Kitchen color help - Weird, ugly mix.

7 years ago

We have an old farmhouse. The previous owner added a kitchen in 1980s. Custom cabinets, painted a soft yellowy cream color. He put matching brownish tile on the floor and countertops. Then, added an granite island that is black/gray/reddish color. Topped it all off with a coat of pale green paint. It's hideous (see pics).

The entire thing needs to be gutted (floor slanted) but dog related medical expenses and my husband's return to college puts us in a financial strain. We don't have the time or month to demo the kitchen, so we are trying to find a paint that we can add to the walls instead of the green. We need to somehow bring together the yellow-y cabinets, blackish red granite and yellow-y brown tiles on the floor and counter.

there are two big doorways (one brings in a lot of natural light in afternoon, the other opens into a small, dark dining space with little nature light in afternoon). Morning sun comes through kitchen windows - other than that, artificial light but high ceilings.

I'd like to tone down the yellow overall but I don't know how to do that. Our tv room walls are rockport gray with cameo white walls. Small dining room is cameo white walls with blue trim (philipsburg...odd choice I know, but we liked the look and historic feel. Prob wouldn't do that when we paint again. In the darker room it's not a bright blue)

I'd be willing to do another color like rockport gray on the walls but it might be too dark. The gray in the granite is nice but don't know how to incorporate into the kitchen.

Help me get out of this pastel easter egg before Christmas

Here are some photos (other empty room is not yellow any longer, just primed white. Dining room is no longer teal, that was previous owner. It's cameo white now). You can see the granite island color (reddish black and gray) in the last photo.

!! Please!

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JudyG Designs

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Don’t faint…I suggest black walls. Just finished a job and we did black on the dining room walls and it looks amazing.

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nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
oh boy...I feel like the my teacher, Ms. Greenfish just handed out a pop quiz and I'm totally unprepared!!

Unfortunately, updates have *stalled*. My sister got married on the 5th, my husband's school started up again and I had a big project due at work for the end of Jan so we haven't touched the kitchen since the last posts. I've have been hibernating a bit in the cold CT weather - although, I have no excuse today, it was 60 degrees today. A huge difference from deep freeze last week!

The good news is that the doors are all on with knobs (the old white ones, no new hardware yet), we moved a couch into the back room to see how it fits. the dogs like it b/c they can see out the back window now. We picked a few different stainless steel stove hoods to install but we decide on one yet. I've been living with the Ancient Ivory walls and still feel the same - they are nice in the evening when they walls are darker and they look more like the and have spent some time at BM looking for a new color and haven't found much. The AI just feels a bit too white to me - it is washed out most of the day and there's a 2 hour window that I love it. I just don't know what color yet. Someone I know from facebook saw the cabinets and called them sophisticated...I wanted to cry but it's ok...I'll make this kitchen more country if it's the last thing I do! :)

A pic from when we were putting the room back together and I liked the walls

Ancient Ivory on the wall, beadboard primed white (no longer BM Cotton Balls)

Ice on inside of the windows of the backroom. I guess insulating them is next...

Sunset after the ice storm - every branch was encased in ice (b/c I dont have any progress pictures for you)
houssaon
5 years ago
Great job!
nuhouse10 thanked houssaon
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nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
Before / After and a pic of the back room when the walls looked a bit washed out (this is most of the day).

Added a couch to the back room (no cushions yet).

We inherited a bee hive from my in-laws so my husband is working to set that up. We've wanted to get into bee keeping for a while now - I'm excited!
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
otterplay
5 years ago
Sophisticated? Come on. You have pigs on your bar stools, for goodness sake. lol If I were to call your room sophisticated, it would be because you obviously have made some wise color choices. Your finishes go together well. To me your kitchen looks like the best parts of an honest country kitchen. It has the details of the cabinet doors, it is calm and cozy, and it is forthright in working with what you have. No waste. To me, that is the best of country. Now enjoy!
nuhouse10 thanked otterplay
RedRyder
5 years ago
I think its fabulous! It’s a warm, inviting kitchen. The color of the cabinets is perfect. If you aren’t happy with the ivory walls, you can redo them next year (2020). The living room is also looking great. You should pat yourselves on the back.
nuhouse10 thanked RedRyder
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Ooh wow. Fabulous update!! A little FB story: I noticed one day a while back that a work friend was "following " me on Houzz. I was horrified because, well, let's just say I might Houzz a bit on the company dime. plus I thought I was anonymous!? Then I saw that my daughter's old K teacher was also following me, plus who knows how many of the usernames that werent the persons name! It turns out that FB tells everyone to find you on houzz if you use it to sign in!!! Aack! So maybe that "friend" has been reading and is tweaking you a bit!! Ha!!

i am a beekeeper! So happy you will be starting a hive, but it is HARD and you need to study up big time. Do not wing it. Try to find. A bee school you can attend and hold off if you can't get in until next year. It will be worth the wait :)
nuhouse10 thanked greenfish1234
hsharrington
5 years ago
Nuhouse10! Take a compliment for pete's sake! I totally agree with otterplay. This is a warm, welcoming kitchen with touches of farmhouse to evoke the land around you. Sophisticated and earthy can exist in the same room, you know, and they both are enhanced by the contrast. Don't be afraid to combine the best of both worlds in your home.

Now, I have to ask: the large papier mache head in the back room?
nuhouse10 thanked hsharrington
hsharrington
5 years ago
Greenfish1234! I am so impressed that you are a beekeeper! And very grateful to beekeepers all over the world for helping us to maintain the bee population which is so stressed by climate change and human developments. I am anaphylaxic-allergic to bee stings, so I'm very cautious around them and definitely can't keep them, but I recognize how important they are to our survival. Thank you!
Missi (4b IA)
5 years ago
Hooray for beekeeping! We have two hives we started last year. They did so well we're planning to split them this spring and have four, provided the bees make it thru the winter. We've turned most of our yard into gardens, and I can tell you it made a *huge* difference last year, having bees. One of our neighbors said his vegetable garden did phenomenal last year. My husband found a guy here in town who keeps eight hives, and has been mentoring him, showing him the way. There's beekeeping groups on FB, and even we (who live in the middle of nowheresville) have somewhat local meetings we could attend.
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Yikes HSH that is so scary! a lot of people with allergies don't have so much sympathy for our stingered friends-so glad you are on their side!!!

also nuhouse don't forget- you STILL don't have rugs, pillows, art. You may not care about the walls so much when you do :)
shwshw
5 years ago
I love the progress you have made. Such a good job embracing your kitchen floors and making the entire room shine.
nuhouse10 thanked shwshw
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
an update..kinda...
Husband found this for free on Facebook...of course, we inquired and we're told it was ours if we could pick up in the morning. We braved a snow storm to get a pickup truck from Lowe's and go get it. IT IS HEAVY! Much bigger than expected too! We thought it would be a good replacement for our dining room table - we love our table bc we built it but it needs to be refinished (that's what happens when you make something and don't know what the heck you are doing). So, we picked up this giant thing yesterday- it's currently in our tv room because we have no clue what to do with it...it needs to be cleaned up and refinished (a spring time project). It's solid - no clue what kind of wood....at first we thought red oak. Then someone suggested very old pine. I'm not sure. it's big (and did I mention heavy?) but it doesn't seem too old. there's a latch underneath that is probably for a leaf but under the latch isn't painted.
The quest for the right paint color is on hold. we've been dealing with ice storms and snow storms.. nothing big - just enough to be a nuisance!
Molly
5 years ago
Gotta love free. It looks like Walnut to me. is it the right size? Do you have Freecycle around where you live? it’s a free exchange (check on-line) to give or receive items. I’ve given away things before.
nuhouse10 thanked Molly
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
shwshw - thank you for your kind comment! "embracing" the floor - that is exactly what we had to do. Definitely had to accept the floor for what it was not what I want it to be :)
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
Somehow, I missed all these responses about beekeeping! I'm so excited to hear so many of your either have them or support it! It's definitely a big undertaking. We are staring with one hive. My husband is currently taking a class in Evolution and for his research paper, he chose bees and, more specifically, how the evolutionary process is affecting the honey bees and mite infestations. These bees are so smart! I mean, I knew they were...but WOW! We have wanted to get into beekeeping for a while now but the more I learn the more I realize how amazing they are!

Greenfish and Missi - I've so excited you are beekeepers! We found a bee school nearby. There are quite a few of them. Apparently, beekeeping is big in our state. We are going to try and attend one out at the apiary where we are getting the bees. I wanted to hold off but husband is determined. He's been reading up non-stop. We found a bee keeper's organization for our state and he's attending his first meeting soon - we've heard they are very nice and helpful for the newbies! I joined a few beekeeping groups on facebook too - trying to absorb as much as possible from all sources. Missi - what you mentioned about turning the yard into a garden is exactly my plan! It's been my plan for a few years now but finally the husband has more motivation because of the bees - so this works in my favor! our biggest issue is that we live on the side of a mountain and it's pretty shady ad the soil is rocky with random pop up boulders.. We are trying to figure out how best to tackle the soil issue. from last year, we have a small "yarden" with bee friendly plants but we are planning on extending this year and also start another one on the other side of the house. I'm so excited to get things going. Our butterfly weed really took hold and grew huge last year - it was absolutely buzzing with bees for weeks - it was wonderful! Then, we found our first monarch caterpillars...a very exciting year!
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
Molly - we do have free cycle around here. Oddly enough, I totally forgot to log into it recently. I joined a long time ago but put it on pause for the holidays. I've given away some great stuff there! We also use "letgo" and fb marketplace. It's incredible what people are willing to part with - last year on letgo, someone was giving away a Jotul wood stove for free! The cost was only our manual labor to disconnect and haul it up a big hill to our car. I have no clue how we actually did it...it was so heavy! The good news is that it's now in our back room in the fireplace - not hooked up yet b/c we need to install a new flue...but we are getting there. Baby steps!
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
hshharrington - I just saw your comment about the big head! I didn't meant to leave you hanging...not that you were sitting there hitting refresh on repeat or anything :)

Like most things, the head was the brain child of my husband. I'm noticing a trend here...he starts a project and I finish it!

My sister thew a Halloween party this year. We decided to go as her and her husband. I thought that meant we would just dress like them and try and act like them. The family joke is that my brother in law has a big head. One night, we joked it would be funny if we went as bobble headed versions of them. Well, I thought it was a joke. Apparently not! Next thing I know, I come home from work and there a a cardboard shell of my brother in law's head. then, my sister was there the next day. Each day, it got bigger and more elaborate. Extra cardboard for cheek bones and a chin...Then a trip to the craft store for hair and eyeballs. It was quite a project! It was a lot of fun and we had no clue what we were doing - just kept googling online. What's crazy is that they look SO MUCH like my brother in law and sister it's crazy - especially my brother in law. Even google images sees pictures of the head and asks if it's a picture of him. Since you can only see the one pic, I'll send a pic of them both. We don't know what to do with the heads now that the party is over so we have them hanging out in the back room. It doesn't feel right to stick them the garage or throw them out after we put so much work in to them (seriously...I ended up taking off work to paper mâché them). So, the Kate and Jay heads are in the back until we figure out what to do with them. I think for their anniversary we are going to take pictures with them on and make a calendar. You know...in my spare time haha!
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Oh monarchs!! 2 milkweed volunteers turned in to a large stand last year and we raised dozens of monarchs. It was wonderful!! This year I scattered the milkweed all over the neighborhood. I really hope it takes! Bees are nuts about it too.

Creeping Thyme is amazing for rocky areas

also I have been thinking about using these gardening bags to take over the yard:

https://www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/victory8-garden-modular-cube-square-raised-garden-vgar1002.html

i am getting so excited about the gardening season!!

The table looks nice, looks like a newer but distressed table to me -does it really need to be refinished?
Molly
5 years ago
That is hilarious! How did they like thier bobble heads? I had a friend who made a normal sized one for her sister for her birthday.
greenfish1234
5 years ago
the bobbles are awesome and honestly look great on the hearth. I might put the one next to the chimney on a wood crate to stagger the height.
Missi (4b IA)
5 years ago
This is our front and part of the back. That's the last bit of grass we need to turn into garden. One of my online friends posted something last year about being a certified monarch something or other. You have to have a certain number of specific plants for monarchs, and you get a nice certificate and you're on some sort of registry. I thought that was awesome, so I need to find it again and make plans of what we need to do depending on what we already have b/c spring is right around the corner! (which is hard to believe considering it was like 40 below w/the windchill again today and they're calling for another foot of snow next week...)

Bees are *fascinating* aren't they?? There's a bee program on Netflix and we've watched a couple episodes. They're insanely smart, nothing goes to waste. Just probably the coolest animal on the planet.
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Gorgeous missi!!
Missi (4b IA)
5 years ago
thanks! we're pretty proud!

Also winter needs to go away b/c our hives are not doing well now.
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Mine all died. Maybe the 4th year in a row :,(
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>hello friends
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
here's the faucet
shwshw
5 years ago
Thanks for the update!
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
I can't figure out why my entire post won't post... I was trying to say hello and help! :) all renovations have been on hold while we've been figuring and dealing with life stuff... sister had a baby, husband in school full time, winter (ugh), work deadlines... etc
last week, our kitchen faucet exploded. We fixed it. today it fell apart in my hands! now I'm looking at a bridge faucet but can't figure out whether we should go dark like our old faucet or brushed nickel/stainless steel..
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
5 years ago
Either would be fine because you already have both elements in the room, but I would choose the brushed nickel just for another spot of lightness against the dark elements.
shwshw
5 years ago
Ohhhhh, not an update.... I had a faucet break, it's a bit of a shock, lol.
Molly
5 years ago
Posting to see pictures
Molly
5 years ago
Do you have room for the sprayer in your sink?
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
shwshw...a definite shock! The dogs Great time racing to lick up water that was all over the place. I had to dive under the sink to shut it off from below... It could have been a scene from the movie the Money Pit! The faucet we have has a lifetime warranty but We can't find the receipt. I'm usually pretty good about keeping those things but...the one time I need it, I don't have it!
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
Molly - yes! There's a hole on the right for a sprayer. The current faucet has a soap dispenser there but That broke two months ago so it's really just sitting there not being used. This current faucet setup has slowly crumbled... which is weird because I had so many great reviews on line!
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you, raee_Gw...!
My husband says light colored too - I have no clue what to do. I like the older / more prim look to the dark faucet but I don't want everything too dark. I like the fact that a lighter faucet would be less of a contrast against the white sink and window. Right now, the dark faucet with the high arch draws my eyes to the sink...hmm...I think you may be on to something :)
nuhouse10
Original Author
5 years ago
backroom update: The heads are still here. We aren't sure what to do with them lol

We barely use this room but I know that as things get settled with the kitchen and wall color, We will enjoy this one more. I'm excited to get things settled so we can start using it more frequently. Right now, the color isn't perfect but it is nice to have one color in the kitchen and this back room... Even if it's too light for me. It's not as choppy as it was before..so that's a success!
hsharrington
5 years ago
nuhouse10! So good to know that you and your family are all alive and well!

I think you have once again figured out the best answer and just don't recognize it. The faucet you have pictured is a very period appropriate/farmhouse appropriate design. It's just in a modern finish, which brings it into our current times. I like the combination and think it reflects both your aesthetic and your home.

I agree that it provides a needed pop of lightness to the room and definitely disappears at the window. It's a good choice!
felizlady
5 years ago
White goes with everything. If your trim is bright white, you could do the walls in a cream as a nod to the yellow cabinets if you want a bit of contrast.
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Yay! Glad to see this revived because I have been meaning to post here that 1) I finally painted my own kitchen my "trim color" and eliminated the (hate!) BM Hush once and for all! And 2) I got my bees yesterday-last year of beekeeping if they don't survive again this winter-how about you??

hmmm. Weird. Can't post pics. I'll try again later...

anyway, what a disaster with the faucet. I have to say that personally I find the black kind of contrived as well as the ultra retro shape of the recent faucet post. You have A nice unassuming home-I would aim for the same in the faucet. We hat a 1000$ faucet (we got free from a local kitchen store's display) that never worked. When we renovated we went with the "unassuming" utilitarian Home Depot one that looks almost exactly like your old one but in brushed nickel. Works great! Can NOT post stupid pic but that is my 2 cents!
RedRyder
5 years ago
Will the two handles make you crazy? I like the bridge design but I Know how much I prefer a single handle in the kitchen. The brushed nickel will stand out less than an oil rubbed bronze, but either will look good in your new kitchen.
hsharrington
5 years ago
Hey greenfish! Good to hear from you. Congrats on your kitchen getting painted. Know that's been weighing on your mind and aggravating your eyes.

Since I know next to nothing about keeping bees, except that's it's really important and I can't do it, how do "wild" bees winter over? And is there any way to tarp the hive boxes or something so that the hive stays warmer in winter where you are? It seems so sad that your bees die off in winter.

I have to agree with you about kitchen faucets. I've resisted getting something expensive or fancy because I don't really regard them as "jewelry in your kitchen/bathroom". I've had my $100 Lowe's house brand kitchen faucet for 11 years now and it works great and looks just fine. I also like the low profile because it's in front of the window and would interfere with my view of the meadow if any higher!
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Well by wild bees, if you mean feral honeybees, some think that fewer and fewer are surviving in the wild. They aren't native, and while native bees aren't doing so well either, they are well adapted to the environment. The problem with overwintering is more due to poor summer conditions: reduced forage because of suburban lawns and sprawl, exposure to herbicides (roundup! Uggggg) and pesticides (the mosquito and tick yard treatments being sold so aggressively are DEADLY), bad weather, this all leads to a weak hive that doesn't have the strength and resources to survive the winter. :(

paint pics, not totally accurate but you get the idea
hsharrington
5 years ago
Lookin' good, greenfish! And thanks for the bee info. We stopped using any pesticides (indoor or out) years ago. My husband just pours straight white vinegar into a sprayer and uses that for inconvenient grass and weeds.

Being in the West, we took out lawns early in our home-owning careers. As we say out here, whiskey's for drinkin'. Water's for fightin' over!
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
5 years ago
(Thread drifting off topic, but anyway...) I struggle with the bees etc vs mosquito control. I have a large native flower area and tons of bees visit -- but also have tons of mosquitoes that seem to thrive in that area too (really can't go into the yard without bathing in repellent, and still get bitten, even through my clothes!) and I've had the unfortunate experience of being sick with West Nile virus for months, which left me with some specific alterations in my cognitive function.

I would be so sad to clear out my gardens to a blank lawn like my neighbor's.

I scatter mosquito bits throughout the groundcover and have used garlic and other botanical repellents but they are of little help. Fortunately the biologic sprays for preventing disease on my fruit trees seem to work.
greenfish1234
5 years ago
Raee are you near a swamp or something? That sounds insane. My neighbor sometimes takes too long to get the cover off of his pool and we suffer until he does. But it is only a week or so after that when there is a noticeable improvement in the skeeter situation. I am pretty obsessive about eliminating even small areas of standing water in my yard.
hsharrington
5 years ago
raee--so sorry about the West Nile. It must have been a wrenching experience for you. Have you given any thought to installing a koi pond? Mosquitos love the water and koi love mosquitos...
shwshw
5 years ago
I didn't want to hit the like button Raee, but I did want to say how much that just stinks. Our back yard is a golf course. I'm sure they use nuclear bug control and we benefit from it.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
5 years ago
No swamp, but there is a lake just a short way past the end of the block (that is the result of a natural spring having been struck when they were building the railroad grade). You can hear water running through the storm sewers every day of the year from either another spring or a generally high water table. Also there is a woods and creek ravine just on the other side of the next street.

I'm afraid my yard isn't quite large enough for a koi pond otherwise I would try that. People tend to lose their fish to herons around here, though, if not to raccoons.

A lot of people in the neighborhood have been hiring the mosquito control guys, but I do worry about the effect on the bees.