Desperate for Blah Beige Update (on budget)!
Hello! We recently purchased a house that was built in the early 2000s and is completely done in various shades of beige. The walls, trim, even all the furniture that came with it is beige or brown. We eventually plan on gutting the kitchen, but that’s quite a way down the road (5+ years). In the meantime, I want to paint the cabinets and update the hardware, faucets and lights. I’m hoping to stay under $500 for the entire project, so we are stuck with the countertop. My husband and I are very capable of doing all the work ourselves, so the main question right now is paint color. I was leaning toward SW Urbane Bronze on the island and SW Shoji White on the other cabinets. However, I am concerned that this would be way too light for the rest of the house. The style of the home is Eastern European - very ornate and heavy details. Any suggestions as to what would work best as a semi-temporary solution in terms of color choices for the cabinets that works with the existing countertop and floor? TIA for any advice/suggestions!!
Comments (14)
Ann Westfall
5 months ago
blfenton
5 months agoRelated Discussions
Small kitchen on a tiny budget, advice needed.
Comments (10)I would paint the cabinets rather than staining them. Make sure that you create a flat matte surface to paint on so the paint looks good. Grey is quite popular and looks 'in style' right now. Light taupe is another possibility. If the cabinets are flat slabs, this will give a nod to the MCM feel with your planters. I would pick the wall colors that are similar, maybe 1 or 2 shades off of the same color sample on the paint chips. This will give you a visual expanse in a small kitchen. When you have done that, your visual interests will be your counter tops and cabinet hardwares. Painted cabinets and wall colors will create a calm and recedeing background for the counters and hardware. Fun and playful can come from accessories. Another fun and playful (inexpensive) way to update an old kitchen is to remove the doors from the uppers, paint the interior of the cabinets, then put colorful every day dishes in the uppers for visual interest. You have instant open shelving system which is quite popular right now. Do you have enough light coming into the kitchen? You may need to update lighting for functional reasons....See MoreCurb Appeal with Builder grade blah
Comments (27)Hi Cee Smith, It really is a personal preference. You may just want to keep an eye out in the lighting department of your favorite big box store. Also, keep your phone handy and snap a pic of lights you like on other houses. Your home isn't such a strong style that it will dictate the light fixture. There are some homes, for example, where they are clearly Victorian, or Mid Century, or Prairie, or Bungalow, etc. Likewise, you don't want a fixture that yells a particular style either. I agree though, a little larger, and not too ornate. Could you show us a closer photo of what you have?...See MoreMy exterior house has the blahs. Needs a refresh!
Comments (25)Well the pavers are out of our budget, so we are looking at refinishing the concrete. The painter actually shown us a Faux wood finish for the garage door, but we were uncertain about the look. Still working on the trellis.. The landscaper comes this week to help with the yard....See MoreHelp turn this blah fireplace into a show stopper!
Comments (69)sparkleivy,,, so if you like the overlay idea, you could do cement overlay a roman clay/stucco/plaster overlay, (that one above in the black under Amy is Portola paints plaster) https://somuchbetterwithage.com/how-to-plaster-a-brick-fireplace/ Another option is a mortar wash. go heavy w/the mortar all over the brick/joints, wipe and let dry https://www.rebeccaandgenevieve.com/blog/2020/5/3/fireplace-makeover-using-mortar-part-1 You could leave as is or go over it w/a white lime treatment. looks like this. (you need a diff mantle!) or, you could just paint the brick. (paint w/any type of paint. just depends on the look you want) BTW, Your lighting looks really yellow. can you upgrade your bulbs a bit? What do you think about painting your walls white and the brick a matte black? this color is BM Iron Mountain: You see the diff in the lighting in this pic below and the photoshop one above? This lighting is a neutral white. the one you have gives everything a yellowish/pink hue. try using a 3500-4000K bulb. at night, the 2500K is fine if you want a dimmer look. Here's one w/the brick painted white. Get rid of that mantle you have and go find a wood beam another white brick but you could top your hearth w/a stone remnant or stone tiles. (like Basalt) If you plan on replacing those tiny baseboards, it would update the look of the room if you did a 5" , plain baseboard see the size on these baseboards? like that. Do you like the look of this corner fireplace? They did a heavy lime/mortar wash on it. Notice the bright lighting and white walls with it. looks nice I love the black brick idea, wood beam mantle, white walls and this type of furniture and light...See MoreAnn Westfall
5 months agonelliebean
5 months ago
KW PNW Z8
5 months agodarbuka
5 months agoAnn Westfall
5 months ago
ffpalms
5 months agoI like the SW colors you’re considering. Urban Bronze makes sense of the backsplash behind the stove and looks great with stainless steel. I’d just add some dish towels to repeat the dark brown of the countertop. Updated liighting and hardware would help tremendously, as well as removing the embellishments, as KW PNW Z8 mentioned.
Here’s a beauty with a similar color scheme and modern lighting.
Ann Westfall
5 months agojo mu
5 months agoffpalms
3 months agonelliebean
3 months ago
lawsonch19
3 months ago
Ann WestfallOriginal Author