Paint colors for built-ins, making the space cohesive

3 years ago

Making progress on the main level, getting down to the finishing touches with regards to painting. Now we need to paint the built ins in the LR and I think the ones in the kitchen should probably be painted to match? I'm also open to painting the island a different color.

For background, the walls are SW Natural Tan, the trim is a color match to SW Nacre (slightly lighter). SW Natural Tan really takes the yellow out of the Nacre trim making it look much more bright/white. Cabinets and built ins are SW Antique White (with a glaze I'm looking forward to getting rid of). The range and back of the built ins in the kitchen are SW Tricorn Black.

Was originally thinking to go dark with the built-ins, but am now wondering about painting them to match the trim color and then painting just the backs SW Tricorn black to bring in the black from the fireplace? Or possibly a gunmetal color to match the metal decor above the fireplace, but then would likely need to carry that color to the kitchen built-ins?

Any thoughts on updating it while keeping it cohesive would be much appreciated!

Thank you!

Stacey

Featured Answer

PRO

Beth H. :

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

the guy may have been in the business for that long, but maybe he didn't encounter rooms w/19' ceilings. according to the guide, your room should have a fan w/blades over 60". and the fan should hit the 9foot to 10 foot height. (I have a 60" blade fan in a room w/9' ceilings and half your size.)

Just because he never sold a down rod longer that 48" doesn't mean poo. Your fan is hung at the 15 foot level? What good is the fan if it's too small to have an impact on the room? I would think you'd want it a little lower for personal comfort and for visual design.

now that I see your newer picture, I can see it's metal. Perhaps it was just that photograph that make it look a little 'off'.

what if you painted the back panels of the upper shelves a darker gray that matches the trim going around the room( the wood color)? not this exact gray color, just showing you what I mean.

I like your staircase remodel.

Or, you could bring in one of the blush accent colors to the back panel. if you do that, bring in other accents for the shelves that play off that color. The gray tones and soft blush tones and creamy white look great together.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

PRO
JudyG Designs
3 years ago
That is one tall install over the mantel.

Leave the built-in paint color as is, and the horizontal trim as is, and paint the entire wall the gray of the “chimney" panel.

Your room is lovely…please do not get angry with me, but that panel looks like a door on steroids.
PRO
Beth H. :
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
what is the gray above the mantle? is it tile, stone , wood?

let me show you a few examples of something that might look a bit better.

BTW, your fan is far too small, hung way too high for the size of that room.

this one is similar to your fireplace and cabs. It's a darker gray, but it seems to work better w/the fireplace surround

this one is almost the same as your surround. I know the ceiling is shorter here,

but if you did the trim work above it like the first one, or this one, I think it would look nice w/your beams and built in's. You could paint the bottom cabs a darker color to match like shown above

or, do the back panel inset like they've done here.

if you wanted to do stone or tile, I'd recommend doing this. any chance of doing windows?

photoshopped the stone and a lower fan

they did stone above this one (which is also a similar surround to yours. ignore the wood mantle)

you could always just paint it white like shown here
Related Discussions
Best way to make a built in buffet look 'built in'
Q
Comments (10)
O.K. I don't really think it looks built-in unless the cabinets go completely wall to wall, so the 1'-5" wall would need to be full depth to the cabinets or deeper. But does that really matter ? If you want to get rid of the 1'-5" wall anyway, it won't look built in. Also a under counter frig will be 24' d. so that won't fit in a 16" deep cabinet. What if you shortened it & didn't have it against either wall & make it look more like a piece of furniture ? I like your plan by the way.... Good Luck Here is a link that might be useful: granite countertops
...See More
Wall space above built-in buffet - Decor ideas
Q
Comments (32)
No matter your decision, I do think you could add a little more interest to the room, bring in some color and activity. It feels very "safe" and predictable to me. But I've got a mean streak of quirk, I'd be hanging a vintage ten-speed or a bunch of random clocks in that wall.
...See More
what color should I paint built ins and what color mantel?
Q
Comments (2)
What a beautiful space! I don't see your living area as needing to be updated, as it all seems to complement and flow well. I love the rustic elements. If anything, I would consider painting the built ins the same as the kitchen cabinets, or perhaps a shade darker. I think the mantel is perfect.
...See More
Color advice on built-in shelves for open space LR
Q
Comments (3)
inevitably you will have to prime the bookcase white, I would start there and see how it feels, I would not do grey its on the way out, maybe you could add some wall paper to the backing of the bookcase for visual interest. But the fireplace should be the focal point. I think a rustic green would be better than grey if you do paint it.
...See More
poorgirl
3 years ago
Wow Beth those are beautiful choices that you have offered.
Jennifer
3 years ago
What is the space to the right of your living room? It looks like a cased opening with the same stained trim as the horizontal trim on the fireplace wall. I think those strong horizontal lines are jarring. Can those be removed?
Stacey Schneider
Original Author
3 years ago
Ok, well I asked about the built-ins and got much more! ;)

JudyG - I can see why it looks that way in the photo, but it doesn't so much in person. I zoomed out so I could get as much as the room as possible, so though it is tall, it's not as out of proportion as it looks in person. The current color of the built-ins is a creamier color than the concrete fireplace surround and it doesn't look good together.

Beth H - The install above the fireplace is made of steel sheet metal. As far as the fan, I did want something minimal so as not to add more to the space in addition to that major metal instal;, though I did question the size and length of the fan with company and the guy, who claimed to work in the industry for 20 years, said he'd never sold a download longer than 48 in and that this size was good for a 16x17 space. Ceilings are 19 ft.

I wish we could've done stone; we committed to the metal and when removing the previous surround, found beautiful stone underneath that would've been lovely to put up, but it would've thrown us way off budget at that point - metal was made and ready to be installed. The the brick is still underneath the concrete surround/metal so that'll be taken into the next iteration of this home - which is WAY down the road. Our budget now includes paint and accessories. I love the ideas you've shared and wished I would've seen them sooner! So maybe paint the built-ins the same as the walls and then the cabinets a darker color to stand out? Like the 2nd or 3rd photo.

Also adding windows to integration 2.

The stair used to be white spindles and copper spirals, it was terrible and we wanted something cleaner, so no, the bars have to stay. Here's a pic of that part of the room:

Also - nothing has been 'styled', just livable. I haven't done the bookcases, the sofa table behind the couch is the wrong size and color, also hate the light in the kitchen, but I didn't want to overwhelm this question with all of the issues in the room.

Thank you, I appreciate all the suggestions!
Stacey Schneider
Original Author
3 years ago
Beth H - I love the mock up.
PRO
Amy Peltier Interior Design & Home
3 years ago
Why not try looking at a few of our images from a design we did for a client. Notice the color we painted the built-ins.
High-End Residence · More Info

High-End Residence · More Info
Stacey Schneider
Original Author
3 years ago
That's a beautiful gray - what is it?