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suggestions my 'new to me' kitchen - with photos!

13 years ago

I've reposted with photos, thanks for the suggestion!

We've just purchased a home and will be doing A LOT of painting and updating and wallpaper removal (photos reflect previous owners things, not ours). For now, we can only do minor cosmetic work in the kitchen (paint, hardware, window treatments, accents, etc).

I'm looking for some inspiration for a paint color--thinking blue, blue-green or maybe a real neutral like tan or off white. I'm planning on changing light fixtures and adding black hardware and perhaps a painted black dining table and chairs for contrast in the breakfast nook (which also might hold up better to three young children). I like the idea of a striped cotton rug for the floor, think Dash and Albert type.

The floors are red oak laminate, the cabinets are white beadboard type and the counter top is a light wheat colored corian. The kitchen has a bay window with southern exposure but will have indirect light due to a porch on the front of the house. Some borrowed light will come from the dining room which faces the north side of the house.

I'm considering BM Palladian Blue for the dining room , and for the foyer (leads into the kitchen) probably a tan color.

I've been looking (and reading about on this forum) blues or maybe even a blue-green or green, but then was worried that it will be "cool" (too blah or depressing) with the indirect lights. I'm not a huge fan of yellow, and the one of the wall now is just too intensely yellow for me.

Suggestions from your exeperience with blue/greens or maybe something totally different? Also, if you have other suggestions about minor/inexpensive changes that I could make, I would appreciate it!

Thank you in advance!

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Comments (4)

blackcats13
13 years ago
Well, I'm definitely no color master, but I know what I like. I picked a light neutral (which is not usually what I like LOL) for our living room that doesn't get (in my opinion) enough natural light and now the room just looks blah. I wish I'd picked something more vibrant. As for the colors you mention - I love blue or blue-green with black. I once saw a house where you walked in the front door and were basically in the living room, which was 100% open to the dining room that was behind it. The kitchen was to the right of the dining room and also mostly open (there were a couple of support pillars and a half wall). I can't remember which room was which color but 1 was a shade of lavender, 1 was a shade of teal, and 1 was a yellow. To pull it all together there were black accents - furniture, patterned curtains and pillows, etc. It looked lovely.

Not sure if any of that helps, but thought I'd share just in case.
bmorepanic
13 years ago
You know, I looked at your photos twice and both times went wallpaper. Either 40's kitsch with cherries or blue toile.

One leads in a fun direction with yellow or pink or mint green cabinets and the other could be sophisticated country or even french-leaning with white or cream cabs and tan wainscotting, striped or checked window treatments - also in blues and floral prints on the chairs.

Hth.
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jsweenc
13 years ago
Blue does not have to be blah or depressing, even with only indirect natural light like you describe. With the light wheat counters and the red oak floors, you have warmth that can support a cooler color. In fact, cooler may give better balance than a tan. I'm biased, because my walls are blue/green/gray. Palladian Blue is one of the samples I tried on the walls. I ended up with Quiet Moments (also BM). My DD 11 described it as "cozy" of all things... not a word I would have chosen, but definitely not blah or cold. The green tones give it warmth. It's a very welcoming color but beyond definition as blue or green or gray, which is what I love most about it.

I'm not a wallpaper person (and you said you are removing wallpaper) but bmore's suggestions sound lovely as well. Blackcats' color combination sounds intriguing and bright ... I've seen the lavender and blue combination and loved it, never seen the yellow with it on walls like that.
rosie
13 years ago
I also love the blues-greens-grays spectrum. Blue stops being dull when a little accent of orange is tossed in. But how nice that people are talking about wallpaper again.! If that's too permanent, how about having fun with curtains? A temporary fix is license for all sort of irregular behavior.

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