White vs. Dark - the Big Debate

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I need your help

My brain has been a-buzz

All sortsa ideas and figurations goin' on in there.....

I have loved the rustic, industrial farmhouse look

for some time now

The Stig.....

not so much!

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He hasnt quite come to terms with my love of

rusty, chippy and worn

He thinks all the vintage doo-dads that I have found

over the years are really cool....

he even has his "own" collection of rusty crusty thing-a-ma-bobs

But - 

he doesnt quite understand the look 

that I am trying to go with in our future kitchen 

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I have s-l-o-w-l-y been incorporating some industrial and metal

in our current kitchen

(i say slowly in the sense that he hasnt really noticed!)

to try to get him on the decor band-wagon 

You see

unfortunately for me

my hubby has a design sense too

(he really does have a good eye)

I say unfortunately because I dont have free reign

on decorating our house

(still not allowed to have "girly" colors or too many ruffles in our bedroom!) 

The Stig has his own decor and style sense

sometimes its a bit too dark, rustic and woodsy

Dont get me wrong....

I am a huge fan of rustic and wood 

He loves and trusts my taste

but its usually AFTER :

 - its already in our house

 - numerous people have praised how everything looks

 - constant reassuring from me

And our style is truly a blend of both of us.
It works.... 

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But, it seems we are butting heads with the kitchen/dining area

I am really pushing hard for a compromise....
aka my way :) 

I too am a fan of the rustic

(we have quite a few rustic pieces)

He is just leary of the white with the rustic

(he wants ALL wood! Ugh!)
And then I mention painting some wood white ....
You would have thought I bit his ear off!
(sorry Holyfield) 

I am just afraid that the kitchen of the new house (aka Edith)

is just way too small to have alot of wood

Hence the need for WHITE.

I dont think it can handle alot of dark wood.... 

This picture is one of my favorite inspirations right now:

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Love the openness, hints of industrial metal (dining chairs, stool,lighting)
Also the glass uppers! 

Isnt this kitchen a beauty??

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Arent those stools the freakin coolest?!
And we have this same idea for our island.....old reclaimed wood
(once again, I am pushing for whitewashing it!) 

While the Stig is leaning pushing towards more of this :

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See how it just feels dark?
I do love the beams....especially the big ol' header withe the rock above it.

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This is his dream.....wood everywhere!! 

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I am willing to possibly go this dark on our cabinets.....only if we get a light colored countertop.
We both like Corian.
Crazy we agree on that!

This is what we already have to work with:

This is our farmhouse table.
Should I paint the legs, only, white?

Also got these barstools from Overstock.com
Love them!
(the Stig...not so much)
I just ordered custom white ruffled slipcovers for them
(to help soften the industrial look) 

We have ALL oak cabinets to work with...ugh
(hey I cant complain when we got them for practically "Free")

My plan is to either:

A: Paint them white
(yes, I know it will be a bitch - but remember I am trying to "lighten" up the kitchen!)

B: Stain them darker (the Stig is on-board for this)


What are your thoughts??!

Has anyone else tackled painting oak cabinets?

I would really appreciate any and all tips!


Also, how does your Hubby feel about the decor of your house?

Does he have an opinion?
Does he have his own style?
If so, what is it?
(besides the "stop and drop" style!)