need help figuring out cabinet/wall colors for this old kitchen

14 years ago

Hi everyone,

Here's the kitchen in the house we're about to close on (LESS THAN A WEEK NOW! SO EXCITED!) Anyway, here's the kitchen:

I want to paint the walls, including the hideous fake z-brick, and the cabinets. The problem is, I can't figure out whether the walls would look funny painted a color like yellow or pale tan with the brick? The problem is complicated because the eat-in kitchen part of the room opens up to a big wall of that brick stuff, which you can see in the back of this pic (taken from the entry way)...there's a TON of that nasty brick stuff on the walls in that room:

So as you can see, I really need a color that will work for the walls in the kitchen, including the large brick wall shown in the last photo, and then a complementary color for the cabinets. The issue is complicated by the fact that the countertops are white...I just can't figure out what color scheme would look best, and we don't have much money to put into the kitchen right away. I would prefer white cabs but of course not against the white countertops, and then I just am having trouble visualizing a good color over that brick.

Thoughts? Or pictures? Pictures (esp of painted brick success stories) or specific colors recs would be very helpful. Thank you in advance...I REALLY need your help here!

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Comments (4)

positano
14 years ago
This is one of my favorite kitchen makeovers. You could paint the cabinets a gray green color(She used mouse's back from Farrow and ball) and the backsplash and walls white. Then do your door trim and window trim in the gray green. It gets a little tricky since the brick backsplash runs into the wall. I would have to see a full shot of the kitchen. Maybe two different shades would work.

In this kitchen she used white or the wall color.

http://urbangraceinteriors.typepad.com/the_blog/renovation/

Or you could do something like layla at lettered cottage did. Paint them black. I think this looks fantastic.

Here is a link that might be useful: The lettered cottage
jb1176
14 years ago
How about the same color as the other rooms are painted - appears to be an off white? Can the brick come down or is that too big of a project at this juncture?
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rosie
14 years ago
Urbangrace's is one of my favorite makeovers too. Hi, Purrus. You may hate that fake, but paint it, a time-honored treatment for brick, and people won't be able to tell it from the real thing. It offers a wonderful texture to play against all the smooth finishes and could look great, really far better than the usual dreary drywall most of us have to deal with. My caveat is that strange bare patch over the counter. Is there a place you could pull off and patch in there (even the stuff over the sink of nothing else is available)?

Since you really want white, how about exploring picking colors from a range of ivories/creams/whites to use together? Get 3 or more and they all start blending together and harmonizing, and make a great background for whatever else you want to bring in.

The Urbangrace picture is a great example. It's easy to imagine it with z-brick instead of subway tiles. She brought in even more texture on the ceiling.
Fori
14 years ago
I love those cabinets (but not in that color!). For inspiration on painting that brick, look at subway tiled kitchens. Squint and pretend they are painted bricks. See? Looks good!

Are you sure they're fake brick? Not that it really matters. It looks like a neat place--congratulations!

I had cabinets just like that in my first house, but they were avocado green. I painted them white. I've missed them ever since. My counter had an ivy patterned Formica, so I didn't have the counter worry you do. (Hey you have a matching bifold door, already painted white!) But they do in fact look great in white.

So, if you're keeping the counter, and why not, what about using white on the upper cabinets and a totally different color on the base cabs? Like a deep yellow or blue or well, you get the idea. The brick/backsplash area would then be a nice accent color, maybe.

Were you going to keep the brick bricky? It isn't bad, and it looks good with more colors than you think. It ought to look good with yellows and tans. Cabinets are hard to paint (but worth it). Get that color right the first time. The brick, if painted, can't ever be brick again. But walls are easy. Go ahead and be daring.