Kitchen colour

7 years ago

Hello, I am thinking of getting the units in our kitchen painted, I have had a good quote for F&B eggshell, any colour I like. I am trying to decide on colour. Our kitchen is quite dark, I would like a navy but hubbie thinks it'll be too dark.

The pictures show the areas which will be painted (numbered).

The white pan drawers are staying white.

thank you.

Featured Answer

minnie101

7 years ago

Hi. I think it will be too dark. I'd get testers anyway but consider painting 5,6 and 7 in Hague blue but I'd also paint the pan drawers otherwise I think it will look disjointed. It works ATM as everything is either white or wood. I'd look at lime white for 1-4. You may not like this idea but the chimney breast might look nice in French gray. I would however consider painting the duck egg shelves and when budget allows either change the appliance colour or integrate it.

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Comments (21)

Daisy England
7 years ago
I don't think a navy would go with the wooden worktops.
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I’m with Sonia. For me the tiles date the kitchen and the worktops are probably showing their age. If you can afford to replace them it will transform the kitchen and might well cost the same as professionally refinishing the doors. And I also agree that painting cabinets is best left to professionals but you could change the wall colour to make the room feel different. If it were my room I would try to find a Quartz worktop (try to find a warm colour as very white could make the cabinets look old) and I might well have a worktop splashback instead of tiles. And then you have a neutral kitchen and can apply almost any wall colour. Choosing this is easy- you either choose a colour consistent with other colour choices in the house or you pick a colour from the rug. I like Daisy suggestion of a soft green wall colour (but only if the blue tiles have been replaced.)
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I think your kitchen looks timeless, but the idea of dark handles to match the chair legs would pull it together and the Roman blind idea is also better. The cabinets could be painted, but it’s important to have an excellent job done, otherwise it could easily be a bad decision. I’d want to have my bin in a cupboard too. The idea of a bigger glass door would be great, if you aren’t going to extend in the future, otherwise not worth the expense. It might be good to have a cheerful cloth on the table, that echoes the Roman blind and possibly a rug under it, which would zone the area, but it seems a “busy” view into the hall, would it be possible to have milky glass doors to keep the two areas out of view from each other, without loosing light? The paint colours on the walls could be changed to zone the dining area from the working area too and more pictures/hanging plates always cheer up bare walls, but that’s just my views, whatever you do, it’s your home, nota show house and you’ve got to live in it, so whatever you choose, will be right for you.
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Lauren
7 years ago
Sorry I know this is off topic but it looks like you have original quarry tiles down in your kitchen and I was wondering what you think of them day-to-day?

At some point in the past a previous owner has skimmed over the original quarry tiles in my kitchen with some kind of thinset/bitumen then laid hideous lino over it. I only know whats under it because some of it had chipped off already by the doorway. I'm quite keen to chip off the rest to reveal the tiles again but worry there might have been a practical reason for why it was covered up in the past?

Are they a nightmare to keep clean or really uncomfortable to stand on or something? Super cold and damp? Or was the previous owner just really into ugly lino lol.
joeybumdy
Original Author
7 years ago
Hi Lauren, the quarry tiles are through our hall and kitchen, they are hard wearing and practical (I have 2 small kids) and look nice and authentic in our house. The downside is they do feel cold (just like any stone tiles) underfoot and because they are small, there's a lot of grouted bits meaning I am cleaning between them probably more than with larger tiles. Saying that I am keeping them as they look great and people always comment on how nice they are, I hope this helps. XX
Lauren
7 years ago
Thanks so much for taking the time to write all that! They really do look beautiful and add so much character to your kitchen.

It seems many traditional home features take more upkeep but ultimately are much more beautiful and homely. So long as it's only the cold and a bit of extra cleaning I can cope with that if the payoff it getting rid of the Lino! I can always put flat weave runners down to make it warmer.
Lauren
7 years ago
And by way of thanks I've mocked up some of the colours mentioned. As Minnie says I'm personally not convinced that the blues work very well. The strong white and pale powder green are probably the nicest and bring the most light to the space.

In order-

all hague blue

half hague blue half strong white

all strong white
Lauren
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Half strong white half stiffkey blue (found it hard to match this colour)

half strong white half pale powder green (my personal favourite)

same as above but reversed

I forgot to say I agree with minnie about painting the pan drawers to match whatever you choose for the paint scheme.

Hope this helps!
minnie101
7 years ago
Sorry just to clarify I like the idea of Hague blue with the wood and terracotta shown here but your wood is a little richer so I think will look even nicer. I just think doing the top cupboards will close the room in and also make it dark. I like the cupboards 5,6,7 in Lauren's first pic which is closest in colour to Hague blue but agree with Lauren I don't like the blue on the other cupboards
Lauren
7 years ago
Did you mean leave the top cupboards in wood minnie? (i've also made the floating cupboards match the wall in this to make them compete less with the blue). I do quite like this overall but worry its still going to be rather dark? Also think the 1 set of upper cabinets in white will look off?
minnie101
7 years ago
So I meant the top cupboards in lime white (how you'll find that colour I don't know!) but also do the wooden side of that cupboard on the right in the white, plus the 2 recessed cupboards and also those other shelves which you've already changed so effectively they blend into the walls. Then the oven surround in French grey! It would be interesting to see what the French grey looks like but might bring out the colour of the tiles and oven and I think (!) would work really nicely with Hague blue
joeybumdy
Original Author
7 years ago
Wow thank you so much, i agree about the blue, definitely thinking light now. You've brought it to life so thanks again! XX
Daisy England
7 years ago
The dark blue clashes against the floor and the worktops. I don't think it suits at all.
boundsgreener
7 years ago
Hi. I love deep blue (Hicks Blue by Little Greene is a personal favourite), but I'm glad you've ruled it out here. How about a green that is a lighter shade of the green in your backsplash and the tiles around the stove? It looks olive, but maybe that's my screen.

And different lighting will help with the gloom.... I bet that track lighting causes shadows when you are standing at the counters or the stove. I'm going to hunt around for something that would fit on your existing ceiling "hole" that might be better....
boundsgreener
7 years ago
These all dominate too much (and dare I say look a bit spider-y and creepy, especially that second one!), but I was trying to find a swag system where you could have one above the sink (in front of you, not behind your head), the cabinets on the other side and the stove.

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Otherwise I would try a longer track light or experiment with pointing some of them up at the ceiling or a high point on the wall so the light bounces around.

To be honest, I don't know if these work, but this was on another design dilemma - plug in under cabinet lighting, not wired in: http://www.x-link.co.uk/home.html.

I hope that helps a bit!
minnie101
7 years ago
Which way does the room face and do you have a daytime pic? I do agree with boundsgreener though that it looks as if you need more artificial lighting. Assuming you want colour rather than neutrals I'd look at blue greens, blue grey, green greys (French grey mentioned before could work well) or obviously neutrals.
boundsgreener
7 years ago
I love French Grey. How about Acorn or Kitchen Green by LG? Acorn has a Light Reflective Value of 65. I can't do fancy mock ups like Lauren). http://www.littlegreene.com/acorn#
joeybumdy
Original Author
7 years ago
Boundsgreener thank you so much for the ideas on lighting, I think we'll have to stick with the track style (even though it looks horrid) as lots of lights I've looked at hang down a lot and my hubbie bangs his head! XX
joeybumdy
Original Author
7 years ago
UPDATE we went for F&B Green Grounds, I think it looks great - really brightened up a dark space. Just need to find a replacement for that horrid light now....
strawberry47
7 years ago
What a great result with the paint job. So fresh and much brighter.
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Starfish Interiors
7 years ago
Fab job!!
boundsgreener
7 years ago
That looks terrific! Congratulations. Lots of un-horrid lights here: https://www.lightingstyles.co.uk/track-lighting-systems. Quite a few would sit more flush with the ceiling so no head banging. You might think about running the track in the other direction - from stove toward the front - so you can get the benefit of light through the length of the kitchen.