Let’s Talk!
651.500.7650
The Big Reveal
What to do with these 60’s cabinets
Just to review quickly from my March blog,
my husband and I are renovating a farmhouse that has been in his family for five generations. Farmhouses tend to change a lot through the decades and this house is no different. Over the past six years it has required enormous amounts of our energy, time, and financial resources for repairing, unifying, and updating.
Initially we had all the kitchen linoleum and carpeting torn out, revealing hardwood floors underneath. A professional was brought in to refinish those and they’re a beautiful, lighter maple with orange-ish undertones. Then we made some small changes in the kitchen including a more functional layout and having a new countertop and sink installed. The countertop is no longer yellow as shown at right. But the 1960’s cabinets remain in all their original, flat front, hardwood, veneer glory.
I knew I wanted to paint the cabinets for an inexpensive upgrade but what color? For the longest time I agonized over some sort of
greige paint color because the new countertop has a creamy background with rusty and gray-ish veining. A warm gray would not only work great with the countertop’s veining but would also provide great contrast to it’s creamy background. But then I thought just because gray cabinets are trending now doesn’t mean they will be in five years or way down the road when this house will be gifted to our boys, the fifth generation. And there are a load of cabinets in this kitchen, covering one and a half walls in an L-shape from floor to ceiling. Would the visual weight on that side of the room just tip it over the edge? And would they just darken the room that I really just want to be bright, warm, and welcoming?
The Big Reveal
After months of contemplation, ordering numerous paint samples, and studying up about undertones, I have finally decided the most flexible and timeless solution is to paint these cabinets a warm white and replace the hardware with oil-rubbed bronze pulls and knobs. I’ve seen examples on Pinterest and I gotta say, they are cute! Warm white will alleviate the gray-trend issue and the visual weight problem.
And I’ll figure out another way to provide contrast! It’ll be fine. So that brings me to my Anchor Neutral choice. Remember from my March blog that:
#1 An Anchor Neutral is the main wall color that is used in the entry, an adjoining room, the hallway and up the stairs.
#2 An Anchor Neutral should have the same undertone as the immovable features like flooring, countertops or cabinetry.
#3 In newer homes, the Anchor Neutral is typically a light gray or a beige neutral but in older homes, colors with more saturation are the norm.
I love blues and greens! And I have “warm” colors in my immovable features (cabinets and countertop). My maple hardwood floors tend to have an orange undertone and Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist, has taught me that paint color with green undertones will enhance my
“orange-y” hardwood floors.
If you paid attention in your elementary art class, you’re probably thinking that green is a “cool” color and you’d be right. But with paint, green can be a hybrid color by choosing one with more yellow undertones. So, green it is!
Now (sigh) which green?
Let’s Talk!
Roberta Peters
Birch Hill Interiors
651.500.7650
Twin Cities
The Big Reveal
What to do with these
60’s cabinets
Just to review quickly from my March blog, my husband and I are renovating a farmhouse that has been in his family for five generations. Farmhouses tend to change a lot through the decades and this house is no different. Over the past six years it has required enormous amounts of our energy, time, and financial resources for repairing, unifying, and updating.
Initially we had all the kitchen linoleum and carpeting torn out, revealing hardwood floors underneath. A professional was brought in to refinish those and they’re a beautiful, lighter maple with orange-ish undertones. Then we made some small changes in the kitchen including a more functional layout and having a new countertop and sink installed. The countertop is no longer yellow as shown at right. But the 1960’s cabinets remain in all their original, flat front, hardwood, veneer glory.
I knew I wanted to paint the cabinets for an inexpensive upgrade but what color? For the longest time I agonized over some sort of greige paint color because the new countertop has a creamy background with rusty and gray-ish veining. A warm gray would not only work great with the countertop’s veining but would also provide great contrast to it’s creamy background. But then I thought just because gray cabinets are trending now doesn’t mean they will be in five years or way down the road when this house will be gifted to our boys, the fifth generation. And there are a load of cabinets in this kitchen, covering one and a half walls in an L-shape from floor to ceiling. Would the visual weight on that side of the room just tip it over the edge? And would they just darken the room that I really just want to be bright, warm, and welcoming?
The Big Reveal
After months of contemplation, ordering numerous paint samples, and studying up about undertones, I have finally decided the most flexible and timeless solution is to paint these cabinets a warm white and replace the hardware with oil-rubbed bronze pulls and knobs. I’ve seen examples on Pinterest and I gotta say, they are cute! Warm white will alleviate the gray-trend issue and the visual weight problem.
And I’ll figure out another way to provide contrast! It’ll be fine. So that brings me to my Anchor Neutral choice. Remember from my March blog that:
#1 An Anchor Neutral is the main wall color that is used in the entry, an adjoining room, the hallway and up the stairs.
#2 An Anchor Neutral should have the same undertone as the immovable features like flooring, countertops or cabinetry.
#3 In newer homes, the Anchor Neutral is typically a light gray or a beige neutral but in older homes, colors with more saturation are the norm.
I love blues and greens! And I have “warm” colors in my immovable features (cabinets and countertop). My maple hardwood floors tend to have an orange undertone and Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist, has taught me that paint color with green undertones will enhance my
“orange-y” hardwood floors.
If you paid attention in your elementary art class, you’re probably thinking that green is a “cool” color and you’d be right. But with paint, green can be a hybrid color by choosing one with more yellow undertones. So, green it is!
Now (sigh) which green?
Let’s Talk!
Roberta Peters
Birch Hill Interiors
Twin Cities