Asked on Mar 19, 2013

White kitchen with light gray or medium sand-colored countertops?

Dagmar's Home
by Dagmar's Home
We are building a kitchen with white cabinets, a white farm sink, and we have dark brown-colored laminate floors. We have a choice of a light gray, speckled countertop (speckles look like recycled glass), or a medium sand-colored, speckled countertop (speckles more round). They are both solid surface. Which countertop would you get, light gray of medium sand?
  19 answers
  • Lulu Dubin Lulu Dubin on Mar 20, 2013
    Do you have pictures of the two choices?
  • Shari Shari on Mar 20, 2013
    Personally, I would chose the light gray in a heartbeat because I am NOT a beige person--at all. Even when gray wasn't as popular as it is now, grays (and black) have always been my preferred neutrals over beige and brown. You might want to take into consideration how much light you get in your kitchen. If you get very little or no natural light, the beige may darken the kitchen ever-so-slightly more than the lighter gray. With that being said, you probably can't go wrong with either of these very neutral choices. The first one you were drawn to is most likely the "right" choice.
  • Shari Shari on Mar 20, 2013
    P.S. And for those who might say the light gray with the white cabinets would be too much "white" and stark-looking I say, poppycock! All white kitchens are gorgeous (and timeless) in my opinion. Color can always be added with accessories, rugs, art, window treatment (if you have a window) etc.
  • Jeanine Wester Jeanine Wester on Mar 20, 2013
    Agreed, all white is gorgeous and easy to match lol!
  • Mary Insana Mary Insana on Mar 20, 2013
    I'd go with the light grey too. An all white kitchen never goes out of style and you can change the whole look with different colored accessories. You can change the look for every season with different colors and not much $$. Colored towels, throw rugs,etc, you can even get a different colored dish drainer, especially if you buy these things after season. Keep you eyes open for some cool pastel accessories on sale after Easter.
  • The light gray looks closer to marble, and a more high-end choice. What are you doing with the backsplash?
  • Dagmar's Home Dagmar's Home on Mar 20, 2013
    Should I do the backsplash in the same color or do tiles, what do you think?
  • Leslie D Leslie D on Mar 20, 2013
    Where I would normally say that the brown would break up the field of white and tie in with your floor, I just like the light gray choice so much better. It looks much higher end than the brown. As far as back-splash, bring home tons of samples once your counter top is in. We were shocked that our first choice looked horrible with our counter top and ended up picking something entirely different once we put it up against everything else.
  • Diane Diane on Mar 20, 2013
    I am having my kitchen remodeled in May-June (4th on the waiting list) and I have chosen white cabinets and also solid surface by wilsonart called Durango. I really love the light colors. Have you thought about white subway tiles to continue the white all the way down from the cabinets and then the light countertops. I think it would look very streamline and clean especially with other stuff on the counters like coffeemakers or other appliances or canisters. Can't wait to see the finished kitchen!
  • Shari Shari on Mar 20, 2013
    The trend now seems to lean toward a different material for the backsplash rather than continuing the countertop material up the wall. Since you are putting in a farmhouse style sink, I would assume you are going for a farmhouse or cottage look. White subway tiles (with gray grout, or white grout if you want to downplay the gray) is a very popular and pretty look. Also beadboard is popular...either the real thing or the higher end, more realistic looking beadboard wallpaper that can be painted any color you choose. I have personally used the Graham & Brown beadboard wallpaper in several rooms of my previous and current home and in fact, I have it on the backsplash of my current kitchen. It is so realistic looking it has completely fooled everyone, including several very experienced remodeling tradesmen who have worked on various projects in my home. It's only when I tell them it's wallpaper and they touch it do they see it's not the real thing!
  • Sistah Sunshine Sistah Sunshine on Mar 20, 2013
    when choosing any color for a room in your house, take the rest of the house into consideration. If you have warm sand colors in the rest of the house, the coolness of the grey will look out of place. Very few people are still using the counter material for the backsplash. Glass tile or subway tile is still very popular for backsplash from counter top to the bottom of your cabinets. It gives a cleaner line (and an inch more space on your counters!) good luck! :0)
  • Dagmar's Home Dagmar's Home on Mar 20, 2013
    This is all very helpful, thanks! I already thought about white subway tiles for the backsplash. Not one person likes the sandy countertop - just my husband :) I'll let him know he's been outvoted. I like the beadboard idea as well.
  • Z Z on Mar 21, 2013
    Dagmar, you can tell your hubby that he's not alone. I think the darker counter choice is much warmer and with all the other white I personally would need the break for eyes.
  • Jeanine Jeanine on Mar 21, 2013
    The gray with white subway tile backsplash or white beadboard for the backsplash.
  • Margita Margita on Mar 21, 2013
    Dagmar, I will have to agree with your husband and Becky. In my old kitchen I had white washed cabinets,white tile backsplash and a white countertop. I liked it for about six months. The white countertop showed every speck of dirt and the white on white on white was just 'soo blah'. I finally replaced it with a gray neutral that tied into my tile floor. It was much better. The beige would be my choice.
  • 3KsMom 3KsMom on Sep 01, 2014
    I like having colors on vertical planes "match" in hue and horizontal planes match in the same way. Your vertical planes are white or very light but your floor, a horizontal plane, is darker. I like the medium sand and perhaps a dark grout for the backsplash to go with the style you seem to be developing.
  • Linda Goetz Linda Goetz on Aug 17, 2015
    way too much white. I'd go with the sand one. In a few years, you're going to be glad you did.
  • Tracy C Tracy C on Aug 24, 2015
    I like the darker one too!
  • Mil2874244 Mil2874244 on Nov 05, 2015
    i like the sand