Design Crew is back
Sat, 14 Feb 2015
It's been awhile but the emails haven't stopped coming. It's time to round up the crew. The Design Crew. Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! Hop to it. I know you have just the right solution. This week's email is from Natalie.
Here are 3 (not very good) photos of my kitchen, which is basically black and white. Dark grey floor tiles, white cupboards, white walls & ceiling, laminate dark wood-effect work tops, dark charcoal splash back.
We used to have Moroccan red walls but found it too dark, although we liked the contrast with the white cupboards. We are in the UK so I thought a bright colour would have been good, then we painted it white. The rest of my house has white walls but we want a colour in the kitchen that contrasts with the white cupboards, without being too dark. The walls are mostly only visible above the cupboards so there aren’t any large flat areas. I’m having a dilemma choosing between ivory/buttermilk and a classic green-grey/mud colour. I prefer the latter but am worried it might be dull and depressing in the winter, hence this request for help!
Reader Comments (21)
I don't know whether a link will actually post here, however I will try. A yellow ochre such as Benjamin Moore's paint color shown here would be fantastic. The kitchen has great foundation colors with the backsplash and flooring, but it is crying for something more committal and lively as the wall color! http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/ochre. ~Sparky
I'd go for the cream/buttermilk colour - have you thought of changing those splashbacks for something more colourful too?
I think either colour would work, (although if it was me I'd try mint green, because I really like that colour and here the white cupboards would make sure it wouldn't dominate the room too much, but that is not what your asking!).
And really, if you prefer the green-grey/mud colour I think you should go with that. One thing that might create a lighter airier feel in the room would be to swap the table for something less clunky and dark. Even if it's just as big, the space feels lighter with a thin white table, blond wood or maybe glass on metal legs, and maybe some slimmer chairs with lower backrests.
I agree with atma about the table and chairs. And I agree with Sparky about the space needing some colour. My kitchen was all white with black counter and not much wall space showing, so I took the opportunity to introduce some colour on the walls (and backsplash because it was just white wall) and am really happy with the result. Any colour would work, and then keep your countertop items all very neutral and introduce the colour you choose in a few pieces to accent it. ANd call me crazy, but I'd be tempted to lose some of the upper cabinets. The little one next to the fridge is making me crazy. Replacing it and the ones to the left of the window with an open shelf (or 2) would look lovely and open it up more.
Good luck Natalie - and send photos when you're done!
Well, I absolutely love the kitchen- the only changes I would make are putting a soft color on the walls and take down those upper cabinets. You could introduce color with a new door mat, and accessories/small appliances. Easier to change out those when you feel like a change. But I could certainly live with it as is!
I also love that Design Crew is back!
not really what you proposed but I am really loving the light/dark scheme a lot...where everything from the hip down is dark and everything above us light or white....it makes for masking spills on lower cabinets but lightens up the rest of the room...I'd lighten up the backsplash...
Open shelves are lovely in a photo, but very demanding in a real, live home!
I found my mint green next to Sparky's ochre:
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/acadiagreen
My kitchen is black, white and grey, but I have a wooden floor in almost that colour.
I guess what I'm saying is a neutral kitchen like yours can afford a little wildness on the walls. And if you pick a colour you really like, that's what will make you the happiest.
If you are drawn to a green-grey hue, may I suggest Benjamin Moore's Silken Pine? I chose it for my kitchen, and love it. It is pale enough not to seem dreary in winter (we have long, dark winters here) and it offers a subtle, fresh breath of color that is neither too minty nor too yellow. I have white cabinets, black countertops, and the Silken Pine on my walls. It would look great with a Persian carpet in red tones on the floor. Good luck!
Some slimmer chairs with lower backrests for sure.
And no upper cabinets would open this space a lot. The wall colour is smaller problem, sorry.
"The little one next to the fridge is making me crazy. Replacing it and the ones to the left of the window ......would look lovely and open it up more. "
Amen to that.
The Farrow and Ball color 'Tallow' would bring some color without overpowering and also create the illusion of sun-light. I have it both in a basement with almost no natural light and a bedroom with a lot of windows. It goes with any color as an accent and at the same time isn't a boring neutral. I might suggest clearing some surfaces and then placing some framed pictures with lighter mats on the back splash too. The glass on the pictures will also bounce some light around. The lighter color table that someone mentioned above would also add some brightness and some reflection for light. Otherwise, you're kitchen is lovely!
I would paint the walls a pretting soft grey. Replace the backsplash with a shiny reflective finish of some sort. To go with the shiney backsplash I would replace the cupboard and drawer pulls with a shiny finish. Putting the shine in the room will help reflect light and keep the room from being too dark. The Grey walls will look modern and sofisticated. If it was my kitchen I would also put in clear glass on the cupboad door fronts rather than the frosted....again I would want to reflect light.....I would keep the cabnets white........unless........you paint the walls a medium dark grey and a very pale soft grey on the cabnets......
Looking forward to what you decide.
free fall: "Replace the backsplash with a shiny reflective finish of some sort."
Maybe those metal subway tiles I've been seeing- I'd like those too :)
You have a gorgeous kitchen. There us only one problem: too much clutter in the counters. Clear the clutter and you might not have to paint. A quick, easy fix that will make the place look much more airy.
I agree with Peggy. Clear a little clutter, add a reddish rug in front of the sink and you are good to go. I think a color on the wall would make the white upper cabinets jump out too much.
I do like your kitchen. A lot.
Why not stain the table and chairs the same color as countertops? Then, choose an accent color for a rug, placemats, a set of bowls or any other thing you usually use.
My color of choice for your kitchen would be apple green (no yellow tone). Put some of your stuff into trays or boxes to tame clutter.
If you really just want to paint the walls my color is still apple green (no yellow tone).
Whatever you do, don't touch the backsplash! :)
I think strip lighting under the upper cabinets would be a big improvement and then you could chose the colors you like without it feeling too dark.
Keep the upper cabinets - or at least most of them and show off your dishes with glass doors.
My first thought was Moroccan tile when I saw your kitchen, and so when you mentioned Moroccan red, well, I think I was on the right track.
Your kitchen is rather cold -- black, white, grey; hard ceramic tile, shiny dark counter. What you need -- and what you have been instinctively doing by adding colourful ceramic decorations on the tops of your cupboards -- is more pattern and texture.
I find the black backsplash to be too dark, and so would remove that, as well as the counters. Invest in some wood countertops -- treated with a beeswax butcherblock product, it will feel divinely soft and velvety.
Remove the uppers on the stove wall, and tile to the ceiling with bright patterned, mostly blue and white, Moroccan tiles, either mismatched, or carefully matched.
http://beachhousetilestudio.net/#jp-carousel-225
http://beachhousetilestudio.net/#jp-carousel-125
http://www.houzz.com/photos/362929/PATCHWORK-WALL-TILES-REPRODUCTION-OF-OLD-TILES-LUXURYSTYLEes-contemporary-other-metro
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/298996862732824583/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/298996862736547163/
To warm up the floor, you might want to buy some vintage red Persian rugs at estate sales.
Have fun with it!
Great kitchen. Remove the clutter. I'd change countertops to some lighter wood and table too.... perhaps round tulip. Then i'd get come color with decoration, like artwork, rug, plants and so on. Your vases on cabinets look very lonely, i would redecorate that area for more impact.
Thanks so much for all these comments - it will take me a while to extract the feedback, but I really appreciate it. In defence of my splash back, it used to be light 'country kitchen' style tiles which we hated, so when our client wanted to make a film of him using his product called 'porcelanic cement' we let him do a dark grey on our splash back and we love it! It's not as dark in reality as it looks in these photos, and it reflects a lot of light. It really smartened up the kitchen from looking too shabby chic. Anyway, I realise that cupboard next to the stove is wrong but it's very useful to me! I now realise how photos can give such a different impression of a room to how it looks to us who live in the house. And something that isn't apparent in the photos, is that the kitchen is 18 feet x 9 feet so is quite elongated.
Thanks once again to all who have commented, I will go through all the comments and make a decision on the wall colour accordingly.
Natalie
I'm a little late to the party, but I took one of your images and photoshopped it with some color/design ideas. Not sure if this will help, but it was a fun project.
Green- https://herbsandhappiness.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/di_kitchenideas-green.jpg
Cheerful yellow- https://herbsandhappiness.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/di_kitchenideas-yellow.jpg
Designer wallpaper - https://herbsandhappiness.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/di_kitchenideas-wallpaper.jpg
The green will be more restful on the eye, which would be useful in such a visually busy kitchen. I like the idea of a bold print joining in with the rest of the cacophony, that would work for me, especially if you changed out for a low profile table & chairs, something far more modern. http://onedeko.co.uk/1885-9261-thickbox/flexa-lx-dining-chair.jpg