I had to post pictures of the kitchen that we just finished painting. I really like it, but DH is not sure about the color.


These are the befores:


These are the afters:



I'm wondering if anyone knows of a technique to alter it without having to repaint the entire kitchen. Maybe a ragging or sponging technique that will be fairly easy to do. Also, I have NO idea what color to pair with it to tone it down or improve it. I appreciate any help!!

~Kim

I think that's a great colour! But I can understand how it wouldn't be for everyone.

I did a quick search online and found a brief summary article on some faux painting techniques: http://ezinearticles.com/?Popular-Fa...ques&id=435145

If you need more detailed instructions for what you're looking to do, I'm sure Google can be very helpful, or maybe a member here with more experience than I can contribute.

As for colours, I'm not sure I've ever seen a kitchen done in "cold" colours, so I would go with a warmer colour over your lovely green. You could mute it down with a subtle golden brown colour (green and gold look great together!), or experiment VERY CAREFULLY with green's complimentary colour, red. Adding a very thin, transparent layer of red will take a lot of the vibrance and saturation out of your green, because opposing hues on the colour wheel cancel each other out. If you mix them equally they'd make a really muddy, ugly colour, so if you try this be cautious.

One of my absolute favorite colours to pair with green is vivid orange. I just think they look so stunning together! However, as much as I like the combo, I wouldn't recommend it for a kitchen.

What about you and your husband? What colours do you tend to prefer?

Good luck with it, and have fun! I can't wait to paint and decorate my first home.

Thanks! I was thinking of doing a tan color over it to tie it in with my living room, but I'm not sure. I think I'm just going to have go sit and look at paint samples for a while this weekend.

I'm checking out that article right now.

No offense to you but I have to agree with hubby on this. It makes your cabinets stand out but I don't think it compliments the rest of your kitchen. I think what is really standing out to me is the countertops...are they blue? I would suggest something in the blue family to compliment the countertops, it would make your cabinets stand out as well. I know green is "in", I have it in my house as well. But I think the trick is picking the "right" green to compliment "your" house. Also, I think in a kitchen any type of faux painting makes the kitchen seem too busy...I like them in a dining room, or other room but not in a kitchen.

Hope this doesn't come off as snotty, just my personal opinion.

Our countertops are actually black. DH refuses to paint a kitchen blue or red or yellow. We did consider a tan, but it really seemed to make the cabinets look really drab. Actually, DH said that was the one thing that he liked about the paint was that he thought it made the cabinets look better.

Also, I don't really agree that it doesn't compliment the rest of the kitchen. It's all black and white with the only color being the walls, cabinets and accessories. So, I thought it was a fairly neutral palette to begin with. The accessories will be changing as I can afford them to match better, we're a ranching household, so we'll be going with a "cowboy" theme. I actually found a print DH loves that we'll be purchasing for my birthday. It has the same shade of green in it (just highlights of it) and will be matted with the same color I'm painting the living room to tie the two rooms in to each other. After seeing the print, DH has totally changed his tune regarding the color, but now I'm worried about it. Sheesh. What a pain!

Thanks for your opinion!

For your type of home, I think this color works fine, and I'd leave it, but if you think it's too dark, how about lightening it up by placing a border right above the backsplash? Finding a cowboy/ranch/cactus one with the green and black, with a light-colored background should be easy enough.

Also, not sure what that is on your window, but something lighter and breezy-looking there would bring in the light, too, imho.

The window covering is a piece of scrap fabric put up with thumb tacks! Cheap me! We're considering some antique-looking lace ones (like you would find in an old ranch house) for that window and the window on the outside door (not shown). Eventually, we're going to replace the countertops with silestone and I'm thinking of putting in a white tile backsplash, but that's WAY in the future. I'm not set on white, but I'm going to investigate it.

The print we're thinking of is called "Fresh Mounts" by Tim Cox. It's gorgeous and had that shade of green in the brush behind the main scene.

I actually think it looks great (alot better than the white anyway!). The shade of green compliments the cabinet color nicely, and perhaps sponging over everything with a lighter shade of the green (like a minty color) would add a nice textured feel..But then again that may clash with your floor since it is in a structured tile pattern...I think the blue accent pieces you alreay have look fine, but that's just me. The green and brown make the kitchen feel...natural and welcoming if that makes sense.

I think the cool colors are a nice change of pace. I would be VERY VERY VERY wary of adding any red to this..though it is the compliment color it could very easily turn into a disasterous X-mas kitchen or a muddy grey mess in no time. The only thing I might consider was underpainting with red, let dry, then painting completely over with green to make the green more rich. But that solves nothing, and it's a technique used primarily in paintings..not house decor LOL.

I'm an interior designer for a living. I hope you do not mind my honest and professional opinion.

I think the color you painted it is very difficult to look at. It's a rather dark color. Also, it is a true green which isn't particularly inviting in a residential setting. If you like green, consider these much softer, more pleasing to the eye shades from Benjamin Moore:

Keenebunkport Green
Sherwood Green
Georgian Green



If it were my house or a client's house, I'd paint it a very warm soft buttery yellow. Instead of yellow, think somewhere between white and tan. Warm but soft. Also from Benjamin Moore:

Weston Flax
Windham Cream
Concord Ivory
Yellow Iris
Vanilla Cookie
Ambiance
Candlelit Dinner
Fresh Air
Happy valley
Harp Strings


If you are considering painting it tan, these are nice Benjamin Moore colors as well:

Philadelphia Cream (beautiful neutral color!)
Beach Haven
Hepplewhite Ivory
Standish White
Montgomery White


also, if you have a KWAL brand paint store in your town, check out Arden Green and Harvest Tan. Beautiful colors that we use over and over again in the homes we do. People just love them!
Good luck!

Thanks for the advice. The one reason I asked for a technique is that DH is also against repainting it again. Sigh. But, he was with me when we picked the color, he just thought it looked better on paper. I'm considering going with a ragging technique in a hunter green. I'm thinking if I blend it really well, it will look nice and soft, like a forest full of leaves. Then again, if I do it wrong it will look like bad camo!!

We're going to the paint store to buy the paint for our living room tonight and I'm going to pick up some sample pots and test the ideas on some posterboard. We'll see how it goes!

Cool colours could be interesting, for sure, but to me (in a kitchen at least) they tend to feel more sterilized and modern, whereas the green they chose definitely does feel warm and homey - sounds like what they were looking for. I myself go back and forth between earthy settings and the sterile glass-and-steel modern look as my favorites, but the BF LOVES earth tones so I guess our own kitchen's gonna end up nice and warm!

And I agree on being careful with red - the red I suggested was more like a nigh-invisible wash to go over the existing green to tone it down and make it less vivid, as an alternative to repainting the entire kitchen a new colour (paint can get so expensive!). Anything too thick would look a little crazy.

I also really like Meredith's idea of buttery yellows. I know I'm definitely going to use that colour in my home! My choice would be less pale and more rich/earthy, though.

My folks just did their living room in this beautiful shade of almost brick red and sandstone, I love those colours. *wanders off topic slightly*

My dream kitchen is red, but DH doesn't think it will look nice. When we build in a few years, I think I'm going to have the kitchen done in red. I think if DH saw it he would like it. Especially with wrought iron kitchen furnishings, oak floors, and all the western themed decor.

*One note, we're going for a "not-cheesy" take on Western. DH's dream house is a stone ranch with wood floors and decor similar to what the first Texas ranchers would have had. I'm not willing to go THAT rustic, but we'll try to find a happy medium.

I think the buttery yellow sound nice too...I think the word buttery had me hooked LOL.

But yeah...paint is too expensive! I wish I had the funds to paint my house, but alas, it is puke pinkish beige for now.

My first pick was a buttery yellow. It was vetoed rather quickly. I'm trying to talk him into a buttery yellow with white trim for the exterior of the house, but we'll see how that goes. Right now it's white with black trim, so I think just about anything's better than that. (Although there is a house on our block that is purple with white trim.)