1 house, 2 house, red house, new house!

9 years ago

At long last, I'm buying a new-to-us house. We won't be moving for a few months. After we close, I'd like to get as much painting done as possible while the rooms are empty.

The kitchen has me kind of perplexed. It's a south-facing room, but there's a covered deck blocking a lot of the light. I'm certain the cover makes it much easier to enjoy the deck, but it does make the kitchen dark. In addition, the floors and cabinetry are red oak and the appliances are black. The counters are dark green quartz, but it's a very blue green.

I'm not certain where to go with this mix of warm and cool, especially under low light conditions. Eventually, we'll give the kitchen a make-over or remodel it, so for now, I'm only willing to paint and have a roman shade made. I'm hoping a fabric can help tie things together. The kitchen is open to an eating area and family room that are very sunny and bright.

This is what I'm thinking so far.I chose F&B colors for simplicity. I'm open to any brand. I've only included a tiny slice of the room because the house isn't mine yet. I'd love some feedback and/or suggestions. I'm willing to go in a totally different direction too.

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Comments (6)

teacats
9 years ago
Perhaps consider this fabric with a lighter background?

Shipping (for any amount of fabric) is just $4.99

And then paint in a soft white and consider painting the island in the same shade too ....maybe Indian White by Benjamin Moore (OC-88)

....

Here is a link that might be useful: Fabricguru.com -- Mill Creek fabric
TheRedHouse
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks teacats. I like the Ben Moore color you suggested. I never would have thought of painting the island. That would probably go a long way toward making the kitchen lighter and more appealing.
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peegee
9 years ago
Just a thought - might strategically placed skylights on the deck roof (if not inside) alleviate part of the problem?
TheRedHouse
Original Author
9 years ago
Peegee, good thought, the deck roof does have skylights. It's still really dark. They put quite a lot of recessed can lights in that kitchen too, still dark. What if I sprung for a different counter material on the island only, in addition to painting it? Worth thinking about? Or would I just be throwing money away? There's a cooktop in the island that takes up most of it, so I was thinking of putting a large, wood cutting board next to it so kind of cover the counter a little. Maybe that would be enough.
teacats
9 years ago
Depends on the budget -- but I would not change the countertop on the island -- but adding a large cutting board would help .....

How about adding a couple of small lamps around the space -- maybe in the corners -- for warmer light options ....

Could you change a couple of the can lights to pendant lights above the island?

What about adding some under-cabinet lighting?

As for the deck -- could you have the ceiling painted a lighter color?
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
If you can fit a solar tube in then you can get the kitchen brighter during the day. If not, look into lighting including LED lights which can really brighten a space. I agree that you might want to lighten the background on the fabrics too...