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Sunday, April 6, 2008

Paint my kitchen

OK, Internet. I know you are clamoring for photos of the kitchen during the construction (if by "clamoring" I mean "in my imagination, I am assuming that you would be interested in photos"), but my computer is not working at the moment, and that's where the pictures are.

In the meantime, I need your help. As evidenced by my bathroom, I am incapable of picking paint colors. Witness:

That pink under the mirror? Well, monitor colors differ, blah blah blah, but that's pretty much what the pink looks like in person. Maybe a tad lighter. I thought it was going to be a lovely dusky rose.

So for the kitchen, we would like to avoid similar mistakes. We want a yellow and white kitchen, but there is some discussion about which yellow, which white, and what color the cabinets and ceiling should be. The yellow we settled on in the inside pantry is Benjamin Moore "Pernod," and in the pantry, it is bright with hints of green. I like it in the pantry, but I am very worried that it will look too bright, or not bright enough, or too green in the actual kitchen, because of course the light will be different. However, as you may be aware, I loathe painting, and do not want to repaint the pantry if it can be at all avoided. But I am concerned that if we paint the kitchen a different yellow, it will look like we tried to match it but failed.

The bottom half of the walls will have wainscoting, and we want that and the trim to be the same white. The white I originally picked was Sherwin-Williams "Bakery Box White," but I can't find that on the internet, and wonder if they discontinued it. I think Benjamin Moore "Oxford White" will work, though. It's white. And I don't mind repainting the trim in the inside pantry because there is hardly any in there, so it will only take an extra 10 minutes. (There will be no wainscoting in the pantry.)

Finally, Andrew wants the cabinets to be the same white as the trim, but I am afraid it is going to be too much white, so I want to paint them a creamy off-white. I am leaning towards Benjamin Moore "Indian White." Andrew thinks that will look stupid, but based on a picture I saw in a magazine, I think it will be nice.

As for the ceiling, I am at a loss. We don't want it white since there will be so much white in there already, and also white ceilings are a little boring. We're thinking half-tone of whatever yellow we pick for the walls or maybe cream? But is there a completely different color that would be cool? Like maybe a light green or something?

For those of you with enough of your own problems to worry about, I have three quick questions. First, do you think having two different yellows will look stupid? Second, do you think cream, white, and yellow go together? And is there any other color that will go with them for the ceiling?

For those of you who are bored at work, I ask the above questions but also have an assignment. Go to the Benjamin Moore website and use the "Personal Color Viewer" to examine the color combination of Pernod/Oxford White/Indian White. Do those go? Do you have a suggestion for a different yellow and/or off-white? And what should we put on the ceiling?

Please, don't let this happen again:

7 comments:

Becca said...

I am TERRIBLE at picking out paint (I made my family room look like the Copa Cabana once when Ryan was at work). But I love Wainscotting. That will be so pretty and traditional! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Oh God. My OCD was off the charts while reading this post. Even more reason not to ever ever EVER remodel ANYTHING!

I like your combos, btw. In my imagination, at least. Sounds very much like a friend's [recently remodeled] kitchen with the cream and the yellows.

Nessa said...

Ok, I've tried to leave this comment three times today! Let's see if this will take.

For the yellow - I would use a color from the same color card as the pantry. That way you get the same shade in a different intensity (i.e. lighter or darker).

I would use cream for the cabinets, but make sure it has the same undertones as the yellow or it will look off. Same for the white you use for the wanscotting and trim. You could use the cream for the ceiling too, or another color from the same yellow family that is very very light.

Moral of the story: make sure whatever colors you use make sure they have the same undertones as the pantry, that way it will be uniform and not jarring.

Anonymous said...

I am all for the white cabinets matching the trim and wainscoting, but this is because I have a hard time with creams and whites and whatnot. I don't know what goes together and what doesn't when we're talking those kinds of colors.

That said, my vote is for white cabinets, white trim/wainscoting, yellow walls and a different color for the ceiling. Maybe a bluish gray? That seems traditional.

If you use my choices and you hate it, I don't know what we'll do to salvage our relationship though, so BE CAREFUL.

Also, P.S. Look how late I'm up!

Salome Ellen said...

I agree w/Nessa -- be aware of the undertones. I tried the combo on the website, and I definitely think the Indian White has red/brown undertones that clash with the slightly greenish yellow of Pernod. My advice is to ask somebody at a paint store (NOT a paint department in a big-box home improvement). We repainted our living room years ago, and were recommended a trim color that looked PINK against our old paint, but was the perfect cream with our new tan walls.

Adam Golaski said...

I strongly urge blood red for the ceiling, preferably dripping. This creates an inviting atmosphere for guests. Keep an ax by the door.

House painting is surprising. I painted our bedroom a light green and throughout the day the color changes dramatically--I'm not sure which I like best.

For the white trim, use high gloss paint. Are the cabinets nice enough to sand and stain? Natural wood goes with everything. I agree with one of your other commenters that a light color on the ceiling--cream would be nice. Don't be afraid to go with a strong, bright yellow in the kitchen--just not something too close to yolk. So long as the pantry isn't too green--go for it.

And good luck.

Sleen said...

The 3 colors together remind me of coconut cream pie. Is that the look you're going for? If it were me, I'd ditch the Indian white and go for a green accent (Light Pistachio, maybe).

White ceilings are terrific. They make the room look bigger and brighter.