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janepa_gw

Need help picking color for kitchen walls

16 years ago

The following photos show the three main color elements now in my kitchen. The wall color is currently white and while I like the brightness it contributes to the kitchen, with the cabinets now refaced and painted white, I would like to add color to the walls. The prep area starts out at 11 1/2' x 11 1/2'. There are white appliances. This section has the least amount of open wall space since the cabinets take up the east (w/a window) and most of the south wall. The west wall has the refrigerator and a new unit being built which will consist of a section for the microwave plus storage top and bottom, a pantry, and a broom closet (approx. 6 1/2' high, 22" deep and 5 1/2' wide. The north side is open to the dining area which is the same size and has a sliding French door on the north side that exits to the back patio. The east side has a 3 paned bay window w/ approx. 2' on each side, and the west side has approx. 2' of open wall, an arch to the livingroom (cream walls w/sage green furniture) and 2' more to reach the north side with 5' of open wall where we now have an antique hutch/dry sink and then the French sliding door. The ceiling will probably be repainted white since it does help brighten the area, but I am open to suggestions.

My DH originally wanted something in the blue family but I have tried many, many paint cards and the blues do not look right. We are heading towards the green family. The countertop has shades of blacks, grays, tans (they call it amber), and white. When I look at it at certain times of the day I see a green cast. Because of the tile colors probably the terracotta colors might go well but neither of us want to use that color family. I think darker colors give a 'richer' look, but when I enter my kitchen I want it to look bright and cheery. I did find a yellow I liked but DH did not.

Thank you for any suggestions you care to give. Accessories such as drapes/curtains, rugs etc. are still to be chosen.

Jane

Countertop sections

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Cabinet, backsplash, countertop

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Ceramic tile floor matches backsplash

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Comments (23)

  • 16 years ago

    Check out Ben Moore Silver Marlin, Grey Cashmere, Gray Horse, and Sea Haze. They're all pretty greyish greens but quite neutral depemding onyour light.

  • 16 years ago

    I too would like to see a very light greyish green, to link your countertops to the terra cotta tile ; but those colors are not necessarily what you call bright and cheery, which is what you desire.

    would you have another picture that show a more overall view of your kitchen?

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  • 16 years ago

    You mentioned elsewhere that your entire house is white. Would you consider taking the plunge and painting your entire house a color? If so, the furniture and flooring in the other rooms will help you to get a color direction. I think it would be odd to have the entire house white and a color in the kitchen.

  • 16 years ago

    In response to your other thread...

    It would be hard to pick a color for the kitchen based on your photos and without knowing the rest of your house. Ok so the walls are white. How about carpeting, drapes, furniture in adjacent rooms.

    My suggestion to get a lot of advice here would be to step right back, almost out the room and take some pictures. Then take a couple looking into the living and dining rooms from as far back in the kitchen as you can stand

    Start a new post: "getting the blues over picking paint color - help"

    Keep your questions in point form. One to a paragraph. Makes it easier to read and thus respond to. Also no need to describe the kitchen - let the pictures do that.

    Then post one picture in the daylight, the one (or two) looking into the living room and or dining rooms, maybe one taken at night and the first one of your countertop.

    And be prepared to hear that you need an accent wall of color in your living and/or dining room as well to tie it all together.

  • 16 years ago

    If you provide some color swatches you like out of the suggestions, I'll photoshop the picture that shows the cabs, counter, and wall if you'd like. I have to copy the color swatches and use them because it seems my monitor doesn't give me true colors. If you have a different picture you'd prefer be photoshopped you can post it. I cannot see the last picture that is supposed to be the floor.

  • 16 years ago

    My advice: find a yellow the DH likes. You wrote:
    - You want Bright & Cheery
    - You found a yellow you liked
    - DH nixed that yellow

    I'd focus on finding a yellow the DH would like, unless none exists on this planet. :-)

  • 16 years ago

    I was thinking of a caramel color -- like the tan in the counter. It's similar to what I have on my walls with white cabinets. That red brick backsplash if fighting the white cabinets and soft, cool tones in the counter. Any chance that can be replaced, painted or otherwise modified?

  • 16 years ago

    Hi Jane,
    I too see a light green. In fact, I'm curious --what is your backsplash and what color grout is that? I "finished" my kitchen around the holidays but am still struggling with the backsplash decision. I've pretty much settled on "something red" but haven't figured out what direction to go in yet...I like yours a great deal. I painted my kitchen and dining area green, a color called "Windchime" from BM's Affinity line. It's a nice light, peaceful but not minty, green. Not quite in the greyish family though.

  • 16 years ago

    How about a backsplash similar to this.

    I am doing this with almond colour matte finished subway tiles and scarlet irridecent mosaic accent.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • 16 years ago

    The problem is that (warm) reds and (cool) blues don't always play well together, and yours definately don't. Add in the white cabinets, and you've got even more non players. I don't think there's going to be a paint color that really ties what you've got going together. Something needs to give. Either the backsplash or the countertop or the cabinets needs to change first. Eliminate the too red backsplash and a nice blue grey will work with the cabinets and countertops. Go with a warmer toned countertops and a nice yellow will work. Go with a warmer white in the cabinets, and a nice neither grey nor tan taupe on the walls might tie the blue with the red. But right now, the individual elements fight too much to have another color thrown in the mix. It will just make it fight more, not pull together.

  • 16 years ago

    I agree that it will be difficult to come up with a paint color to tie the backsplash/counters/cabs together. The good news is there are lots of great colors in the counters! I would remove the backsplash and if you don't want to splurge on a new backsplash maybe even go without one for a while

  • 16 years ago

    I had some time, so I went ahead a photoshopped 2 colors; one Annie mentioned and one Buehl mentioned I think I like the green, Wind Chime. On my monitor, the one shot of your counter looks like there is some blue. Let me know if you want other colors tried.

    I know someone here had white cabinets with a similar backsplash. I remember liking the kitchen but I don't remember who had it.

    BM Auro Wind Chime

    {{!gwi}}

    BM Sea Haze

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  • 16 years ago

    I am thinking caramel-bisque-y too--but not too pink. So think "yellow" but over toward the neutrals rather than a citrus yellow. I can't see green from your photos. A light greyish green could work--so much of that is what color families do you like and what are you planning for your other furnishings? Usually you pick a paint that fits in with your overall plan rather than picking all your other stuff to go with your paint, since paint can be made up in essentially infinite colors.

    And sorry to be ditto head, but the brick red backsplash and bright white cabinets are part of what's off--the brick would take you to warmer whites for cabinets, and the bright white would take you to clear blues and greens and grays. Reds if the red is a clear red (red/white/black type scheme). So the brick and the counter goes together, and the counter and the cabs go together, but not all 3. I mean, it's not kitchen crisis, but it's what is making you have trouble finding the right paint. So if you keep all 3 elements you're trying to find a paint bridge between cool and warm. There is where some of the weird grays might work.

    As noted by an above poster, the "big picture" could help, and in different lighting, since the part you're showing us might not actually dominate the overall scheme.

  • 16 years ago

    Ok, I have a really nice yellow. The color is almost like eggnog. You want to drink it out of the can it is so creamy. I think it would look really great next to your brick b/s and is neutral enough to go w/ the gray countertops. It might even bring out the veining.

    Behr-Stable Hay

    In my kitchen:

    In a living room I found on a blog:

    On Behr's website it looks peachy, it is not. Go to HDepot to check it out. Good luck!

  • 16 years ago

    Here is caligal's Stable Hay with your cabinets and countertop. I like this one best.

    {{!gwi}}

  • 16 years ago

    Oh yes, I like the stable hay definitely! What a great color and it looks just tremendous with the brick!

  • 16 years ago

    Oh, caligal, I love that Stable Hay color--only I'd want it for my cabinets! Thanks for posting about it.

  • 16 years ago

    lyno, thank you so much for posting the color with my brick, etc.

    I found a color called Chives (Eddie Bauer) on the Valspar website that they showed with white trim, and a diningroom table in a rich brown with dark rose/burgandy accessories. It also showed the ajoining room in cream which is what is on the livingroom walls. I tried to copy and paste here but it did not work.

    Your color would go well with our livingroom, but we are still looking for a gray green, or what do you think of a gray blue? I brought a few samples home today - one was to dark, one was to light, and when my DH saw them (both greens) his only comment was he could pick a blue.#$%^*^$#@@#$&!!! He doesn't know it yet, but I bought a beautiful blue to make drapes for our bedroom. It is a surprise. He will have all the blue he could wish for when that room is finished.

    Thanks everyone for all your help.
    Jane

  • 16 years ago

    I just want to point out that Annie, Berg, and Caligal posted the colors; I just photoshopped them on to your picture. You might try the BM website for gray green colors; link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: BM Perfect Color

  • 16 years ago

    If he really wants a blue, I think you'd have to go to a cobalt, marine or bright navy to try to pull those colors together. The softer., lighter blues are going to fight with the red, but you can pair a stonger, deeper blue (one with warm undertones) with a brick red and it should still look good with grey and beige. Come to think of it, I have a red brick fireplace, white mantel and woodwork in my family room and the walls are painted beige (similar to the Stable Hay but a little darker) with a navy blue beneath a chair rail. Same color collection, but my brick is not quite as orange as the splash appears on my monitor.

  • 16 years ago

    Here's the Chive, I found at the Perfect Color website:
    {{!gwi}}

    Here is Ralph Lauren Mariner Blue; need one brighter or lighter:
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    And here is SW Cornflower:
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    Sorry, did these quick. The link above has lots of brands.

  • 16 years ago

    The chives color is nice, but janepa it won't look bright and cheery. The SW cornflower above is nice and bright and looks really great w/ everything (in my humble opinion).

  • 16 years ago

    That lighter blue looks better than I thought it would. For a darker one, I was thinking darker -- more navy. The dark colors can look great with white cabinets -- just depends on your room.