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| Two steps forward and 1 step back... it would be lovely to do something just once and get it right that first time, you know?
This past week, I grouted the kitchen backsplash, did some fancy decouppage outlet work and yesterday, painted the cleanup sink wall a rich dark brown which was color matched to the tile. I am not happy at all with this wall and really dislike how it looks and feels! I think the wall brown takes away from the boldness of the tile (you lose the contrast) and is not at all in keeping with colors in the rest of the house. You may recall the thread in which I solicited advice for treatment for this wall (linked below). In looking at the pictures the only one I really like is the continuation of the tile but that is not an option at this time. (One thought was to color match the lighter color in the tile and stamp or paint a pattern on top of the brown tile, but I'm thinking that would be a huge waste of time). I'd like suggestions for alternate colors/suggestions; sorry these pictures are dark but it's early:) We are having a party at our house Saturday night so I really should be cleaning and organizing in my spare time (if anyone were to peek in some of the closets...) and I'd love to get this wrapped up by then. Thanks! --oldbat2be
Quite the rich brown!
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Here is a link that might be useful: Suggestions on how to tile this corner/wall thread
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I've been watching for finished pics of that tile -- well worth the wait, it's so stunningly beautiful I can feel my pulse increase when I look at it. Wow. I am surprised you don't like the brown wall. I think it looks really nice not only with your tile -- I don't see it upstaging the tile at all, since dark colors recede, it seems to me from the pictures that the wall is stepping back and letting the tile take center stage, especially with the brown being taken from the tile, it really complements it. Further in support of the brown wall, I think it also makes the trim work around that window stand out, and helps camoflage the dark fridge in an otherwise light kitchen (a good thing). If it were me, I wouldn't change that wall -- I think it looks great, and is the logical choice for that space. Maybe you're experiencing "color shock"? It usually takes me a few days to learn to love bold wall..... Keep it. And when do we get to see the pantry tile? :-) |
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- Posted by starinasgarden (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 7:47
| One of the nicest BS ever! Beautifully done. I like the rich brown wall very much. It plays well with the tile, and highlights your beautiful trim. Perhaps a bit of time, and stepping away from this room will help your eyes adjust? The dark cabinets and buffet work well with the deep color as well. Of course, I love color, and this is my opinion ;-) |
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| What about paint matching the cream cabinets for the color on the window wall? From your pics, the dark brown wall seems to draw my attention from the tile wall. I wonder if the cab color on that wall would serve to really allow the tile to take center stage? I can't tell but if the cab color is different (deeper?) than the window trim, it might also give the window a subtle highlight without stealing from the tile. My 2 cents, fwiw. |
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- Posted by catbuilder (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 8:29
| I, too, like the dark brown wall. It makes the tile stand out more than a lighter color would. I think it's beautiful. |
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| Can't tell but are the lower ivory cabs darker than the uppers? |
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| Sorry to hear that you don't like that delicious chocolate wall. IMO it does not distract from the boldness of your fabulous tile but rather is the perfect compliment. It looks great with your cabinet colors and you barely notice that black refrigerator that if I recall correctly you were concerned about. It seems that the majority of GWers on the kitchen forum favor very light neutral colors in their kitchens which is fine but I personally love more depth of color. Brown is a warm neutral and the brown you chose is warm and rich. Color experts say that the color brown helps stimulate the appetite so watch out people may eat more in your beautiful kitchen. They also say that brown conveys the feelings of warmth, honesty and wholesomeness. I think the brown is perfect for your space. Please don't rush to change it. |
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| kris_ma - what a nice thing to say, thanks! I'm sure part of it is color shock but this does not contribute to the 'serene feeling' I have in other parts of the room. (I feel this color is so masculine).
thanks star, but I just love the view out the front windows and my eye is now drawn to the brown, when looking out the sink window. A few quick shots of the pantry tile (as I said in another thread), so wish I'd used plugmold here. A big part of why I selected this tile was because of it was calm and soothing; could look from the bold tile in the kitchen over at this. That's it! The brown bold color is just one clown too many for the space IMO. Need to recolor the vertical cault line. Bought tec caulk which matched the grout (silverado) but I don't think I like how dark it is along the countertop and corner vertical seam.
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| I love the brown with your tile. And it is beautiful with the "serene" room too. I think the whole think is amazing and you shouldn't change a thing. |
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- Posted by onedogedie (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 8:53
| I love your eating area. The lighting fixture! I see what you mean about the serene colors elsewhere. I'm not sold on the dark, dark brown. Maybe a lighter shade? Taupe? I have no idea what I'm talking about but I know lots of people are firm believers in griege. I do feel that browns are hard, having once tried to paint a room brown, and that you should be prepared to try again, and again. Since the echoing the dark of the tile didn't work, then try the light of the tile. The tile is just so wonderful. You are well on the road to Bathood if you are going to worry about the shade of the caulk line in the corner of the pantry. : ) |
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| I like the brown wall with the tile but I think it doesn't play nicely with your stained cabinets and the black fridge. Bummer - sometimes these things happen, but it's just paint. The safest choice - probably the easiest in the short term - is to paint the wall the color of the painted cabs and live with it for a while and contemplate some more. |
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- Posted by williamsem (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 9:35
| I like brown! But if you don't, and that's not what you were going for, then that's all that matters. I wish I was better with color and could suggest something, but color isn't my strong point. Hope you find the right color soon so you can enjoy that lovely kitchen! |
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| Cream and brown and blue go so well together - what about bringing your serene grey-blue wall color over to the (currently) brown wall? |
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| Although I'm not a fan of dark walls, the dark brown is beautiful in closeups. However, for me, it upstages the backsplash, immediately calling attention to itself. It's just this dark thing that absorbs the light. I'm the last person qualified to offer up any design opinion, but the dark brown emphasizes a lack of balance on either side of the window. It's not a bad color, but I don't care for it there. |
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- Posted by onedogedie (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 10:01
| I like EAM's idea. I was thinking that a color would bring some fun to compliment the kick of those tiles. |
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| It is perfect just the way it is, and I think you should keep it. Just give yourself a little time. I think if you add some accents that are more feminine colors you might be happier with the look. But for now, I think you should leave it, |
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- Posted by mamasheshe (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 10:25
| The brown wall is beautiful, and the caulk matches the grout perfectly. You're looking for something to dislike. I think you should leave everything as is for the party Saturday night and see how many compliments you get! I think you'll be amazed at the reaction of people who haven't been agonizing over every detail, but see the whole from a fresh perspective. Your kitchen and home are stunning. Give it a little time to gel for you. |
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- Posted by WindyCityLindy (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 11:12
| I love the chocolate color, but I agree that it doesn't work with your island and refrigerator. I second the suggestion to try the silvery blue color of your breakfast area and see if you're happier with that. I think that would continue the serene feel of the rest of the space and probably work well (not compete with, but complement) your gorgeous tile. |
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| Love the BS and brown wall. However, I do have a question - is the black fridge staying, or do you plan to replace it at some point? The reason I ask is that I think some of the issues you are having with that wall could be resolved by having a SS fridge in that spot and adding a cream(?) cabinet over the top. That would minimize the amount of the brown, which I think works so beautifully with your tiles, and improve the overall symmetry of the window wall. My apologies if I have missed any discussions on that particular issue. Of course, that wouldn't help for this weekend, lol, but I agree with those who think your guests will love what you have done anyway. |
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| The idea for the silvery blue color might be a good one! |
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- Posted by mamadadapaige (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 13:04
| old bat, this is an AWESOME kitchen... first time seeing these pictures - I am blown away. You made so many nice choices. love it! |
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- Posted by michoumonster (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 13:15
| your backsplash is so beautiful!! how about light tan/beige paint for the wall? it will give you enough contrast against the white trim and cabinets and you can take the light tan/beige color from the tile design. |
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| Hm...I was in the paint it creme camp until EAM recommended bringing over the blue. Now I am in the blue camp... |
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- Posted by michoumonster (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 13:35
| oh just read through the other color suggestions. i change my vote to silvery blue too. it would look so sophisticated! |
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| If you have any of the blue paint, could you do a sample swatch on some cardboard or something just to see? |
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| Similar to how it would have looked yesterday...
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| LOL and OUCH, Oldbat! We are leading you in circles here, aren't we? You didn't like the blue in the kitchen? If not, I'm back to cream camp, also spelled creme. Or a very light tan that can play nice with your counters, your BS and your pretty blue. |
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| I agree with your assessment of the brown wall--it's way too dark and competes with the backsplash. I painted a fairly large bathroom with that chocolate brown about 4 years ago, and I immediately felt like it didn't work in that room. But I decided to live with it...and I'm still living with it, haha! And I still don'' like it--it's a rich, beautiful color, but it's next to too much white in the bathroom, so the contrast is too stark. It irks me every time I think about it, but then I remember how hard it was to paint, with all the cutting in all over the room...so it remains. My advice--change it NOW, while you are still motivated to do so. White to match cabs and trim, or a light beige, if you want that contrast with the white--maybe match the lighter beige shade in the tile, rather than the dark brown color? |
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| Probably not what you want, but here's another vote for living with the brown for a while! I think it's rich and luscious-looking, but supportive rather than competitive with your wonderful tile - and is a great ground for your lovely windows & view also. But (so sorry!) would love to see it with that island light fixture on - as I recall it has quite a presence of its own! |
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| Oh my goodness, that tile is AWESOME!!! I too like the brown wall, but maybe it's different in real life. |
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- Posted by mabeldingeldine (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 15:18
| Your kitchen is gorgeous, the tile is simply stunning. I think the brown is perfect, it is sophisticated and bold, complements the tile perfectly, and makes the dark fridge recede to the eye. I like an earlier poster's suggestion of adding another cabinet over the fridge once you are certain of the fridge size. That will balance out the brown more. I think a dramatic change like that takes a while to get used to; I agree with others' suggestions to give it some time and allow your eye to get used to it. Then if you still hate it, a cream or tan would be a safe choice -- but not as bold or sophisticated. |
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| I like the brown but the fridge really clashes with the tiles and the brown.. I would suggest a lighter brown may be.. More cappucino than espresso... While I generally love Silvery blue and brown, I think it works better where blue is dominant and brown is the accent color. YOu have it other way here. Oh.. but you did good with the tile.. I love it! |
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| Your kitchen is gorgeous! And that BS is amazing! I like the brown -- a lot! At this point, why not live with it a little bit longer and see how you feel. |
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| LOVE THE BACKSPLASH!! I keep looking at your fridge and keep thinking if you had a great big white accessory on top of your fridge it might help absorb some of the dark brown wall color. Like a white ceramic bowl or pitcher of some kind. I really like the brown... |
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| I think I'm with you. I love brown (my own kitchen is chocolate brown with white cabinets), but I think it takes away the focus from your beautiful tiles, and it doesn't seem to go well with the brown of your island. Have you tried a latte color? |
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| I think with the blue wall your backslash looks a little lost. It doesn't appear to be integrated into the scheme. I think you were right in thinking along the lines of the brown, I probably would have done the same, but it just isn't playing well with your stain. I think one thing I like about painting the wall to match your cabs is that it doesn't add another strong element or color to the space, and so lets that tile really take over. |
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| oldbat, I really like the brown, but I think lalitha hit the nail on the head about the fridge color conflicting with it. That's unfortunate because I think it goes very well with your BS tile. One more thing, is that a Varaluz Fascination light over your dining table? We were thinking about getting the similar light as a hanging chandelier over our entry. How do you like it? |
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- Posted by michoumonster (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 18:37
| doh! maybe a good time for photoshop. or, i used the benjamin moore facebook app before and got a few paint color suggestions from their designers. you can even upload pics of your space. might be worth a try? |
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- Posted by localeater (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 12 at 19:58
| I love the brown, but if you're not happy, who cares what I love. You want peaceful and serene, so I think you need to de-clutter the fridge. Sorry to be brutal but it is very busy. Then, take a deep breath and a new picture. Then, if you don't like the dark brown and aren't willing to try to live with it a week or 2, I think deedles is right, match the cabinet color, but in a matte finish. I love it all, just the way it is! |
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| I love the rich brown wall. I think it looks gorgeous with your kitchen and your tile. I'd be concerned that a lighter color would make your tile look washed out while your brown walls bring out the richness and depth of the tile. Live with it for a bit. I bet you'll get rave reviews at your party. |
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| Well now I just feel bad for bringing it up, but I really do prefer the blue grey. The question is, do you? You got to see the room and the tile in your own space and light. The brown let you down, but did you love the blue grey enough to want to bring it back? |
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