Paint Color Advice for Kitchen With Medium Oak Cabinets

I want to make my kitchen brighter as it has very little light. I am into old country things like saws, milk jugs, etc. My cabinets are a medium oak color, counter tops are brown mix similar to leather looking. My kitchen opens into my living room so what colors should I go with.

By lois black from Northfield, MA

Answers:

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen With Medium Oak Cabinets

We've just painted the inset panels of our medium oak kitchen cabinets with cream paint (two cream undercoats, then one gloss). Our walls are a pale green. This has made our kitchen really light and brighter. (09/22/2010)

By Lisa

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen With Medium Oak Cabinets

Cream, cream, cream. Just get enough samples to get exactly the right shade to go with your cabinets and counter. Your country items can add any color you want. (09/22/2010)

By Elgie

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen With Medium Oak Cabinets

It sounds like you should key the colors from the ones in your living room. A nice subtle olive green might be nice, because it will bring out the warm tones in your wooden cabinets and primitive accessories. Spice it up with accents of cinnabar or warm brown red. Sounds great! (09/22/2010)

By Pat Phillips

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen With Medium Oak Cabinets

I have the same problem with little light in my kitchen. Since I live in a very old cottage, I kept with the "old world" theme, like you have. My kitchen leads to the living room, as well, which is mainly in cream and beige with touches of dark red. What I did was brighten up my kitchen with sunny yellow and dark red accessories since my kitchen counter tops and the floors were beige in both rooms. It looks really bright and pretty and ties in nicely with the living area. (09/25/2010)

By cettina

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen With Medium Oak Cabinets

Try a pickled finish, If you can't find any premixed pickling paint (a milky white translucent finish so the surface underneath still bears it color, but is now muted and tinted white) that you like, make your own. Seek out the advice in the paint section of Lowe's or such about mixing glaze with paint to achieve the level of translucence you want. To me it looks old fashioned and tends to pick up on whatever colors you decide to use in the living room. Happy cabinet overhauling. (09/26/2010)

By Teresa Bowen