Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
mizlizzie_gw

Advice on cabinet colors and glazes -- too dirty?

MizLizzie
11 years ago

The post by diab123 regarding glazes caught my eye. I, too, am looking at going from a white kitchen to something else. I just want to tone down the Big White Glare, as the room is fully open to our family room, which is lots of dark leather, dark wallpaper and a burgundy rug.

Plan is to reface my main kitchen L-area to preserve existing granite, Giallo Ornamental, and my Kohler sink in Sandbar. Existing paint is BM Lenox Tan. Existing HW floor is plain 2.5" oak. All appliances going stainless. Kitchen island will be cherry with a chestnut finish, so a dark brown with a hint of red, topped with Crema marble. On the wall opposite the work-L will be 54" of drawer base topped with GO granite, and then three tall china cabinets.

I was thinking of doing everything but the kitchen island in Conestoga's cream colored cabinet with egg-and-dart inner molding. This would be glazed in pewter, which is very subtle, almost a stainless-steel cast. The e&d will catch a lot of the pewter glaze, which I thought I wanted . . .

The picture below shows all the colors. The sandbar swatch is atop the granite. BM Lenox Tan is the middle of the three swatches. The little diamonds are harlequin crackle for the backsplash. The look I'm going for is subtle shades of taupe and woodgrain.

So . . . am I going to regret this? Will my ivory and pewter look dirty? I don't mind it looking old. But grimy? Thanks for all candid views.

Comments (15)

  • eam44
    11 years ago

    I think the ivory/perter will look fine. Might you consider using a less saturated wall color - perhaps a lighter tone of the color you chose? The harlequin crackle tile is also available in a lighter finish as below.

    Here's a board of your choices/colors that might help you visualize things better. The lighter wall color and tile glaze would brighten things up a little from this mock up.

  • MizLizzie
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you so much. I think that is the same tile. I've been able to find only the one shade of tan, but it does throw the camera flash back oddly. The Tile Store has it, and Home Depot, but under different names. If you know of another, do let me know. I may have missed one.

    There isn't much of the paint in the kitchen -- it's all blinding white cabinets and millwork -- and the tile won't touch it anywhere. But we do have the color round the eat-in area windows, and going round a corner up the stairs. Mostly we just have white, white, white. I'm tired of it.

    I don't want the ivory, though, to look dirty or dingy. I wish I could see what it would look like. Perhaps just getting a dark island would be enough to take the brilliance down a notch . . .

  • eam44
    11 years ago

    Here's a question for you - if you don't want white, why are you getting ivory cabs? It's a fine choice if you love it, but it looks a lot like what you're trying to get away from, and in the image the two cabinet colors don't really harmonize as well as they might. Would you consider using Sandstone with a coffee glaze on the perimeter with the island you've chosen, or possibly a non-neutral color for the island cabinets, like slate blue with the coffee glaze? If you want your kitchen to not look white, just don't use white (or ivory, or cream...). But then you might want to think about adding some color - something beyond neutral range.

    Wall color can add color without competing with the stones. So can a backsplash if handled properly. Find a way to incorporate burgundy if you really love it. You're so focused on getting rid of the white, you may not be noticing how much beige you've chosen. And you're still not really getting rid of the white.

    It's all fine as you have it now, and I'm sure it will be lovely in the end, but if you can identify choices in addition to cabinet color that you are open to suggestions for, folks around here may be able to show you some interesting options.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Slate Blue

  • MizLizzie
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The kitchen is a part of our family room, which has dark navy wallpaper, a burgundy leather sofa, and a rug of ivory, burgundy and navy. Dark cherry furniture. Traditional, yes, and boring to some, but we like it. I'd like to soften the glare in my kitchen. I will ask the kitchen guy to bring the sandstone with coffee. I do not believe it was in his sample box when I went to his office last week.

    The only cabinet alternative to keeping the white or some shade of tan-ivory-cream would be to go all cherry, which we have not ruled out. Left to my own devices, I'd go sage green or butter yellow on the cabs, but my husband is not going to let me redecorate the family room. I am stuck with it.

    Conestoga has offered to glaze a door so I can see it-- the color is called crystal white and the glaze is called pewter, but it all looks ivory to me on the sample.

  • eam44
    11 years ago

    I don't think it's boring at all, but replacing white with ivory may not give you as much of a transformation as you're hoping for.

    In addition to the glare, and contrast with the family room, it sounds like you didn't like the fact that your kitchen was all one color. My only concern with all the beige is that you're getting a lot of one color again. But if your cabinet guy is bringing you samples you'll be able to see it all in your own space and light, and you'll know whether you love it or not.

    If you have navy walls in the fr, you could use another shade of blue in the kitchen to give a little contrast, as in the board below. Backsplash tile might be too complicated for your granite, so this might not be the right tile, but it can help give you an idea of what contrast can do for you.

    And this is just my opinion. Other's will chime in too.

  • eam44
    11 years ago

    Oh - paint is Vermeer from Ralph Lauren paint, and the bs is glass mosaic at the link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tile

  • MizLizzie
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I love that splash! I do think it is too busy for me, but with the right counter it would be fabulous.

    I got my tile sample from Home Depot today. It actually IS a lighter color. Or maybe I should say a cooler color, almost colorless. Beautiful, though. So if I go harlequin, I have two choices. More choices! ;-)

  • breezygirl
    11 years ago

    I have to agree with EAM on this one. Besides my personal dislike of glazed white (including ivory) cabs, you've got a lot of beige on beige on beige going on which doesn't sound like it compliments the rest of the house. I like the idea of giving a nod to the other house colors and making it more interesting. Your house will look more put together that way.

  • islanddevil
    11 years ago

    I'm not a fan of glazed cabs either, at least not on light colors. They were very popular 12 years ago when I last remodeled so to me they look somewhat dated.

    Have you thought about light brown cabs in a shade pulled from your granite and keep the ivory or light color in your backsplash? With all the color in your countertop and rich printed fabrics in your family room, a simple backsplash would be nice with that combo. Or are you locked into the island and wall color?
    Can you post a pic of your existing kitchen?

  • MizLizzie
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yes, here is just a pic snapped with my iPhone but it gives a feel. All the cabinetry save the lower cabinets of the L will be replaced, including the island (30" x 60") and the desk/hutch area opposite the L-area.

    I have thought about just going all medium or medium-dark cherry, very traditional. That's what I love, but that side of the house gets little natural light due to a porch and a lot of tall trees we aren't allowed to cut.

    But the more I keep looking at it, I begin to think just keeping it white and improving the tile splash might be best. New drawers and doors will go a long way toward making me happy. We'll be removing the 4" granite splash, too. I could do the desk area on the opposite wall in white, too, then get my color in the cherry island.

    Much as I love them, I can't make yellow or sage work. I love the blue, but the dh says NO. He likes either all white or all cherry. He doesn't care about the island. The paint is . . . just paint. It runs up the stairs into the upper foyer so we have some color restrictions there. But many colors would work. There isn't a lot of painted wall in the kitchen, and there will be even less after the remodel.

  • eam44
    11 years ago

    Sandstone/cherry

  • eam44
    11 years ago

    Cherry

  • islanddevil
    11 years ago

    Or how about a creamy white, off white so it doesn't feel so glaring to you? Thanks for the pic. From what I can see you have a nice layout and great floors.

  • islanddevil
    11 years ago

    Scroll down in this forum and there is a picture of Clergychick's cream cabs with a darker island and wood floors similar in tone to yours.

    Here is a link that might be useful: cream cabs

  • MizLizzie
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you so much, talented ladies! EAM44, what marvelously helpful mock-ups. The sandstone looks amazing. And creamy white would look good, too.

    I think going away from the glaze is going to be the right choice. Having seen EAM44's cherry collage, I think the room can't take that much dark cabinetry -- it would pretty much cover all three walls. As much as I love dark cabinetry, boo hoo. No matter what, the window treatments will have to go.

    The sandstone looks very rich. It would give a good contrast to all the white trim in that room. I swear, I do not think the cabinet guy had that in his sample box. EAM44, did you pull that right off Conestoga's site? It looks like it.

    Thanks again.