apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I was gushing over the icy blue countertops with light wood in this post yesterday. I think it's a gorgeous combo and could be done with simple laminate.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/zacs-raw-house-melbourne-100335

You know, IKEA has a lot of countertop samples of all sorts that you can hold next to the display cabinets. It makes picking a color pretty easy.

Beautiful cabinets. I would use a creamy white.

fyi spanky- not all Ikeas do! We just moved to Pittsburgh where the Ikea has teamed up with local places and has samples of just about any counter, but Ikea Houston had no such thing. It's all about what Ikea it is I guess... either way, if Ikea doesn't have the samples, I'm sure another place would be glad to get them for you.

I really like farmhousemoderne's icy blue recommendation!! While I usually like a really industrial look with counters, I think these cabinets would go better with some color, warmth, or even a retro vibe! Really though, to make a suggestion, it'd be easier to help if we knew something about the rest of the room. What's the wall color? Is the space small/cramped or huge/bright? I'd be hard-pressed to pick out counters/backsplashes without knowing the whole room... :)

Great cabinet choices!

With that color of wood, I actually like stainless steel for the counter and backsplash. A more modern feel, since another material might be more folksy teamed up with it.

Stainless steel countertops suck. There's just no way around it. You're constantly wiping them down, and then wiping them down again to try to make your cleaning streaks go away.

For that lovely wood, I would actually choose a dark countertop. Since it is for a rental, and it sounds like the space is small, I might go for a fairly high quality material that can withstand some abuse. Dark will also hide stains, but aesthetically, I think it will make the wood be the star of the kitchen.

What does the rest of the place look like? You could have a lot of fun with these cabinets. A warm orange could give it a fun retro feel, or the ice blue mentioned above would be amazingly sleek. A deep brown would pull out the grain and be more be neutral for a rental.

Although I think the stainless steel would be pretty, the problems mentioned by home body are a consideration. I would probably go with black or very dark countertop with a dark tile backsplash - maybe a dark glass tile with some metallic to it. Alternatively - a white countertop - not a bright white but something with a bit of warmth to it - would work well.

Not a fan of the blue countertops suggested above.

For countertops, go neutral. You can always use color on the walls or as accents.

If you want something inexpensive, Formica and Wilsonart make great looking laminate - not only in solid colors, but also in styles that mimic stone. One that picks up the color of the wood in the cabinets would be really nice. Matte surfaces are better - the shiny ones show scratches easily.

I like RMA's idea of a white countertop. I am redoing my apt's kitchen soon and plan on using those same cabinets. I was hoping to do something like a white carrera marble but that isn't very durable so I will probably go with a similar kind of granite.

White Corian.

I agree with Corian, but perhaps in a funky, retro style?

http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/products/corian/pr_corian_colors.html

I'm the OP. Thanks for the suggestions everyone! This is my first ever kitchen project and we're starting from scratch- gutting the entire thing. The room is incredibly tiny -- so small that we are forced to get a 20" range. I really don't want to do laminate and was debating between a dark countertop or light. We were looking at Ecotop but want something more affordable. I just couldn't figure out what kind of backsplash to do with a dark counter. I love the idea of a light Corian -- there are so many different varieties and that icy blue color looks great w/ the cabinets. I never imagined how difficult this project would be- I have to keep reminding myself that 1) the kitchen is not for me 2) it has to be cost effective and 3) it must withstand the wear and tear of renters.
Thanks again!

With the light blue counter I think a simple, inexpensive white tile backsplash would look great.

Since it is a rental, I would not do blue.
I'm with magicsbm on staying neutral and letting the wood really shine. Also love bepsf's idea of white... corian is good.
Love the look of white with that wood. Dreamy.
For backsplash, why not white subway tile or glass subway tile...
http://www.modwalls.com/glasstilelush1x4subway.aspx

again, magicsbm is on target...bring in color with other things.
Beautiful choice of cabinets.

I love the Solar cabinets too! Good choice. I think white and offwhite would look best with them. Quartz and Silestone have some shades I think would look really good. I think a green backsplash would be really pretty, any shade really, but personally I'd go with a bright green. If you want it all neutral, maybe a translucent tile. Of course, it really depends on how much you want to spend on a rental unit.

Lovely cabinets. I think almost anything would look great with them (with the exception of another wood like butcher block). I have stainless steel countertops and backsplash in my apartment and don't find them to be as much of a maintenance issue as others say, but I wouldn't spend the money for a rental unit. Concrete could also be amazing, but again, not cost-efficient. Therefore, I agree with the white composite or white laminate suggestions (depending on your budget). If you go with a composite, do your research as there are a lot of products our there besides Corian. If you go with laminate, a stainless steel edge would look really gorgeous. Neutral and timeless is the way to go here.

Caesarstone and Silestone, both quartz composite, are much nicer than Corian for about the same cost. Very durable and easy to maintain, too.

i have light colored cabinets with plum paperstone countertops.

White Caeserstone!!! Durable, cost effetive, and will please anyone. If someone wants blue, they can add it as rugs/towels/accessories. Same with anything else.

I have Solar beech cabinets with Ceaserstone countertops in Blizzard and and a white glass backsplash. Looks great and we get tons of compliments.