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Design Dilemma
cesca_bickley

What colour would you paint these cabinets?

Cesca Bickley
8 years ago

We've just bought our first house and are slowly starting to do it up, on a tight budget. We can't afford a whole new kitchen and our appliances are good quality, so we're simply going to paint the cabinets and replace the worktops.

For the worktops, I'm thinking solid oak - which will be our biggest single expense. I've got some special melamine primer from Amazon, and am now fretting over colour choices for the cabinets themselves. We'll be painting both the doors and the carcasses.

The kitchen is quite dark and fairly small (these are the only photos I have until later, they're from the Rightmove listing when we bought it so the furniture pictured isn't ours) we have a large, old pine dining table (which I can also paint) and refurbished Ercol chairs which are off-white.

I was thinking of F&B French Grey, but worry it might be too dark a colour.

So my question is, if it was your own kitchen, what would you do?..



Featured Answer
  • PRO
    Patience Designs Studio Ltd
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    The french grey and oak tops would look great together, have you looked at lamp room grey also?

    • Comments (40)

    • Cesca Bickley
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Thank you for your speedy advice! I was initially thinking of white/cream, so will definitely keep it in mind :) I do like the idea of grey too, I just don't know what kind.

      Forgot to say, we're also going to re-tile too, just the backsplash - not the floor.

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      I'm in Northern Ireland and used Dee Light Furniture Facelifts NI. He has a Facebook page with lots of photos of his work showing lots of colours so its worth a look there. His standard of work is excellent and came highly recommended by word of mouth. He also builds this tear drop caravans to order! I think it was worth paying someone as he made our existing doors and drawers look brand new filling the holes from the old handles. We could never have done that to his standard
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    • PRO
      Patience Designs Studio Ltd
      8 years ago

      I guess the white/cream is a fairly safe choice, but if you want a dramatic change then I think the greys could work! Putting some interesting knobs on top of the grey could really revitalise things also

      Cesca Bickley thanked Patience Designs Studio Ltd
    • PRO
      +49 WOODCRAFT
      8 years ago
      French grey will give a nice contrast to oak! I'll vote for that. Trust your instincts.
      Cesca Bickley thanked +49 WOODCRAFT
    • minnie101
      8 years ago

      Hi. I'd go for a warm neutral if the kitchen is dark although I do like the french grey. Little Greene, either clay mid or maybe clay deep with skaked lime on the walls. http://www.littlegreene.com/paint/colour/neutral-paint

      The paint quality is fantastic and so hard wearing for cabinets. I would continue the worktop with an oak upstand and remove the tiles. You may need a splashback for the hob but would try without first! Consider if the handles need changing as it can be done very cheaply. I'd keep the table in wood to add some warmth. Add a little colour for accessories and herbs. Also consider window treatment and if you need one.

      Cesca Bickley thanked minnie101
    • mrsmcee74
      8 years ago
      I've got French Gray cabinets and it's not dark, as long as you keep everything else pale. Have you seen the new Colours F&B have just launched? Cromarty is a paler version of Mizzle and would be very nice. We're going to see a lot of pastels for kitchens this year.
      Cesca Bickley thanked mrsmcee74
    • PRO
      Property Reviver Ltd
      8 years ago

      I've just been flicking through the March Ideal Home supplement "Complete Guide to Kitchen Projects". Pastel colours and soft shades are back in 2016. Have you considered a fresh pale blue or green as an alternative to grey?

      Cesca Bickley thanked Property Reviver Ltd
    • PRO
      Amber Jeavons Ltd
      8 years ago
      last modified: 8 years ago

      Hello Cesca,

      One thing that might be an idea to consider is do you want to have overhead cabinets the same colour as the lower base cabinets? It would be a fantastic idea to perhaps consider a darker shade for the lower cabinets and something lighter overhead.. You mention re tiling behind the hob and so the top cabinets could compliment this.. .. A dark to light ratio makes the top half of the kitchen blend with the wall behind and thus gives a more open feel.. Alternatively you could do the reverse and paint the walls and top cabinets the same dark colour with a light base as contrast.. Both can be striking.. : ))

      Cesca Bickley thanked Amber Jeavons Ltd
    • PRO
      Perrin Mackintosh
      8 years ago
      Hi, are you keeping the same worktops, if so I would definitely go for Ivory, it will be a lovely contrast to the grey tops currently and your free standing appliance will really stick out if you go dark.

      Ivory is neutral and you can add a colour to the walls or with the tiles for effect.
      Cesca Bickley thanked Perrin Mackintosh
    • maria galvano
      8 years ago
      hi I will be watching your posts I am just undertaking a similar project with my solid oak units but I have decided to replace the lower doors with a grey green door wanted a smooth finish on doors not greatest diy painter. I replaced worktop with lovely corian solid surface but old units were not doing it for the worktop. keeping the top units oak just replacing the glazed doors in grey green colour daktar to tie with base units to give on trend 2 colour look. matched darker colour . Changing hardware to brass cup pulls and knobs on large doors and window sills to match lower units with Valspar paint to paint my kitchen and larder door then going relook for colour on walls so going very steady a istep at a time to try and update the room finding this room very daunting. Good luck with your project hope we both get a lovely result. please post after pics I will too
      Cesca Bickley thanked maria galvano
    • PRO
      User
      8 years ago


      Go to your local Dulux or Valspar stockists and get a hole host of colour cards. Always buy testers of any chosen colours and then paint pieces of wood and scatter them about. Different areas, different lights make the paints look different when you get them home. ( Any paint range, any colour charts all pose the same problem, tehy don't look the same when you get them home ) Personally I do not like Grey tones mixed with wood unless they are warm greys.

      F&B French Grey is actually quite dark when you paint it.

      Try instead for something 'Greige' ( grey / beige) it'll sit better with the beautiful Oak which is a nice warm tone. Your table and chairs in Ivory will then go with both and keep it light looking. I don't think the kitchen looks either dark or small.

      Dulux Elderflower Tea and Hay Bale are very nice light grey with a hint of warmth to them. The beauty of using dulux is that you can buy the same paint for the units and then go one shade darker or lighter or even the same for the walls in the right paints. Gives a much more elegant look.


      Cesca Bickley thanked User
    • Cesca Bickley
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Oh wow - wasn't expecting these amazing responses, you're all so good at this!

      As it's our first house, we really are clueless about these things, so I really appreciate the level of detail you've all gone to!

      I am now considering the warm neutrals lots of you have suggested, as well as the French Grey I originally planned. I'm a little nervous about going for anything too 'trendy', although I'd love it, as we only intend on staying in this house for five years or so.

      My new action plan is this:

      • Order paint cards from Little Greene and stick them on the cabinets, next to my new oak chopping board, to give an idea of how it'll look
      • Paint the skirting boards and other trim white (our house is completely covered in the orangey stained wood you see in the photos and we are slowly working through it)
      • Order some tile samples for the backsplash
      • Look at fabric for a blind
      • Buy some open shelves to go on the long wall near the table, for some extra storage (thinking Ikea for these?)

      We're going to start the actual painting in the spring, as I'm not sure it's quite warm enough yet for them to dry (will be using a paint sprayer for the doors, in the garage)!

    • Cesca Bickley
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Oh and, if you're interested, this is what's opposite the work surfaces (please ignore the dirty floor, my puppy is incapable of keeping food in her bowl/mouth!!).

      This is a toilet, in the kitchen, driving me mad! We could have so much more space if it wasn't there.

      As our house was built in 2003, and its the only downstairs WC, building regulations say we can't take it out unless we replace it elsewhere on the ground floor of the house - which we don't have any room to do.

      So it's unfortunately staying! Will be painting the door/trim white and getting a new curtain for the door too to try and make it a little better.

    • Lynn Robbo
      8 years ago
      Hi, if it was my kitchen I would paint them cream then nice bright walls X
      Cesca Bickley thanked Lynn Robbo
    • PRO
      User
      8 years ago

      We painted our own kitchen. At the time I did not want the expense of a new one as we'd done a lot to the house by then. So, exactly like you we just wanted to keep it going for a while. Our doors were shaker doors flat panels with a flat edge. Boring as you like!. My husband routed the inside panel to make them more like 'Country style, wood' and then we sprayed them with car paint. Ford Dove Grey from Halfords!! - Spray painting any paint takes much longer to dry than with a brush as normally you have to water down the paint ( not so with the car paint ), although it still did take overnight between coats. Just make sure you leave them to fully dry between coats and understand it's going to take a while! Ours has now been painted for around 5 years and still looks great! ( pic 1 - original door - inside ) ( pic 2 close up of routing ) 3+ other doors - we replaced the handles with hand forged iron.

    • catherine
      8 years ago
      Hi there. I hope your project is going well? If you haven't decided yet and want maximum flexibility, how about choosing two greys from the same palette; then you paint the upper cabinets in the lighter tone and the lower cabinets in the darker tone. This will give you a fun alternative to a block like kitchen in one colour, which is nice, but in a small space this alternate idea can lend visual openness. I hope this helps? Catherine.
    • Suzi Cowan
      8 years ago

      Hi, having read through your responses, I wasn't sure whether to add mine or not as by now I would be getting very confused with the amount of ideas I had received! However, here is mine. You say the budget is tight, so I have a very simple option for you, go white or the palest of cream on the cabinets - why, because you can very simply and cheaply add any colour you like to it in terms of Coffee Tea and Sugar canisters, cushions on chairs, the curtain you are replacing etc. The grey's that have been suggested could be used as your wall colour or indeed any other colour - doing this can save you money as painting the walls again (should you get bored) is a far simpler choice than redoing your units plus of course the white will brighten the space - you could change your cupboard door handles to suit a colour scheme if you wanted to go a little more quirky.......

    • PRO
      Amber Jeavons Ltd
      8 years ago

      Hello Cesca,

      One more suggestion for the loo door.... Paint the door and architrave to blend with the walls that way the door doesn't loom and thus the feeling of more space is instant.. even if there isn't. It sends it to the recess rather than to the fore.... : ))

    • gokr
      8 years ago
      I absolutely love grey, but I do worry the shade might be too dark. With pastels being I'm throwing a left field idea out. Have you considered duck egg blue? See the pics below. It works very well with oak counter tops and is still light. Have up stands instead of tiles ( a splash if need be) and paint the rest of the wall quiet neutral (maybe something like dulux timeless).
    • murphy75
      8 years ago

      I love the grey idea I did it with my kitchen and put crystal type door handles place looks great for a very tiny budget.

    • cr4cjerj4ck
      8 years ago

      Hi I've just done exactly the same in my new house with amazing results. Solid oak worktop, f&b lamp room grey, off white walls and white tongue and groove cladding for the splashback. Our kitchen is s similar size. We were fortunate to have our cupboards sprayed by someone we know but we found an alcro paint supplier who mixes up f&b colours. The alcro paint is water based but contains an acrylic and comes in Matt and gloss. Couldn't recommend more for chip free cupboards. Also they have a primer that you can use on any surface

    • PRO
      Sparrow & Blythe Kitchens
      8 years ago
      Hi,
      Don't know if you have found your worktop yet, but if you are still planning on wood, then I would suggest you look at worktop-express.co.uk. They do lots of different solid wood surfaces and are really very reasonable. We have just put one in our showroom. Kate
    • Robert Campbell
      8 years ago
      The pale grey with a white contrasting work top maybe Corian would make a nice modern look set off with chrome hardware
    • Doirin Duggan
      8 years ago

      Hi, just in regards to toilet you don't want it in the kitchen, would there be a chance to put it under the stairs instead. Even if you don't have an outside wall there are many ways to include toilets in the middle of houses. Whatever you choose to do with the kitchen it will be great, as you will have put your own stamp on it, enjoy!


    • PRO
      Glass Rose
      8 years ago
      Hi, i would go for cream/beige cabinets and black worktops like my kitchen which is not very light either floors light coloured also, bottom cabinets skirting like worktops.
      Good luck and enjoy your work.

      Interior Designer.
    • wescots
      8 years ago

      As regards the WC in the kitchen, can you utilise the outside of the door in some way? I've seen people incorporate the Center panel with melamine paint and chalkboard paint to turn it into a message board. Not sure how old you are, but if you plan on having kids at some point, it is really fantastic to have a toilet close by as you spend so much time in the kitchen when you have children it seems. Having a bathroom nearby is so helpful.

    • Jayne McCairn
      8 years ago
      Good luck with your project.
      We started something similar and removed some wall cabinets to replace with bespoke shelves.
      We also attempted to paint the existing doors but found it too difficult to get a good finish and it was taking a lot of time and effort. In the end we opted to replace the doors and kept the original carcass. Looks so much better now. You can get doors in a budget. Cost us about 399 for the entire kitchen.
    • Yve J
      8 years ago

      I think the cabinet style is leaning toward a 'country' image, along with your table. On a budget, a wood effect formica worktop would work beautifully with a warm cream/ivory cabinet colour...co-ordinating with your table and existing skirting. I feel that introducing yet another grey tone...however light or 'on trend', in addition to the existing grey tone of the floor might drag the warmth out of the room and create a mis-match of mood. Wood and cream generally cannot fail. You can add accent and individuality with any colour! If you really don't like the cream/ivory, it would be light enough to paint over with your preferred colour . Use the wonderful facility of Houzz to compare the afore-mentioned colour schemes in as close a setting as possible to your own and make your choice! Hope this helps you with your decision...good luck and enjoy!!

    • Laura Thomas
      8 years ago
      I would also recommend worktops express for solid wood worktops. We have recently fitted some of their prime oak and they are lovely (and much cheaper than a lot of places).

      I'm also about to paint some second hand kitchen units. I'm doing them in f&b slipper satin, which I've also painted the walls in. It is broken up by a larder/dresser unit in f&b downpipe and slate grey range.
    • architectandninja
      8 years ago

      Just a note of warning: Oak worktops look lovely but need considerably more care than other surfaces. The naturally occurring tannins in timbers such as oak, walnut, cherry and mahogany react with iron in the presence of water causing black marks that can really only be sanded out. Unless you are SUPER careful mopping up any kind of moisture this kind of damage is almost inevitable, in my experience. Obviously you have to make you own choices, but be prepared for this and take care!

    • JJ Scupham
      8 years ago

      Pale grey or duckegg would look great - I'd only paint the legs of the table though, plain table tops can take a lot of hammering in a kitchen which means painted ones can show marks much more quickly.

    • poppy_fields
      8 years ago

      I'm in the middle of a kitchen makeover with annie sloan chalk paint and I highly recommend it so far. No undercoat needed and a lovely finish. I've used old violet - a sophisticated purpley-greyish blue which looks very different with different light, making it change through the day. There are lots of lovely colours to choose from and they can be mixed together if needed.

    • JJ Scupham
      8 years ago
      Annie Sloan Chalk paint is brilliant but I would suggest sealing with lacquer or matt varnish in a kitchen rather than wax, much more hard wearing.
    • Kiera Fitzmaurice
      8 years ago
      last modified: 8 years ago

      I've recently painted all of our antique cupboards, drawers, dressers etc a white matte colour and replaced their handles with large crystal ones. They look best when paired with a grey colour schemed room. I think that this idea would work really well for your cupboards.

    • sandrasal
      8 years ago

      We painted a very small kitchen with dark cabinets in French Grey just to rev it up a bit and the transformation was amazing. The French Grey was much lighter than I thought. We also replaced the white knobs with chrome knobs and pulls. Did it all for about £40!

    • PRO
      Broadway Bespoke Kitchens
      7 years ago

      A lot of our customers are asking for Grey doors at the moment. I prefer something subtle like Farrow and Ball Elephants breath. We have a kitchen painted in this colour in our showroom at present feel free to pop along and have a look.

    • Daisy England
      7 years ago
      Why are you considering painting the carcases? You can't see them when the door is closed. They're better left as MFC as its wipeable.
    • PRO
      Equilibrando... Space Planning with Feng Shui
      7 years ago

      Hi Cesca, as your kitchen is quite dark I would go for white cupboards and natural wood worktops, something like your table and chairs. This I would live without changing as I think they looks very nice. I would move the table 50cm from the kitchen cabinets and put some nice carpet just under the table and the chairs to make the space warmer and more cozy. I would paint the walls with light green and add some colourful details. White ir light grey curtains would also make your kitchen look special. If one day you decide to change the floor go for natural wood.

    • Jayne McCairn
      7 years ago
      I agree that F&B French grey would look great in here. Also think F&B dimpse no.227 would also look great. Perhaps replacing the handles with cup handles would finish it off.
    • jophilip1
      7 years ago
      Grey looks awesome but with light worktops.

      Oak work tops - be mindful we had this and to be honest it was an absolute mare!! We have since changed to granite and used 'granite transformations' basically the cheaper way to get granite worktops which are amazing - no marks, can put hot items in and don't need sanding or waxing continuously which you will have from oak worktops!

      Quartz is fab too as a worktop!
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