Home


Welcome
What's New (Blog)
E-zine


Buy the Books
Buy The Books


*NEW*FREE* Interactive Design Tool
Free Design Tool


How to Design
How to design
Color
Room Proportion
Arrange Furniture
Fast Fixes


Choose a Look
Photo Gallery
Styles & Themes
Hot New Trends
Period Properties


Room by Room
Kitchen
Bathroom
Bedroom
Living/Dining
Home Office
Hall/Stairs


Fixtures and How-to
Choosing Art
Curtains/Blinds
Lighting
Flooring
How to Wallpaper
Paint
Tiling
Home Heating


More Design Info
On a Budget
Clear Clutter
Selling your Home
Eco Friendly Living
Feng Shui


Designing Your Garden
Garden Design

Chill 'n' Chat
Q&A
Mine and Yours!


Resources
Books
E-Books
Software
Career Info
Courses
Guest Articles
My Shop


My Site & Me
About Me
Working at Home
On Facebook
On Twitter
Contact Me


Business Stuff
Advertise
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Disclosure Policy
[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

Kitchen Color Crisis!

I have medium colour oak cupboards and the floor is also medium oak.

The counter is granite with a white background and brown, black, orange, gray and silver colour flecks throughout the granite.

The backsplash is a natural stone which is light browns, off whites and beige.

My appliances are stainless steel. I have an espresso drop leaf wood table and a corner cupboard that is also a very dark brown paint.

We picked a paint which was an off white leaning toward the beige and it is so boring.

I then got more paint which is called desert tan by Benjamin Moore and it looks nothing like the chip, looks yellow and not liking it.

Please help and suggest a colour for me.

Thanks, Pat




Comments for
Kitchen Color Crisis!

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

May 24, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Warm Coffee in your Kitchen...?
by: Charlotte

Hi Pat

Your kitchen sounds great - some quality materials, textures, and some lovely neutral tones...

By the colors you've already tried, I'm assuming you want to go with a neutral tone rather than a bright (or otherwise) color?

In any case, with all those lovely browns, beiges, tans, creams, grays and silvers already in your color scheme, I'm thinking to keep with that lovely blend of neutral tones to create a sophisticated and simple kitchen than oozes quality...

The color I've suggested is a mid-toned neutral, but with lovely warm tones, to give a softer, warm, welcoming feel to the kitchen...

(perhaps the off-white was too stark? ...and the yellow/'desert tan' too greeny and cold?)

The medium tone should bring together all the paler tones in your kitchen (the whites and creams) and the darker ones (espresso's), so that there is more of a 'blend' feel, with nothing standing out too much...

It will go very well with any coffee (not espresso), beiges and tans, and provide an interesting contrast to the grays and silvers...

The color I've initially suggested is 'Penny' by Benjamin Moore (code 2163-30) - a lovely warm 'coffee' color:

Click here to see it

Please understand that I've suggested this without seeing your kitchen, or the actual colors involved, so this is a starting color that, if you like, you might want to build on, and try out some tones lighter, darker, warmer, cooler, depending on your personal preferences, and how it looks in your kitchen...

You'll notice some color suggestions, for colors to go with the main color, on the page, too, which might be helpful for you...

You don't say how large, small, dark or light your kitchen is - this is a medium toned color, that in a light, large room would appear quite light (but still warm), but could appear quite dark in a smaller, or darker room - and so may seem overwhelming...

Try out a few shades lighter, darker, warmer, etc in your kitchen, until you find the one that suits...

Continues on the next comment...

May 24, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Continues from above comment
by: Charlotte

Continues from above...

You could also use this color in certain areas (such as your main focal wall) to create a strong impression in your kitchen, and mix with simple, paler tones (off-whites) on other walls, if you feel an all-over color might be too much for your particular kitchen...

Use tester pots, and not just the color swatch, of a few chosen ones, until you find the one you are happy with and the one that suits your kitchen...

I hope the color advice helps, and you can soon find the right color..

Please come back and ask again if you need any further help

Good luck with your decorating and color decisions...

Best wishes

Charlotte :o)

May 24, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Be Brave!
by: Val

We [mostly I] have decided that life is way to short to be conservative LOL.

My kitchen colors seem very similar to your but we went the other direction pulling in coppers, ambers with some accents of greens and reds [not the primary color].

We giggle that our kitchen is almost like walking into a salad bowl but for us it works.

Besides, it took less than a gallon of paint total and paint is the cheapest way to rev up things.

When it's finished, I plan to post pix, since I chose everything with the approval of my beloved so it is very much my own.

Good luck and enjoy your kitchen.

May 25, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Kaleidoscope of Colors :o)
by: Charlotte

Hi Val

How are you?

Some great ideas and suggestions for Pat, in case she wants to inject some color into the kitchen - it's another great option to consider...

...particularly if the neutrals Pat tries all turn out to look too boring, stark or drab for her tastes.

You are right, paint is a great way to make big changes, quickly and cheaply!

Your kitchen sounds wonderful, Val - perfect for you - and the colors sound stunning together - a salad bowl can be a beautiful sight (I mean visually, not purely in a culinary sense!)

I'm so looking forward to seeing pictures of your kitchen, Val...

I hope the kitchen decorating project is going well (it sounds like it is).

Good luck with the finishing touches

Thanks very much for the great suggestions :o)

Best wishes

Charlotte xx




Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Your Color Q&A






Interior Design It Yourself

Search My Site:
Custom Search



Follow InteriorDesigny on Twitter



“This practical guide is a must for any DIY decorator!”

Interior Design It Yourself - Volume 1 - Back to Basics - out now

"If you have no idea how to decorate your house or apartment or you're just not sure what you should put in which room...

"...Charlotte shows you, in an easy-to-understand way, how to tackle any project."

says David - New Hampshire, USA

-----------

"Love, love, love your site! I bought your ebooks and find them helpful and inspiring."

says Linda - United States


CLICK HERE to order the
Interior Design It Yourself Book



free interior design software



Charlotte - author of the Interior Design It Yourself website and books


AROUND 1 MILLION READERS LAST YEAR (2011)

Read what you say about us:

'I just love your web page it is fantastic for people who don't really have the design skills...'

Elizabeth - Scotland - UK

'You are the first entry on my favorite places. Beautiful work, well (very well) written.'

Shirley - Laurinburg NC - USA

'U can't believe how happy I'm to find such a helpful website! it's over than great, really!!'

Lama - Sydney

'I really appreciate this amazing website & ur helpful tips... you really give us so much attention & I loved your advice...'

Mostafa - Cairo - Egypt

Thank you so much to all my lovely and loyal readers!

OUT NOW - THE INTERIOR DESIGN IT YOURSELF BOOKS

The books teach you how to use professional interior design techniques in your own home...

...to get a home you love, that's also the envy of family and friends!

THE INTERIOR DESIGN IT YOURSELF BOOK LIBRARY


Paperback and E-book versions available


Click here for more info

Interior Design It Yourself Book Volume 1
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. I: Back to Basics

Available as:

Paperback Book

E-book Version - Save 47%

Bonus Edition E-book - Save 30%

Click here for more info about Vol I

Interior Design It Yourself Book Volume 2
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. II: Room by Room

LAUNCH DATE: 1st Feb 2012

Available as:

Paperback Book

E-book Version - Save 65%

Click here for more info about Vol. II

Interior Design It Yourself Book Volume 3
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. III: Styles by Design

NOT YET AVAILABLE - COMING SOON

Click here for more info about Vol. III

Interior Design It Yourself - Perfect Personality Palettes
Interior Design It Yourself
Perfect Personality Palettes

Available as:

E-book Version - Save 44%

Click here for more info about 'Perfect Personality Palettes'

Interior Design It Yourself - Volume I - Bonus Edition Ebook
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. I Bonus Edition

Available as:

E-book Version - Save 30%

Click here for more info about the Bonus Edition

The Books - Out Now!

Click here for more about the books




You might also like:

How to Interior Design

How to Design

Color Workshop

Color Workshop

Layout

Room Layout

Stuck for interior design ideas?

Stuck for Ideas?
Ask a Question


Interior Design Books

Recommended Books

Interior Design It Yourself Books - paperback and ebooks



Sign up for my e-zine below to stay updated:

Enter your E-mail Address
Enter your First Name (optional)
Then

Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you Interior Design It Yourself E-zine.




Follow InteriorDesigny on Twitter


GET THE BOOKS

Paperback and E-book versions available


Click here for more info

Interior Design It Yourself Book Volume 1
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. I: Back to Basics

Available as:

Paperback Book

E-book Version - Save 47%

Bonus Edition E-book - Save 30%

Click here for more info about Vol I

Interior Design It Yourself Book Volume 2
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. II: Room by Room

LAUNCH DATE: 1st Feb 2012

Available as:

Paperback Book

E-book Version - Save 65%

Click here for more info about Vol. II

Interior Design It Yourself Book Volume 3
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. III: Styles by Design

NOT YET AVAILABLE - COMING SOON

Click here for more info about Vol. III

Interior Design It Yourself - Perfect Personality Palettes
Interior Design It Yourself
Perfect Personality Palettes

Available as:

E-book Version - Save 44%

Click here for more info about 'Perfect Personality Palettes'

Interior Design It Yourself - Volume I - Bonus Edition Ebook
Interior Design It Yourself
Vol. I Bonus Edition

Available as:

E-book Version - Save 30%

Click here for more info about the Bonus Edition

The Books - Out Now!

Click here for more about the books