Laura’s Color Conundrum
When Laura wrote to us in search of a new color palette for her kitchen cabinets and walls, we whipped out our paint swatches and got right to work. Here’s her letter:
My kitchen needs a face-lift! The previous owners upgraded the counters with Uba-tuba granite (it’s black with flecks of green and brown) but the dark orangey-brown flat cabinets from the 60′s remain (plus an added Ikea storage piece topped in matching granite). I despise the color of the cabinets, but they’re in pretty good condition so we’d like to paint them (and also paint the Ikea island to integrate it?). I desperately need color suggestions for the cabinets and walls to update and brighten up the space. The types of color that appeal to me most are warm tones, beachy colors (I love green-blue-gray colors), and neutrals. Nothing is really off-limits. I was also thinking of adding molding to the cabinet doors to give them a bit of architectural interest. What do you think of this idea? And do you have any recommendations on how to go about doing this? Thanks so much and I can’t wait to see what colors you recommend!!! -Laura
This is definitely going to be one of those major makeovers that you can’t even believe was the same space. Painting the walls and the cabinets is the fastest way to create a totally new kitchen on a serious budget, so without further ado, three fresh and bright color palettes for Laura to choose from:
Now for the obvious disclaimer that the paint chips above are only as accurate as your monitor, and they look a heckova lot more dynamic and rich in person (so Laura should just pick up all the recommended swatches and hold them up in her space to select a winner).
Here’s the paint palette breakdown.
1.The bottom paint swatch in each pile represents the current deep tone of the granite (black with green and brown flecks) while the rest of the colors in this scheme are lighter and brighter hues with greeny-gray undertones to keep things open and airy in the kitchen. For the base cabinets (and also the Ikea storage piece) we’d suggest a breezy gray-green (Glidden’s Quiet Waterfall) and for the upper cabinets, a lighter gray-green tone for interest (Glidden’s China Rain). Then for the wall color, we’ll bring in a neutral tan to enhance those brown flecks in the granite and work with the tones of the floor (Glidden’s Quiet Light). Together these hues will keep things beachy and soft. And for extra credit, adding some trim to the cabinets for some dimension would definitely inject even more sophistication to the space in each and every color palette that we’ve included. We dug up this tutorial for Laura to learn from. And of course she can follow our cabinet painting tutorial when it comes to refinishing the cabinets (and the Ikea storage piece) in no time at all.
2. This color scheme introduces some soothing neutrals that will work perfectly with the existing granite counter and wood flooring while adding a light and current feel to the entire space. Again the bottom swatch represents the deep tone of the counters while the medium tan tone would be our suggestion for the base cabinets and that Ikea storage piece (try Glidden’s Stonington Beige). Using a slightly lighter tone for the upper cabinets will add interest and style (try Glidden’s Sand White) and for the walls an ever-so-subtle off white tone (Glidden’s Ruffled Feathers) will tie everything together to create a serene and open space for cooking up a storm.
3. So you’ve seen a scheme with gray-green undertones and a neutral tan palette, but we’d be remiss to leave out the soft gray-blue palette that Laura mentions in her request. For the base cabinets and the Ikea storage unit we’d love to see Glidden’s Limoges Blue, a soft soothing ocean tone that will really tie into the neutral tones in the counters and on the floor. For the upper cabinets a lighter blue-gray tone would keep thinks feeling spacious and light (Glidden’s Cloud Nine) and for the walls a warm ivory tone will polish things off (Glidden’s Winter Walk).
So there you have it. Three different ways for Laura to spruce up her kitchen on a dime. We can’t wait to hear what you think- especially you Laura!
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# 1 is my favorite…
Ditto…my vote is for #1!
love #1! cant wait to see the final result! !
Number 2
#1 is awesome. Beachy but not too over-whelming. Great palette!
#1 or #2 but I am feeling the first one more!
I also had older, plain front cabinet doors in my kitchen. I added 1 1/2 inch furring strips to the doors to give them a shaker style. I used wood glue & finish nails, then counter-sank (sunk?) the nails & filled in with wood putty. After painting everything, they looked pretty good! It was a VERY cheap detail that added a lot of dimension to the tiny room. Here’s the best photo I have. Sorry it’s not closer!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/erinrodriguez/2820264169/in/set-72157606886584237/
#3 is definitely too blue. I prefer #2 over #1. I saw a kitchen makeover on HGTV that used a gray on the cabinets, but they replaced the upper doors with the IKEA glass doors with metal frames and used very contemporary handles, and it was fantastic. I would put wheels on that cart and paint it also. Use glass mosaic or subway tile on the backsplash. I did that myself and it was very easy.
#1 is my favorite. I think the neutral walls will really set off the cabinets. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Erin, you did a great job on your cabinets! It’s amazing the difference a little elbow grease can make.
I looove #1! I can’t wait to see the after pics :)
I love the colors of #3, but I think #1 will look the best. You could always use blues for your accessories (dish towels, oven mitts, etc)
Sherry-
I love all the colors you suggested and can’t wait to start transforming my kitchen. At this point, I’m leaning towards #1 and #2 and I’m going to pick up the paint chips this weekend. With the holidays coming, I’m not sure how quickly I’ll get to this, but I’ll keep you posted!
Thanks again. Your blog is the best!!
-Laura
Sweetness. So glad you’re diggin’ #1 and #2. Can’t wait to see what you choose… and of course to see the after pics!
xo,
Sherry
#1 and #2 are a toss up. 2 seems a little safer to me.
Just wondering why you suggest to paint the bottom and top cabinets different colours?
Hey Kirsten,
Lately we’ve been loving the look of slightly lighter top cabinets to visually keep things from getting too heavy in the top of the room. By keeping the colors in the palette similar, it’s just subtle enough to create interest and look soft and complementary without being too obvious and strange.
You can see how a slightly lighter cabinet complments a space by clicking the tab above that says “our services”- right under the header. Then you can click “color consultation” to see how a lighter top cabinet looks (sometimes it’s hard to picture). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
I love the color palette #2. Would really like to see the ‘after’ photo of the kitchen as I am needing to paint my dark cabinets and would love to see how they turn out. Thanks!