Paint Really Makes the Difference!
I soooo want to post the final pictures of the kitchen, but there's one more little job in there that needs to be done and I simply haven't gotten to it...soon...I promise. In the meantime, I thought I'd do one of those posts that's primarily for me. From time-to-time I post about a product of some kind or other, just so I have a record of it in case 173 needs it in the future. In this case - it's paint. But before I get there, let me show you something...
I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art. - W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil
Okay - on to the paint! Selecting the colors for the kitchen was surprisingly easy, there was an original plan, and then may two or three revisions until the scheme was decided upon. Of course I looked a lots of pictures on the net, and found some very inspiring shots! For instance, I loved this one, it's very retro (which I love) and it's the colors of the Green Bay Packers:
But, in the end something like that really needs to wait 'til there's a full scale remodel...a simple refresh would never end up like that! Then there was this one:
Obviously it wasn't the whole thing that attracted me, but I do love the table and benches in the nook, and I still may do this at some point! In the end, this picture turned out to be the final inspiration:
From the gray cabinets, to the handle styles...this one was a winner for me! I know gray cabinets are a fad right now, but I also think gray is pretty timeless, and - you can put just about any color with it. And those handles were sharp! I loved the simplicity, and while a bit modern, I thought they could work well in the retro kitchen which is 173!
Of course the ceiling was going to be white, but we wanted a slightly off white. It's hard to see in the picture below, but Hailstorm Gray really looked nice. To cut down on cutting-in worries, the ceiling and the walls would be the same color, just using different finishes.
Woodlawn Colonial Gray ended up being the choice for the cabinets. The nice thing about this particular shade is that it's neither too dark nor too light. As in the proverbial children's story, this one was just right!
Here are the swatches we were looking at:
Then came the color. I love yellow, and 173 has three outside doors, all of which are yellow, But It just didn't seem to be the color for the kitchen. This was the color that caused the most anxiety, although even that was limited as the right color came along relatively quick. This color we selected from the Olympic line:
And here it is!
Apt name for a kitchen color I suppose. It doesn't look like the color is showing very well on the screen so I'll add a little sneak-peak picture.
Wow! It really does matter what screen you're looking at! Anyway, as you can see below - "Cool Slate" was the early choice for a cabinet color, but after viewing it in different parts of the kitchen, and at different times of day and night, it was simply too light, and even had a tinge of brown in it.
I think the color choices came out nice, and as soon as I finish up that one last little task, the glamour pictures will be up!