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nomorebluekitchen

Help me pick a paint color for my kitchen. Please?!

nomorebluekitchen
15 years ago

Hi! I need some help with paint color for my kitchen!

As if there was anyone left out there who hadn't seen these ad nauseum, here are my choices:

deWils shaker cherry cabinets:

{{!gwi}}

Minas soapstone:

{{!gwi}}

Ming green marble backsplash:

{{!gwi}}

Floors are oak, kind of a medium orangey tone. (don't love the color, but it was a non-negotiable from DH that we're not refinishing the floors throughout).

Appliances are stainless. Lighting is undecided pending my wall color decision.

The rest of our house has earthy tones, with a bronzy green shade in several rooms. You can a tiny bit of it the right side of this photo:

{{!gwi}}

Also, that granite table in the above shot *might* end up in the kitchen. We're not sure yet.

So where to go with wall color? I don't have a ton of painted wall space; really just the wall adjacent to the table and the wall to the left of the oven.

{{!gwi}}

A designer I'm working with has recommended this orangey-red color. Thoughts?

{{!gwi}}

Obviously if I go this way, the aqua lights are out of the question, but there are lots of fun pendants in red / red orange / amber tones that would be fun with this.

And if you don't love the orange-red, please point me in another direction!

Anita

Comments (44)

  • farmhousebound
    15 years ago

    If you would like to go with a neutral, I just found an interesting one I am planning to use in conjunction with a dark sagey green in our kitchen (but definitely get a sample as it looks very different depending on surrounding colors); it's from Lowe's Ralph Lauren Seaside Retreat collection - Canvas Loafers. You can get a small sample can from them to try it out. I think it would look really good w/ the bronzy green you show in your pic and wouldn't take away from any of your other choices.

  • kelleg69
    15 years ago

    Anita, I don't love the color. But, take that with a grain of salt because I like bright, clear colors (I have a lime green foyer!).

    I think the pendants sounded great. Is there a misty color that you could use? A Restoration Hardware type of color? Bluish/grayish/greenish??? Something that could allow you to still do the pendants?

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  • clax66
    15 years ago

    GORGEOUS choices you've made!

    Paint colours...I can feel paralyzed over the choices I still need to make for my own home, but when I looked at your choices my mind immediately jumped to the reds. (Of course it also depends on what other colours you are using throughout your main floor.

    I have my trusty BM colours beside me and I'm thinking "Audobon russet" HC-51:)

  • mamadadapaige
    15 years ago

    oooh... this is a tough one. I can understand why your designer chose the BM color, however, if it were my kitchen I'd have a hard time going that direction because of how strong the color is. It will really box you in, in terms a direction. Also, I think the project has a transitional feel to it, but the paint choice seems strictly traditional.

    I am thinking gray... maybe with an undertone of green or pale lilac.

  • smilingjudy
    15 years ago

    I am completely anti-orangey, so take this with a grain of salt, but I don't like the designer's suggested color. I think it will drain the sophistication out of your other choices. You say you don't love the orangey-toned floors? I think painting that color on the walls would accentuate the floors and make them the star. Your soapstone and splash should be the stars, IMO.

    I almost never suggest brown, but what about a brownish-grey? I think they call that taupe, but I wouldn't know. ;) Or if you decide to use the table, maybe a ruddy mauvish-brown that repeats the tone of the granite. Hmmmm....I'm liking that idea. The oiled soapstone would relate to the table legs. It looks like the table top relates well to your cabinet tone. Might work.

    Feel free to ignore me completely. I've been staring at the stupid color fan for weeks trying to pick paint colors!

  • chrissyjamed
    15 years ago

    What about a grey with a green undertone? Revere Pewter (BM) might draw out some pretty colours from that backsplash. I was just housesitting in a space with that orangey colour and I found it kinda dark and depressing.

  • choux
    15 years ago

    I love your kitchen choices and I like the paint color but I don't like them together. I think the paint will overpower and detract from the counter and backsplash.

    I agree with the suggestions to go more neutral, either brown or gray with the green or lilac undertone. I like the color you have in the rest of your house. BM Crown Point Sand has some green to it (HC-90). Manchester Tan (HC-81) is a nice khaki but might be too neutral. I like gold or straw paint with cherry but I'm not sure how that would be with the backsplash. Chestertown Buff (HC-9) might be a starting point.

  • nomorebluekitchen
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    farmhousebound, i couldn't find the canvas loafers color online, but I'll check it out at Lowe's tomorrow.

    Chrissy,I like the looks of that Revere Pewter. For others, here it is:

    {{!gwi}}

    Judy, you're dead right that it puts too much emphasis on the part of the palette that I don't love.

    mamadadapaige, I think you nailed the reason I feel uncomfortable with the orangey red: the color is just too strong. It may look good with everything but it dominates too much. And if I take that color direction and tone it down, I end up with pink. Ew!

    Clax66, the russet is such a pretty color and really a me kind of color, but I have realized that I'm not comfortable going with something so strong in the kitchen. Back before we painted the cabinets blue in the old kitchen, we had really dark cabinets and went with an orangey red color. Even if it looked great I think I'd be depressed by it because it feels like that ugly room to me.

    thanks to all of you for your thoughts. I think the theme overall from these posts is to look at more at grey/green neutrals.

    Any other ideas are welcomed!

    Anita

  • caryscott
    15 years ago

    You have some very strong elements in your kitchen I think a neutral will really showcase them while with this particular colour you are sort competing with them. We are doing a very strong wall colour but our cabinetry is off white so it really pops against it the deep tone. If I was doing dark cabinetry my instinct would to do the reverse to make the dark cabinetry pop. I think the room will feel a lot fresher and original if you resist that urge to introduce red.

  • farmhousebound
    15 years ago

    Re: Canvas Loafers - As I mentioned I will be using w/ a dark sagey green accent. I would describe this color in the same range as you have posted above but not as gray - when paired w/ the green to me it definitely has somewhat of a green undertone and I think will look great w/ your choices allowing them to be the stars. This probably sounds crazy, but I was looking for a "cooked oatmeal" color (a light greyish/tan "taupey" color) and everything I found when I put up on the walls in this kitchen turned out much different than what I was looking for.

    I am heading up to the farm this weekend with my painted board sample to carry around in kitchen to make sure it doesn't change colors on me as so many of my other selections did, but I am pretty sure this is it. I am also doing soapstone countertops and medium stained white oak flooring. The view pieces of cabinetry will be painted and the remaining kitchen pieces are antiques, mostly wood with a couple of painted pieces. The walls are/will be all beadboard, including the backsplash, and will be painted this color. I will post back later when I get a chance to let you know for sure.

  • beachbum
    15 years ago

    Do you not have any fabrics/ rugs nearby to draw inspiration from? I usually pick my fabrics first (they are more expensive than paint) and then pull colors out of there for the walls (backdrop).

    That said, going of what you have shown us. I would go with a creamy tan color like is in the lighter parts of your backsplash. I have my kitchen/family room painted "Hemp" by C2 paints right now. It is a fantastic light, kahki, neutral with slightly green undertones.

    I would definitely suggest painting a large swatch of whatever on the walls. You need to see the color in your light.

  • morton5
    15 years ago

    Anita, I hate to cast doubt on the situation, and I am NOT a professional decorator, but I think the paint is so tricky because of your backsplash selection. I love the backsplash, but think it would look best in a cool color palette, and that will fight the color scheme in the rest of your house. I know you have the BS in hand, but it will never be cheaper to change than it is right now.

  • alku05
    15 years ago

    If you have only a bit of wall space, then it's a great opportunity to choose a bold color. I really like the designer's paint color, but I would need to see it by your cabinets and ming tile to see if it was going to work with them.

    Our adjoining livingroom is a soft avocado green, and we chose a warm red for the kitchen. We really liked those two colors together. We have similiar cabinet colors, but our tile is white so that was one less aspect to work with.

  • fondantfancy
    15 years ago

    I LOVE the backsplash. You definately need to emphasize this rather than the floor. I would go for a grey with a sage green - or perhaps a dusky blue - undertone.

  • daki
    15 years ago

    Definitely go with a nice calm neutral beige color. Your kitchen selections have a such a nice serene feel to them and I'd stick with that concept. If later on, you find it boring, you can always repaint.

  • nomorebluekitchen
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I found this color, BM Quiet Moments, in mrslimestone's classic vintage bathroom over on Bathrooms forum. I have a swatch at home and it is a lovely, peaceful grey green that compliments my backsplash and cabinet color.

    What do you think?

    {{!gwi}}

    Anita

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    I don't think I'd add another element that's obviously green. I'm not usually into 'boring' wall colors, but I think you have enough going on and it's not time for bold. I think a nice creamy color would be nice...I'd be afraid to go too gray or too dark and bring it all down. I think a lighter color will not compete, but keep things brighter.

  • nwpepper
    15 years ago

    I'd stay away from green in the kitchen - its going to wash out the subtle color variations on your beautiful backsplash. I'm with many others - a nice creamy warm neutral that will tie into the earthy colors you said you had throughout the rest of the house and let your backsplash tie into the green you have on the walls in other rooms.

    Of course, do I know of such a perfect color? no :(

  • kelleg69
    15 years ago

    Anita, is everything up? I think you should get everything installed and then decide. i think you are on the right track with the color above, but I would go more neutral--I agree with rhome. Can you wait until everything is up or not?

  • sudiepav
    15 years ago

    My DIL who is a talented interior designer suggested Powell Buff (BM) to us. I had my heart set on a green ( my favorite color) but she felt that Powell buff tied the diverse elements, cabs, floors, tile, lighting together. I agreed to keep peace in the family (she HATES it when I ask her opinion and then do otherwise), but on this she was dead on. It's a neutral which picks up the best of what we have. BM had little jars and we painted brush fulls in various parts of the kitchen to judge the lighting and it looked so right.

  • morton5
    15 years ago

    Anita, you might want to visit a Restoration Hardware store if you have one near you. They have some creamy, warm colors that look well with the cool elements in their bathrooms. I wouldn't buy my paint there, but you could take their color samples to a paint store.

    I like Powell Buff, too.

  • caryscott
    15 years ago

    I like it. Is it right for your kitchen? Only you can say as you have the samples but I tend to think if it was a 1\2 tone lighter maybe - a little less saturated. I don't think you should go beige and you don't want to go too stark against the cabinetry so maybe warmer would be better (well what do you know I didn't think I was going there). I still think it should be a colour, not a saturated one and not too cool. I suppose this wasn't too helpful - I meant well. I'm a firm no on the beige for whatever that's worth.

  • cooksnsews
    15 years ago

    I would totally avoid anything with green or grey tones. Your backspash is green enough, and your kitchen would read cool, monotone, and possibly boring if you repeated the greens. Personally, I like complementary colours. If you can imagine a colour wheel, complements are the colours on the opposite side of the wheel from each other. The complement of green is red. Are your backspash tiles kind of bluey green? That may be why your designer suggested orange, since that is the complement of blue, plus your floor colours may be suggesting that tone. If pure complements are bit too bold for you, and you want to go more neutral, a taupe with pink or peachy undertones might be more pleasing than one with green or brown ones. Your cabinets and counters look fairly neutral on my monitor, suggesting that almost anything will go with them.

  • starfish24
    15 years ago

    Such a personal decision, but I'd go neutral. First, you should know that I love color and, in fact, had a faux painted orangey-red in my kitchen and family room for the past 8 years. Loved it! But, that color was paired with light counters, white trim, natural-colored wood floors and tons of natural light. I think your darkish cabinets, counters and floor, along with medium-toned backsplash, call for something lighter on the walls. By the way, in our new kitchen, we're doing a lightish green backsplash also (limestone, not marble) and are probably going with a neutral BM Sandy White on the (few) walls, as that's what is in the adjoining room. Maybe you could add the punch of complementary color in part of your backsplash, say above your cooktop, if appropriate. Good luck!

  • sailormann
    15 years ago

    You have chosen some wonderful materials that have a common thread of subtlety. I think that introducing a strong colour is going to overpower them and draw attention to the walls. That is a good idea when you're trying to overshadow imperfection, but not necessarily the goal when you've invested so much time and effort in upgrading everything.

    Your "Quiet Moments" option looks ideal. Other than that -perhaps you could try pulling a neutral colour from an item (rug, drapes, furniture, trim) in an adjoining room or space to create a sense of continuity and size.

  • msrose
    15 years ago

    If you can reschedule the painter for a later date, you could post some pictures onces your cabinets are in and then maybe someone could photoshop some different colors.

    Laurie

  • gardenburgher
    15 years ago

    Hi Anita,
    I can see where your designer was going with that russet color. I like it, but as others have said, I can see that it could draw the attention where you don't want it . . . depending on what else is going on in the room.

    I was playing around with some other BM colors and love the way Caramel Apple looks (at least on my monitor ). Very warm. It seems to compliment the color variations in your backsplash. I also tried Powell Buff, as recommended above, and liked that too.

    I think going with green will give your kitchen a very cool look. I liked Azores and Crystalline (again, at least on my monitor).

    Just my 2cents to add to the confusion. :-)
    (Sorry for the awkward display. My html skills are rusty!)


    {{!gwi}}



    caramel apple

    powell buff




    azores


    crystalline

  • kitchendetective
    15 years ago

    How large an area will actually have paint? What are the sight lines like? Will paint be adjacent to the tile? Crystalline is pretty, but I'm not sure I like it with your adjoining room color. Powell Buff seems the safest of the above colors, although I'm not usually a "gold" wall person. Some of the Farrow and Ball colors, e.g., Bone, Off White, or String might be good in there, but you definitely have to try the sample pots to find out for sure.

  • kitchenredo2
    15 years ago

    Purchase the BM fan decks. Then you will have all the colors and won't have to keep going back to the paint store or rely on your KD for colors. I purchased them and have found them invaluable when making paint choices.

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    Have to say I think Powell Bluff is still stronger and with more character of its own than I like. Above, with them next to each other, it seems to bring out different things in the backsplash than what I'd want. Still voting towards off-white/cream...Something like what the grout looks like in the larger photo above.

  • sue_ct
    15 years ago

    I think Powell Bluff is a tad stronger than I would go with, also. Have you considered one shade lighter on the same card, like Hepplewhite Ivory, or Montgomery white or Philadelphia cream? Or would your DAL kill you? Could you ask her for several choices, including a couple of lighter ones that you could pick from instead of only one, and you are in trouble if you don't go with THAT one?

    Sue

  • crescent50
    15 years ago

    Have you looked at BM pismo dunes? - a neutral/gray color that I think would compliment your beautiful backsplash. It is similar to revere pewter but lighter.

  • pluckymama
    15 years ago

    Have you looked at BM November Rain 2142-60?

  • vwhippiechick
    15 years ago

    You have my deepest sympathies! I have lamented many times on this forum the difficulty I had in selecting a color for my kitchen. I am serious when I say that I painted the whole kitchen four times. The swatches I painted just didn't do it for me. I finally took a sample of all my elements, flooring, cabinets, counters, etc to a local paint/decorating store. ONe of the designers employed there helped me select a color I would never have chosen on my own. But it is lovely and brings all the different tones and textures together. It was amazing how it made everything seem so much more "alive" for lack of a better word. We have cream painted cabinets and a section of alder cabinets, Amazon soapstone counters, travertine flooring. The color is Cafe by Devine.

  • remodelfla
    15 years ago

    I agree with other posters who feel you should stay away from paint colors with an orangely undertone. There lovely colors but for me; you choices have such beautiful natural undertones and natural materials. There's a perfect blend of warm and cool colors going on. I lean toward a lighter neutral that would blend in with the lighter tones of your ming... not green though as that would add a competeing "statement". Of the ones that have been posted; I like the crysatalline and would go with something along those lines in richness and depth of color. Something along the lines of a soft creamy gray/taupe.

  • tkbalt
    15 years ago

    I like the green's - seems like it pulls more from your backsplash. BM (almost always my preference) and Devine are both great paint - and both sell sample packs so you can paint some samples on your walls. Was a big help to us in making color decisions.

    Here is our BM Green (Mountain Moss) with Cherry cabinets:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen pics

  • kitchendetective
    15 years ago

    Is the wall next to the table the only full-size wall? Can you see it from outside the kitchen? What about one of the creamy neutrals for the kitchen and an accent wall next to the table? The cream may be too boring for the wall next to the table, but it may be just what you need in the rest of the kitchen.

  • nomorebluekitchen
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Kitchendetective, that wall by the table is the only full wall. Other than that I have a lot of cutting in above and below windows and doors, plus a small wall about 18" wide next to my oven. I'm afraid it would look too chopped up to have those little bits and pieces one color and the table wall a different color. What do you think? I'm really terrible at visualizing.

    I want to say thanks to all of you for your specific paint suggestions. I've got them all written down and I'm going tomorrow to my local awesome paint store with my bag of samples and see what I come up with. It helps me so much to have specific paints to look at because there are just too many choices and it overwhelms a girl!

    tkbalt, your kitchen is so pretty. What a transformation from those white slab doors!

    I'll be back Monday with narrowed down choices and photos of my favorites painted on the wall with my kitchen samples propped up. OR MAYBE WITH MY REAL CABINETS!!! I just realized, cabs are scheduled to go in tomorrow. WOO HOO!!!

    Anita

  • starfish24
    15 years ago

    Our local hardware store sells large (maybe 18" x18") individual BM swatches in many colors for about the same price as the little paint samples. I have found the colors very accurate and it saves me from having to wash paint brushes as I test out colors.

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    If cream is too boring for the table wall, a nice, bright art print or some hanging accessories could liven it up? No need to leave it blank and have the paint be its only decoration.

  • kitchendetective
    15 years ago

    Just thought I'd throw this out there:
    What about a brown or aubergine that blends with the cabinets?

  • desert_gal_nv
    15 years ago

    I love your kitchen choices. I'm going to go for an Ellen Kennon color, cafe au lait. It's a warm neutral and it goes pretty well anywhere but I think it would tie all your elements together without being either boring or obtrusive.

    Here is a link that might be useful: ellen kennon full spectrum paints

  • farmhousebound
    15 years ago

    My update as promised after trying sample color of Canvas Loafers actually on the kitchen walls at the farmhouse--it did the same as the last color I tried which once up looked more of a neutral with a creamy yellow tint than the neutral with a creamy taupe tint that I wanted. I still think it would look good w/ your other colors if you decide to go neutral as I think it would pick up the green in your backsplash and compliment your soapstone and cabinets.

    All was not lost, though. I have finally found the right color and will be heading to Lowe's later to get - it's Martha Stewart's Fisherman's Sweater. It's just the shade of difference I needed from the Canvas Loafers (and the two other colors I have tried up to this point, LOL). Good luck with your hunt!!