I posted this in the decorating forum too, but you all have such beautiful, elegant ideas, I'm hoping you'll chime in with some advice...

I'm planning to repaint everything in my kitchen... cabinets, walls, ceiling. I need help with the color scheme, if you might be so kind to offer some opinions.

This is an old farmhouse built in 1880. Cabinets, ceiling and crown mold (which isn't installed yet, if you were wondering!) will be BM Linen White. The floors are old pine planks and will remain - they're very yellow/orange with dark brown knots. The countertops will eventually be soapstone - probably something with some green tones in it. Appliances will be stainless. The hardware will be oil rubbed bronze (different from existing). The wood around the windows stays.

I'm stumped for the wainscot and wall. Here's where I need the help!

My original thought was a creamy light yellow satin on the wall (BM Macadamia Nut was my first choice, but on the wall it is too bright, so I am thinking BM Pearly Gates - one step lighter on that strip) with a gloss deep brown on the wainscot and trim (Ralph Lauren Library Mahogany is the front runner - it is really close to BM Hasbrouck Brown - but both are too "purple"). My original plan was to use whatever brown I chose for in here for all of the woodwork on the first floor, changing up the wall colors room-by-room. (All trim in this house - except the stair railing components - is already painted... and it is all painted that blue color shown in these pics!)

I painted part of one wall with this scheme and I'm really having second thoughts. The room seems dark, even with just this little bit of wainscot painted.

Please offer some other suggestions! I tend to prefer warmer, more historic, muted colors.

The only option NOT on the table is white wainscot with a darker color above. I painted the adjacent laundry room wainscot BM Linen White with a Lowe's/Olympic color called Jute (dark tan) above. The white paint made every little flaw in the old wainscot jump out. And, my husband thinks the room looks "upside down" - he prefers dark on the bottom, light on top. I've made all of the other decisions here, so since he has expressed an opinion on this, I would like to honor it. :)

Thanks!

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}