Kitchen update help needed for colours

7 years ago

I am absolutely hopeless when pulling together a look for a room. I need to pick floor tile, wall colour, counter tops, backsplash, cabinet colour and hardware. Can anyone help pull this together? I'm trying to stay away from white walls since I have a house full of kids and pets.

Featured Answer

suzanne_sl

7 years ago

What colors do you like? Take a look in your closet, that will help you decide what colors make you comfortable. Start there.

Example: we like blues. We painted the house walls various shades of blue, blue-gray, and blue-tinted gray. The cabinets are cream because this kitchen is too dark to support a stain, even a light one, especially with our bamboo floor which goes throughout the house. The backsplash was chosen to unite everything else.

A previous incarnation of the same kitchen had medium stained cabinets, but they lightened it up by going with very light walls and a nearly-white counter (it was solid surface with little red and blue specks in it, pretty). Being 1964, there was a vinyl floor and no backsplash.

Try looking at colors that appeal to you on the color cards that the paint companies provide. If you have one color that you like, even if it isn't the "right" color, you can look up and down the card for lighter and darker versions. You can find suggested colors to complement/contrast for using in the same or adjacent spaces. Here's a good place to start: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color

It sounds like you're painting your cabinets. Maybe you're re-staining? Whichever, find a color that goes with your comfort zone colors. There are lots of threads about both painting and staining to investigate. Have fun and don't rush! Time spent planning now is worth every minute x5.

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Comments (8)

lisafudge
Original Author
7 years ago
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First off, I also quite like the current layout! Functional and timeless. I would do a frameless style cabinetry in a wood finish. The wood finish goes better with your style of house I think If its within your budget absolutely open up the wall. Even if you have a pilar on the end of your island. You can frame the island nicely with decorative pillars on both sides, perhaps incorporate some brick into it so to tie it into your fireplace. If you are removing the wall I would also remove the unnecessary paneling over the cabinets and take your cabinetry all the way to the ceiling. I would also update the built in near the fireplace, however for budget sake you may be able to just replace the doors and keep the rest, depending on the colour of cabinetry you choose.
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The community would need a lot more information from you to help much. Budget, extend of upgrades, a layout of the room and surrounding areas with measurements, those are the types of things that would be helpful. It looks like you have a tight space, so semi-custom cabinetry might not work if you wanted to replace cabinetry, and you might be limited to custom to get the sizes you needed to fit back into the space. One suggestion often given for kitchens with soffits is to remove the soffit and take new cabinets up to the ceiling. I personally wouldn't really recommend painting your existing cabinetry, but it does look like a strong case for something we'd call "refacing," where you order new doors and drawer fronts to provide a fresher look. Then the box frames are finished to match. New flooring and new lighting would probably also be up for discussion here.
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jhmarie
7 years ago
It helps if you know what order to pick things out. Wall color can come last - no need to worry about that yet. Backsplash comes after countertops, so don't worry about that now either.

Are you painting cabinets, replacing or considering keeping them as is?

Flooring - what is the other flooring in the house? If hardwood, can you bring that into the kitchen too? It is good to keep the flooring of the public rooms on the main floor consistent - preferably only one or two types.
lisafudge thanked jhmarie
Macswim
7 years ago
I think you should figure out what floors you want to live with every day. Wood? tile? And then are you thinking of painting your cabinets or will they stay the same? Are you changing your appliances or are you working with white?
lisafudge thanked Macswim
herbflavor
7 years ago
can you correct the problem of the "drop off" in the counter between sink and fridge before anything?/ this may require a new cabinet inserted...or are you replacing all the cabinets?
lisafudge thanked herbflavor
lisafudge
Original Author
7 years ago
The drop off will be replaced with a dish washer, and the new counter top will be level across to the fridge. Floors in the other main floor rooms are 60 year old hardwood, I was thinking tile for the kitchen thinking it would blend in better. I would love to replace the cabinets but think painting them would be more cost efficient. We bought the house last year with the intention of making our money back and more when we move in a couple years. We don't want to put an exuberant amount of money into it that we won't get back in resale.

Where do I start? Pick the cabinet color or the floor? I'm afraid I'm going to hate the end result. Our living room is a greyish/blue and our dining room is a dark orangish/red color. All with white trim.
herbflavor
7 years ago
the kitchen would need quite a bit done to get "money back and more" . What exactly is the budget? What I would do if I were moving in a couple years is get the dishwasher in, and presumably redo the counters as a result....put new hardware on the cabinets, once you pick your counters. That's about it. A new owner will make use of the space in their own particular way as you do have space it appears. This means the kitchen will get a complete overhaul.....not just colors . Leave well enough alone.
lisafudge thanked herbflavor
Macswim
7 years ago
a very simple update with a nothing cost is the hardware. Maybe start with that. If you like the difference then maybe you won't have to change much other then what you've planned?

Kitchen update help needed for colours

suzanne_sl

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lisafudge
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jhmarie

Macswim

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Kitchen update help needed for colours

suzanne_sl

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lisafudgeOriginal Author

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Macswim

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lisafudgeOriginal Author

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lisafudge
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