Your thoughts please…

So by now you know that the kitchen is the next thing that is on my attack list, I wanted your input and ideas on what colour to paint our kitchen. I have always wanted them to be white with brushed aluminium bin pulls for the drawers and the same type of small knobs for the doors.

This kitchen does it for me. As our Old Lady (home) was built in 1886, I want it not to look state of the art and streamlined, but loved, lived and to be sympathetic to her age.

This is our kitchen (on a renovating day, so untidy..sorry). As you can see we have 70’s style wood doors to disguise. They are in great shape, so we will just paint. Counters are staying for now (I would love soapstone) and are mainly white with a grey speckle through them.
The tall cupboards (four of them) are our pantry (2 doors near fridge), glassware and white ironstone storage (2 doors closest to you). The pantry one will have rectangles cut out in them and fly wire put in the back to make a old looking pantry, and the next two will be black chalkboard paint (the phone is right next to them).

For the short term the old oven will stay, but we have been thinking of getting a new one that looks old to put in the fireplace. We are still deciding as that means we have to get rid of the ancient cast iron fire/oven…hhhmmm! One thing is for sure, there will be plenty of wicker baskets about. Also I would like to re do the centre island to include maybe shelves and drawers.
So…..

…do we paint the kitchen doors white to show up our old Tasmanian Oak floorboards, or…

black?
Like Layla’s kitchen, or do we go a soft shade of grey (which I have been thinking after seeing Brooke’s kitchen, like the colour of my blog)???

I really want it to tie in with whats in the living area as it all flows through. Our lounge will be covered in a linen colour and the curtains might be a little darker…oh help.
Why is so hard to do your own home?
Thanks in advance lovelies.
Ness xx
pic 1&2&6- skona hem, 3&4 -me, 5 -via Shannon Fricke, 7 –The Lettered Cottage.

Comments

comments

Comments (26)

  • I think you have to stick with your first choice, white… Here’s why… your honey oak floors with the black won’t look right. Layla’s kitchen has dark rosey wood floors. I would do white cabinets and accent with your favorite grey tones. Brushed appliances, maybe some zinc somewhere, your soapstone counters and pretty pillows because that is what you love the most.. grey & white~keep it simple.

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  • Having gone through this two years ago with our 1928 house, I do not envy you the decision… There is so much fun involved, but committing to a look was a bit overwhelming to me. I obviously love white, as that is what we went with, but do like the black as well. I think I prefer the color of your blog over black though – softer and so comfortable. It would look great with baskets as well as white accents. It is very scandanavian, which I seem to be having a love affair with these days…
    Best of luck my friend!
    xo

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  • Love the idea of the stove in the fireplace (that is what I plan to do in my kitchen) painted white I think would look great and definitely with lots of wicker baskets.
    Lynette 🙂

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  • To me it just all seems to be screaming “Please paint me Dulux Antique White USA”.

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  • I think white will bring it to life, amazing what a bit of Antique white can do.

    I like black but think it may make your space feel very dark

    how exciting, I love planning things like that, lots of work but I bet it’ll look completely different

    did you see how Layla changed the height of the cupboards, I thought that was really interesting and an instant way to add a more quality feel

    good luck

    Sarah

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  • White will definitely work better to boost the space … but it’s harder to keep clean!

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  • Thought I’d leave my thoughts, even though you don’t know me…I love your blog. I would go with white. Judging by your photos, the room isn’t exactly bathed in light, so white will make the most of the light you have. Black would eat it up. And if you’re doing your living room / lounge like your Dream Lounge picture over on the side of your blog, white would look really good. One idea is to have the island be different – grey might look great there. Kitchens are so fun! Good luck!

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  • Hi Ness, we just finished our kitchen! It is a big task and you are so right! Why is it harder to do your own home!?! I love the idea of White for the cabinets. It is a color you love already and will make everything bright & open! Good luck my friend!
    xoxo
    Judith~

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  • I also think that the white would look great, if you think that it will be too white you could always distress the cupboard doors which would look great with the old flooring. I love the basket idea and we used the chicken wire on the cupboards in our kitchen – I love that whole country look.

    I know that you love all white interiors so thought that you may like this one:

    http://www.olivegroveretreat.com/

    I loved it when I first saw it and still love it today 🙂

    Bonne courage

    L x

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  • I’m definitely a white gal, Ness.

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  • I too believe that the white would be best. Your light issue and the floor color are both valid reasons to not go the black route. Black is just as hard to keep clean as white. The gray could be a nice touch in either the inside of open selves, fabric or wall color.

    I think it is much easier to walk into a room and know what it needs because it is a fresh experience. We also can over work an idea in our own home.

    You will have a lovely home.

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  • Oh, I like the white with black shiny granite! Beautiful!

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  • While I absolutely LOVe what Layla did with her kitchen, I think the white is just so much more you. I can’t wait to see all of your ideas in action!!!!
    xoxo

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  • You can never go wrong with white. BUT… if you are going to have an island, I would do it in a dark grey so that everything is not matching. Also, you may want to vary your counter tops for added interest…marble, tile, zinc, wood, soapstone, reclaimed wood, cement… You have a lot of opportunity with the walls, ceiling, cabinets, trim, accessories, etc. to layer different tones and values of whites and greys to give depth to the room.

    Best of luck!

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  • I definitely love the idea of doing the white cabinets, that’s what we have, and I love it – but I have found that the white dishes and ironstone really pop against a color like gray (the background of your blog) and I like the way they look when they’re mixed. So what if you did a gray on the bottom cabinets, and installed an open shelf or two on either side of that window, up to the edge where you have bloom? Check out my blog today – I think that the kitchen from the little house on Martha’s Vineyard could give you some good ideas.

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  • It’s a tough call. Now call me crazy, cause I tend to like to reconfigure. Take out all cupboards etcetra where the window is and place the table there. Bench under window and chairs around the rest of the table. Then put the oven in that fireplace alcove, and counters along that wall, Pantry and Fridge where it exists now ( maybe adjust where it sits. Add mouldings to the pantry, and surround the fridge so that it looks like part of the pantry. Build and island down the center, with bins on one side and narrow shelves on the other.
    Paint it all in white with soap stone counter tops, and Wa la! a new kitchen.
    Seriously though. White with added mouldings are the simplest solution.
    Come join my “Doors to Adore” Part April 7th.
    I’ve also got a little giveaway.
    Have a great day.
    Darlene

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  • I love white and off white cabinets- they look so fresh and timeless and they open the space so much!

    In my old house the cabinets were this awful eggplant purple (I can’t even fathom why this was ever chosen!!) and once they were painted the Kitchen was so much brighter and seemed to double in size!

    Good luck and enjoy your redo!!!

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  • We own an old farmhouse, on a farm, and we chose white cabinets, that were slightly distressed- with a wax rub. some of them are glass fronted…have you thought of opening up some and just taking the doors right off? you could paint the back of those black to show off your white plates/platters more….and as far as the island goes- I would look for maybe an old carpenter’s worktable (we use one in our kitchen)…they are more inexpensive than making new drawers and such on what you have.

    Can’t wait to see the reveal 🙂

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  • As pretty as the black is, and I do love it, too, I can’t picture it for you in the long term. I always think of creams and whites and the palest of greys and blues when I think of you.
    I think your cabinets would be gorgeous a very pale grey and even whitewashed over it. White is always lovely, but I think your beautiful dishes would show up much better with a little color on the cabinets 🙂
    I just went through this whole process in my head for my own kitchen! I ended up chosing the pale grey for my cabinets- Mourning dove grey by Martha Stewart, and I love it.
    I know it will beautiful, whatever you decide to do, because your taste is just wonderful.
    xo Isa

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  • Like the blog, just found it. Look forward to reading more….
    Leslie
    lamaisonfou blog

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  • For all it’s worth, I agree with white, especially if you are keeping your countertops for a while. Grey walls would be a great contrast!

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  • You know me Ness, the old KISS principle reigns supreme. White is great & knicking Layla’s idea of adding some crown mouldings to the cabinet tops is a winner. It will give the illusion of a higher ceiling big-time.

    Also, is there any chance you could con (oops, persuade!) Mic into replacing the window over the sink with a bigger one? I reckon adding more natural light would be a fantastic investment. Decisions, decisions – but you are such a whizz I’m sure you’ll get the kitchen of your dreams.
    Millie ^_^

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  • Hi Ness! How exciting thinking about your kitchen reno. I would stick with white and wicker too. I am thinking about adding a big black cabinet to the side of my kitchen (because I love black too!), but this way, if I get sick of there I can move it, or paint it again. I wanted to paint my kitchen black at one stage, but I knew I would tire of it easy and wouldn’t be able to change it! My sister is building too at the moment and she wanted to incorporate black too so decided on a big huge black oven and a black chandelier over her island. You could do this!

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  • Hi Ness.
    Sorry to be late to the party. Just got back in town.
    I could definitely imagine you with a light gray kitchen with white accents. Of course, I could see a white kitchen for you as well. Oh, I am of no help whatsoever!
    Fortunately, I have complete faith in you and know it will be beautiful either way.
    Thank you for the shout out!

    xo
    Brooke

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  • I vote for Black, of course! 🙂

    My floors aren’t as “rosy” as they appear in that photo. I’m actually going to remove those at some point and refinish the hardwood underneath them to look more like yours. I LOVE THEM!

    Good luck with the re-do, I’m sure it will be STUNNING!

    🙂
    Layla
    The Lettered Cottage

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  • Oh, tough decision. I know it is a whole different story when it’s your own home. I really do love both looks, what about doing BOTH? I think it would be great to have all white cabinets, and just maybe the island grey? You could also do different countertops, carrera marble on a gray island, and soapstone on the rest? Something to think about!

    Reply

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