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bellaflora_gw

blue or green for this kitchen

bellaflora
16 years ago

my kitchen has white cabinets (cheap white thermafoil - yuck!), dark green granite w/ gold fleck (maybe ubatuba I am not sure!), and warm medium brown maple wood floor. Currently it's painted a muted green (ball green by F&B). I am going to need to repaint it because the paint is peeling apart d/t the painter's poor prep job (painting over semi-gloss w/o priming -- duh!!!)

I am trying to decide between a fresh green (cooking apple green by F&B), a blue-green (blue green by F&B) or a pale sky blue (maybe woodlawn blue by BM or pale powder by F&B)...what would you think is best for this kitchen?

{{gwi:1541067}}

{{gwi:1541068}}

all the white is driving me crazy!! I am dying to paint the cabinet cream but I don't think we can paint thermafoil cabinet!

Comments (47)

  • jerseygirl_1
    16 years ago

    I think you have a lovely kitchen.

    What other colors are in your granite? I know ubba tuba has a lot of greens and black but what else?

    I'm not sure about painting thermofoil but you can glaze them. It's what the manufacturers do. I would go to an independent paint store or the paint forum for some directions.

    Have you thought about adding pendant lighting over the island for a little more interest? There are kits at HD that can convert recess lighting for pendant lighting.

  • sonicstef
    16 years ago

    Im not familiar with the colors you are considering but I think blue might look lovely in here.

  • bellaflora
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Jerseygirl: I cannot put pendant lighting over the island because in couple years (hopefully) I am going to reconfigure that kitchen . Any improvement right now will only be cosmetic.

    I can see very large gold flecks in my granite.
    now I am looking at the picture, the dark back splash is driving me nuts too :-)

    maybe a blue like this kitchen?
    {{gwi:1541069}}

    but green is very pretty too -- hmn...would that be too much green w/ the granite?

    :-( I can't decide!!

  • bellaflora
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    here's the link to the color. My monitor makes everything look so grey....

    Here is a link that might be useful: F&B paint

  • sweets98
    16 years ago

    My kitchen was too much neutral for me, too. Although I have cream cabinets, but I have the white appliances, too. The kitchen was a pale yellow but I couldn't take how everything seemed to be the same light tone. I wanted to go with something neutral, some sort of tan but instead of keeping it light, I went with a darker shade than normal. That really helped the cabinets and appliances stand on their own and things don't blend so much. My kitchen is still bright and airy because I have so much of the white and cream that the darker paint didn't matter because it's in smaller quanity. So...I suggest that you think about using a brighter color possibly than you are thinking. Even just one shade darker....I picked a color and moved one down on the chip!

    Good luck!

  • lyfia
    16 years ago

    I agree the blue is very nice, but how does it look against the green of the granite.

    BTW do you have a close up of the granite?

  • bellaflora
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I found a link to the pix of granite.

    Here is a link that might be useful: ubatuba

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    I was going to write something similar to what sweets98 said. I think you need a darker color. The blue you found for inspiration is really pretty. I could try to paint it for you later today. ;c)

  • kgwlisa
    16 years ago

    I don't think the olivey green of the green in uba tuba goes particularly well with blue. If it were black absolute then the blue would be great, but I think a warm green would go better with the granite.

    Uba Tuba:

  • jerseygirl_1
    16 years ago

    If I remember correctly from my granite searching days, doesn't ubba tuba have a touch in it.

    I think blue and green could work great if it's pulled in with the right selections of fabric for window treatments and other accessories.

    Actually, I will be using greens in my PR which is Atmosphrere Blue, RH.

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    DD slept in today...have to go to a later Mass. So I had time to play a little

    Here's a few blues with a swatch of your granite pasted in.

    Polaris Blue
    {{gwi:1541072}}

    Blue Dusk
    {{gwi:1541073}}

    Bella Blue (I just had to try it because of the name..but maybe too dark?)
    {{gwi:1541074}}

    Cedar Mountains (blue green mix)
    {{gwi:1541075}}

    Dartsmouth Green (another blue/green)
    {{gwi:1541076}}

    I also thought the green you have is the right shade but needs to be a bit darker. What do you think of this one?

    Galapagos Green
    {{gwi:1541077}}

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    From the Historical Color strip

    Van Courtland Blue
    {{gwi:1541078}}

    Stratton Blue
    {{gwi:1541079}}

  • patricianat
    16 years ago

    How about a warm color, buttery color.

  • gwendolynne
    16 years ago

    Ooh, a fellow F&B fan!

    My kitchen was originally painted Cooking Apple Green and it is a gorgeous colour, but it just didn't work in the room. I think it would be very pretty in your kitchen though, especially if you threw in some bright lime accents, like a green kettle on the stove, a bowl of lemons & limes, etc. I've seen it with white cabinets and black countertops and it is so pretty.

    Have you tested any of the F&B shades you're looking at in your house? They have a tendency to change A LOT in different light, so blue-green could be very green or Pale Powder could be quite a bit paler or darker than the swatch.

    Here's a photo of the CAG - again, it didn't work with the cabinets/counters/floors in here, but I'd love to find somewhere else to use it. I don't like greens normally, but this is such a happy colour:

  • olga_d
    16 years ago

    I think the Galapagos Green that lindybarts posted looks the best with the cabinets, granite and the floor. I'm not feeling the blue at all.

  • hoyamom
    16 years ago

    I personally like the Galapagos Green that Lindy put in. It looks like it would match the uba tuba better than the blues. I really liked the original color but you have a lot going for you in your kitchen so any color will look great. I think it depends on what look you are trying to achieve - light and airy or traditional?

    Good luck and keep us posted.

  • texanjana
    16 years ago

    Here is another vote for the Galapagos Green. I think the greens work better with your granite and flooring tones. Can't wait to see the results!

  • amysrq
    16 years ago

    I think the blue green (F&B Green Blue, right?) is just a gorgeous color. I also love CAG and have wanted to use it somewhere (next house?), but I think it might be too pale for me with those white cabs. If you do go with CAG, you could also accent with bits of red or orange. Or cobalt blue would look nice....just thinking of what's out there for countertop appliances, etc.

    I like Cedar Mountains above the best. You could go with that color, but slightly less saturated if you'd be more comfortable with that...

  • Kathleen McGuire
    16 years ago

    I would pull the gold from the flecks and veining in the ubatuba. BM Richmond Gold, Adams Gold, Heirloom Gold, Blair Gold Or Behr Harvest Gold.

  • jmfromil
    16 years ago

    We love the color we used in our powder room. It's BM Carolina Gull - it has a blue, green and gray quality to it. Good luck!

  • nami
    16 years ago

    I vote for the Stratton Blue if you do go the blue route.
    But Ubatuba has a lot of gold-ochre veining and a color like BM Lenox Tan would really pull from that.
    Hope this helps,
    Nami

  • chicoryflower
    16 years ago

    JM, I love that color! I'm making a note of that for my guest bath, which is a complicated mess of older green and gray and white fixtures. Beautiful color.

    I like the Stratton/Paladium sort of area of blue, too, Lindy - beautiful paint job!!

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    Chicory...where the heck you been girl? :c)

    None of the gold colors mentioned are showing very accurate on my program today. Looks like a gold color in her hallway but hard to see?

    Here's Heirloom Gold
    {{gwi:1541080}}

    Westwood Tan (one shade darker)
    {{gwi:1541081}}

    I also tried the Carolina Gull and it's not bad either..what do you all think?

    {{gwi:1541082}}

  • tfm1134
    16 years ago

    My vote is for the Cooking Apple Green

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    Is this close to Cooking Apple Green?

    {{gwi:1541083}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking apple green

  • chicoryflower
    16 years ago

    Heya, Lindy! January has been NUTS! I've missed my photoshopping fun AND my forum buddies.

  • bellaflora
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Wow..lindy you are the very BEST!!!! I love that CAG you did. I have always had green kitchen and I am thinking w/ this house I would want something more dramatic and different....

    Do you think I should go darker green for more drama as in this

    {{gwi:1541084}}

    or a more mustardy green as in this pix

    {{gwi:1541085}}

    or a pale sky blue as in this pix

    {{gwi:1541086}}

    That sky blue is so beautiful --- I just don't know if it would work w/ our granite.

    I just went to lunch at my neighbor's house and boy her house is so perfectly done it makes me want to put a torch to mine. :-(

  • bellaflora
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Wow..lindy you are the very BEST!!!! I love that CAG you did. I have always had green kitchen and I am thinking w/ this house I would want something more dramatic and different....

    Do you think I should go darker green for more drama as in this

    {{gwi:1541084}}

    or a more mustardy green as in this pix

    {{gwi:1541085}}

    or a pale sky blue as in this pix

    {{gwi:1541086}}

    That sky blue is so beautiful --- I just don't know if it would work w/ our granite.

    I just went to lunch at my neighbor's house and boy her house is so perfectly done it makes me want to put a torch to mine. :-(

  • oceanna
    16 years ago

    Bella, I love that first green you posted.

    I think since you appear to have gold (?) in the adjoining area, and if there is an underlying yellow/gold in your granite, you should have yellow in your wall color. Green has yellow in it. Blues that have yellow in them are aqua, and turquoise colors. If you keep that yellow undertone in everything, the colors should just sing together.

    As far as painting your cabinets, I think these days there is a paint and technique for painting anything and everything. Perhaps they'll know on the painting board or certainly a good paint store will be able to tell you what to use and how to prep properly. If needed, you can yank a drawer and take it to the store with you so they can see what you have.

    Your kitchen is beautiful! I'm not sure why it needs a major makeover.

  • kat123
    16 years ago

    Love the green. Our updated kitchen has white cabinets and yummy soft green walls. It is fabulous and very warm. You may want to try an area rug. We have an area rug in our kitchen and dark wood floors. Classy, timeless and yet so now!

  • greenmtn
    16 years ago

    I agree with some of the above that I like a bit of yellow in the color to warm up the space and pick up the gold flecks (?) in the granite. I like the Galapagos Green but would also love to see a warm gold mock up.

  • brutuses
    16 years ago

    I love the Carolina Gull. Is that a F & B paint?

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    I like most of the green examples too. I think it works well with your granite. I think I'd stay away from the blue if you're looking for a Wow color.

    I tried to do a green similar to the one in your last inspiration photo. Sort of like the color of the leaves in the plant.

    Cedar Path
    {{gwi:1541087}}

    As for Gold, I mentioned above that the color viewer was having a hard time representing those realistically. I think maybe it would look better in person than these do, but here's a few:

    Porter Ridge Tan
    {{gwi:1541088}}

    Cork
    {{gwi:1541089}}

    brutuses, all these colors (including Carolina Gull) are Ben Moore colors.

  • cindyxeus
    16 years ago

    I actually like the color it is now. I think if you picked up the floor color and applied that in some printed fabric
    (with the rest of the colors in that room) for chair cushions and window treatments it would pull it all together quite nicely. I could picture some plates over the soffit, some art or shelves the color of the floor in the nook area would also help bring some warmth and blending.

    If you really have your heart set on painting though,I'd have to vote for cooking green apple pic lindbarts did. I'm not feeling the blue wall tones with the counters (at least not on my monitor)

  • susanlynn2012
    16 years ago

    Another vote by me for the Galapagos Green. I think the greens work better with your granite counters and flooring tones.

  • acomom
    16 years ago

    My dining room is painted F&B Cooking Apple Green and I love it - I'd at least sample it in the room because I think you might like it, but it sounds like it might be softer than you want. If you want something a little stronger, I'd take a look at BM Kennebunkport Green. I used to have a wall in my FR painted this color - it's a great green. It was right next to white cabinetry and really worked well there. I always got tons of compliments on it. I can see it working really nicely with your Uba Tuba granite. Although it's not perfect, and easy way to see it might be to check it out on BM's Color Viewer. Good luck.

  • Kathleen McGuire
    16 years ago

    I am still liking the golds with the uba. Here are two: Decatur Buff and Adams Gold, Both BM. The Adams has a green undertone to it. They pick up the veining I think.

    Decatur Buff:
    {{gwi:1541090}}

    Adams Gold:
    {{gwi:1541091}}

  • Kathleen McGuire
    16 years ago

    Here's SW Dried Grasses:
    {{gwi:1541092}}

  • vondab
    16 years ago

    I'm in the same color choosing dilemma. Blue, green, or gold family for my kitchen. The Carolina Gull... who's is that... BM? I know I've seen it but can't remember which fan deck. Thanks!!

  • jmfromil
    16 years ago

    vondab and brutuses, Carolina Gull is BM. :)

  • Kathleen McGuire
    16 years ago

    Uba & Carolina Gull:
    {{gwi:1541093}}

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    Wow Kmcg85, that sample of Carolina Gull looks nothing like the one painted in jmfromil's bathroom. Goes to show you that picking out paint online is not very trustworthy.

  • Kathleen McGuire
    16 years ago

    My thought exactly! Monitors are not the way to go. The color in the bathroom is gorgeous. We are better off looking at pics from actual homes rather than paint sites.

  • mimi_2006
    16 years ago

    bella...
    Love that Galapagos Green that lindy photoshopped. I also like the first darker one that you posted but it didn't give a name. I have uba tuba granite also and I just can't imagine a blue with it. I think the deeper color for more drama like you said would look great. You can carry it off easily with all the while in there. My walls are a deep gold (Tobacco Road) but the greens look awesome with the uba tuba also and it looks like you already have some gold in other rooms.

  • bellaflora
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi ladies...

    Sorry for the absence. I've been busy priming. :-)
    I am bummed that I cannot use the blue in here but I think I am going to try the green. It just seems to flow better w/ what I already have. The adjoining family room's palette will be leaf green, white and brown so the green will be more of a natural extension..

    I really love the blue but you guys are right (yet again!)
    I will be back to post 'after' once I finished painting!!

  • lindybarts
    16 years ago

    Yay! Glad we get to see so soon! Which shade of green are you going with? I can't wait!

    Lindy