Tammi’s Color Conundrum
When we got Tammi’s cry for color help, we couldn’t wait to track down the perfect kitchen wall color to complement all of her brand new appliances and accents. Here’s her letter:
Help me find a color for my bare kitchen walls! I just got new counters, a new backsplash, new appliances, and even new cabinet hardware so I’m looking for the perfect wall color to tie everything together. There’s not a lot of wall space to paint but I am having such a hard time. The majority of the wall space is at the end of the kitchen where it opens into our wash area room by the back door. On each side of the room there is probably a 2- foot width X 9 foot area to paint. I love blues, chocolates, lime, some reds, some oranges and denim blue. The colors I would shy away from are pink, purple and dark green. I like rich, vibrant hues and also enjoy calm muted colors. See, I’m all over the place! Okay, I think that’s it. Good Luck! And I love, love your website I have added as a favorite of mine!- Tammi
We’re seriously loving Tammy’s sophisticated blue backsplash along with her sleek new appliances and her yummy new granite counters. So we put our heads together to find a few fabulous wall colors to seriously flaunt all of her kitchen’s fantastic new features:
Here’s the color scheme breakdown.
1. The first palette features a soothing, neutral tone that will work seamlessly with the cabinets (represented by the first paint chip), the counter (represented by the second chip), and the backsplash (represented by the third paint chip). Selecting the perfect color is all about saturation in this kitchen, since the backsplash and the cabinets are such dominant colors (one warm, and one cool) they will look best with a subtle color (any more competition and the kitchen might become busy or unbalanced- especially since Tammi only has a small strip of wall to paint). On the other hand, something too light won’t work either because the backsplash really calls for a semi-saturated tone to look finished and polished (ex: the edge of the backsplash in the second picture looks harsh, but with a slightly darker tone on the wall it won’t look as blocky and sharp in the corner). So when it comes to a neutral tan that’s not too warm or too cool, Sand White from Glidden is always a winner. It’s just dark enough to finish off the look of the room without competing with any of the other more saturated and dominant colors in the space.
2. This second suggestion is our unabashed favorite. Here we went with a subtle green tone, again with just enough saturation to keep from looking too dramatically dark or too airy and insubstantial. Green and blue are a favorite combination of ours and this subdued green color won’t overwhelm but it will definitely add a bit of punch and sophistication when mixed with such an already dramatic palette. There are also subtle green undertones in the granite which will shine when paired with this tone, and the green will also balance the orange undertones in the cabinets for yet another perfect mixture of warm and cool colors in the space. We actually pulled three green colors that we’d love Tammi to hold up in her space before choosing her favorite. Our three picks: Zen Mist, Fennel, and Sea Drops (all by Glidden). The first is a more pure green tone while the second has more brown and yellow in it and the third color is a bit more gray. Once Tammi holds the swatches up next to her cabinets, counter, and backsplash, the winner should be super obvious thanks to the subtle undertone variations.
3. This last palette features a soft gray (but not too light that it won’t support the dramatic blue backsplash and all the other tones going on in the space). Much like the neutral tan color from our first palette suggestion, this will serve as a neutral to support all the other warm and cool tones in the space, and will actually work seamlessly with the backsplash thanks to the gray grout that will fuse the backsplash with the surrounding wall color. We’d suggest Glidden’s Icebreaker as the perfect soft gray with the tiniest blue undertones to again work perfectly with that stunning backsplash.
So there you have it, Tammi’s trio of paint palettes. Any favs amoung the crowd? Do tell. And we can’t wait to hear from Tammi herself- and of course check out her fabulous after pictures. Happy painting!
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Comments
I’m famous!! My kitchen made the web! I am going to pick up the paint chips right now! I am so excited!!
I know you just got new cabinet hardware, but you might also consider taking down one or both of the wall cabinets flanking the very cool range hood. You could fit some retro corner shelves to the right, or simple & understated floating shelves to the left. Pier One always has super affordable white dishes and clear glasses. Would really tie in with your clean lines!
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I am sharing a tag with you, of course if you would like that. Please stop by to play along.
Have a great and fun day. Suzy
Well, I’m not sure about that green. But I do like either palette #1 or #3. However #3 seems kinda close to the color you didn’t like. Have fun choosing!
I like palette #3! It blends very well with the existing colors and will coordinate well (in my opinion) with the stainless steel appliances.
Happy Painting!
~Lena~