I am planning on doing some kitchen redecorating and need a little guidance. My kitchen has knotty pine walls, one wall is wallpapered, white appliances, plywood cabinets stained a dark brown and, you're not going to believe this, linoleum countertops! I can't afford anything new so I am going to paint everything. My wallpaper is a faded country look of old recipe cards, the colors are tan, with bits of dark green, blue and burgundy.
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I think the cabinets should be a lighter color if you plan on having dark countertops. If you really want to paint the cabinets a dark blue or green I would go with a lighter color granite countertop. Perhaps think about priming and painting the knotty pine walls in a light cheerful color as well or at least a beige in the same tones as the wallpaper. Collect color card samples from Home Depot in paint colors that match your wallpaper and also collect granite countertop samples. Before I painted our countertops, I colllected a bunch of samples to study.
My updated kitchen.
I agree with Marianne. Chose to have either dark cabinets or dark countertops. And definitely paint the knotty pine! Pine is very outdated!
Don't get frustrated by lack of cash. In our bathroom -- we live in a parsonage and are poor pastors, so we couldn't "re-do" it per se -- we painted the cabinet a dark brown. The countertop was a linoleum that had a very funky pattern from the 70's on it. I primed it with spray primer and then used several cans of the stone-look spray paint to acheive a slightly rough, flecked surface with various colors of taupe/ beige. It has a slightly rough surface to it and I never got around to polyurethane-ing it (but if you do this in the kitchen, I'd definitely seal it with a couple of coats, as it gets a lot more wear).
i would go ahead and paint the cupboards dark blue or green, which ever color is your peference (keep in mind though that in terms of trends, green is more modern than blue (think fresh, botanical, etc. )). an important thing though to remember about the cabinets is to replace or paint the hardware (knobs, hinges, etc.) in a new tone too, to accentuate the change. you can find specialty spray paints at your local home-improvement store which will reliably coat the hardware to give it a "new" look at a fraction of the cost. this should only cost you one can of spray paint and can make a HUGE difference in the overall appearance and your satisfaction with the room.
if your kitchen is small you will want to stay away from dark colors. they tend to make a room look smaller. but if you truely like the darker colors you can incorporate them with accessories and maybe in the trim on your cabinets.
I rent in an over 100 year old house so the cupboards are definitely old. I went dark on the outer edges and light in the center to keep the room feeling more open being as it is small.
Why not paint the cabinets white and then have a dark countertop....or how 'bout painting the cabinets a pretty sage or moss green. Some paint can do wonders. I've watched enough of those home improvement shows to see that....also you could add new hardware to the cabinets. What color are the appliances?
Hi everyone, thank you for all the responses. Debbie52, my appliances are white, which is why I was thinking of going more of a green/white, or blue/white color scheme. If I paint the cabinets green and the counter white (maybe sponge paint over that?) and I would like to paint the floor too, with green/white or blue/white squares. I like the wallpaper, it is new, just looks old and worn, and I also like the knotty pine (really, I do!) I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the knotty pine just fits with the house. When I finally get this project completed I will post before and after pictures to show you how it turned out!
You've been given lots of good advice already. One thing I will add is that dark colors (especially black) show every speck of dust or dirt. You may want to consider that if you decide to paint your countertop a dark color. I work in a place that has a kitchen with black countertops and it always looks dusty.
Jan, thank you! You are so right about the dust issue; we use a fireplace to supplement our heat and the dust is always bad. I am so glad you brought that to my attention!
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