Erica & Keith’s Color Conundrum
When Erica and Keith called on us for some hue help, we grabbed our paint decks and got right to work. Here’s their letter:
We’re looking for colors for our kitchen/living room, cabinets, and trim. I’d like to paint the top and bottom cabinets different (but well suited) colors assuming you think this is a good idea. Another question- would you paint the knotty pine wood panels in the kitchen? We are considering painting the walls in the kitchen, living room, and pantry “Hanging Moss” by Valspar, but we’re open to other ideas. I find our pine wood floors a bit brassy, and would like to choose wall and cabinet colors that tone it down some. We love the Hanging Moss because it is warm and semi-neutral without being gray. We also love creams, beiges, greens, and golds. We’re indifferent to blues but would consider the right one for accent color. We love warm and neutral colors that lend themselves to natural outdoor scenes. – Erica & Keith
We love the view of the living room from the kitchen (and not just because there’s an adorable pup in the pic). And we actually think the paneling can work in this space (with some well selected colors around it). So we whipped up three color palettes (two that leave the paneling unpainted, and one that calls for a coat of color) for Erica and Keith to choose from . Oh look, here they are now:
Now for the disclaimer: each of the recommended paint chips should be brought into the space and viewed in the room since the color depictions above are only as accurate as your monitor (and not nearly as rich and vibrant as the real thing). Oh and it bears mentioning that we recommend white trim for each of the following palettes and each tone that we suggest for the wall color is meant to be carried over into the adjoined living room and pantry. Now on with the show. Here’s the color scheme breakdown.
Color Scheme #1:
Knotty Pine: keeping the knotty pine paneling natural while updating the rest of the space with a few calming colors will allow the wood to feel rich and rustic instead of dark and dated.
Walls: Erica and Keith were right about this color- a warm moody greeny-gray moss will look great on the walls and complement all the wood in the space without overpowering the room (Martha Stewart’s Hanging Moss by Valspar).
Base Cabinets: a soft gray tone with taupe undertones will work with those mossy-gray-green walls and the wood in the flooring, counters, and paneling (Benjamin Moore’s London Fog).
Upper Cabinets: a creamy yellow with taupe undertones will be cheerful and warm while perfectly complementing those soon-to-be-taupe base cabinets (Benjamin Moore’s Weston Flax).
Accent Color: You can see that the four swatches above feel very warm and neutral so many accent tones will work in this room, but we’d love to see pops of an even more vibrant buttercup yellow (use Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow as a guide) in the kitchen accessories (towels, bowls, vases) for even more of that warm and inviting tone that ensures that all those gray and taupe undertones are anything but ho-hum.
Color Scheme #2:
Painted Knotty Pine: painting the knotty pine paneling a subtle sand tone will crisp things up in an instant (Benjamin Moore’s Ashen Tan).
Walls: again using Erica and Keith’s favorite greeny-gray moss color on the walls will complement the freshly painted paneling along with the existing pine flooring (Martha Stewart’s Hanging Moss by Valspar).
Base Cabinets: a pale slate blue with the same taupey-gray undertones as the green on the walls will look gorgeous on the base cabinets in the space for a natural dose of subtle color (Benjamin Moore’s Wales Gray or Silver Mink).
Upper Cabinets: adding 50% more white paint to a batch of the gray-taupey-blue color that Erica and Keith used on the base cabinets will create a lighter tint of that hue that is guaranteed to work with the deeper color on the base cabinets in the space. Remember that you can always ask the paint person at Benjamin Moore, Home Depot or Lowe’s to help you by adding some white or black paint to customize a color- it’s all in a days work for those guys. And they’ll record the custom paint formula on the sticker atop your paint can, so you can always replicate the exact color should you need more down the line.
Accent Color: fresh pops of white will work with the existing appliances and make sure the space always feels light and airy (painting the wood trim around the kitchen window will also tie it in with the windows on the opposite side of the room for even more balance and consistency).
Color Scheme #3:
Knotty Pine: keeping the knotty pine paneling natural while updating the rest of the space with a few calming colors will allow the wood to feel rich and rustic instead of dark and dated.
Walls: a soft cream on the walls will keep things feeling airy with all that wood in the space (and work seamlessly with the other warm moody tones that we’ll introduce in the cabinetry and the accessories).
Base Cabinets: a warm taupey-gray tone on the base cabinets will add timeless appeal (Glidden’s Fossil Gray).
Upper Cabinets: a lighter grayish-taupe with creamy undertones (Glidden’s Carolina Strand) will really set off the upper cabinets in the space (while ensuring that those creamy walls sing).
Accent Color: fresh pops of slate blue with a dash of jungle green (Glidden’s Cold Shoulder) will make for a fabulous accent in the space (bring it in with towels, bowls, vases, etc)- and can also be carried into the living room in the form of a throw on the sofa or a tray on the coffee table.
So there you have it. Three ways for Erica and Keith to transform their kitchen (and adjoining living room) in a major way. We can’t wait to hear what you guys think- especailly you Erica and Keith!
Leave a comment
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
What a super cute dog!! Love his/her ears are all perked up :)
Just wanted to chime in that Carolina Strand (or at least Benjamin Moore’s match of the paint chip) is the perfect light gray-taupe. I have it in my living room!
Love #2 – I think the browns in the others are too dark for my taste – but I like how the other schemes keep the knotty pine (there’s something charming about exposed, unpainted knotty pine).
I like #2 also! Good luck choosing!
The living room is so charming! I would love to see the end result. I love the abundance of plants!
i am confused by the pony wall that runs through the kitchen perpendicular to the fridge. what is on the other side of it? is the pillar actually bearing a load? is there a reason for keeping it?
i would open up the kitchen by completely removing the wall.
if it must be kept, i like the option for painting the pine paneling in order to reduce the brassiness overabundance of wood.
We are really looking forward to getting the paint chips and seeing this through. We’re having a get together at our house Sunday and will leave the paint chips around and ask people to vote on which option they like best! Thanks so much, Sherry and John.
I’m surprised Jude’s ears are perked up in the photo–usually when he sees a camera his ears go down and he gets very shy.
I looked at the photo of the LR yesterday and for the first time thought, “Maybe there are too many plants in there?” I’m glad they are pleasing!
The pony wall that runs perpendicular to the frig hides the steps that bring you out a side door into the yard. I *think* that post is necessary, but I’ll check with Keith when he comes home. He would like to get rid of that door and pony wall completely (but would it be worth it if the post needs to stay?), but we don’t have a back door, so it is really helpful right now.
personally, i would remove the pony wall, even if the column has to remain as load-bearing. i would value the additional space that would be gained.
the column could be incorporated into the room as an accent using fabric draped or twisted around it, stencil patterns painted along it, a vine twisted around it, etc. (wouldn’t want someone to accidently walk into it.)
So if you got rid of the pony wall and the steps to the side door, where were you going to put a back door?
Because I think you really ought to have another entrance/exit on the main floor of your house. In case of fire. Or something. It would be inconvenient to have to run into the basement and THROUGH that twisty space just to get into the back yard.
Don’t you think?
xoxo
Michelle
PS I really do like the first color scheme. A buttercup yellow as an accent would be lovely.
Oh. And if you’ve got dining room furniture now, why don’t you finally get rid of that kitchen table you pile junk on and expand your living room space, so more than three people can sit down.
Jude is looking pretty good for an old guy. Photogenic old dog.