Need help choosing a paint colour for kitchen cabinets

5 years ago

I need some colour help! Our kitchen has zero redeeming qualities and it's in need of a full gut. Budgets won't allow for this to happen for quite some time so I'm trying to not hate everything about my kitchen by painting the cabinets. We have a 1920's house, original oak floors through the kitchen and open concept (peninsula) to the dinning room which we use as our primary and sole eating/craft/homework/gathering space. The kitchen has a south-facing window and west-facing glass door so we get a decent amount of sun.

My dilemma is what colour to paint our cabinets given our awful dark green melamine counter tops, terrible beige backsplash and our wall colour through this combined space (Benjamine Moore Marilyn's Dress). I want them to stand out less, so white is out of the question. I'm wondering if a mossy green would do the trick or a taupe-grey? I've compare Benjamine Moore paint swatches to the counters, it's closest match would be Youkon Green and Dollar Bill Green with some very slight light specking.

I really like some of the more neutral colours here: http://www.theweatheredfox.com/fixer-upper-paint-colors/

(big fan of Joanna Gaines!)

TIA!

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User

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Those cabinets are great. No way would I take the 6 months of nights and weekends to paint them. Or pay the 7-9K to have it done professionally. The traditional style and material both suit the home well.

DIY a new stock Laminate Counter from a box store in a light color. And then add some lighting, even if it’s battery powered LED for under cabinet. That under $800 fix ought to hold you until you can plan the complete gut.

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Comments (8)

PRO
Barnes Custom Builders
5 years ago
If you're going to paint your cabinets on your own...yikes. It is such a huge undertaking, and I really don't think they are that bad.

If you are going to hire someone - I wouldn't - and instead use that money on new counter tops and back splash.

I also don't know that painting them a shade of green will have them 'stand out less' than doing a nice shade of white, like the color of your existing trim - and then swap out the hardware.
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herbflavor
5 years ago
can you show a larger pic of kitchen. Yes-paint is a "fix".... but not necessarily. Can you state approx. what your budget might be. I would leave cabinets and probably get new counter/backsplash quotes. With budget friendly products, changing those two things can do a lot FOR the oak. Saying that, counters run a wide range of price points...see what you can do. I think the oak is the one thing I like here. Layout.....maybe has some issues...storage capacity of base cabinets is probably not optimal.....but the blue and bland backsplash would go if I had the money.
apple_pie_order
5 years ago
Don't spend money to buy more things that go with things you hate (the green countertops, presumably). It will cost more to paint the cabinets professionally than to replace the countertops and backsplash with new Formica and tile. Natural wood cabinets are trending up, too.

Visit a countertop shop to look at new Formica or Wilsonart surfaces.
OneRidgeOff
5 years ago
The cabinets are very nice, don’t paint. I’d change counters and backsplash instead. Even Joanna Gaines is doing more stained wood kitchens these days (although here she’s splitting the difference, which I’m not recommending for yours).

https://magnolia.com/design-tips-aguilar-kitchen/
roarah
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I agree you cabinets are lovely! I too have a 20s home with the same tone floors as yours. I am planning to use quarter sawn oak or walnut when we redo. It fits my 20s Tudor more than a painted kitchen would. Not all 20s houses are suited for painted cabs. Arts and crafts, prairie style and Tudors are not. Lighter counters and a stainless vent and lighting can give you a more fixer upper look. Here are some pics from my inspiration folder.

These show how pretty wood is paired with better counters and lighting.
OneRidgeOff
5 years ago
Great inspiration photos, Roarah. They are so much like the Joanna kitchen I linked to. OP can get the Fixer Upper look and not mess with what looks like very nice stained wood cabinets.
jhmarie
5 years ago
I did not paint my oak cabinets for many reasons - one of which is I've seen a lot of painted over previously finished cabinets five years down the road and not been impressed. Also, I just prefer the warmth of the wood. However, if your cabinets are in poor shape anyway, you haven't much to lose. I prefer the mossy green to keep the kitchen tone "warm", but none of your colors will make the countertops look better - sorry. Your wall paint should come last. It is the easiest thing to change, so get the cabinets right first. Should you choose to put your budget to countertops instead, they and the backsplash will affect wall paint color. Computer monitors often show colors poorly. On mine, your wall color looks too cool for the wood and the paint color possibilities.

The farmhouse style is more than the color of the cabinets. As has been noted, may newer kitchens are coming out in wood in a similar style, but with a movement back to warmer colors - the cool white and gray is not as popular as it used to be. You will want to study the kitchens you like for the "extra" features - some which you could easily add to your kitchen - for example, a more decorative range vent/hood. Consider removing all the cabinetry above the range and getting a stainless vent that truly vents to the outside if the present one does not. You might add a small amount of open shelving primarily for decor. Look at how cabinets with glass doors are styled. Your home has some craftsman features - look at craftsman kitchens also for some ideas.

I retrofitted a plate rail in a cabinet. I also got a "short apron" apron front sink that could be installed on a standard sink base cabinet. Look for features that are less a particular "style" and more evoke a feel that a 1924 house would have - warm, cozy, simple.

Maybe not your style - but my refreshed oak kitchen:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854029