Welcome To My Madness

I’m just gonna go ahead and issue a trigger warning for this post. If you’re one of those people who gets irritated with my indecisiveness, you’ve been warned. You might just want to click away and come back when I share my progress on the breakfast room. If you get frustrated with my doing projects over and over again until I get them just like I want them, you’ve been warned. Turn away now.

For the rest of you who are just along for the ride and are completely unaffected by my indecisiveness and couldn’t care less how many times I redo my projects, welcome to my madness.

I’m working in my breakfast room right now, and I’m determined to get as much done on my list for this month as I possibly can. I’m not getting sidetracked with unrelated projects. I promise.

But my breakfast room is right next to my kitchen, and I’ve been obsessing over my kitchen for about two weeks now.

Let’s recap. When I remodeled my kitchen in 2014, I painted the cabinets Sherwin Williams Derbyshire.

kitchen after - wall of cabinets

I loved the green, and still do, but it’s such an intense color that it was like decorating with primary green. I found it an impossible task.

So then I had a whole awakening moment where I realized that all of the bright colors I was trying to force into my house just weren’t me. I’m a green, blue and teal person. So I completely changed gears and did a dark blue (Benjamin Moore Gentleman’s Gray) on the bottom, and a light gray (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter) on the top.

sneak-peek-new-kitchen-cabinet-colors-benjamin-moore-rever-pewter-on-uppers-benjamin-moore-gentlemans-gray-on-lowers-1

I thought it was fine for a while, and then the Revere Pewter just started looking dull and dingy to me. So I asked all of you, and the overwhelming majority of you agreed with me. (Interestingly, the sample of Revere Pewter on my breakfast room wall right just to the right of these cabinets looks about twice as dark as it does on my cabinets, and the breakfast room gets more sunlight than the kitchen does. Go figure!)

Your three main suggestions were: (1) go a bit darker gray on the top so that it contrasts with the white tile better, (2) go white on the top, and (3) paint all of the cabinets one color (i.e., dark blue).

Well, let’s just say that since that post, I’ve gone a little crazy. I’ve been like a mad scientist in my kitchen, mixing up color after color after color, trying each of them on my cabinets as I go. I’ve probably mixed and tested no less than 50 colors on those cabinets, and I don’t know that I’m any closer to making a decision.

Here’s what I do know for sure.

  1.  The dark blue is way too dark to use on all of the cabinets. I tested it, and I may as well have been painting my cabinets pure black. My kitchen is too small for that.
  2. I do not want white cabinets. I entertained the thought briefly, but I’m just not a white cabinet kind of person, especially when the walls/backsplash and the countertop are all going to be white. I just can’t do that much white.
  3. I’ve concluded that my kitchen is too small to use two colors, so I need one color that I can use on both the lowers and the uppers.

So now that I’ve told you about my madness, let me just show you. (Sorry for the messy countertop. Like I said…I’ve been in mad scientist mode.)

First, I thought I might try out a light blue-green-gray color, inspired by this kitchen.

So I mixed up various ratios of blues and green in different shades (you can also see the Gentleman’s Gray on the right).

new kitchen paint color options - 5

Those are all very pretty, but I don’t think they’re me. They’re a little too blue for my taste. I prefer my blue-greens to have a bit more green in them. And then I remembered this amazing kitchen…

teal-kitchen-with-wood-backsplashvia HGTV

So I played around with some blue-greens with more green in them. The color on the left in the photo below is very similar to the kitchen above during the day when my kitchen is filled with sunlight. It’s very pretty.

new kitchen paint color options - 3

And then I decided to go even a little more green.

new kitchen paint color options - 4

And then finally, I came full circle back to green. This isn’t the Derbyshire that I used before. This is Benjamin Moore Crete Countryside.

new kitchen paint color options - 1

This is what their picture of it looks like…

benjamin moore crete countryside

Strangely, they only have that color in their Grand Entrance paint (for front doors and such), so I’d have to have it color matched to use in another type of paint. Anyway, that green isn’t quite as intense and in-your-face as the Derbyshire, so it would be easier to decorate around (or at least that’s what I’ve convinced myself).

Anyway, last night, I had just about come to the end of my rope with this kitchen cabinet paint color nonsense (I can assure you, I get way more frustrated with myself than any of you could ever get at me), so I told myself that I needed to just suck it up, use the dark blue on the bottom, and use a darker gray on the top. I painted two samples on the right door — Chelsea Gray on the left and Galveston Gray on the right. Galveston Gray is too dark, but when I saw the Chelseal Gray, I thought, “Wow! I might actually like that!”

new kitchen paint color options - 2

But then I came back to the kitchen about an hour later, and my initial thought was, “Ugh! There’s no way I could live with either one of those.”

:-/

So then I proceeded to mix two other colors. I had purchased a sample of the blue-green color on the left door in this picture…

new kitchen paint color options - 4

…so I mixed 1 part of that color with 1 part of the Gentleman’s Gray (the dark blue on my lower cabinets), and I ended up with the color  on the left side of the door on the left…

new kitchen paint color options - 2

It was still too dark, so I added one more part of the teal green color, and ended up with the color on the right side of the left door above. Again, it’s pretty, but still too dark.

So I really have no point to this post other than to share with you the madness going on inside my mind. I’m driving myself crazy. If I don’t have a color picked out by the end of this month, I’m going put my top five samples into a hat, draw one out, and just go with it. Sounds like a reasonable way to make the biggest color decision in my house, right?

Fortunately, I’m keeping busy in my breakfast room. It’s not like progress is being held up until I make up my mind. Most of the projects I’m working on this month in the breakfast room are completely unaffected by my kitchen cabinets color. But since it’s just right there in the next room, staring me in the face every day, mocking me, taunting me, and throwing my indecisiveness in my face, I thought I’d share it with you as well.

*Sigh* My brain hurts. I’m gonna go finish up the trim in the breakfast room. 🙂

 

 

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171 Comments

  1. Oh dear! I know some people seem to get ticked off by the indecisiveness but when I read it, I soooo understand it! Wish I could help but ultimately it’s going to come down to you finding that magic color or color combination that works in your room and for your tastes! Inspiration will strike eventually I’m sure of it.

    But I so appreciate not just that you share the indecision many of us face but that you share it in your blog so we can see the whole story.

    I think thirty minute TV shows have convinced everyone that room design and such happens magically in between commercials. 😉 LOL

    1. Isn’t that the truth?! I think those shows make so many of us feel like we’re doing something terribly wrong, when the reality is that so many people have been living with paint samples on their walls for months (or a year or more) because they just can’t make a decision. That’s not uncommon at all, and yet anyone who has done that probably feels like they’re the only one who’s done that if they just watch those shows and see how seemingly quickly those rooms come together. TV isn’t reality…ever.

      1. Agree! I can pick decor out for my friends all day, but when I try to do it for myself, I drive myself crazy! I need to take my own advice, because my friends are generally happy with what I tell them to do!

  2. Can you just use the same color as the bottom cabinets, which I love, but add white to get a much lighter hue or tone or whatever the correct word is?

    1. I like this idea.

      I still think the blue (gentlemen’s gray, I think?) is your best option because it works as a grounding neutral for your scheme. The more green you add, the more I think you will bump into the “it’s hard to decorate around” problem. I think white on top is best because the room, as it is small and with only indirect light, will seem kind of dark and heavy with much color on top, and anything light and not white will likely seem dingy. If you are concerned about too much white, maybe you can break it up by painting the backs of the uppers in teal or one of your fun coordinating greens, which will show through the glass?

      This is one of those things where there is no right or wrong, and there probably isn’t a “perfect” choice…you need to prioritize your pros and cons and just go for it. For each of us that would likely be different. Blessings on finding your sweet spot. And, hey, you can always get another do-over!

      PS I appreciate the do-overs. I fail to try sometimes for fear of the do-overs. You showing me that a do-over isn’t the end of the world helps me be brave…if that makes any sense… 🙂

      1. Oh Dear, Kristi

        The Crete Countryside door/shutters trim is about 10% of the white house. IMHO it would be almost as intense as the Derbyshire Green when you get it on all your cabinets. I like HeatherB’s suggestion to use white. Try different colors on poster board and put in the back of the upper cabinets.

        Could you possibly leave the cabinets as they are until you finish the breakfast room and then consider the two spaces and see what works best? You’re probably going to have some color in the breakfast room. Maybe take inspiration from the fabric for your chairs, table linens, etc?

        I follow your blog faithfully and anxiously await the next “chapter” in your heroic journey.

        1. I SO AGREE with your premise, Nell. The Crete Countryside green will be just too much green again! And leave the same problem of decorating around it again.

          1. Agreed! I would certainly wait for other things to get done. I would certainly wait for the workers to do over the color of your countertop THEN make a decision. Green too green through my eyes and so pretty right now! Live with it. I think you will be happy you waited.

    2. That’s exactly what I was thinking, I love the Dark blue on the bottom, just lighten up that with white and use that on the uppers. I don’t think the room is too small for 2 colors, especially if they compliment

  3. Kristi, I feel your pain. It’s very hard to make a choice when you’re just not sure what you want for a final color. My suggestion: put up several colors and leave them for a couple of days. Look at them in different light and at night. If something strikes you as livable, leave it. Add a few more colors and repeat the process. When you get it to the point you’ve found 1-2 colors you think you can live with, paint a whole door (bigger swatch) and live with it for a couple more days and see how you feel. I did that with our living room paint a few years ago. The process took a good 2 weeks but I finally found the color we are still living with and like it.

  4. So my dear….you have done what all we designers do….confuse ourselves when on one’s clients house we know exactly what to do. To many choices…..to many mixes…..to many I’ll try this one again. I love the color you just had on your cabinets. Found it sophisticated and calming. I know you love color…..but your so good at “accenting” with color….chairs, rugs, draperies…ect..
    Give yourself a break. You know what you’re doing…….quit mixing and changing……you are FABULOUs at design.
    Just pick a color…….paint it for the third time and enjoy it…..then accent around it and it will be FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!
    To much stress on your poor little noggin!……it will and always was fabulous!

    1. I’ve heard other designers say this, but I must be the exception. I’m now retired from the design profession, but I’ve always been my favorite client! I know exactly what I want. I choose a plan and a color scheme, and I stick to it. I never change anything once it’s done because I’m always pleased with the results. I’m so glad that I don’t drive myself crazy in my own house!

  5. Have you thought about trying the paint color you used on the kitchen at your condo? I know it’s from a different space with different light conditions, but just as a comparison to something you liked and lived with, it might help to see it in relation to what you’re considering now. (meaning is it more muted, more gray more bright etc…..)

    1. I was just going to suggest the same! That kitchen was also small, but the blue-green-gray color you used in there was beautiful, and you know exactly how you feel about it.

    2. That is what I was going to suggest. This is a huge area of color and the more dramatic you go here the more it is in yo face and hard to decorate around.

    3. You read my mind. The entire time reading this posts and all the other kitchen cabinet color posts, I was thinking the same. I loved the kitchen in your condo and think it would be amazing in your house.

        1. Please, paint same color that was in condo. It looked great there and looks like it may be a winner again. It was and is a good color to coordinate and blend with other rooms.

          1. When you started showing the darker blue-greens I thought instantly of the condo kitchen. I loved the blue you used in there and I think you do too and you’re gravitating back to it again because it’s a favorite.

            1. Have to say this is a great idea. I love that color, it goes with so much. When you were first doing different rooms in the condo is when I started reading your blog everyday 🙂

      1. You should check that out near your living room as well to see if that works. It’d be nice if you didn’t have to do all that painting again!

      2. Okay, I commented below before reading through the posts. I basically said the same thing! I love that blue/teal! ( And I’m not a “blue” person! )

      3. Yes! That’s the one (well, for me…lol)! I adore the color you used on your condo cabinets and think it looks amazing in your new kitchen!

      4. It’s my all time favorite too! What color is the condo color? I’ve just used Harmonius SW in my home and love it. We have just found out that we are having to move and start over. Ugh!

        1. It’s a Behr color called Hallowed Hush. It’s one of their old colors, so they no longer have it on a paint card, but they still have it in their computer.

      5. Funny! You’re busy trying to re-create that paint, it seems, and you were so far down your rabbit hole that when Captain Obvious pointed it out, well, there’s one of those V-8 type moments!

      6. Yes!!! I think your biggest struggle is that you don’t want your house to look like your condo. Maybe as a decorator you want to show that you can do other things. But, you loved that kitchen in the condo and looking at all the teal colors you were trying, it’s just what you like. So, go for it! It’s your home and not a showcase for what you can do, it’s a showcase for what you love. You loved that teal kitchen. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 🙂

      7. I think you should use that color too. You have always said how much you loved it. Go with that and say AMEN!!

      8. Use that color again, Kristi! It’s not too different than the “amazing kitchen” with the wood backsplash, and you know you already like the color. The other darker colors are just too much saturation, and the definite green one will put you right back to square one again.

        Alternatively, I think in the 6th picture on your blog, the one of your color-swatched cabinets, whatever that color is on the right cabinet, 4th strip in from the right (it’s a very slim streak of paint) is also very pretty.

      9. So, I would NOT have said the blue of the condo based on the pictures of the condo. The color reads way too dark to me from the condo photos. BUT, I love the color based on the drawer in the photo in this post! Wow! I would just say make sure it works with the living room walls.

      10. I love that drawer color – it is right in my color wheelhouse and looks great! I can’t help but wonder, if that color is also standing out as a great choice because it is not surrounded by the other colors too. I get so confused visually if I have other colors close by – they influence each other and make none look good. The last time I did paint swatches, I had a splotchy room because I first put a bit of the neutral white of my trim color down and then the color, because those were the colors that would eventually remain next to each other. The influence of the old paint color and the new paint colors next to each other was too confusing.

      11. Oooh! I love it! And will work well with Gentlemen’s gray if decide to two tone it.

        I’ll be honest, when we moved into our new house I went with different colors from the old house–even though I LOVED those colors–just because I felt I needed to do something new and different, not the same old thing. It is my biggest regret with this home. The new colors are fine, but I find myself dreaming of repainting to what I had before.

        You loved the old kitchen, and rightfully so–it was beautiful! You have searched the whole world over looking to do different here in this home, and already you are coming back to a whole house plan that basically mimics what this “old” kitchen color represents. The blog The DIY Playbook keeps talking about trying to identify the things that are “so me”–well, you’ve succeeded on that quest, Kristi! What’s wrong with that?! You love that color! It is beautiful! It makes you happy! So what if it is the “same” as before? I think it could be the winner 🙂

  6. Personally, I like the colors where you go a little green. I think some green (not bright green) will be a nice contrast against (but still flow with) the blues and grays of the living room. I (personally) like the color on the left door in the photo underneath the sentence “and then I decided to go even a little more green”. I also like the sample blue-green that you purchased (the unaltered color on the left door in the photo where you introduce that sample). I think both of those colors will work well with brass/gold accents and white tile. Hang in there! I’m sorry that you’re frustrated, but it will come together eventually!

  7. I feel your pain. Our kitchen cabinets haven’t seen paint yet because of this exact problem. So, no advice from this corner of blogville, just know that you are definitely not alone in this adventure!

  8. One of my living room walls looked like a patchwork quilt I had so many sample colors on it … for months. I got so used to it I really didn’t even see it anymore when I walked by. One day, I decided it was stupid and painted over it with primer but I still haven’t made a decision about the color … You are not alone!

  9. I worked in a BM paint store for years, don’t worry I’ve definitely seen people try many more colours! It may help to know that there is quite a bit of science and colour theory behind the colours and how they’re mixed. It may be better to grab a fandeck and a few little tester pots of colour to try. Mixing colours can sometimes create something a little “muddy”. The tints don’t quite work together and although it may seem like an ok colour that’s where that underlying ick comes from.

  10. Have you picked the colors for the breakfast room yet? I would maybe do that before settling on the kitchen color seeing as how they border each other. LIKE you did in the living room after you picked the drape material.

    1. I think this idea makes a lot of sense. It might actually set the direction and take the stress out of trying to pick the perfect kitchen colors, first.

  11. I have to decide paint colors for my entire home that is down to the studs in a reno. A home I have never lived in so I don’t know what the light does in each room. A home that is framed but has no drywall. And the contractor has limited me to two colors which I have to decide based solely on online photographs. Color selection is tough. I feel better that I am not the only one who goes back and forth on choices.

    1. Get some posterboard, or big scraps of drywall and paint your choices on them. Take them to the house and stare at them. I did this when our house was studs only, and it helped. ( Some of my choices were BAD!!! Ha! ) Still, we did end up redoing a bathroom after the cabinets were installed, because the vanities were a “putty” color that clashed with the walls. The rest of the house went to a neutral color so we could live with it for a while if necessary. Hope I helped.

      1. I actually have my large sample boards ready to go but can’t get to the house since we have been snowed in. But the first chance I get that’s exactly what I am going to do! Thanks for the suggestion!!

  12. I’m thinking a jadeite type green- a clear, not muddy but not baby nursery mint either. I did this with my dining room- I took one of my blue willow dishes to the store with me and found a blue then went several shades lighter on the card so that it is the same color, just a lot lighter.

    We are getting ready to move and I think I might go with the deep blue of the Blue Willow for the next dining room. I’ve also thought about doing a chinoiserie design in white on top of the blue.

  13. I *love* your indecisiveness, lol – because it gives me ‘permission’ to redo things in my own house. That said, I love the blue green cabinets (the Julianne Hough pic). I have a similar color on my kitchen island. I tried so many different colors on those cabinets, and ended up mixing up my samples until I got a color I loved. The guy in the Lowe paint department wasn’t very amused when he did the color match, it took a lot of different colorants to make it, lol. Seriously, I give you great credit for backing up and redoing until you’re happy, ultimately you will have much less stress in your house because it’s what you *really* want.

    1. Oops, I referenced the wrong picture – I like the blue green in the HGTV link (Chip Wade, I think?) – very similar to mine!

  14. OH gosh!! I haven’t been here for some time, and I might be the only person disappointed with you changing the green cabinets. Those green cabinets are what made me follow your blog! In fact, I sent your kitchen photo to a number of my designer and artist friends who love color – insisting they must follow you. Anyway, I love your work and hope you find the perfect color for your taste…..through my tears. 🙂

  15. I really love the grey and white together! I thought it was a great combo, very calming to the sole…and I am not a grey person. The green is not my favorite and I am a green person. Just too much for my taste. I think whatever you do it will turn out great. But in parting I say leave it the grey and white and accent it the way you do so beautifully…

  16. There was a time when I agreed with those that thought you wasted time and money and just needed to finish something and call it good. Then I took a look around at my own home and realized we are two of a kind! 😉
    I have an antique china cabinet that has been four different colors in three years, a bedroom-turned-library that has seen three paint jobs in two years (I finally love it though, for real this time!), and a guest room/sewing room that got a big makeover in April, another one in January, and is about to be transformed yet again! I’ll keep going until I love it too. Why invest so much time and effort and not be satisfied?
    And the other thing is, colors are hard! Teals and greens can be especially moody, I’ve discovered.
    Good luck in your quest, I’m right there with ya!

    1. Oh! I completely forgot about my dining chairs that I painted four times in less than two years! I finally went with a gorgeous turquoise that I’d loved from the start but hesitated to use. I was afraid I’d get tired of it and have to repaint. There’s logic for ya, right?

  17. you keep coming back to teal, don’t fight it! 🙂

    maybe in addition to paint samples on the doors, try a couple different colors of hardware too? unless you’re totally committed to the brass. I just ran across this in my second bedroom- I thought I absolutely hated the color of the walls with the color of the furniture. Then I replaced the linens and hardware, and the whole room just came together.

  18. Look at the Farrow & Ball paints. They also have an archived paint collection of retired colors that you can still get. Very subtle colors you might like. There bases are different than BM and SW so undertones are different. I think BM has a blue red base undertone and SW has a yellow base undertone that affects how colors ‘show’ for the long haul. It might be the paint base that is throwing everything off for you. You just haven’t found that inth tone yet that settles your brain!!!

  19. I’m more undecided than you on the colors; so, no help. BUT, can you have someone put your cabinets into Photoshop for you to get a general idea of the color family you would like, and then test real paint colors at that point? Good luck 😊

  20. Madness indeed, but this is how we are reminded how human we are. I’d be indecisive at this point because of a percieved pressure to make it the perfect “final” color. Playing with the colors to find a few “contenders” is okay…. until it becomes the options are so numerous it becomes overwhealming.

    Just a reminder many advised to wait till the floors and counters were done. Would it be okay to do a foe finish just so you can include a number of colors (can’t remember if you like/dislike them)?

  21. I’ve heard designers have the hardest time decorating their own homes. Sometimes it helps to have another set of eyes on the situation. Maybe you should hire someone for a color consultation.

  22. Oh you poor thing! I know the feeling…trust me. I lived with a much hated green color for 5 years because I couldn’t decide what I wanted. Then when I had enough of trying figure it out in my mind… I tested probably a hundred colors for about 3-4 months (yes, I drove myself and everyone in my family crazy) before I finally found it. Once I made up my mind…my husband rushed to get it all done right away before I changed my mind again….lol… I usually do all of the painting in the house, but I had to rely on him because I have plantar faciitis and couldn’t go up and down the ladder.

    So my suggestion is to continue doing what you’re doing…as crazy as that sounds… because that’s the only way you are going to truly find the color that is right for you. Take as long as you need…the color will come.

  23. Bless your heart! Been there, done that! I convince my hubby to paint one wall in our gray bedroom black…and not I hate it. He just looks at me funny and walks away when I suggest painting it the same as the other walls!! LOL

    BEHR Paints has a older color called Armadillo. I don’t know if you can find a sample. It’s supposed to be green but it also looks gray. I settled on it for all the doors in our downstairs and some of the trim work (parts of our trim are stained). I’m a red and bright color kind of gal but I’ve learned to accessorize with with my primary colors. I am definitely NOT a white cabinet or even light neutral person either.

    Armadillo is such an easy color to live with. Tons of things go with it…it’s deep but doesn’t make things look too dark. It works with gray and blue and teal and red. It has a softness to it.

    Just thought I’d share. Good luck! I admire that you aren’t afraid to change things when they don’t suit you!

  24. Could you maybe change out the doors on those upper cabinets to be glass like the ones in the middle? Then you’d get the lightness, but still be able to use the same color as your lower cabinets.

  25. Well, my suggestion comes from your condo. I suggest you paint all your cabinets a creamy soft butter yellow. With all the cabinets painted it will come across as very yellow but a soft yellow will allow you to branch off from there adding the blues and greens in your other rooms without major competition. (not that bright in your face yellow that was on your piano-that would be too much for all the cabinets) I’m saying this unbiasedly because yellow is not a color I particularly like but because I think you do and have used it nicely in your prior decorating.

  26. We just redid our kitchen and ended up with an unexpected darker slate blue-green color that was actually a 50:50 mixture of two Valspar paints. I can’t recall the names off the top of my head but could find out if you’d like. We were originally thinking of doing light gray cabinets, but somehow ended up on the path of a bolder color.

    I’ve ended up really liking the color – in the crisp morning light, it has fresh bluer tones, and at night it has more of the sprucey-green tones. I’ve found it’s surprisingly easy to decorate around – our counters have some red in them, and our floors are much redder than yours, and the colors still work. Most of the other decor in our kitchen is blue and gray tones, and they work too. It does look a tad “country” but with the hardware we picked, it doesn’t go down that path too far. Here’s a post from when they were just about finished, if this is any inspiration for you!

    https://rephurbished.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/as-finished-as-can-be/

    Good luck with your decision!

    1. That green is very pretty! And now I want to use that, too! 😀 That’s part of my problem. I love almost any and all blues, greens, and blue-greens, and have SUCH a hard time narrowing down all of those gorgeous colors to just one. I see a new one, and I’m convinced it’s the one I want…until I see a new one five minutes later. 😀

      1. They are Valspar, half Redstone Blue Spruce (5003-4B) and half Lush Sage (5003-2B). And the man at Lowe’s thought I was crazy when I said I wanted a gallon of paint, but 2 quarts worth of color of each of those to make a mixed gallon – but it worked!

  27. Painting is one of the least expensive ways of redoing a room; but it’s so foundational. I admire your spunk and determination. I’ve got several paint sample slips hidden away for a summer project (can’t do much painting in Michigan this time of year; I need open windows!) to repaint a main room in my house. I appreciate that you’re going through this struggle and are sharing it with your readers. It makes me feel pretty normal for obsessing exactly which shade to use!

  28. Kristi, you may fare better with buying some poster board and painting that instead of your cabinets. The problem with choosing color is that it is affected by the colors next to or reflecting onto it. When you mix a color and put it right next to another color on the cabinet itself, you never really see the true color, but what it appears to be while against the other test color. Once the second, third and fourth test colors are gone, the one you chose may not look the same when painted on the cabinet in its entirety. Paint the poster board and then attach it to the cabinet. Block the existing cabinets from your view and you’ll have a more realistic look at the final product.

  29. I, too, do interior design. Here’s how I’ve come to deal with kitchen cabinets: I don’t make them the star of the show. I keep them simple and neutral in color. Then, my accents and my decor are the stars. I like to change things up quite a bit, so I don’t have any desire to be committed to one color in any room. I treat cabinets like I treat walls, as background for my art. Art = decor, in any room. I find this relieves me of the angst of color choice and it works very well for the long haul.
    Also, I redo things all the time. It’s a process, this nesting thing. It’ll come together. Hang in there.

  30. Green is one of my favorite colors and I adored your initial green kitchen, but probably could not have lived with it long either. I am leaning toward what Joyce said above. Maybe you need to pick your color scheme for your breakfast room and then go with a lighter color from that scheme for your kitchen cabinets. I hate the color I had my kitchen cabinets painted. Unfortunately, I listened to the painter I had hired and he steered me away from the white cabinets I had wanted. My cabinets are off white with an antiquing around the molding. They always look dirty to me! This is the first time I have admitted this to anyone. I think you need to do your breakfast room and kitchen together so they flow the way you want them to. I know you will find the color combination that works best for you. You always do!

  31. Please no green. It just doesn’t work with the living room, which you absolutely love. I think the really clean look of white upper cabinets, white tile would be stunning, especially with the pops of color you have in the rooms around the kitchen. You need a room that’s a neutral grounding. You cold go crazy with the countertop for color, or just stick with a white/gray marble. I think anything you put on the uppers is going to be too dark and heavy and anything “off white, off beige, off gray” is going to look dingy because of the light.

  32. Ok, so this is meant one-third funny and two-thirds serious. I remember this beautiful kitchen, why don’t you consider something like this?

    http://bit.ly/2kDXqzN

    🙂

    If the cabinet color is still too dark maybe try adding a tad of white to lighten it? I think the pewter color looks dingy because you’ve got an off-white next to a white, basically. I love revere pewter and I love it on those cabinets but if you had a non-white backsplash I feel like the colors might blend a bit better.

    Totally can relate though, I love change and it’s fun (and frustrating!) to keep re-doing and re-doing when the sky is the limit. Hopefully something will just click soon and you’ll find your color!

  33. I know you said you don’t want white uppers but if this were a vote that would be mine. Your lower cabinets are gorgeous in the present color and white would look perfect for the uppers. Once you get your colorful artwork up and breakfast room decorated I feel like all the white would be balanced out. Plus you could do sweet little mini-boxwood wreaths on your solid cabinet doors and bring that little punch of green back! I can just picture it!!
    I know whatever you do will be gorgeous!

  34. I think that the color you used for your cabinets in the condo was beautiful. It was a blue green and was decorated very nicely. Why don’t you consider using that again since it is in the color scheme you love.

  35. I rather enjoy your indecisiveness because that is how I decorate, if we’re going to be honest that’s how I live my life. Ha ha ha. I appreciate the fact that you’re open and honest with your likes and dislikes your decisions and your indecision. It’s refreshing.

  36. I went back through some of your earlier posts, to see if there was a common thread that shows the direction you are now heading. What I saw ( and maybe I didn’t dig deep enough) is that you seem to now be leaning in the direction of the colors of your condo! Living room drapes-similar colors as the headboard in the bedroom at the condo. Cabinets- similar choices there too. Your fireplace and living room wall colors are the only things I see that veer from the condo, and the wall color is not that much different than the condo bedroom. ( At least that is how it shows on my screen.)
    Have you gone back to look? The post you did when you had decided on the green for the cabinets I believe had a 2017 Color pallet that you may want to look at. It has blues there that you have previously tried. Just thought that may help. Personally, I like the warm grays or the teal, but maybe a bit softer shade of the teal.

  37. Hey Kristi, can I suggest the you start with the closest wall to the kitchen first. Get color/S going I need there first and then see what color will work on the top cabinets later.
    In this case, I think a step forward is better than backing into the kitchen.

    1. Yes, and I’ve been doing that. The problem (and I never thought this would be a problem) is that I’ve chosen a fabric that is so versatile. I’ve mixed up about 50 colors, all in the blue, green, and blue-green palette, and I swear to you that at least 40 of them complemented my drapery fabric. 😀 That fabric has superpowers, and has been less than helpful in helping me narrow down to a single color.

  38. I found a latex paint at Home Depot called “Liquid Jade” that I had color matched by Benjamin Moore in oil based paint. You might take a look at it. I love teal too!

  39. I think you already know what color you really would love, but are trying not to use it again. Have you tried the color from the condo kitchen yet? Just because you’ve already done it once is no reason to avoid it…you loved it in the condo for a reason!

  40. Rather than comment on the colours I just want to thank you for this post. I am painting a bedroom wall for the 8th time today and seeing your post makes me feel OK about it. I think I have it right but if it isn’t you’ve given me the inspiration to re-paint until I’m happy. Your posts give me the confidence to mix my own colours and refuse to settle for something I don’t like. Keep these posts coming.

  41. …and the shoemaker’s kids go barefoot. I can “whip up” a design for almost anyone, in any “style” they prefer and they love it. For my own home I sweat blood. The layout is done for my master bath but I cannot decide on the surfacing type / colors…been trying for TWO YEARS. I get it.

  42. I wonder about keeping your uppers the cream and then maybe just bring in a little bit of warmth to them by staining only the frames of the doors that have glass. I feel like the cream just looks a little bit boring and adding a tiny bit of stain would break it up. Just another thought to throw into the pot of color confusion. In the end it’ll be great no matter what u go with.

  43. Like so many of the comments I too think that the lower color you have is lovely, and I think the idea of painting the uppers with a lighter version of it would look great. Personally I like the serenity of a soft on the eyes color, and then jazz it up with the accessories that are used. I’m also a fan of the teal colors you sampled in one of the photos. I think the softness grounds the space.

  44. Not saying this to be kind to you but I loved the green cabinets. Then I loved the blue and grey ones even more. I’m sure whatever colors you decide it is going to look super. Meanwhile I’m stuck with stock standard orange oak ones!

  45. It feels like you want green on the cabinets. The two greens you’ve tried seem to be the colors you’re most excited about. I’m surprised you haven’t tried different, more muted/subtle, shades of green.

  46. Would it make sense to just abandon cabinet painting for now and see how your breakfast room comes together? It just seems like its easier to pull a paint color from fabric/rug choices than drive yourself crazy trying to do the opposite. I wonder if you’re going down the road of cornering yourself with cabinet color choice again by forcing the decision before you’re really ready to make it.

  47. OMG, your cabinets look like my walls! I have samples painted everywhere in every tone! Dang, it’s HARD to get it right, isn’t it? To tell the truth, I have to live with a full wall painted for a few days to decide whether I like it or not. And then? Right back to painting it again.

    I put up a planed wall, did it white like all the pictures show that are so appealing. UGH. Have now painted that wall FOUR TIMES and washed that with other colors FOUR times. It’s getting there, lol!

    It’s really good to see someone as talented as you struggle with color choices too! Makes me feel not so handicapped!

  48. I do have to chuckle because I think I saw this coming. Every time you say you’re going to paint something in a “neutral color,” you end-up repainting it because you’re just not a neutral person.

    Personally, I like the two colors you picked…the dark blue on the bottom and off-white on the top. I don’t think it looks dingy at all. But there is something off about it. I think it has less to do with the paint color and more to do with the separation and contrast between the layers. You have white on the ceiling, off-white on the cabinets, pure white on the tile backsplash (with white grout), another shade of off-white on the countertops that you’re planning to change, then the blue.

    I feel like there needs to be a separation between the whites that isn’t another shade of white, if that makes sense. If you were doing this from scratch, I’d say change the backsplash color, but I don’t want you re-doing that tile. Please don’t! However, I wonder if you scraped-out the grout and re-grouted with a darker grout–or stained the grout somehow. Look at the Julianne Hough photo you posted. Notice the darker grout on the subway tile. It’s not obvious, but it separates the white tile from the white-ish countertops a bit so it doesn’t look like white on white. In your case, you have white on white on white.

    Honestly, I think I’d table this until you do the countertops. I suspect that if you choose a color now, you’re going to do the countertops and then be unhappy with your cabinet color choice again.

    One other sort of random observation… In the photo you posted of the house with the green doors and shutters, notice that the green isn’t a major presence. There’s a background of white with some strong green as an accent. Maybe the problem with your cabinets is that there’s a lot of them and when you try to use a bold color (green, blue, teal, whatever), it’s just too much for the room. I don’t know how to fix this if you don’t like neutral colors, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

    I’ve been following your blog for a few years now and it’s obvious that you love bold colors and you like to use them in bold ways. I think most designers who do that start with a background of neutral or off-white and then the bold colors pop out without taking over the room. You don’t like neutral backdrops, so you try to use the bold colors as your backdrop–which is much trickier to do. Whether it’s black walls and a yellow piano or a hand-drawn wallpaper with a brightly colored piece of furniture in front of it. Or teal cabinets and then a lime-green piece of furniture on one wall. You get the idea. 🙂 It’s complex/bold on top of complex/bold.

    1. Wow, good observation Justin. And you always are so nice with your critiquing. I have noticed that I’ve thought Kristi seems to pull what she likes from her idea photos rather than taking in what makes that thing she likes work in that particular room, setting or environment. This would make you disappointed when “it” doesn’t then come off as you had envisioned it. Sort of what you’re describing. This might be an ah-ha moment.

    2. I’m lucky in that I love white and find that it makes other bold color choices really pop. That’s the case with the white house with the green trim; it’s primarily white and the green pops as an accent against it.

      I’ve read other comments by Justin in the past and he’s either a professional interior decorator or a guy with very good taste. I agree wholeheartedly with him that you shouldn’t bother repainting your cabinets until you’ve redone the countertops and I think you should get the breakfast room done first including all soft goods as well. Then you’ll probably find a color you love that works in both that room and the living room and will give you the drama you seem to be looking for.

      Good luck and I’ll keep following you no matter how many times you change your mind or the paint color because it’s fun to read and I’m not the one doing the work!

    3. I totally agree! I love the current blue on your lowers with light grey uppers, but the mix of white undertones do seem off. I think when the countertops are fixed, it will look a lot better. A grout color change or dark blue in the back of the glass cabinets could also make a big difference. Good luck!

    4. I agree with Justin completely. Bold on bold on bold on bold is going to be nearly impossible – not just in one room, but in an entire house. While pulling elements you like from certain pictures as inspiration can be helpful… it can also give you way too cluttered/”off” of a look if you leave out the most important element: the neutral backdrop!

      You said you don’t like white. And you don’t want something so bold on the cabinets that you have to struggle to decorate around. But you seem to like tans like the grasscloth and woven shades – why not go for a tan on top? Maybe it’s not trendy and the “in” colour, but that’s never stopped you before. That way you could have your navy on the bottom and the tan on top could help pull together your earthier elements.

    5. Hahah…thanks for the compliments, folks. However, I’m not a professional at all. I’m just a plain old guy who’s very practical and observant with some DIY skills, a little craftiness, and very little time or money to work on my own home, so I like to live vicariously through blogs like this. 🙂

      For the record, I love Kristi’s work, even when it isn’t to my own tastes, and I love how she’s willing to tackle literally anything and not afraid to redo it multiple times if she’s not happy with it. She has a lot more patience than I do and I admire that!

  49. I’m driving to TX right now -part of me wants to drop by and see your madness !
    Have you tried Edgecomb Gray or Gray Owl for the top ? I am a fan of your Gentlemans Gray ! Your BM person should be able to help you with a lighter livelier blue for the top if that is the way you want to go .
    Do Not draw your colors from a hat! ☺️🎩

  50. I feel your frustration. I have a console in my family room (currently a dark wood stain that clashes with my other furniture) that I want to paint a pale gray. The room its in has light blue walls, white trim, a white sofa and accents (curtains, pillows, etc) in blues, grays, and off-whites. I can’t for the life of me decide which of the 20-something paint chips to pick. The room has lots of windows so the light changes constantly in the room, making colors look different all throughout the day. There are just too many grays out there.

    I agree with you on that teal sample in the kitchen example with the herringbone wood backsplash. It is stunning. Could your paint store custom mix something to match it for you?

  51. I agree about using the condo color! I’d also suggest to leave this to later. You had struggled matching the dining room to the kitchen, so maybe decorating the living room and breakfast room first will lead you to the color to paint the cabinets.

  52. I like the condo paint color. It looked beautiful.

    My vote is again all one color on the cabinets.

    Alternatively, I would go for a cream color cabinet paint – with the white backsplash – it really opens up the space and use accessories for color. Best part is you can change your accessories for a different look.

    JoAnne

  53. I second, third, fourth, fifth……..well you get the picture…CONDO cabinet colors 😉 LOL…..loved those cabinets!

  54. Oh, this so much! I cant imagine having your kitchen open to and visible to three different rooms. I loved the green, I think the gentleman’s gray was lovely, but I noticed with the upper cabinets in the lighter color it made your ceilings seems very low compared to the single color of the lush green.

    I also think once you have the breakfast room more complete, it may nudge one way or another and you might fall in love with “the” color and you will wonder why you even had so much indecisiveness.

    But until then, enjoy your madness. It is the way you create.

  55. I really like the color on the right side of the frame of the left door in the next to last pic. It is soft and pretty. I understand your indecisiveness, but some of us are just color people and are not meant to jump on the grey train. My humble opinion…good luck!

  56. I love the navy and revere pewter. Remember this is a back drop neutral soft lovely combination. Bring your color in in accessories. Always safe and easy to change out.

  57. Kristi, first of all, make certain you aren’t forcing yourself when it comes to the gray colors. With all your decorating projects I have seen you do nothing has been toward that color way. You have even said multiple times that gray just isn’t a color you like for yourself. I can understand that because I tend toward the same colors you frequently use also. I recently repainted my home’s interiors and I am not even going to admit how long it took me to pick colors, especially since my hubby’s color choice run the opposite of mine! I finally got every color chosen once he gave up and said he didn’t even want to look at another paint chip. Also, I have so many paint sample sizes I can paint furniture and other projects for the next five years. Oh, and the sample boards? Well, let’s just say it is a good thing that poster board is so cheap. My preference would be the blue-greens you have shown. A few colors I used that you might want to look at are Sherwin Williams color called Drizzle SW6479. Although all the paint used was SW, a lot of the colors were from other brands and mixed by Sherwin Williams in their Cashmere line which has the most marvelous velvet finish. Another suggestion is a Glidden color called Opal Silk Green 30GG 57/094 (not to be confused with Opal Silk, another color of Glidden’s). On the same paint chip is a darker color in the same range called Kentucky Blue 30GG 43/119. Oh, and I loved your original green kitchen but I can see where it might present problems decorating the surrounding rooms.

  58. Kristi,
    I know you’ll eventually find just the right color for you. How do you cover up all those paint samples on your door? Do you prime and then paint over it with the final color?

    Good luck, Rita

  59. Hi Kristi,
    I think an earlier commenter hit the nail on the head when she pointed out that the green shutters on the house took up just a tiny percentage of the house’s appearance. If the entire body of the house was painted that green, it would be garish. The same goes with the cabinets. You can’t tell how they are going to look with a 4″ x 12″ swatch. If you really feel that you have to go with one of these deeper colors, paint a couple of pieces of poster board and live with them for a week or so.

    Maybe you should take a cue from your drapery fabric–instead of picking out one of the colors, pick something similar to the background that they are on. Those colors look great on the neutral background don’t they? You will also have to take into consideration all the white tile–perhaps you can identify a neutral color that is between the stark white of the tile and the creamy light beige of the fabric background. The cabinets are in a way, the background of your kitchen.

    With the neutral background of the cabinets, you could inject the room with the blues, greens, teals, etc. from the fabric. You could paint the backs of the glassed in cabinets with one of those deep colors, cover the chair seats, make drapes, etc. and put your blue grasscloth in the breakfast room. The neutral background of the cabinets and tile would also give you the flexibility to switch up the colors if you get tired of that combination.

  60. Don’t do the green. It is not that much different from what you had before and is much too bossy.

    It is really hard to judge color in the absence of the items with which you plan to decorate. I really like the current color combo and think dark lower/white upper is generally too stark a contrast and a bit unsophisticated. I would cover the countertop with paper or scrap vinyl or something that will be similar to the color you plan to make it and then style the cabinets and countertop. A countertop more true to what you plan to end up with might change your perspective. If your dishes/display items are white, perhaps paint the interior Gentleman’s Gray. If your dishes are colorful, paint the interior white or a very light version of the uppers.

    I know you also love wainscoting so in the breakfast room you might consider bringing it up higher than chair rail height, about 4.5 or even five feet, and painting it white and then the upper portion can be a wallpaper or a dark blue. Oh, this might not work with the television.

    This past weekend I painted the 46 year old dark walnut vanity in my mother’s house Gentleman’s Gray. It is a stop gap measure until we replace the whole thing but it looks so lovely that I might just paint the new vanity that color.

  61. Would it be possible to shelf it for a month or two? I found myself forcing myself to make decisions on a foreclosure we bought because I was determined to have the whole house completely painted before we moved our furniture in. I deeply regret it. Maybe all the indecisiveness is your creative brain telling you to take a break. Focus on a different project and let your truest and deepest design desires reveal themselves to you. No matter WHAT you pick, if you feel it was picked under stres or pressure it will never quite sit right. It’s ok to take a breather and come back to it.

  62. I think if you loved the color in your previous home you will love it again. Go for it. It is only paint and all your hard work. Go super girl.

  63. I do really like the way the sample drawer front from Matt’s room (condo kitchen color) looks–its gorgeous AND looks nice with the Gentlemen’s gray on the bottom. And it looks like a similar color to that inspiration kitchen photo you really liked. You could always try just painting the uppers and see if you like the two tone look. If not, then go ahead and paint the bottoms to match. That way, you can try two looks without having to do any extra work. It looks like it would be an easy color to decorate around.
    I don’t really care for that Crete Countryside green, except that it does compliment nicely the warmth of your wood floors, which the Gentlemen’s gray isn’t really doing. Perhaps the slightly warmer (compared to your condo kitchen color) teal of your inspiration kitchen photo might really “sing” with the floors . (The light teal one above via hgtv )

    I’m sure after a good night’s sleep and some “fresh eyes” it will come to you! Also, keep in mind that the way the colors look might be affected by the surrounding colors.
    Can’t wait to see what you end up with. I’m sure it will turn out great–it always does!

    1. I just looked at that light teal kitchen photo again and realized that the wall tile, which looks like hardwood, is probably about the same color as your floor (sort of!) Look how gorgeous the light teal looks with it! I’d go for something like that with your floors! (Maybe paint a sample board and hold it over a white poster board, propped against the base cabinets next to the floor) so you can see the true effect without the existing cabinet color influencing how your sample looks?)
      Just a thought.

  64. …and this is why I love you and your blog!

    This “madness” is the inside of my decorating brain. But, instead of taking action, I get stuck by my indecisiveness. I have nothing of value to offer other than encouragement to keep trying. I’ll be following the journey, nodding right along the entire time.

    🙂

  65. Oh the madness of it all😜! Color decisions certainly can make us all a little crazy! Do you really feel you need to make this final decision before you finish the breakfast room? I love the blue of the lowers currently, undecided on the uppers. Maybe the decision would be easier if you waited until the countertops are done (and brighter) Even though the room doesn’t have any direct light there are very few upper cabinets, the rest openings and a wall of white tile. Do you really think it would be too dark? I think it would look gorgeous! …..and then there is always the option of a skylight😏

  66. I’m sure you thought of this in all your color trials, but could you just do a lighter shade of the gentlemans grey on the top cabinets? Then it wouldn’t be another colour to throw in the mix, but would still add some lovely contrast

  67. I’m going against the grain here a little bit. I know there are a lot of votes for going with the condo blue (which is beautiful), but I think you were really on to something by painting the lower cabinets the dark blue with the light grey an top. I was surprised when you wanted to paint over your green cabinets, but the end result of the dark blue and grey is so striking and elegant and doesn’t fight with your renewed decorating direction. You’ve already had the condo blue cabinets, and it might be nice to go in a different direction. I think if you play around with some varying grey shades for the upper cabinets, you will find a combo that you love. Maybe a pearl grey? I truly believe it will be far easier to coordinate colors with the dark blue/grey cabinets than with that blue/teal color. You can pull the blue/teal color in with accents, and it will be gorgeous with that dark blue on the lower cabinets. No matter what you choose, you really do make everything stunning! I can’t wait to see the finished product!

  68. Well, I know one person in particular whose brain is going to spontaneously combust and explode out her ears, and it ain’t me and it ain’t you! 🙂

    You’ve gotten a ton of wonderful, helpful comments here, emphasis on **helpful**. I think a lot of folks, me included, would like to see you at least color swatch the condo kitchen paint color on a poster board and see how that looks in the new kitchen with the changes of light during different times of day, etc. You loved it before, it very well could be a winner again. It’s such a pretty color!

  69. that dark blue is awesome on your lower cabs. Cut that to 50% or more with a white and you have a perfect gradient tint for your uppers.
    I used to think you were afflicted with ADHD, but in reality you are a Maximizer-read here:

    http://gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2006/06/are_you_a_satis/

    Maximizers leave no stone unturned in their quest for whatever they deem necessary.
    Satisficers (yes, satisfice is a real word, lol) stop once they find something that works. They don’t care if there miiiiiiiight be a better “something” out there; their needs are met and voila!
    ( That’s me, BTW, to a tee) So there IS a reason behind your madness.

  70. Kristi, step away from the gray paint. 🙂 I’m remembering how you talked yourself into painting your piano gray, and how much you then hated it. I think Justin’s point about fixing the countertop before selecting your cabinet color is very wise – so much of what a paint color looks like is dependent on light bouncing around the surfaces of the room and the other colors that aspect it. I have a color in my hallway (Benjamin Moore camouflage) that bears no resemblance whatsoever to my friend’s hallway painted with camouflage, although the chip held up against each proves that they’re accurate. I do believe that you should paint your top and bottom cabinets the same color. It took me a while to articulate why, but it’s because having two separate colors emphasizes horizontal planes, and I think top and bottom cabinets the same color draw the eye upward. PS: I love the teals – so beautiful with the brass.

  71. PLEASE go with Benjamin Moore Crete Countryside. Your green kitchen was a show stopper! Yes. It was probably a shade or two too dark. However, all the muted blues and greens are just kind of “meh.” Benjamin Moore Crete Countryside is gorgeous, bright, perfect! PLEASE bring back your gorgeous, over-the-top, designer-looking, fantastic, green kitchen!!

  72. I love seeing your home change and evolve. I thoroughly enjoy following you on your diy journey and look forward to you posts. Keep up the great work. 🙂

  73. Hit the color cards. Blues, greens…maybe these are colors you are talking yourself in to. I would be adding in some other colors just to rule out other possibilities. Widen the stage of colors. I have chosen wall & cabinet colors this way and gone in completely different directions than what I had my heart set on. I love watching this craziness play itself out.

  74. Have you looked at the Magnolia Homes paint colors? They are in Waco. They have some beautiful shades of green and blue and some creams and whites. I think you should do your big middle section in one of their blue colors and the two sides in one of the white or cream colors. If you left the two legs a natural wood color I think it would add a little bit of interest in your kitchen then you could bring out the natural wood somewhere else like accessories on top of counters or in a light fixture

  75. I agree, you need to step away from the cabinets right now. Get the counter tops refinished and finish your breakfast room before moving onto the cabinets. You will probably be able to pull the perfect color from your finished breakfast room.

    I honestly don’t know anyone in real life who has sample paint on their walls for a year. Not everyone has the luxury of designing their home as their job. They have to move on with life. Maybe that’s why a lot of people pick the “safe” option.

    Give poor Matt a place where he can sit and eat. As the wife of a disabled man, I can’t imagine him not having access to functioning rooms in the entire house. I honestly can’t get over the fact that he does not have a proper handicap accessible bathroom and you are obsessing over cabinet paint colors.

    I love to watch your creative process and have been so impressed with everything you’ve done over the years. But it has been years, and your house is still virtually un-functioning. It is exhausting to watch from afar. I can’t imagine living in it.

    1. Right. Because it’s ridiculous that I’m spending $60 on a gallon of paint instead of spending $50,000 on a house addition that includes a proper handicap accessible bathroom, because those two things are exactly equal and an even trade off.

        1. Yes, because he doesn’t use that bathroom. He uses the other one, which has a 36″ door, a handicapped toilet, a grab bar, etc. And why is this the business of anyone other than Matt and me? I can assure you, Matt is FINE. I spend my days taking care of him, doing for him, making sure every need is met, and frankly I resent the insinuation that I’m neglecting him, his needs, being selfish and putting myself first, etc. How we deal with his illness is nobody’s business but ours! If he has no complaints, why should anyone else?

          1. My apologies. I have taken special interest in your blog because I also have a wheel chair bound spouse and am eager to see how you deal with design to accommodate those challenges while still keeping things aesthetically pleasing. It is not something you often address on your blog, so that is where my altered perception has come from.

  76. My opinion: run fast from Crete Countryside. It will feel exactly the same as your old green. Beautiful, but too much and impossible to decorate around.

  77. I know that you said you are not a white cabinet person, but I have yet another suggestion to throw into the mix 🙂

    What if you were to paint the cabinets white (or some other light neutral like a light gray or light taupe) as a temporary measure, knowing that it will change. You could then get your living room, music room, and breakfast room done and decorated without the distraction of kitchen color (since you can see the kitchen cabinets from all those rooms). Then you have your other designs in place and your countertops redone, and can pick your cabinet color with a more complete “big picture” in mind.

  78. I’ve been reading your blog for awhile, I think you’ll be happiest with all white cabinets. Simple, classic. Don’t be afraid to go there. Lots of ways to add color. You’re doing wonderful work on your house!

  79. I agree with a lot of the people above who have suggested you at least TRY the white cabinets, even as just a placeholder. I think having the middle room being sort of chill area, it will allow you be more free with color in the rest of your house. Good luck!!

  80. Honestly, sometimes I think too much choice is actually a bad thing, I know I drive myself nuts with ever expanding options.

    When we remodeled our kitchen I wanted two tone, dark blue and white, but not navy because I didn’t want it to look nautical, more of a blue-grey.
    I ended up going for a custom paint job because I couldn’t find anything in a colour I liked in the melamine or wrap options more common here (I’ve never seen painted wood cabinets where I live, it’s just not a thing).

    Anyway after agonising for ages over finding the perfect blue/grey (and having painted about a hundred samples with custom mixes) I took my final selection to the cabinet place, and it was almost the same colour as their standard dark grey, which I ended up going with. My point being that I could have saved myself weeks of work and agony if I’d just restricted my initial choices. I think there’s something in that, also that creativity often flourishes when there are some restrictions on how a thing can be done.

    For the record I have to add my voice to all those above and say that the colour from your previous kitchen is gorgeous and seems to be where you’ve been trying to go with the colour for this new kitchen.

  81. I’ve redecorated a few times over the years. The “re-doings” reminds me of what I’ve done in the past when I’m motivated to get it all done, but haven’t really been truly inspired. I feel like when I’ve been in that mode, I force myself to make a decision based on impatience rather than taking a breath and waiting. Your kitchen needs to be done, that’s a priority however, I think you should pull back and work on something you’re more confident about. Step away from the cabinet colors for a while and the inspiration will eventually come to you. Trust me I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. Wait for it.

  82. I would guess the cabinets that are still painted green have got to be throwing shadows and making this decision hard. I hope you choose colors that go with the beautiful blue walls and curtains that you’re making for the living room. I’d wait until you’ve picked your living room furniture I think, though I know it’s hard to wait. I saw a teal velvet sofa at Homegoods recently and thought of you; I’m not sure if you’re still leaning in that direction. I’m so glad I’m not the only one who has a hard time with color choices. (I’ve recently painted my kitchen cabinets and I think the two tone actually makes my room look larger.)

  83. I’m anxious and excited to see what you come up with. I loved the green, but then like others, loved the gentlemen’s gray even more. We love your madness or we wouldn’t be checking in every day to see what you’re up to. You’ll get there! Your living room is beautiful! Your kitchen and breakfast room will be too.

  84. Hi Kristi,
    I applaud you for being so upfront about your setbacks and decision making. I’ve been there too many times myself with paint color decisions that I made that were horrible or I just couldn’t make a decision. Wouldn’t it be great if there were only three to choose from sometimes? Eventually, I have to bite the bullet and move on because there are other people that live in my home that I need to consider. I know that your husband is a patient and wonderful man, but certainly he would like to see a room completed. On July 25, you posted “So why the change of mind and sense of urgency on Matt’s part? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, he said, “You know when you talked about just getting things done and having a house that we can just enjoy? I really like that idea. I love the idea of being able to be in the breakfast room with you while you’re cooking meals.”

    ************************************************************************

    Perhaps you should take the last few commenters’ advice and paint the cabinets white or a light cream as a placeholder and finish up everything else. Once it’s put together, then you will have a much better idea of what will work in your room. The cabinet paint conundrum is sidetracking your progress. I realize the paint is relatively cheap but time isn’t. .

  85. Bear with me while I try to talk color theory without knowing the correct terminology…I’ve been reading your blog for 6 years and as you’ve pointed out you tend towards decorating with cool colors, you accent with warms. But even the warms that you accent with seem to have cool under tones or just feel cooler to me. The other thing is (again you’ve realized this) don’t like gray. I’ve noticed this translates to the colors you choose too, they’re clearer or more pure tones for big decorating decisions. Then you tone down the overall look with additional colors that are similar but toned down. So clear cool colors with a lot of punch. I think you shy away from the gray because it can make things look dindgy. You like blue greens and you’re attracted to the green because for you it’s pushing your limit. And you’re really going for the green, nice and pure. It has a lot of umph behind it in your decorating. But pure green is equal parts cool and warm colors, blue and yellow. So if you accent with warm colors it can make the green lean towards that warmer side. But instead of heading slightly cooler to even that out, you try to tone it down a little, push it a smidge closer to the gray scale. Why does this all matter? Your fixtures are brass. Which is both warm and very toned down, it reads really dindgy to me. And the green you had up before was further accented by gold. So it reads wrong to your eye. Look at the two examples you have from other kitchens. The cabinets themselves are both beautiful colors. The first one is blue toned down slightly gray accented with brass and pewter. The second one is teal (warming up from blue) and is accented solely by nickle. Neither one looks dindgy because there’s not a lot of gray in the colors and the metals don’t dirty it up. God I hope this makes sense. I think you need to take a closer look at the undertones of your paints and the metals you’re using to accent and see if they’re the problem. You might be leading yourself to colors you don’t like in big quantities because you’re trying to balance out the metals and accents.

  86. In my humble opinion – Walk away. Do something that you KNOW you want to do and have confidence about. Complete the counter. Replace the upper doors with glass and add lights. Use clear glass if it’s display only or seeded or opaque glass if you want to downplay what’s in there. Paint everything Gentleman’s Gray. It’s a gorgeous neutral that grounds everything. Paint the interiors very light or very dark, depending on what you’ll display inside. Accent with your ‘fun’ colors.

  87. Kristi,

    I always appreciate your authenticity on the blog. You aren’t trying to be super human and portray that you have it all figured out at once. Thank goodness….that lets the rest of use feel more normal. 🙂

    Anyway, I think it may do you some good to walk away from that project for a bit. I know for myself when I decide “I am going to get XYZ figured out or decorated now” it never works. Creativity is a finicky creature that has to evolve on it’s own to some extent….at least for me.

    I understand the trying to do things different but sometimes we just have to own who we are and what we like. If you like blues and greens be good with that. I love the bottom color. Simplify for a bit, paint the top the same color and leave it for a couple weeks. See what you think. You will have contrast with the white tile. I am a contrast person myself. Also, what about the condo. If you loved the cabinet color in there use the same one but I understand if you want different.

    My tried and trued method when a project just doesn’t seem to come together. I remove myself from the responsibility of making the decision at that moment, pray to God to show me my direction and then live my life. God will show you wether it be while shopping in a store, looking at a magazine, going to another’s house, taking a drive etc. Perhaps this sounds a little “out there” for some, but it works for me.

    Good luck and thank you for “putting yourself out there” for the rest of us. You make a difference in ways you probably don’t realize.

  88. Maybe you will have to do the kitchen last? I think when you have the other spaces to perfection, the kitchen colors will come to you. I love your ideas and indecision and changes. Why not get our spaces perfect?

    I personally LOVED the green. OMG, so much fun and gorgeous and spunky. I also liked the navy and greige but thought that it would need a lot of tangerine accents to keep up with your spunky personality. But it’s your space and it has to feel good to you. I suspect that you need to finish the other spaces first and then your perfect kitchen palette will fall in line.

  89. well I thought I was bad, trying out 10 different samples of green paint this month. It finally got to the point where I realized that I was just going in circles, so I let my 9 year old niece choose the color and she picked her favorite. It’s gorgeous, now that I painted it on an entire door (I’m picking paint for several interior doors in a white bathroom).
    Maybe the lesson is that kids are more untainted by the world and thus choose color better? ha.