So today is a momentous day in Kitchenlandia (and in Bathroomlandia too).
The whole shebang is going to be sprayed with white primer and we shall finally be rid of the burnt orange and baby poop coloured walls and the tongue and groove ceilings should fade into oblivion.
I am SO excited.
There hasn’t been much to report the last couple of weeks, as much time has been spent working on the electrics and plumbing and new shelving and drywalling etc. But now instead of destroying stuff, the contractors will actually start rebuilding and we should see it all start to take shape.
We (by which I mean the Husband, with me backseat driving) have been using some fabulous free 3-D drawing and planning software called Google SketchUp and this is what we’ve come up with so far.
The floors are going to be a dark brown laminate. I wanted to have something dark to ground the space and was initially drawn to dark cork, but was told that dark cork (which is simply dyed) was very susceptible to visible scratches and scrapes. So laminate it is. We’ve chosen one which looks a bit knobbly and distressed, to go with the old fir floors in the rest of the house (though I couldn’t bring myself to match their horrible orange colour).
The counters will for the most part be a nice matte white honed quartz from Pental. Blew our budget a bit with that choice but I needed something lovely and neutral after all the year of forest green laminate.
For the sticky out island bit to the side we’ve chosen some walnut butcher block. Again it was rather more than we were expecting to spend, but it will be fabulous for baking bread and making pasta (and for taking food photos). There will be a hinged piece at the end to add extra countertop space when I’m cooking.
We’ve managed to include a pull-out larder cupboard and a rolling aluminium appliance garage on one wall which I’m super excited about and the big mint green monster you see is the retro style fridge which will be delivered next week, of which more then.
We’ve also extended the shelves on the back wall. These will be stained to match the walnut butcher block.
So now I have to choose paint colours. I am tempted to just paint everything white, but a little scared that it will end up looking like a clinic, what with the white cabinets and counters. However, I have a lot of colouful kitchenware which will go on the open shelves, and we do have the big green fridge to contend with. But still it’s tempting to do something whacky with the back wall with the shelves on it. Or at the very least a soft mint green. What would you guys do?
If we do go for all white, can you recommend a nice soft white you’ve used recently? Especially if you’re in the Pacific Northwest with our grey winter skies and dazzling summer light (kitchen faces south and west). I don’t think I’ve ever painted a wall white in my life. (Oh and ignore the greyness of the SketchUp pics. It’s just trying to render shadows.)
Just in case you’re feeling nostalgic, here’s a final glimpse of the burnt orange walls and wood ceiling.
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And of the baby poop walls (and the bizarre mural of fir trees they were hiding) in the bathroom.
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Please be nothing that the ghastly glass bricks in the bathroom have GONE and a lovely new frosted window is in their place.
i read somewhere there is a BM white that matches the ikea white cabinets – can’t recall the name now.
BM marzipan is lovely – I also like simply white.
I chose simply white as the trim for yellow walls and I wish I’d gone with marzipan which is softer in the gray seattle light. I like the simply white fine, just not as much in the dreary winter. It is a west facing room.
I don’t like gray at all – so your mileage may vary.
the majority of our trim is painted in C2 “cotton” – it has a very slight gray to it and I like it quite a lot with my khaki and green walls. it drove me mad with the yellow- it might be for you, especially with the dark floors. BM atrium white is also a slightly gray white. The interior of the shack is mostly atrium white but I changed the darkest rooms to BM Mountain snow – it is my favorite white for an all white room, eventually the entire interior will be painted with that. As a gal who hates the seattle gray tinged light, I have thoroughly researched my whites.
I think a slight gray is what you want – both because I believe the cabs are such and also to compliment the dark floors.
If you are going to put your colorful bits and bobs on those shelves, I’d do white, but if cookbooks – I might echo the fridge
it’s one wall – you can easily change that
How awesome! Are you going to paint the wood ceiling? I confess I may have missed some posts where you went over that. I like exposed wood but on a ceiling, not so much. A little too “’70s bachelor” vibe for me.
I am in love with interiors of cabinets/shelves painted a darker color with everything else white — maybe a darker version of the excellent appliance color? Martha Stewart had some great colors; I did this with our old (and much missed) farmhouse kitchen when we were back in Ohio.
Good luck and good kitchen vibes!
I am a big fan of Benjamin Moore “snowfall white,” but I may be the wrong person to comment because I love a stark, clinical (to borrow your word) look. I don’t think you’ll approach clinical what with the fridge, floors, and butcher block softening things, anyway. Plus there are warm lines and like you said, your stuff will cozy it up.
*full disclosure- we’re about to use snowfall white on thousands of square feet of walls and ceiling in our new house.
I love SwanWhite by Behr. I use it for all our baseboards and now the walls in our bedroom. A nice crisp white.
not marzipan – marscapone. i got distracted and confused by the visions of baked treats both words cause to dance across my brain
snowfall not mountain snow. i have had the worst cold of my life this week.
i can;t even blame the menopause
The way you described the walls of the two rooms made me think I desperately need a home remodeling project. Who would want to have baby poop colored walls, right? I think it’s an eyesore. And I’m sure you’ve wanted to repaint it ever since. I like your ideas here. I think it’ll turn out great. How is it now, btw?
This color scheme is really looking great! Renovation worth if only it is done well. Thanks for sharing a new combination.
Nice Nice Nice. All the designs are just awesome. I would definitely include one of these in my next renovation idea.