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Hey Ladies,
I just bought a house a few months ago and have painted the living room and two of the bedrooms already...now I want to tackle the kitchen pretty bad. My cabinets are a medium brown color and the walls are white with green (gross) countertops...I plan to replace the countertops eventually to granite...but I have always wanted a red kitchen...i wanted to paint the cabinets white in order to do this but am slowly changing my mind about painting the cabinets...
do u think that it would look bad if i painted the kitchen red with brown cabinets? have any of you done it or seen anyone that has?
If not...i would LOVE to hear some suggestions as to what colors to paint the kitchen.
Thanks in advance!!!
I think a red kitchen with brown cabinets would be really dark. If you're not up for painting both the walls and cabinets, maybe you could leave the walls white but paint the cabinets red, that way you'd have some good bright color to balance the red.
I agree that red walls with brown cabinets would probably be too dark. Unless you have a lot of windows in your kitchen which doesn't seem very likely.
OK...so red is out...but im not gonna paint the cabinets (if i did they would be white) its just a lot of work...and...any suggestions? maybe a yellow or green?
I think yellow or green could work. Yellow is very sunny! My dad has his kitchen as lime green with white cabinets and it actually looks really nice!
cool...i just love white cabinets...but there is so much work involved and cost in painting them and im getting pretty burnt out with the DIY stuff! i think lime green and white would be really cute.
Some people like a dark kitchen, with colors I mean. Windows would definitely help for light! I think we will end up doing a dark kitchen (someday) with a dark golden yellow and dark brown cabinets.
ok...im watching HGTV and they just showed a kitchen with a medium yellow color with almost my exact cabinets and it looked really cute! now im think the yellow route...
I see you already decided against red, but just wanted to affirm your decision... red makes you hungry! Haha, I just read an article on it the other day. It's why so many fast food places use it.
It might be dark but Ive always wanted a red kitchen too! Our friends painted their kitchen walls red but they had a lighter wood for cabinets. I cant paint our kitchen and dont know if I would once we get a house, but I have all the red appliances and towels :)
I may be the minority here, but we have a white kitchen and I am NOT a fan! It requires constant cleaning to look pretty and clean!!
Ms. Teddy,
Also, don't get TOO intimidated about painting the cabinets-- it can be one of the most cost-effective ways to transform the look of a kitchen, and might not take as long as you think. Check out an easy tutorial here: http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/11/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets/
I think the red could be really fun and adorable. Here's some pictures I found:
I love the first picture. That is like, my dream kitchen. I love the retro feel.
When I lived in an apartment I had a white kitchen (couldn't paint) and I played it up with red and teal appliances and curtains etc.
What if you did a red accent wall and put and accent color (teal maybe?? I love the teal) or a fresh coat of white or cream with the brown cabinets.
We have a red kitchen with dark stained cherry cabinets. It was that way when we got the house, and I really like it. We do have a lot of natural light, but I have never thought it was too dark.
Wow ladies! thanks!! Now im rerethinking my decision...lol. Do any of you know any shades of red including the brand that some of these pictures are in? my cabinets look like the 2nd picture that Jhphi put up. My floors are a beige tile also.
@krissycake...my goal is to not have a single room in the house with white walls! so that is def not gonna be a problem. i rented all my life and hated the white walls!
@jhphi and zippy lef thanks for the inspiration pics! maybe i can do it after all! I might just paint it...and if I hate it...its just paint! I can paint it something else!
@ms.teddy - yes! i am so with you! we are renting this house that we live in now and i cannot wait til we're in our own home and have free reign on the decorating! =)
@krissycake you can also put as many holes in the walls as you want to! lol. its a very liberating experience.
I'm not sure of any of the paint colors (I just google imaged it to look for photos:) ), but I'd advise you to just take a trip to your local hardware store/paint shop, or one of the big stores like Lowes or Home Depot, and grab a bunch of red paint swatches/chips. Just bring them home and tape them up next to your cabinets-- you may find that your cabinets look better with a red with more of a blue tint, rather than an orangey red, or you might find the opposite!
I would definitely advocate checking out the "How To" postings on the Young House Love blog-- they're written in a really unintimidating style, with very easy to follow instructions. But it sounds like you're quite the painting pro already. Good luck!
Has anyone painted their cabinets before? I heard its time consuming and difficult...
http://valspar.com/painter.html
You could try that handy little tool right there.
These pics are of our kitchen at our housewarming party in Sept. We have tan walls and one red accent walls, I thought I hated red walls but I really love it. I say go red!
What about this.
http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/kitchen/gallery/a-kitchen-in-vibrant-red/
red_kitchen2.jpg (21.8 KB, 80 downloads) 2 years old red_kitchen.jpg (15.8 KB, 79 downloads) 2 years old
OK Im getting some good ideas...Im at home now and on my laptop...here are some pictures of the kitchen the countertops are gonna go also they are so ugly....the flooring is no longer the white vinyl ugly thing...we put in a tan colored tile. let me see if this works! 
@Abbee...I LOVE your kitchen...especially the countertops! You guys did a great job and have great taste!
That is definitely open enough and light enough wood to do red without it being too dark, I think! I think warmer reds would look really good with that tone of wood.
Something like these, all from Behr at Home Depot; top to bottom -- Grenadine, Red Hot, Fiery Red, Chili Pepper:
Or take a red Kitchenaid stand mixer to your nearest paint store and color match! I love that red in a kitchen.
Also, re: paiting cabinets. Sure, it is cheaper overall, but it is a ton of work! I used to work in a paint department at a home improvement store. You'd have to take all the hardware off, sand everything, and then prime it/paint it. Since you're doing white, you could probably get away with using primer and no paint on top, but it's still a LOT of work. If you don't mind those cabinets, and you're already painting the walls and changing the countertops, you don't even really need to do the cabinets. I'd do them if you weren't going to change anything else, you know? Also, I think that warm tone of wood will probably look better with reds rather than the stark/high contrast of the white cabinet. But that's just me.
@Amaryllis...WOW! Im loving that color palette that you just gave me! Especially the second one...Red Hot. Are you an interior decorator or something? If not you should be. I think you are right about the cabinets...if I switch out the countertops to granite and paint the kitchen there is no need to do the cabinets as well. I will have to go to Home Depot and check those out! If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear them!
Here's a couple of suggestions:
1) Go to a paint companies website (Sherwin Williams, Behr, etc). Most of those websites will allow you to upload a picture of your room and experiment with paint colors to see if you like it in YOUR room with YOUR cabinets, windows, whatever.
2) IF you do go with red...don't freak out when you're painting it. It will go on fushcia and it will require several coats. I would recommend a tinited primer to reduce the number of coats. Like I said, it will go on a pinkish/fuschia color but it will dry differently. Give it some time before you completely panic.
3) Maybe you could paint one wall red. Perhaps the wall with the most windows or light or a wall with a door way so it is broken up a bit. Then you still get your red without the dark cave like feeling that some have mentioned.
4) Painting cabinets isn't THAT bad...just make sure to use some tape and number your doors so you don't spend forever trying to reassemble them. That's the realy hassle. I would also recommend taking off the hardware and putting it in a bag along with the screws and taping it to the inside of the cabinet so you have the correct number for each door when you go to put them back on. Much easier than hunting them down as you're trying to do it.
5) Look at different finishes. A matte finish will look really different than a high gloss one and depending what finish you go with it will make a huge difference in feeling cave like or not.
6) IT'S JUST PAINT! You can always change it. I say go for it...if you hate it, change it. You'll never know if you don't try. Good luck.
Aww, you are too kind. I have a secret love of all things design --fashion, interior, etc. HGTV is where it's at.
I completely agree with eeh -- look into tintable primer! Since red is such a rich color, you will need multiple coats for it to look even and deep. Primer is essential to that flawless, professional finish, and they can tint it to a light red that might help cut down a coat (= save you $$$). And I didn't mean to sound doom and gloom about painting cabinets; it's not THAT bad, but I just meant if your cabinets are good (which they are), don't think you have to paint them just to balance the red.
Considering that you put tan floor tile in, I think the wood will help keep the warm color scheme going. Since I am having fun with this, I cobbled together some Google Images "granite countertop samples" (sources are various websites; if you google that they're on the first two pages).
Something in the warm tan/gold family with some red tinted veining maybe? I think it helps with picking colors to picture how you want the finished product to look with all its components.
@amaryllisOh what a good idea to have a little red tint in the granite too...next time I have a question I will have to PM you! I actually really like the second one and i think its bright enough for the red!
about the cabinets...im actually pretty done with the DIY for now...the least DIY I can do the better right now...ive done my master bath and room...and the living room alond with the hallways...I def know the importance of primer!!
@eeh...I promise not to freak out when I see pink on the walls! Im also toying with the idea of the one wall red...any ideas what wall if you look at the pics? Thanks for your help :)
I am glad you like it. Yeah, I think something like that granite helps tie the colors together without being too "matchy matchy." And with the cabinets, I think you could probably add some knobs to give them an updated look with an easy DIY project. (I am seeing brushed nickel, if that is the right term -- not the polished/shiny kind.) PM me anytime. And have fun! :)
i love the red kitchen... im painting my cabinets red because i love it... is a lot of work but when you finish is so worth it...
when i bought my house the living room walls had to be milk coated and that cost a lot of money... so we decided to do it ourself... it was a lot of work (4 days) but it was so worth it when we finish... is not perfect but it feels so good
My kitchen is red with white cabinets and grey tile counters. When I clean it up, I'll take a pic!
Mrs.DG that was EXACTLY what I had in mind...right down to the grey countertops! Do you remember what the paint color name you used was? and I would LOVE to see a picture :)
I'd probably do either the wall with the cut-out and sink or the door with the rounded arch doorway. It wouldn't be an overwhelming punch in the face but it would be enough to make a statement. The cut-out and arch break it up a bit so it wouldn't feel dark. Again...put those pictures on a paint website and see what you like best.
i went for a terra cotta color... its the instyle line from sears, color "terra casa" I looooove it! sometimes it looks red, sometimes orange depending on the time of day!
My cabinets are totally your color - medium brown... and our kitchen is barnish red. It's not too dark - definitely a red color - but in that family.
Lowes Olympic 'Apple A Day' B35-6 - you can check it out.
Sad I don't really have any pics to post... but I found some on my blog for a LONG LONG time ago that will at least let you see the color. http://altajilian.blogspot.com/2007/05/new-light-at-101.html (The top photo is kinda dark - the bottom ones ara more true to color)
Also just a note.... red usually requires 3-4 coats of paint to get the true color it should be. If you do prime (which you may not have to) let them know you will be painting red because they usually add a tint to the primer to help with the red coverage.
I REALLY wanted a lime green kitchen... but I have an open floor plan and it just wouldn't flow with the rest of the house.... so I think when I get around to it the master bath will be some shade of brightish green :) I LOVE COLOR!
We wanted the same thing but eventually went for brown cabinets with a white tiled backsplash and white counters. I think it all depends on the brown. Eventually (like tonight) I'll take a picture of the finished kitchen.
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