Monday, August 11, 2008

A Cry For Help

At any given time and in any given room of my house you can almost always find several paint swatches on the wall. Often, visitors to my house notice the paint swatches and ask "Are you painting something?" To which Jared chuckles and I reply, "I'm thinking about it." Jared chuckles because I'm ALWAYS thinking about it. I can't help it. Paint is such a cheap way to change the entire look of a room and I'm constantly changing my mind. What doesn't help is the fact that I am attracted to many different decorating styles (as I am clothing styles) and I have yet to find a way to successfully combine them to create something that is my own. I do think an interior designer coupled with an unlimited budget could easily remedy this issue but I am currently without either so for now, I'm left to figure it out on my own. I seemed to have managed to focus my paint energy on my kitchen, which is why it currently looks like this:

It has been red since we moved in four years ago, but after buying a 1/2 pint paint sample at Lowe's it's now part Avocado Green. Hmmm. Although it is growing on me, I'm not sure if I'm completely sold on the green. Once again, I think bright and bold would be fun but I also think something more light, airy and seaside cottage-esque would be nice. (Light blue maybe?) Help! What color should I paint my kitchen? Consider this: I have dark gray counter-tops, natural colored wood cabinets and a fair amount of natural light coming in. Also, the nearby walls are painted a khaki color. Here is a not-so-great picture of it in all it's red and green glory so you can get a better idea of what I've got going on in there. I am open to any and all suggestions!

12 comments:

Ruth said...

I too am always thinking about painting!!! (and always wishing I had $ and an interior designer)
I say go for the green. I will have to get your advice when we start painting our house. There is just a little too much tan for me here.

Carl & Rosemarie Brauning said...

In my unprofessional opinion, the green would look GORGEOUS in the kitchen. Plus the red contrast of your pictures will look good too.

Anonymous said...

Not sure if you've checked out this fun website: http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/snc/Main.aspx?pguid=6db6be3f-1720-4ba3-a081-999042c09b6b. There are so many fun ideas for kitchens-you could brouse all day! Depending on how much painting you want to do.....you could paint the cabinets white (we did at the lake) and that would tie into your cottage theme. Walls could be green, blue, yellow etc. If you stick with the cabinets as they are, I like the green or even a gold with some brown in it. My kitchen is almost done...I'll send you pics as soon as it's done. Have fun!

Mrs. Robinson said...

I love painting!! And green!!My dining room and living room are 2 different shades of green and we absolutely love it! Go for a little shade in the kitchen to keep the space "open" I think ours is crocodile tears or something along those lines and it looks great with my dark stained dining room table. We have blue and orangish accents. love it!

Thomas Family said...

I'm officially putting in my vote as: avocado green. I like the red, but I like the green even better :)

Autumn said...

I love the middle picture. Is there a way you could do that wash throughout the whole kitchen? :)

Vanessa said...

i love the green! that gets my vote!!

Monica said...

OK I am going against everyone else and saying no go for green. I think you should paint it a pale yellow or a steely blue . I think the yellow would really brighten it up and lighten the space, and a steely blue would also make it feel more bright and go well with the grey counters and kaki in the adjoining room. Personally I am not a fan of green in the kitchen. I think it is definitely more of a living room or bedroom color.

If you wanted something more bright and "louder" a peachy orange/light tangerine color would also be a nice in your kitchen and would work well with the kitchen cabinets. It would have to be bright enough that it would contrast differently with the kaki but that would also be another idea.

I LOVE painting too! It is truly amazing how much it changes the space and can make it feel so much more alive and inviting and brighter or darker depending on what you do!

Can't wait to see the pictures after you're done painting!

Melissa said...

I am the worst at choosing colors. I love your kitchen though!! I like the red and the green, but blue would be nice too. See what I mean by bad at choosing colors? There is an interior designer in my ward and she recommended a color for us to paint our kitchen and living room this fall. It is from Sherwin Williams and it is called "Whole wheat" She said it is the best color and you can never ever go wrong with it.

Stacey and Brody Miller said...

I say just leave it as is. It makes a nice conversation piece to have a corner pained a totally different color then the rest of the room. You could be a trend starter.

Anonymous said...

I personally don't like green in a kitchen though I like it in other rooms. I have had the added benefit of having been in your kitchen. What your bloggers are not seeing is the beatiful, multicolor, ceramic backsplash on the wall above your sink. An idea would be to isolate and match a color from the ceramic backsplash to use on the walls. That might tie everything together nicely, by blending yet deviating from the khaki in the dining room.

Monica said...

This is for Melissa,

Whole Wheat from Sherwin Williams is the main color of my house. You will NOT be disappointed!

Kim, take a picture of the backsplash so we can see that as well and get a better color idea too! I am still thinking a steely blue or yellow.