Hey dudes, how was your weekend? Ben and I busted our collective ass painting and cleaning and moving and it still looks an 82 year old grandma with 23 cats and alzheimers lives here. It’s kind of disheartening, but you have to break some eggs to make an omelette, right? We did at least completely paint ONE room (Ike’s future room) and it’s… dark. Like, really dark. Outer space dark matter dark. I think it’s going to be ok once we put his furniture and some light window treatments in there, but right now I’m kind of crossing my fingers and hoping he doesn’t grow up to be a depressed adolescent who only listens to The Cure and dyes his hair purple.
Oh wait — that was me.
Anyway, I don’t have a lot of time today because Karly’s hubs Matt is coming over to rip out the godforsaken built in desk that’s encroaching on my soon-to-be beautiful dinette. Anyone need a 24×40 slab of green and rust granite? Didn’t think so.
And then I have to decide between this color:
And this color:
To paint the dinette. I’m not conflicted, or anything. These aren’t 100% diametrically opposed AT ALL.
Meanwhile, I am dreaming of ripping out the entire kitchen. How did I ever think I could live — even temporarily — with honey oak cabinets? The wood grain alone is making me hallucinate. I think it’s trying to kill me. (you can see what it looks like in the mls pictures HERE)
Here’s what I would like to place in its stead:
Any of these will do just fine, thanks.
Ok, must organize/clean/moon over paint swatches.
Any votes for one or the other color I posted?
Related posts:
Holy shizz…that kitchen with the fireplace! As for color…perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but could the first pic you posted suggest which way you’re leaning?
I love them all long time, but if I were ripping EVERYTHING out and starting over, I would do #2 kitchen and just run the pale living room wall color into there. I probably will never get enough natural light in the kitchen to do that, though.
Alas… tis not to be. I definitely need something stronger on the walls to wrestle control away from the hideous counters/cabinets/lack of light.
I feel you on the lack of light: My kitchen is a dark, dank cave of despair. For the record, I like the green!
I’m leaning towards the top color. Who can get enough apricot/salmon color in their lives? Not I.
Hi Erin,
Have been enjoying your blog. First found you when I googled “Color Stories” Ben Moore, and up you and your Sanders love appeared. So…. just took in the MLS photo tour for the kitchen. You know, for a “live with it for now” kind of kitchen, it’s got some good elements: the steel cooktop with pot drawers underneath. VERY practical! If the Oak is driving you crazy and you really want to invest labor into it: I think it would be gorgeous re-painted to your inky murky Dark Harbor from your living room. Would play nice with your stainless steel. Can’t tell what kind of beigy tile the backsplash is— but if the undertone works with Dark Harbor—- go with it For Now.
green
Hi Juanita, it’s definitely better than most of the kitchens we saw while house hunting. We’ve waffled between tearing it all out and putting a band aid on it, but with only a few months to go before baby makes an appearance, it looks like the plan of action is to studiously ignore the entire kit and kaboodle for a little while longer. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Gorgeous kitchens!!
As far as the paint color, I loved the dark color in the mock-ups you did in the other post, but I think the pink would be easier to live with in the long run.
Erin, we need to talk about salmon. I understand where you’re coming from…but I fear it. Too many ways it can go awry.
Are you sure honey oak isn’t ripe for a revival?
I kid!
Proceed cautiously with salmon. Not knowing anything else, I say go for gray and leave the salmon for fabrics. Seems like salmon woodwork or furniture could go wrong in a lot of ways. It will also give you lots of options for painting your kitchen cabinet.
And oh yeah–are we talking accent wall or furniture/builtins? Doesn’t change my answer but I’d have thought wallpaper was up for grabs. Like your marbelized stuff that is heading upstairs….
The second color is coming off as gray on my screen, but Karly said green.
Either way, I would definitely go with that over the salmon.
Could you get Matt (or someone) to paint the cabinets?
I really think your preggo brain is keeping the salmon in the mix, & once that bubs is outta there & the haze of newborn wares off you will realise that is gross & an old peoples home kinda colour.
Im just trying to spare you & Ben the fight you will have when you say you want him to paint over it. Think of me as the peace keeper.
would also have to say green!!
Personally LOVING the salmon….I know you couls pull it off fabulously!
Are you painting just the dinette wall or the whole kitchen?
Peach/Salmon on a wall makes me all kinds of nervous, BUT if done well would be super duper chic.
What is the other color? I’m on my sister’s monitor and it’s looking green? Does it have any of the same hues as your timber wallpaper?
I’m sure Ike’s space will look good! Dark is fab and I’m sure you will add in happy elements. Still thinking space elements, or is that too literal with the darkness?
(ps- you’ve been the only blog Ive reading on vacation. Just can’t miss house saga!)
(pps- so glad the desk is going.)
kitchen #2 is my spirit animal.
salmon will make you happiest.
I’d steer clear of the peachy color — which, to me, feels more like a fleshy color.
Way too Hannibal Lecter, if you get my drift. Fava beans, anyone?
Hey Erin. Having some computer issues at the moment, but I vote green. Regarding the bench question from your email, I vote yes. I have a settee in my breakfast room that’s pretty, but quite impractical to get in and out of.
First thing I would do is paint the kitchen cupboards a bit darker shade of that green you’ve got posted for the dining area. It’s a good neutral green and will ear well. That’s where you need to spend your time right now, a re-do might be way down the road so don’t wait to make it as good as you can for today. Next, I would paint the dining area the gray-green you’ve posted because it’s a lot easier to deal with in the long run than that salmon. you can still use salmon in accents but believe me, salmon has a shelf-life that is about as long as a real salmon. And I’ll also deal with the rug in the dining room- why not carpet the whole thing- wouldn’t cost much more than a too-small area rug and it would do away with all the prelims of odd size and traffic pattern. I think you need to extend the size of this space visually and as much as I like the cheetah, it only cuts it up further. Plus, you need a rug to go out beyond where the chairs will slide- Cheetah isn’t big enough in your illustrations. There, I’ve said it. whew.