Backsplash and wall color time! Is this too dark?

11 years ago

With the cabinet order finally placed i can turn my attention to colors! as you will see below, i dont have a lot of visible wall space. that's making it hard to decide on a backsplash direction and wall color. I'm too impatient to wait for the professional renderings, and they won't be in the right colors anyway, so I've been playing in Room Planner.

I found a SW color I like and used the RGB numbers to color the walls. We currently live in a sand dune, with all the walls and carpets beige, so at the moment any color seems bold. Is this too dark?

I'm also not sure what to do about the backsplash. The sink run is the longest wall in the room. I had been leaning toward grey or creamy white (matched to the light granite areas), but would having that long wall with essentially no wall color visible look odd?

Here is what I'm working with currently, suggestions welcome!

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Comments (10)

beachlily z9a
11 years ago
You might try SW Raindrop if you want to lighten this up a bit. It's a lighter version of the lovely blue/green you have in your mockup.
CEFreeman
11 years ago
That color on my monitor is rich, velvety and delicious. I think it would be beautifully done and very dramatic. I think your cabs, windows and anything else you put on the walls will break it up and prevent it from being overwhelming.
Perhaps take a lighter shade of it to the ceiling!?

It's so nice to see someone invest in color.
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eam44
11 years ago
It's hard to evaluate the choice without knowing what kind of light you have in your space. Is yours a north facing kitchen or do you get direct sunlight?
williamsem
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, beachlily, that color is lovely, but seems to have different undertones. I'm afraid if I go to light the cabinets will just look black.

Thanks Christine! I was thinking of having it mixed lighter for the tiny half bath off the kitchen (never tried that but have heard people here talk about it). I might have it mixed even lighter for both ceilings. Need to get some samples to paint with. Any thoughts on backsplash? Would it look odd with none of that color on the longest wall?

EAM44, sorry, I always seem to forget something! The slider faces NE and the window faces SE according to my iPad app. I have a horrible sense of direction! I didn't want to go too greenish, I am afraid the cork will enhance the green effect. To keep the same color and get it lighter, does mixing it at a lower percent do that? I've seen that mentioned here before.
CEFreeman
11 years ago
williamsem, no, I don't think it'll look odd at all.
Frankly, IMHO, there isn't much difference between a long run of tile and paint. Other than paint not having any visual clutter. :)

You might not remember, but I whined and whined about my gorgeous, beloved colors turning from a gray/green/sage color to turquoise in the natural light. After wasting much time and money on repainting (what was I thinking), I finally just started doing the large samples. Please don't skip this step!! As a matter of fact, I'd suggest starting that right now! Plus, you can paint a long section underneath your cabinets and see what you think.

I like the idea a lot of the powder room and ceilings being of the same color family. Pretty!
eam44
11 years ago
I think the pc term is directionally challenged :) The slider and window are at 90 degree angles to each other so they cant face NE and SE respectively - they'd have to be on opposite walls for this to be correct. They're either NE and N in which case you get a little morning sun through the sliders, and no direct light through the window, OR SE and S, in which case you are bathed in light most of the day.

So, if your kitchen filled with light most of the day this might not be your color. I'd go much brighter and a slightly different hue (like Aquatint SW6936).

from mariakillam.com

If you get little light this could be a nice deep choice for you, as would be the less saturated SW7617 (Mediterranea) or the more saturated Labradorite (SW7619) and Seaworthy (7620). You should check them all out in your own light. But if the color looks green in your space, you should consider a different hue.

SW7617

Deep Sea Dive SW7618

Sw7619

SW7620
{{!gwi}}
localeater
11 years ago
I love it. You will have to play around to get the perfect color but I love the deep, saturated blue. The last one EAM posted was also great. My son's BR is painted a very similar shade, with dark drftwood grey trim, and a ceiling with white boards and fir beams. It looks fabulous. Am out of town on business, but will look up his color when I get home.
williamsem
Original Author
11 years ago
Well, the kitchen gets some light early in the day, the sun is of the other side of the house in the evening.

Picked up some chips yesterday, and the deep sea dive is very, very dark! But the meditranean posted above along with riverway SW 6222 seem promising. I'm trying to mix them with a green in the great room, so I picked up the HGTV palate to make my life easier :-). Will deviate some, but it's a great start for someone that's not so good with colors.

Will post some pics after work, running late now...
eam44
11 years ago
I think you are very good with color. You're coming up with great options. Based on the light pattern my guess is NE and N and choosing saturated colors is going to give you a wonderful feel to the room. Below is an image of someone's living room painted in SW 6222 Riverway (it's easier to envision the colors if I can see them used in a space with similar light...)

{{!gwi}}

It's a fantastic choice - I like it even better than your original. It reminds me of a Farrow and Ball color I am going to use in my N by NE living room. The color is called Dix Blue, and I've had it made up in SW paint. I swoon when I look at it. This color is definitely greener than yours. I'm matching one of the dozen blues in an oriental rug.
eam44
11 years ago
Just FYI - I was pretty sure I chose Deep Sea Dive for the color of my shutters on the exterior of my house, but they look so much darker than the color swatch that I wasn't sure. I found the can of paint today and indeed, it is SW Deep Sea Dive, and it is a pretty saturated color - pretty (people ring the bell and ask me what the color is) and saturated (deep).