with off white cabinets and dark wood floors. We are updating our back splash with off white subway tile that matches the cabinets. What grout color would you recommend?
Thanks. I would pick the grout color that most closely matches your tile. You will want the grout to disappear into the tile. 😉 Good luck!
Hello this is all so helpful but I am in a stand with my kitchen. We purchased 3 years ago and cabinets are a dark mocha color with darker granite. We painted all our walls gray. I am wanting to repaint all my cabinets white or cream color just not sure what will look best. Thank you
Shannon, thanks for your comment. As you can imagine, it is very hard to give color advice without spending some time looking at your kitchen and the connecting rooms. Because of this, I offer facetime color consultations. If you’d like to schedule a time to talk about your specific issues, please email me at dana@bellatucker.com Thanks so much!
Great article! Would it work to paint the walls something like agreeable gray or sw modern gray with orange cherry wood cabinets and Kashmir gold granite? The granite does have some gray in it but is mostly golden brown overall. Thank you.
Hey! Our granite is very much the Tuscan look and similar to the one in the photo above. Our cabinets are a cream color and I’m hoping to do a subway tile, but my question is about the floor. We have original hardwoods all throughout the house except the kitchen. What would be your recommendation in flooring when hardwood isn’t an option? I’m not sure if putting down an engineered would be tacky when the original hardwood flows right up to the kitchen. Thanks
What is the actual color or name of the quartz counter top in the ‘After’ picture?
Thanks in advance for the response!
We want to remodel our kitchen. We have oak cabinets, with almond tiles back splash, the granite it’s a golden, brown, called San Francisco gold, our floor is ceramic tiles, almond color. Our kitchen walls are a light gold color. We went to Sherwin Williams and the Home Consultant suggested a light gray color for the walls and the top cabinets. Suggesting to paint the bottom cabinets a darker color. We are looking to use Agreeable Gray for the walls and top cabinets and maybe go with Elephant Ear for the bottom. My question is will this light gray go with our granite colors, and back splash, also the two color cabinets what are your thoughts?
thank you for your input.
if I do an off white on my cabinet, can I do a white subway tile backsplash?
That all depends on your countertop and your floor. If you have a busy granite, I’d do an off white cabinet and a solid off white tile. 🙂
Joann, thanks for your comment. This is the kind of in depth question that we would need to schedule a paid Zoom call to discuss where I can see your kitchen in person. You can set that up by emailing me at dana@bellatucker.com Thanks!
Not sure which photo you are referring to. you can email me a screen shot for more info. thanks.
I always love a continuous flooring material on the main level. I would continue the wood floor into the kitchen.
I would stick to a Beige-y gray like Edgecomb Gray. Even better might be a soft greige like Pale Oak. Good luck
thanks so much!!!
This was an extremely informative, and helpful post! We are buying our first home, and I love everything but the kitchen. The kitchen has very nice existing cabinets and granite countertops, but I am not a fan of the look of them! I have been trying to find ways to love the kitchen without demoing everything. That seems too wasteful and expensive. This post put words to what I don’t like and ways I can love my kitchen with a little bit of soap! It is a Tuscan kitchen, with busy tan cabinets, busy granite (browns, greys, speckled), and a busy backsplash. We are looking to reface the cabinets white. Your post has helped me narrow down the type of white that would be best considering the bossy granite, as well as the best backsplash to put in! I’m now really excited about the kitchen! One extra thing I’ve noticed, in one of the above before/after photos, you included cabinets that have a braided detail on them. Are there ways when refacing cabinets to remove the wooden braids off the cabinets? It’s so early 2000s + live/laugh/love I think! Haha. I am so glad I found this post and I am now following you for more home inspiration! Thanks!!
Hi! Thank you so much for the tips. Super helpful! I’m going to dive into the kitchen cabinets soon, and I have a question for you… I really like the Ben Moore Advanced paint, but my granite is a brown (w/ orangey tones). Is there a Ben Moore white that you would recommend? If I ask the hardware store to color match the SW Creamy or Navajo White, can I trust it?? Thanks again!!
Yes, shouldn’t be a problem. We color match all the time. Best of luck!
Yes, we remove those wooded accents all the time. So glad the post was helpful!
Love reading all your comments. I too am having a difficult time updating and lightening my kitchen/dining room. I have what is suppose to be ubatuba but when I google, it comes up with green in it. Mine is not green it has brown or reddish color in it. I have tumbled travertine tiles with bronze tile mixed throughout (suggested by installer). Then I have canyon slate glazed porcelain tile on floor. Right now my walls are painted a cayenne color and my cabinets have been distressed off white w a dark glaze. I like the idea of painting the cabinets a solid color but I can’t find a color for the walls that I feel look good with the tumbled travertine backsplash (which is very dark color in places)as it meets the wall to the dinning room. I like the canton slate tile but not out of the question to replace or should the backsplash be replace with something lighter and more even toned? Do you have suggestion on wall color as well.
Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you have a lot of colors and textures going on in your kitchen. Too many for a quick answer on paint color. I’d love to help you, but I think we should schedule some time to look at your kitchen together. Here is a link to sign up for a Zoom consultation. https://designfiles.co/design-packages/bella-tucker-decorative-finishes
Such helpful info..we have a Tuscan kitchen with chestnut brown granite and the dreaded 5 inch backsplash with cream travertine floors.
We have started to update and painted the brown cabinets and walls SW Aesthetic White. We want to add a backsplash and we were considering tumbled travertine rectangular tile but I recently found an article that tumbled travertine is outdated. We don’t want anything too busy but want to modernize…what would you suggest for the backsplash if indeed tumbled travertine is going backwards? Thanks
thanks so much for your comment. As you may have read in the above blog post I am not a fan of a 5″ backsplash and a tile backsplash above it. You should have one or the other. If you want to install a backsplash, you would need to remove the 5″ backsplash. However, in your case I would recommend that you keep the 5″ backsplash you have until you can update the countertops with a more solid or marble look countertop. I agree that the tumbled travertine is an outdated look. Best of luck with your updated.
We have bossy granite in mostly brown with black and flecks of gold including a 5in backsplash. Cabinets are brown with brown hardwood floors. We want to lean more towards grey’s. We thought of Repose grey but after testing it out its seems too light. Any suggestions would be helpful. Replacing granite is not an option however painting cabinets is. Thanks!
Mixing browns and grays is very tricky. I do not recommend it without a professional color consultation. I would go more the color of mushroom with a warm undertone to work with your brown countertops. If you’d like to schedule a zoom consult you can do that here: https://designfiles.co/design-packages/bella-tucker-decorative-finishes
I need help picking a color for my kitchen, my granite has brown, beige and black in it and my backsplash has beige tiles and brown tone lil tiles! My cabinets will soon be antique white, please help!
Yes, we can schedule that. Here is the information on our color consults: https://designfiles.co/design-packages/bella-tucker-decorative-finishes
I have a “bossy” black and brown granite counter top(from previous owners) with a 3 1/2 inch granite piece currently serving as a back splash. Because the existing back splash is so small(meaning smaller than 5 inches), I still have 14 inches of wall between the bottom of the cabinet and the top of the existing back splash. Can I leave the 3 1/2 inch piece and install a smaller size clear glass subway tile with grout that matches a color in the granite?
Sorry, no! That is your backsplash. If you want to add a tile backsplash that should always be removed. It’s very easy to do. You should have one or the other, but not both. Thanks for your comment!
Do you know if it is possible to paint as quartz countertop? My color does not match my other decor.
Thanks
I wouldn’t. It is not a paintable surface. I’d paint cabinets or walls to go with the quartz. It’s a lot cheaper that replacing quartz too. 🙂
Hi! I just painted my walls worldly gray from dark browns. I thought I could keep my kitchen cabinets which are a cream with tobacco glaze. Wrong! Now I think I need to paint them ivory lace, like my other cabinets in the bathrooms. I cant afford to change out my kitchen granite right now which is in the brown family, as is my back splash. Thoughts? Once I paint cabinets will the granite and back splash really stand out as brown? I have a very dark hardwood too. This design and change stuff is so hard!
if everything worked together before I recommend you repaint the walls a different color. Maybe something less gray and more putty color would work. Please email me if you’d like to do a color consultation.
Is there a way for me to post a pic? I’m working with some bossy granite and we are painting the cabinets a shade of white but also have to replace the floors but I don’t think we will be able to find the floors to match the living area.. any tips?
Dana, thank you for a great article. Super helpful!! And thanks for 3 years of patient and professional replies. There were a couple great questions that your responses have helped me with. I have your contact info when/if I need specifics.
Thanks so much for your comment Rhonda. I’m glad you found it helpful!
Hi Emily. No way to post a photo, but please reach out if you’d like to book a color consultation Thanks.
Hi Dana
Would you be able to tell me what colour you painted the cabinets in the 2nd after picture “Updated Tuscan kitchen with painted cabinets”. I am not sure how to add the photo, my apologies. I found it on “Dana’s Rules for working with Granite with a kitchen update”. Your help is much appreciated
Sherwin Williams Creamy is the cabinet color. Thanks for reading!
Is it possible to remove the 5″ granite back splash to install a solid color subway tile backsplash?
Yes, this is totally doable. Have your tile installer remove and then tile all the way down to the countertop. Good luck!
We purchased our home a year ago and I REALLY need to do something with the kitchen. It has knotty alder cabinets with a solid granite uba tuba island, The perimeter is also in uba tuba except they used tiles instead of a solid slab. The backsplash is hideous with a Christmas looking star on 4×4 tiles. I can’t decide whether I should replace the perimeter with a solid slab of uba tuba or make it 2-tone and use a different color on the perimeter. Should I paint the island to break up all of the wood (the floors are a light teak color. I’m so confused.
I think you could benefit from a Zoom consultation. Please email me if you’d like to set it up. Thanks! dana@bellatucker.com
What are your thoughts on doing two toned cabinets with dark base cabinets? We have St. Cecilia granite granite with lots of charcoal/black specks throughout so we were thinking about going very dark with the base cabinets with cream uppers. Something like the Navajo white maybe.
I’d say no on the two toned cabinets. Busy-bossy granite in a kitchen is the one busy element. If you paint your cabinets two-toned you all of the sudden have some competing elements. I’d keep the cabinets one soft creamy white color. Best of luck on your project.
What is the best white cabinet paint colors with a dark Uba tuba granite?
You also need to consider your floors, wall color, and how much light the room gets. Some of my favorite whites are SW Alabaster, SW Greek Villa, and SW Shoji White.
Inherited kitchen with Santa Cecelia gold counters and white cabinets, but just took half wall down and now need new countertop for the island. Can’t match the granite so what should I do? White or black counter for island?. My house is mainly black, white and gold. Thanks.
I’d do a leathered black granite. It will be perfect. Good luck
We have black cabinets and beige/ black granite. What color backsplash would you do?
I would do a solid beige subway tile that pulls the beige color from the countertops 🙂
Hi,
I came across this article via a friend of mine.
Am looking for some input regarding the need for a backsplash in our kitchen.
I’m far from creative on ANY spectrum.
The counter we have is very similar to your first photo on this page – very busy, orange/tan/espresso brown mix.
My husband wants to get the same for the back splash, all the way to the bottom of the cabinets. (to the bottom of the microwave, behind the stove).
I think it will be too busy and we should go with a more solid color.
The cabinets are a cream color with espresso accent lines and hardware.
The walls were originally painted a tan-ish color before we bought it, but the builder was told the “dark” walls would not sell (which we liked better), so the entire house was repainted inside with this very pale grey-blue color that just blends everything into one blah color.
We want to change the wall color for sure. I had thought of white, but was unsure how it would be against the cream cabinets – then if we change the wall color to a light tan again??. Was thinking of maybe a darker color but that might be too much as well, once its around the whole kitchen. Darker cabinets would be nice, but that’s more than he wants to conquer for a while.
Thanks so much for your question. Without seeing any photos, my general advice would be: use a cream color subway tile, cream color cabinets like BM Swiss Coffee or SW Navajo White. Then a tan wall color to blend all the browns/creams. That should work.
Do you still do consults? I have a 2004 kitchen with granite countertops and all the way up to the cabinets. I was thinking a cream color for the cabinets but truthfully I am at a loss.
I sure do. Please email me through the contact form to set up a time. 🙂
I have a question- I see all the back and forth I’m redoing my kitchen my counter is the traditional bossy Tuscan counter sand tan black some grey it’s the every where countertop – I’m going grey. A very light almost white. My trim is white. So in following the thread I should paint my cabinets a cream, but wouldn’t the cream and white have issues? Help desperately seeking knowledge???
Not sure what is going grey. If you are asking if you can paint your cabinets grey, it all depends on the countertop, tile, flooring, and what you can see of the adjacent rooms. You have to take all that into account. If you’d like to schedule a zoom consult where I can answer questions specific to your kitchen while we are looking at it together, please email emily@bellatucker.com Thanks for your comment!
Hi Dana,
This article is wonderful. We are painting our cherry wood cabinets to a white. We have hardwood floors, not too dark or light, and a mix between uba tuba granite and Baltic brown. What color of white should I paint the cabinets? My fear is we do want to replace the counter tops one day down the road and want to do white quartz. Should I paint the cabinets a more stark white with this in mind? Thanks so much.
Great question. I would definitely paint them to work with what you have now. BM Swiss Coffee is a nice soft warm white. SW Creamy is another to look at. Both should look good with a creamy white quartz in the future. Good luck.
Thanks so much for this article! And for answering questions about it years later! I’ve been racking my brain for the past 5 years that I’ve lived at my house about how to work with the dated granite kitchen countertops. I can’t justify changing them, because there’s a LOT of them, and they are in good shape. I have always wanted white kitchen cabinets, but I have felt like that might be too harsh against the warmer tones in the granite. Mine is busy/bossy, but not the worst I’ve seen. Mostly black, but with muted brown tones throughout. My cabinets are oak and are screaming to be painted. I painted my walls greige which helped tone down the red feeling in my kitchen. My question (finally) is…am I stuck with beige/cream as my only option for cabinets until I can afford new counters? I’m not a fan of the creamy/warmer tones. I would even love to paint them a color like green or a blue/gray. Would you need a pic of the granite to know the answer? Thanks! Whitney
I have baltic brown granite, shades of tan tumbled marble backsplash, and cream with gray splotches large floor tile. I want to paint the orangey cherry stained cabinets. What color paint do you recommend to lighten the kitchen cabinets?
Whitney, so glad you found this helpful. My rule is one bossy element per kitchen. And vibrant colors are also bossy. I’d really need to see all the elements in your kitchen together to give a more specific recommendation. If you’d like to schedule a consult, please email emily@bellatucker.com to set that up. Thanks for your comment.
I would get a sample of Sherwin Williams Creamy and see if that works for you. Good luck!
Hi Dana,
Your article is EXTREMELY helpful!
I have the very “bossy” giallo fiorito granite on both my countertops and small island. My cabinets are American Woodmark Savannah maple cognac. While I would like to change the cabinets and the granite, my husband would probably have a fit.(smile) Though, I think I might be able to squeeze in a new island top. Would that make sense? If so, what would you suggest I change it to? What would you suggest for counter stools?
Any guidance you can provide about how I might update my kitchen would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Hi Janet, thanks for your question. I think you could benefit from a zoom consult. Please email emily@bellatucker.com for more information.
Hi Dana,
Thanks for this post!! I’m happy to know I’m not the only one having cabinets vs. countertop/backsplash wars! I am in need of some advice about what backsplash to add and what color to paint my oak cabinets…To make this a bit more challenging, my hubby and I are on two different spectrums of what we want the final look to be (but he does admit that I have the final say) haha But then I’ll feel bad if he doesn’t love it when it’s done. Do you still do consults? Can I send you pictures? I just need some guidance because I feel frustrated. 🙁
I’m so glad you found it helpful! I’d love to help. Please email kelly@bellatucker.com for information on setting up a zoom consult.