Saturday, February 12, 2011

Decisions Decisions....

We're having our kitchen painted on Tuesday.  The only problem...we haven't quite made a decision on the color.  We're so indecisive.  We really would like to warm things up a bit with some color.  One time when our neighbor man stopped over, he said, " your house is so stark."   Nice.  Did he mean white and hospital like?  When I look at magazines with beautiful kitchens, I am always drawn to light and bright and white ones. Those kitchens looks so fresh and clean.  I love the pops of color against the white.  However,  our kitchen cupboards are that 90's grainish oaky color.  I would love new ones...but we just can't justify getting rid of them beacuse they are in really great shape.  Plus, we don't have the money to replace them.  We'd like to get new appliances, a new countertop and new floor.  So, the cupboards will have to stay the way they are for now

Here are the paint samples we have in the kitchen right now:


















I can't believe how nervous and anxious I am about having the kitchen painted.
I mean, it's just paint.  But, will I have a hard time finding fabric for curtains?
What pictures will go with this green?  What color should the frames be?
I can't put my old rooster pictures back up on the wall...remember, I'm
trying to get away from that!  I just don't have a knack for decoarting...
I wish I did...but I don't.  If I could have someone come over
and tell me what to do...I would go with that.  Unfortuantely,
those people cost money too!


Any thoughts on my green?
Is it too dark?
Would another color go better with the cupboards?
What color is your kitchen? 

~Kerri

27 comments:

Christi said...

beautiful shade of green. it looks really dark. have you tried lightening it by 35% or 50%? you might be happier with the result. i do love the color, thought.

you can always paint the cabinets white instead of changing out, too!

Mrs. Davison said...

I love it. I have almost the same green in my kitchen (just a couple shades lighter) and I wish I had gone darker to make more of a statement. I have all white accents and it's good, but with your wood I think it's perfect.

Jess said...

I like the green better than the other colors. I'm not a big fan of blue on the walls but that's just me. My kitchen is Benjamin Moore Bleeker Beige (spelling?). But I don't think that would go with your wood. My sister used that color and painted her cabinets black...that was work!!!!! If you used the green you could do some black and white photos on the walls.

I'll try to ask my sis (decorator for some ideas) for FREE ideas!
J

CB said...

Kerri I like the colors you chose but don't know if they are light enough for the kitchen.

Usually if you have dark cabinets you need a lighter color on the wall or everything will be dark.

My sister in law has cupboards the same color as yours and painted her kitchen the green color. It is OK - I'll be honest it is dark. She has all white tile countertops so it is not as dark as it might be but she wants to change it.

If you have white cabinets you can get away with a dark color in the kitchen.

Now I say this tongue in cheek without knowing the size of your kitchen, your countertop color, and your decor, etc...

If you want the kitchen to be not white but warm - tans, or something with a hint of yellow is a good way to go - they work with most decor and have a good feel.

My kitchen is also Oak and I have hardwood floors so it is white walls but my decor is alot of red which really pops. And the family room that adjoins the kitchen has tan walls.

Hope this helps in some way. I have painted all the walls in my home at least 2 times over the years and finding the paint color is the hardest part.

Oh I forgot to say that you can get good inspiration by going to look at new model homes that are decorated and if you see a paint color you like then they can usually tell you what color and brand it is - then you have no guess work.

Good luck I know it will turn out great!

Bridget said...

I like it! Would love to see pictures after it's done, too! :)

Donna said...

I like the grey/blue of the first one, even though I seem in the minority. I saw one painted that once and thought it was fantastic and different.
Your neighbor probably meant "uncluttered". Most kitchens are (mine) have "stuff" sitting out and I prefer to think that looks cozy. Others may think cluttered...my DIL has one that is totally free from counter clutter and I think you might all that "stark". Secretly I envy it as very clean, that's good and a compliment.
Have fun...show us the "after", Kerri!!

Karen said...

I'm partial to the green.

jen said...

This is going to be a jumble, I can feel it.
I was drawn to the grey-blue, just because I love that color. But I don't know what color your floor or counters are, so I don't know.
I have a baby-poop green library and a baby poop green laundry room (if you look in my old posts, the library was featured last Feb/March, and the Laundry room? I think June?) I love the color. Absolutely love it. BUT. . . . I have all-white cabinetry. And that softens the color and lightens the room. A LOT.
The whole issue and essay later . . .
If I were you, I would go with the color you love. And that sounds like the green. But I would mute it down 35%, or go one shade lighter on the swatch card.
When you have a lighter color, you have to worry that it will look too white or light next to white. You have all that oak wood, so I don't think that will be a problem.
I think it's a warmer green, and it will be spectacular.
FYI--I had my cabinets in my last house painted. And I was never happier. My sister-in-law actually did her own. It was a ton of work, but they turned out beautifully.
Go with your gut. What does it say?

sloan said...

I can't believe you're asking all of us - you'll have 20 different answers and be more confused than ever!! Have you thought of a yellow to brighten things up? My kitchen is the darkest room in the house, so we have a fairly bright yellow on the walls to help compensate - would that work for you? I love it! I am worried that your favorite green in too dark - but if you love the color, I like the suggestions above to cut it by 30% or so ... can't wait to see what happens, kerri - good luck!!

Gabe said...

I just wrote a really long comment that didn't go through, so I will keep it short and sweet this time around. We have dark cabinets and a buttery yellow on the wall in the kitchen (it was painted that color when we moved in) and I love the lighter color with the dark cabinets. It makes them look more modern. So, possible go with the green you like, but just lighten it up a bit?

Love all the captions you wrote on the pictures!

Kat said...

We painted our kitchen last year. We had wooden cabinets and trim and had those painted as well. You don't have to replace them, a simple coat of paint will work wonders. My kitchen is "Wedgewood Gray" by Benjamin Moore and the trimwork is Linen White, also by Benjamin Moore. We love how it turned out, the transformation was incredible. Here is a link, the kitchen is at the end of the post.
http://prettynpinkngreen.blogspot.com/2010/03/long-overdue.html

Barb said...

Kerri, my kitchen has white walls and that same shade of oak cabinets; we were just discussing what color to paint, just this afternoon! Our LR is painted a color very similar to your preferred green....I love it! So I need something that will blend with it, since the kitchen and LR are visible from each other. Thinking about a neutral tan/beige color, medium shade, with green undertones that would pull the 2 rooms together. (Hubby says paint AGAIN? We painted 5 1/2 years ago)

Guess I will have to get some color swatches.

Can't wait to see what you choose!

Barb

Kim said...

Would you consider painting the cabinets and the trim?!?? You don't have to replace anything, just paint over what's there? At least the trim?

Kat said...

Kerri, we had the painters paint our cabinets, and our windows and doors. You might want to get an estimate, it will be less than you think. Originally, my husband just wanted the walls painted because he felt it would be too expensive to have the trimwork, windows, doors and cabinets done too... so when the painter came, I asked for two estimates, one for just the walls and then an all-inclusive. Once Craig saw the total, he was pleasantly surprised and agreed to have it all done. It's worth a shot. It totally transformed the look of our house.

Anonymous said...

I always love green! You could always paint your cabinets if you're tired of the oak. I did it last year, and oh my what a difference!

Lorri said...

You need to check out my cabinets. They were very similar to your. I could NOT find a color that worked. So, I painted the kitchen the color I loved so that it would force me to refinish my cabinets. It worked. The color was perfect, but not with my existing cabinets. We, too, couldn't justify getting to cabinets. But by the time I finished them, they were like new. A lot of work.....a lot.....but worth every second.

Nicolle said...

I am not a decorator at all, but I love the greenish color, the one in the last picture. I have tried over the last few years to get a lot of white accessories in my kitchen. It just makes it look nice and clean and fresh. I think the green color would bring warmth to your kitchen. It's very pretty! Then you can decorate with white, or browns.

Unfortunately, we painted one wall in our kitchen a dark wine color and I HATE it! lol.

Anonymous said...

i don't know you at all - just happenened on your site from another. i wanted to tell you that i have darkish cherry cabinets and painted my kitchen a similar shade of green and i think it looks great. my accents are black & white photographs and we have a good amount of light coming in too. i wanted to say that lightening up the shade of green changes the color dramatically - it is a much different feel so while i understand the lightness factor - i would be careful about doing that. and remember - if you really don't like it when it is done - it is just paint, it can be repainted :)

Kristin said...

Kitchens are tricky ... you spend a lot of time in them and it should be a space that is pleasing to the eye, and calming (despite any clutter etc.). I think that people are drawn to specific colours - me, I'm a blue person, my sister prefers greens. Oak cabinetry can work with both depending on the other elements in the room like your counter top and flooring.

I posted our kitchen makeover - it used to be red walls, tiger striped granite and honey oak cabinetry - eish! We had to keep the granite so our challenge was to work around that.

Go with your gut instincts on this one! Painting walls can make a huge difference and if it turns out not to be what you were going for, it is just paint and can be done again :o)

Let us know how it all turns out!

PS thanks for the nice comment on my blog today - it made me smile!

Jennifer Key said...

I'm thinking along the lines of the others...maybe a little lighter? But then again it may be too big of a contrast to the dark cabinets. I do really like the gray/blue combo but i think i like the green tint with your cabinets.
Good luck. I always just say....maybe off white even though I know there are a milllion "off whites" in the store.

Cathy M~(checkitoff) said...

Are you sure you don't want to paint your cabinets? It is so much easier working with white woodwork. I do think that certain greens look really good with oak. I am still figuring out how to finish my kitchen too. It is a lot of work! go on Houzz and search kitchens, it will give you ideas and you can start an ideabook! cathy

Karina said...

Go for the green. It's not baby poop - well even if it is, that works for green. It's not too dark - the walls in a kitchen are always so broken up (by windows, doors and cabinets) you never get that big expanse of the color anyways so it's OK to go darker than you think. Go with your gut, do what you can now. I've painted many a kitchen and while it is not difficult....it is incredibly time consuming. Painting just the baseboards and doors/jams might be an easier way to start. Follow your gut. If you love it - it will all work together.

Karina said...

PS - love your new blog header and I'm coming over for the cookies with the dove hearts.

Jenny said...

Go green! It will look so fresh and you will love it. Green is one of those colors I think we kind of forget about, I mean everyone loves blues, yellows, etc. but green is so nice and with all the sunlight, it will be so happy in there. You can get some really pretty accents to pop too, like reds and oranges. Oh I can't wait to see the results.

Jess said...

i'm adding my 2 cents!! i love the green you picked...and i think it goes well with the cabinets...you can definitely ask for a 3/4 to lighten the tone trying to avoid making it "babyish" and i think you can lighten the room with pictures using white frames and also try increasing the lighting in the room. I love a warm kitchen..i have dark cabinets and countertops and i went with Buxton Blue..part of the historical colors of Benjamin Moore. i have green in my dining room (i'm posting a pic tomorrow) and i have lots of black in the room, picture frames and curtains and dark wood furniture. good luck!!its only paint!! our first house we painted the kitchen twice in one month because i couldn't make up my mind!!

{cindy} said...

Hey there,
Popping back in for a minute...how did the paint turn out?? Any pictures?
Just stumbled on this link and thought of you.

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/02/a-new-solution-for-transforming-your-cabinets/

Check it out.
Have a happy night

Jan said...

Great choice in colors! I think it will look great and certainly looks the best with the woodwork. My husbands office is similar to that color (if not the same) and it doesn't appear dark at all (and his office is a much smaller room). I think you'll really like it!

 
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