ListWise

Monday, May 23, 2005

It's Color Time

I’ve actually started thinking about colors for the kitchen and I need help. I really hate picking colors. It is one of those “finish” issues I wrote of before. It is just so final. Once I paint I’m going to have to live with it for a while. Below is my first idea.

The room is 285 sq ft. It is on the north side of the house and the windows are all under a porch so it does not get a lot of light streaming through the windows. The ceilings are 10.5-feet high. The floor will be wood. There will be only one built in counter with cabinets above. These rest will be free standing cabinets, so there will be a lot of wall visible. The trim color will be used a lot because there is 36 inch bead board around the whole room. Not sure if I quite got that trim color right. It is supposed be a sort of light cream color. The cabinets will also be painted. I’m thinking a dark green, similar to the accent green. There will probably be an 18-inch wallpaper boarder around the room. The main source for lighting will be 2, 2-light antique brass fixtures that hand hang 2 or 3 feet into the room.

Be honest, will it look like crap? Any other suggestions for a color pallet? Really be honest. I need help.

6 comments:

K said...

I am currently in love with green, so I think it's always a good idea! :)

Anonymous said...

Personally, I like some green. I've read, though, that the reason restaurants seldom use the color green is because it lends itself to be less appetizing, actually turning some people off to the idea of food. Go figure!

Do you have a picture of the kitchen? Also, what is the "flavor" of your kitchen? What kind of look are you going for? I like the green you chose for the cabs...will you sand around the edges or crackle them to create a distressed look? or are you going for neat and clean?

Dark green looks especially great with natural wood!

Can't wait to see!
Maria

Greg said...

Thanks for the feedback. Now that I look at those colors again I don’t think I got them right. The color for the walls should be lighter green and the trim should have less yellow in it. More like an off-white.

Anyway, I can’t really say what “style” the kitchen is. Everything is salvage, so it is old but will be fixed up nice. Not a big fan of the “distressed look”. Most pieces will have crown molding. Real Victorian Eastlake style cast iron hardware. No reproductions. Glass front cabinets. I think the newest piece I have is a cabinet from 1928 and the sink is from the 30s. Everything else is older. It will be an eclectic mix of mostly free standing cabinets.

Scott in Washington said...

I like the wall and trim colors. Our formica counter tops (POs put them in) are about the same dark green color you have there. They do look like crap, suck up light, hide food and liquids. We hate them. Someday when the more pressing projects are done I will delight tearing them out.

Greg said...

Emily,

Thanks so much. Normally I can be a bit obstinate about getting advice but I know my limitations. I need all the help I can get with this one. Yes, I can see making the cabinets and trim the same lighter color and then using the darker green really only for accents. Very helpful. Thank you again.

PS I read once that green was a popular color for kitchens at the turn of the century because it was thought to be a soothing color. This way the women wouldn’t get any crazy ideas like wanting to vote or work outside the home. Obviously that didn’t work, and thank God it didn’t. In fact, I think women should be running the whole freaking planet at this point. Let’s face it. Men have had a good long run at it, and in a lot of ways, things didn’t turn out too well.

Jocelyn said...

I also like green and the creamy color you selected. We did our kitchen yellow and lighter because we wanted lightness and warmth in that room. It is very bright and cheery. I would lean towards a bit lighter on your cabinets so they don't overpower the room. But the deeper green would be bolder and stronger and go nicely with your cast iron? stove. All depends what effect you want. Take care!