I'd definitly paint the cabinets, white and the walls in a kind of ivory tone. I know painting is not your option but that may be the less expensive solution.... I'd add black hardware after having painted the cabinets....

I dont think painting the cabinets would look silly at all! I was going to suggest to paint the walls a very light blueish gray color (which would look lovely against the black counters and white painted cabs) but it might clash with the tile in the shower. Or maybe not?

As for the other bathroom, I actually love the color of the cabients as-is, so I'd suggest just painting the walls a lighter color, and perhaps replacing the over-sized mirrors with smaller framed mirrors for an instant update.

Google image search is your friend. I was skeptical, but there are some good examples of dark counter tops with white/ivory cabinetry. I think the hardware you have is fine.

But I think you have to do something with the shower, since the glass surround makes it all one space. Unfortunately, the tan stone doesn't go with what you have now and won't go with what you have in mind. Black granite, matching the counter, is the direction I would head. Your budget probably won't support that yet.

Cate, it may not be as expensive to paint as you think. You can apply a good quality sealer/primer directly to the clean surface and then paint, without sanding. Zinsser BIN primer has proven itself to work beautifully on my painting projects. Simpler brushed stainless hardware to coordinate with your shower and sink fixtures might be a striking update as well.

I think painting the cabinets white would look stunning! Also I agree with Bossmd's suggestion about a light blue grey. I also think white crown molding would do a lot for softening the lines in the bathroom and giving a very light and relaxing feel to this space. Good luck

The granite along with that light fixture is creating a lot of visual weight. The granite because it is such a dark color and the light because it is creating a lot of contrast in the space (the room is really light on one side and dark on the other).

If it were me, I'd go with a lighter stone, add another light fixture overhead, and lower the wattage of the bulbs over the sink.

I think black granite begs to be coordinated with the colors and metals found in Navajo Indian jewelry: various shades of turquoise, coral, mother-of-pearl, and silver. The rest of the "stone" colors in the bathrooms would blend nicely, and you wouldn't need to change the cabinetry. It doesn't have to be an overt "Indian" theme---it could be tropical, an old fashioned floral, even modern art-ish, but there's no point in fighting the base colors, which are quite usable.

The issue's not the counter/top. The obstacle to getting you to light and breezy is the other stone in the space.

Bathroom number 1 I have no idea.

Bathroom number 2 -- looks almost tropical to me! The wood looks nicer than bathroom 1 too and I would be tempted to keep it. Could you do something with ivory walls, maybe a better (more restoration hardwarey) light fixture, frame out the mirror, take off the counter backsplash (dated anyway) and put in your own light colored tiles, put some horizontal wood blinds on the window (ivory perhaps), and a plant or 2? http://www.emulty.com/wp-content/uploads/tropical-bathroom-designs-1.jpg

I agree with Duane Hill. The countertops are the problem, and they will never stop looking dark and heavy, so why waste time and money changing the cabinets?

If you want to keep the countertops, the high contrast between the dark countertop and white cabinets will be bold but will not be the light and breezy you want. I acutally prefer bold. Some images below to help you envision:

http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=93317&currentPage=0&index=1

The vertical hardware should definitely be positioned higher on the doors.

The lighting is a little harsh. You can consider getting eco-friendly bulbs and at a lower wattage.

And I spotted this picture with similar cabinets + countertop + flooring. Not sure if it will work though. http://www.bhg.com/bathroom/color-schemes/colors/bathroom-color-ideas/#page=18

God, at first i thought 'why is there a toilet in your kitchen?' I don't get American bathrooms. What on earth do you even put in all those cabinets? I'd be tempted to get rid of some of the cabinets personally to make it more light and airy. I also agree with what some one above said about the other stone in the first bathroom. Maybe changing that wold be a good option.

If this were me, I'd focus on seeing if I couldn't get closer to the look I want by changing the easy stuff first. Light fixture, wall color, accessories, etc. I think a lot could be done there. And those are the things that are easier to experiment with. So, with that in mind, I'd probably do this:

1. Try a sky or ocean blue on the walls first. Or maybe a bright turquoise per others. If that didn't work, maybe an icy green even. Bright white could also be a distinct possibility with the thought of injecting color with the accessories.
2. Switch the light out to a modern (or even a fun) light fixture (or several light fixtures). I kind of like Shades of Light's selection and price range: http://www.shadesoflight.com/lighting/bathroom-vanity/all-bathroom-vanity/index2.html
3. Bring in plants and silver accessories (maybe on white trays for organization?) to help soften the large swaths of stone.
4. Change out the towels to either match or contrast, depending on the wall color.

If all that failed, then I would resort to making more drastic, more permanent changes.

I have no design expertise. Zero. But, I have one success story and it may fit here. I had a very similar bathroom dilemma. Natural colored cabinet, stone AND marble flooring, separate tile color/pattern in the shower, all combined with a different color granite counter top. It was also a very small bathroom. I called it Early 21st Century Tile Salesman Comes Home to Bathe, Smiles. (I frowned.) The success was in choosing the only color these all had in common (gray, in my case), and painting the walls a light shade of that gray and the cabinets a dark shade. In my case, this made a huge difference in blending the chaos into something livable until I could replace some components. Good luck!

I agree with Duane Hill. If you want to keep the dark counter tops, embrace the contrast! I painted the cabinets in 2 bathrooms in a nice simple white. One bathroom has a black vanity top and light walls, and the other has a white vanity top but dark walls - both work well and the light/dark contrast is nice.

I'd recommend painting the walls a slightly darker neutral color like a warm grey or mauve. This will maintain contrast with the dark counter top and light/white cabinets, but de-emphasize the contrast you currently have between the floor/shower tile and the walls.

You could also frame the mirrors and paint them to match the cabinets (just google search "how to frame a mirror")

Keep your cabinet as it is and paint the wall warm white shade. What you really need is some green leafy plant on the counter top to make it look less heavy, don't you think?

I think the two biggest problems you have with both bathrooms are the huge mirrors and the beige walls. Try putting up some smaller framed mirrors and changing the wall colors to something cool (maybe grey?), then introduce breezy accent colors.
I'm with @SunnyBlue regarding the colors - turquoise, coral, silver, would all look great.
Making the mirror in the bathroom with the black granite smaller will lessen the impact of the brown tile too.

I would leave everything as is and go for an art deco wall paper for the bath. I think that would look pretty slick.

If it were my choice I would leave them as is, they look great. Don't try to fix someting if it ain't broke. Spend your money on some nice white towels, maybe a couple of white terry robes and bath slippers.

Why not go for something bold on the cabinets themselves to help balance out the black countertop? I like the turquoise and coral suggestion. Try a bold colour ont he cabinets and then go for a white wall or a very light grey wall.

Find smaller mirrors and a "light" feeling glass fixture (maybe something with a bit of sparkle).

Alternatively - you could paint the walls white or light grey, update your lighting/mirrors and see how the cabinets appeal to you once that's been done. Then from there you can decide if you want to paint.

You might even want to consider painting the wall behind the cabinets a dark colour to help balance the countertop and paint the rest of the room a white so that the contrast makes everythign seem brighter

I would remove the little backsplash - it will look a lot more modern and less heavy without.

I think you should paint them white and pick a grey wall color (or just something that will soften the black counter/white cab contrast and not clash with the other stone on the floor and in the shower).

Then I would definitely replace the giant mirror with a couple large framed mirrors....not too small otherwise the balance would look weird since there's so much counter space, but smaller than what's there so they reflect less of the room than the giant single one. I think walking in that room and seeing so much of that shower stone, b/w real materials and reflected, is what's dragging it down the most. Larger mirrors with substantial frames that have some visual interest will take attention away from the drabness of the reflected stone. And ditto what other people said on changing the lighting fixtures.

For bathroom one, I would paint the walls a light coffee, the cabinets white, put a white frame around the mirror, and switch the lighting to something more modern. I would use white and silver trays to hold/display your countertop items.

For bathroom two, I would paint the walls a creamy color and switch out the lighting there too. The cabinets are really nice the way they are and could be a nice focal point of the room.

I'm always so surprised at what bothers people. That is a high-end bathroom in perfect condition! It's just the colors and a few details that are off.

The warm, honey wood tone and the cool, gray/taupe stone and pinky-tan walls are not working together. Rather than paint (ruin) what appears to be a lot of great-quality, solid wood cabinetry I would chose a paint color to calm down the orange in the wood. I had a similar color problem in a bathroom and used a Benjamin Moore seashell pink (Cameo) that reads -- on the wall -- as vanilla against the orange tones. Then take the mirror out (there will be construction glue behind, which will necessitate minor wall repair) and replace with two hung, framed mirrors. Replace the dated bar lights with sconces. Hang some art. Put something tall on the counter like a beautiful vase or sculpture. Consider hanging white towels with black piping for crispness. I think you can make this look luxurious.

I agree with BOSSMD: that shower stall is the problem. It matches nothing.

This would seem to me to be one of those instances in which you need to take a step back and reappraise the entire situation. You like light, white bathrooms... but that ain't what you got, and it won't be unless you gut these perfectly lovely bathrooms and refit. Fashion victims do that - true style means knowing when to adopt a new look to meet the requirements of what you already have.

So get a decorator in to create a new palette for the existing fittings. He/she may be able to suggest unexpected colours and pattern that you'd never considered and take you on a whole new design journey.

I had a huge, awful-looking bathroom once and the minute I removed the giant mirror that was making me see TWO awful bathrooms, the place looked a lot more manageable and I was more easily able to come up with a decorating scheme. Those huge builder mirrors are making your problems look worse than they are.

I wouldn't even think of painting the cabinets in the bathroom with the taupe countertop. The problem there is just the mirror and the wall color that is reading pink on my monitor. Also, is the hardware on the cabinets a different color than the faucets? If so, change them and frame a mirror over the sink in a matching metal or painted a color to coordinate with the countertops. Paint the wall an ivory tone to provide an overall neutral background for accessories in one deep tone you like (teal, green, rust, violet, whatever you enjoy).

I agree with those who say the bathroom with the black countertop is way worse. I would paint those cabinets. I vote for white cabinets, gray wall, a big mirror framed in silver. Even if the cabinets were just painted the same color the wall already is, it would remove one of the too many uncoordinated colors in that room.

I'd go with a very light shade of the floor tile - a white will be too stark. It could even be an off-white, but having that tone in the white will tie the colors together. This will be tricky to do because the variables nature of the tile precludes computerized color matching, which is too bad because you will go insane trying tomfind an off-the shelf color. Make sure to test the color!

I would then get rid of that huge light fixture and replace with something very clean and minimal, if modern is your style.

I would consider long, rectangular mirrors the same width as the ones you have but much narrower, mounted at chest height. I am suggesting this because I thinkit will be hard to center a smaller mirror with an L-shaped counter, so I would reduce the size in another dimension. I have seen these and they look great, if you get the proportions right.

For the walls, maybe an off-white tinted a complimentary color (on the color wheel) to what you end up with for the cabinets. Find towels that work with the wall color.

BTW, there are two bathrooms here, not three, right?

I would move the towel rings and rack, so they are more functional, if possible and group better visually.

i wouldn't change the cabinet colour or the granite yet. experiment with lighting and wall colours first and if you're still dissatisfied, then you can slap paint on wood. i'm not sure coral cabinets would agree well with the stonework, so... proceed with caution.

1. LIGHTING. get rid of those light fixtures. they hurt my soul. go for true white bulbs, nothing soft white (which will cast more of a yellow hue). look for more modern fixtures, think scandinavian spa. also consider adding other sources of lighting (candles? a lantern?).

2. paint the walls anything but beige. beige is the devil. i'd start with a true white, or maybe something that moves into grey, but a true grey. blue-grey will clash with the shower tile and beige is evil. remember to paint the ceiling too.

3. PLANTS. leafy green plants that will love the moisture. if you want to keep the counterspace clear, then load up the window sills with plants and consider a hanging plant.

4. smaller, framed mirrors.

5. linens: pick saturated colours. vibrant blues, yellows, reds, or crisp white, or deep black. stay away from muddy earth tones.

and... i know this will sound crazy if you want a light airy space, but consider painting one of the walls matte black or deep charcoal. it'll push the wall back, the black granite won't stick out like a sore thumb, it'll balance the room, and it'll make all the whites look that much crisper. the problem with these spaces is that they're all in the same muted earth tones, but if you throw in some vibrancy and contrast, it'll breathe some life into them.