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Design Dilemma
sparklybloom

Kitchen help please! Help with colours etc for a small update.

Jade Byng
9 years ago
Hello, I'm looking for some help choosing colours etc for my kitchen. It's a bit of an awkward room. The attached photos don't really show how rundown and badly fitted it is (terribly DIYed), but we can't currently afford a full renovation of the room, so I'm trying to make it as nice as possible for now. The first photo is the view of the kitchen from the hallway, so it's one of the first things you see. As you can see, it's all very grey! I took these photos on a particularly sunny day, the room usually looks quite drab. The walls are currently a light coffee/beige colour, which I'm not too keen on. The large cupboard next to the sink is a built in pantry. The fireplace is in no way original to the house, but I do quite like it. I need this room to have quite a lot of functions, but don't want it to feel such a mishmash. My taste is pretty eclectic and I don't quite know how to describe it.... I adore blues, greens and dark greys. The layout of the kitchen isn't what I'd choose, but it's what I have to work with for now.

Anyway, my current ideas are to paint the bottom cupboards a colour and the walls an off white, with the top cupboards the same as the walls. I don't really know what colour though. Like I said before, i'm really drawn to blues and greens, but I don't want anything too pale, though I'm a bit worried about the whole bottom half of the kitchen just looking really dark. The drawers currently don't have handles, just haven't gotten around the fitting them on yet, but that will happen :) I don't like the orangeyness of the chairs or the colour of the pads, but they're all I have, so I might eventually replace them or paint them and cover them with a cushion. But what colour or fabric? I have green and white striped fabric from ikea with which I'm going to make a roman blind, hopefully bringing a bit more colour to the room. My idea for the little wooden cubby behind the bin was to use some of the excess fabric trailing on the floor from the curtains and cover it. The little built in shelving unit thing is covering another window. This shelving unit isn't particularly sturdy, the shelves kind of bend and the back is just fibreboard pushed up against the window, so I can't keep anything heavy on the upper shelves unless I build a new one to place in the window recess. The plastic tubs are housing craft supplies, which I'm thinking of putting in a dark green vintage filing cabinet I already own, but am then not sure of where to put it. Next to the bookcase? We moved in less than a year ago and have been very slowly making progress, this room hasn't changed much since we just shoved everything into it and started using it. Any ideas are very welcome! It just feels really uninviting and dreary at the moment.
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    Karolina Barnes
    9 years ago
    Hi, yet another opinion. But here it goes. I would incline more to grey tones which I would pick up from your splashback. Have a look at the picture below. I would do walls in a lighter tone maybe two tones down from the cabinets. Use nickel polished hardware on your cabinets and accessories. You can use your window treatment for a pop of colour on your curtains and a blind. Unite the window treatment - use the same material or at least the same colour, texture and pattern. Hope this helps. Good luck!

    Comments (31)

    • Jade Byng
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Any ideas?
    • Tony McIntyre
      9 years ago
      My mother has a kitchen like yours. She got these diamond door knobs. The deal was something like 4 for £4 so quite cheap. I thing she got them out of b&m bargains. Also, how about glass bi fold doors? I don't know the price as they were pre-installed in my house but they do make a difference! My mother also likes green, so she painted her kitchen lime green! And I do have to say it looks nice and very bright, and her kitchen only has one small window!

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    • Jonathan
      9 years ago
      The reason the room has a first impression of being drab is because the flat surfaces (floor and worktop) are grey. You could change either or both of these for the biggest difference.

      Personally I like the floor. I would change the worktop and there are some very inexpensive wood effects that would be great. https://www.howdens.com/kitchen-collection/kitchen-worktops/3mm-radius-matt-laminates-38mm/oak-block-style/
      You could also change the floor plinth at the same time.

      Personally I think painting the cabinets (unless done with a professional finish) may make them look more shabby- personally I would spend the money on a good tradesman and get the doors properly aligned. Perhaps put some cornice on top of the cabinets to make them look more expensive.

      I love your idea of colour and I think that Green is better than blue for a darker kitchen. When trying out tester make sure that you like the colour in natural light and electric light too. Your inspiration will come from the fabric you have but how about choosing Dulux- Indian Ivy 4 and painting the walls that have a window? Then use a neutral for the long walls. This should make the room seem less long and therefore wider.

      If you are going to replace the shelves why not put mirror in that alcove behind any new shelves?
      Baskets on top of the cupboards are great for a country look but hiding clutter.
      Changing the fabric on the seat pads is easy- you just need a decent upholstery stapler (inexpensive- got mine from The Range).
      Don't worry about the orangeness of the wood....it is probably because of the quality of the light in there....are the walls magnolia....have they made the light a bit peach coloured? Try painting the walls a neutral that has either grey or brown in it and just use the earlier mentioned green as an accent
    • boundsgreener
      9 years ago
      Hi. Jonathan is right that it is the floor + countertops making the room dark. The floor is lovely, though, so don't do anything to that. I had black granite countertops for 10 years and hated them because they suck the light out of everything, day and night. I would spend the money on replacing those.

      How about opening up that window with the shelves in front rather than revamp the shelves?

      If you just want a simple, cheap solution to tide you over for a couple of years, I would paint all the cabinets and make sure the baseboard is the same colour as the cabinets. A pale green would be fresh, warm and not a light sucker. I know what Jonathan is saying about a professional finish, but they aren't really nice cabinets anyway and the style is quite cottage-y so I think just go for it. It can't look worse, right?!

      I'd paint all the walls in an off white (and the pantry door) kitchen paint - it is basically semi-gloss in look and good for grimey hands and grease and bouncing light around.

      Why don't you put the microwave in the cubby near the sink? It opens from the right, so you should have room to use it. If you want to put a covering, use the blind fabric you have bought because it'll probably be heavier weight and go with the cottage look. The curtains are nice over there, but very light fabric and bound to get a bit grotty near a sink.

      The tiles above the cooker hood are....well, a bit weird. They don't look like they are lined up evenly on the top or the sides and it is really distracting, isn't it? They are actually nice, but it is odd up there. I don't think there would be an easy way to remove the portion above the line of the stainless steel backsplash because they usually come in sheets, but if you can see a way, I would pull those off before you paint because it'll make a big difference.

      The fireplace is beautiful, I agree. I'd also paint the dining set if you don't like it. There are plenty of online demos on how to do it, but if you did it in a green that is similar to the cabinets, but maybe a darker shade, that would look fab and bring a new lease of life to them.

      Good luck!
    • jheath118
      9 years ago
      Hi, I would change the work tops to something light as you have a liquorice allsort thing going on there, dark- light-dark. Changing handles will also make a huge difference for little cost.
    • Jo DP
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      A nice problem to have! Yep, keep the floor. Replace the wall cabinets with shelves, The fireplace is gorgeous just tidy it up! you are missing opportunities here. Put candlesticks, blue & green glass jars/storage jars. Anything useful& lovely. A mirror or inexpensive painting/print/poster above it would be lovely too.
      Could you move the dining table to the end of the room with a jug of flowers to introduce you to the garden. If it would be in the way tuck it up nearer the wall. This will define the kitchen & relaxing areas.
      Paint the indented shelf/window recess a deeper colour to go with your colour choices. I would probably go for a rich designery guildy hot pink which would work with the green industrial filing cabinet.This could be placed to the side of the armchair as somewhere to place a cup of T/glass of wine.
      If you do move the table to the big windows I would move the armchair, placing it at an angle (where we see the back of the dining chair) to the fireplace looking towards it, the garden &the table.
      For cost sake I would keep the work surfaces which will recede if you use some strong but complimentary colour & accessories & spend the money saved on gorgeous & practical accessories. A new kettle/toaster in your strong colour choice. Mine came from sainsburys & is inexpensive & great!
      A rug under the table when moved will define the area & coupled with the warmth of the fireplace will make the kitchen feel like a real living kitchen.
      2nd hand mismatched chairs are not expensive & would go with the industrial filing cabinet vibe & would look lovely, individual & homely.
      I would put a shelf over the large windows to place your books, which are highly decorative in their own right,
      The cupboard doors are horrid & I would remove them altogether..you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. Also, Have you thought of removing the pantry door as tins & packaging can look highly decorative. Think Warhol! Paint the inside walls of the pantry the same colour as the window recess. Also the microwave could be placed in there too on a shelf. This would take away the linear shape of the room too. I would also consider removing the kitchen cupboard doors altogether & going for a cafe look. I don't like the idea of a curtain in the bin recess, if theres room put cookery books instead.
      This room could be beautiful & the fact that you have your thinking cap on will ensure that it will be!!
    • Lauren
      9 years ago
      I think a lot of the suggestions above are very valid, the floor is gorgeous but a wood finish countertop would make a big difference along with ripping out the cupboard that covers a window - no wonder its dark! But you said in your post that any large scale changes are outside of your budget at the moment. So bearing that in mind I would paint the walls and top cabinets a cottage white to help bounce some light around a bit more. Given the stunning floors and the beautiful feature fireplace I would stick to a soft vintage inspired green on the lower cabinets which would help the (admittedly unattractive) moulded door style look a bit more intentional. Add small green/white accessories in to further establish the look. The roman blinds will be a nice addition as well. Hopefully my quick photoshop exercise helps you visualise what these simple and cheap suggestions could do :). Good luck with whatever you decide!
    • Lauren
      9 years ago
      Opps - forgot to change the kickbacks under the cupboards, corrected now :)
    • cavgirl
      9 years ago
      If you're not attached to the splashback cover it with easipanel beadboard from homebase. It can be painted, so you could paint it with a glossy/mid green. That would reduce the blackness of the worktop and (if the paint is glossy) bounce light around in a way those mosaic tiles don't always. I've done it in my kitchen to cover travertine (big mistake) and it worked fantastically well. Light, bright, adaptable, and surprisingly resilient.
    • Freda Valentine
      9 years ago
      I like the green units of Whirlligigg, but lime green or apple green, could be very striking. A lovely contrast to the black and white tiles. Also, the kitchen of Karoline Barnes, is lovely. Very neutral and a colour where you can have blinds and other accessories in any one of a range of colours. Turquoise, red, lime green or yellow could look fantastic.
    • Jade Byng
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Wow, thank you all so much for taking the time to have a think about my little kitchen problem! I'm currently going through a very difficult time with a terminally ill close relative and this is a nice distraction from the rubbishness of everything else, so I really do appreciate your responses.

      A few things.. we definitely can't change the worktops. I don't like them, but all of those things have to stay for now. When we eventually renovate the kitchen, we will probably extend out and totally change layout. plumbing, electrics etc and have a laundry room and downstairs toilet put in, so this has definitely got to be done for next to nothing! I originally hated the cupboard doors with a passion, but I really don't mind them that much now! They definitely have to be painted, as they are currently painted in a paint which is dirty and faded and isn't washable. Whoever painted them didn't bother to clean/sand them first, so dirt and dust has been painted on. The house was quite filthy when we moved in and I want a finish which I can wipe down. I also don't want everything cream and beige!

      We did originally have the table in front of those patio doors, but there's not enough room to comfortably sit at the table. The back legs of the chairs hit against the plastic framing at the bottom of the doors and it's easy to knock your head against the fireplace. It's quite easy to get bashed by the fride door, too! We had to move the table to that area cos we don't have to have it centred in that little alcove, we have it pushed much closer to the door so that nobody will hurt themselves on the fireplace.

      I can't open up that window with the shelves in, because it looks out onto the strange, tacked on utility room. It's a massive eyesore. The pantry is actually the under stairs cupboard, so it's not only a place to store food, but a cleaning storage area, too. We'll have to keep a door on it for now :) I may use that little sink cubby as a place to keep cookery books, instead. I don't know. That light material is pretty easy to wash and dry, so I'm unsure about that. You're right, the tiling above the cooker is very weird, they are those pre-done tile slabs which are just supposed to look like mosaics, and I can't get them off! They're a grey pretend marble looking tile. I'm not overly keen on the idea of grey as everything else is just so grey! I do like it as a colour, but not everywhere. Whirlligig, thanks for doing that little photoshop thing - wish I knew how to do that! I'm not overly keen on the colour, though. It's a little too dark for me, I think. I tend to like very rich blue/green colours I suppose. What kind of finish should I use for the cupboards? I'm leaning toward a high gloss, but I suspect that it could be very difficult to get that looking nice as I'm not a professional. And how easy would it be to paint the dining chairs? They were given to me for free and aren't particularly good quality - they are veneer. Is it possible to paint over that? I was going to buy some more but it seems pointless. Do you have any suggestions for chair colours? I know everybody keeps saying to go for a country look, but I'm not overly keen on it. It seems petty and other people probably wouldn't make this distinction, but I feel that I'd like more of a cozy, cottage, bohemian look to it rather than country, although the terms are probably interchangeable :) I often find country kitchens to be a little bit... twee? I'm certainly not into everything matching or having hearts everywhere or pastel colours or anything like that. Sorry to anybody that is!
    • PRO
      Karolina Barnes
      9 years ago
      I think the finish paint on your cabinets should be gloss, as you said. In terms of colour of your chairs and walls in fact, it really depends on what colour colour you like. Yes, you can paint your veneer chairs. You can have them matched or mix-matched. You can take inspiration from some of these. I know it shows pastel on one of these examples but it's more about to show you how you can incorporate bolder colour in your scheme.
      Lavender Cottage - Kitchen · More Info

      Hambalt Road · More Info

      SE Portland kitchen remodel · More Info

      My Houzz: Putting the Craft in an Ohio Craftsman · More Info


      If you don't like grey, blue would be my option to consider. It goes with everything. Good luck!
    • rocketjcat
      9 years ago
      To instantly brighten up the room I would remove that dark valance from the window...don't replace it with anything. Not every window needs a 'treatment. Also it looks like you need more lighting. Hang a prettying ceiling fixture over your table and install under cabinet lights and keep them turned on. If you don't want to spend for an electrician install them just yet, just buy the battery operated ones until your big renovation.
    • Jo DP
      9 years ago
      Bless you, sparkly Bloom...hope you get your sparkle back soon. So happy to hear you're not going grey & having hearts & pretend french everywhere! Hope you can achieve a pick & mix from all the suggestions. Good Luck!
    • cavgirl
      9 years ago
      A cheap and effective under cabinet lighting option is led lights on a sticky strip. You just need one plug and they can be peeled off and moved if necessary- I've done it. Twenty quid, very bright.
    • Jonathan
      9 years ago
      You don't have to use a gloss paint...but for durability it should be an oil based paint. Eggshell or satinwood are good finishes and using a gloss roller on the top coat gets an even look
    • ryanz_here
      9 years ago
      jheath118
    • Simon
      9 years ago
      Take a look at our website for some inspirational colours, www.havwoods.co.uk
    • polly46
      9 years ago
      I replaced my doors on the cupboards which was less upheaval and cheaper.
      Worktop change is a hassle.
      You could lighten the floor to brighten it up
    • Lady Tottington's Poodle
      9 years ago
      A bomb is a bit dramatic. Can of paint and a hunky painter would do
      Have fun watching the paint dry x
    • iolosdad
      9 years ago
      Dulux have a colour visualiser app for iPhone and iPad bit fiddly but gives you an idea, don't put the table in front of the window enjoy the view and sunshine, if money and time is tight paint doors plinth and wood work all one colour the room will brighter and neat, post some progress pix ? please
    • nicolamathias
      9 years ago
      I would change the cupboard doors to plain doors with bigger knobs. cream doors. and re tile walls fully in a mid grey with cream grouting. get rid of the book case and put a large colourfull picture there. change the work tops to match that lovely flooring. and paint the table cream with colours from the big picture incorporated into it too.
    • polly46
      9 years ago
      Looks like my inherited kitchen I replaced the doors as the units where ok.My floor is next as the dark slate is steeling the light.
      Changing the floor .changing the tiles will add your own style
    • polly46
      9 years ago
      A roman blind in natural fabric.I would definitely paint the chairs and the table legs.
      How about a green.
    • PRO
      Jaimie K Designs Ltd
      9 years ago
      Hi I would suggest a lovely soft dusky blue if you are drawn to blue. Possibly Farrow and Ball Parma Grey, you need to get the colour chart to see how the light re acts in your room. If not look at Sandersons paints,they have a wide range of lovely colours. A soft colour will instantly lighten the space and detract from the stronger ones of the floor and work surface. At the living end add a rug in tones of blue and a couple of cushions. Nothing too extensive but will change the space to enjoy it better and tie it all together.
    • kazza_hayward
      8 years ago

      ryanz_here - that's very rude

    • iolosdad
      8 years ago
      Have you completed the job ? I'd live to see your progress
    • Sue Fendt
      8 years ago

      I had a similar situation in a house I moved into years ago. I did a quick fix of painting all of the walls, woodword and the cupboards the same shade of cream. Sounds a bit OTT but it really knocked back the cupboards, which in all honesty are not something you want to make a feature out of, and created a calmness to the whole space. In your case, I would go for an off white so that the gang plug wires, radiator pipes and covers hiding the wires for the extractor fan etc., are disguised as much as possible -- that will tie in with the palest of the tiles in the splash back, and then you will have a pretty basic colour scheme of a very place colour and the dark worktop, fireplace and floor, which will stand out more. I think you need more storage with doors -- that bookshelf isn't doing anything for the kitchen. If you could get something in there that could hide lots of clutter -- even if just something cheap from IKEA, that would help greatly. Or work something around the filing cabinet that you have? A huge cheap mirror over the fireplace would bounce some light around too. If you don't want to go for undercupboard lighting, and if you have enough plug points, how about some lamps on the worktop, especially at the FF end with a floor standing lamp at the end with the chair. For the table, I would go for a table cloth and reupholster the chairs if they are not to your taste. A new blind in a much fresher colour would be great. Depending on the colour of your filing cabinet (if you use it), I think a petrol blue could add a nice vintage vibe to the chimney breast, and make more of a feature of it. I would try and go down a vintage/slightly industrial route rather than country. You may have some stuff lurking around that you could use, once you have got the base colours right -- currently it just feels a little cluttered and a bit of a mish mash. Best of luck. Looking forward to seeing some after shots :)

    • Allison Oz
      8 years ago

      You have lots of ideas to work with, but considering your budget I would suggest 2 things. First, as someone else said, lose the dark blind at the sink end. If you need a privacy cover, go for something which doesn't obscure the window when fully retracted, and make it light coloured. Maybe your green striped fabric? Secondly, take the back off the alcove shelves in front of the window, put a sheet of contact over the window glass to make it obscure - you can buy this stuff off the internet - then use these shelves to store your glassware, which is lightweight and will give you the advantage of not blocking the light. I don't advise you to use gloss paint on the doors as its really hard to get a good finish, especially as you say they have been badly done previously. Satin finish will give you a good compromise. I use a paint pad for these jobs which works brilliantly. Only use a small brush for the moulding. The specialist furniture paints like Annie Sloan are great as they need no primer, for your chairs. Potentially you could paint (with wall colour) over the higher tiles around the range hood to reduce their impact, but you will need to prepare them first with a primer. I would keep everything light, a chalk colour on doors, then accentuate with some zing in smaller doses like the chimney breast etc. What about duckegg blue on the walls? But try uncovering the windows as I have suggested first.

    • Sandra Marshall
      7 years ago

      Hi, I have just painted my living room in little Greene celestial blue and green verditer, it's like a walk in the countryside, the colours are rich, but not dark. I think they would look fab in a kitchen, and they also would work beautifully with the floor and worktop.

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