Interior Design and Redesign

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Interior Redesign Course: Kitchen Decorating Dilemma


I'm not sure if this is how I go about asking a question, but I will give it a try. I purchased your Décor Secrets Revealed on 12/29/2005 and I'm working my way through it and having a great time.

I moved into a home within the last year and have been slowly making it our own. I have completed the living room/dining room and part of the family room and now would like to work on the kitchen. The kitchen has a U-shaped set up with beige tiles, frost is the name of the finish on the cabinets, and the wall are white. I cannot replace the cabinets or tile at this time (we will not be in the house that long.) The cabinets are builder grade and are not very attractive (beige in color with a wood grain) and the counter top is gray, black and tan Formica.

What I would like is a Wow factor when you enter the kitchen. The area opens up to a eating area and the family room. I replaced the carpet in the FR with hardwood floors and painted the large 14' wall at the end of the room Mulled Wine, the furniture in the FR is navy and cream check (sofa and love seat), along with a wing chair and ottoman in a color similar to the wine. The wood furniture consists of dark pine and natural pine pieces. The kitchen table is pine with black chairs with rush seats.

The cabinets originally had no knobs so I just put on very nice pewter swirl knobs which really made a difference, now I am trying to figure out what color to paint the walls in the kitchen, eating area and FR. I thought that if I painted the walls a color similar to the color of the cabinets that it would make the cabinets blend into the walls, (since I do not like the cabinets), I plan on replacing the counter top and I thought it should be a solid black (which could be a focal point), and I will add a black roping or crown molding to the top of the cabinets. Possibly paint the small wall in the kitchen (one with frig, in the old) the same Mulled Wine that is in the FR. I would then carry the same cream color walls into the eating area and family room, hopefully leaving the wine color wall.

Since I do not plan on replacing the tiles, I will find a rug for under the kitchen table with compliments the colors.

Will painting a wall the similar color as the cabinet make them blend? Do you think that this might work? Am I headed in the right direction?

Answer to Kitchen Decorating Dilemma