apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you can't paint the walls, perhaps a color on the cabinets? How about a shade of yellow. That might brighten it up. Good luck!

Meg, I love what I'm seeing of that rug by your stove. I keep gravitating toward a red'ish/orange'ish color. I feel your kitchen needs a 'pop' of something. I think it would look great being your appliances and walls are really light. Maybe some brushed nickel/silver hardware.

I am going to suggest a very retro 1950s seafoam aqua green. Something similar to Behr's "Mint Majesty". That is my favorite kitchen color.
Good Luck! :)

I read about a wonderful treatment for kitchen cabinets on the Jonathan Fong web site. He basically took pop art posters and covered his kitchen cabinets with them. It was fun, but then again, I don't know how crazy you want to get with the change in cabinet looks or are allowed to get.

If you're into contemporary/traditional look, how about BEHR Distasnce 540F-6. It's like a dark blue/grey. From what I can see in your pic, the color of walls have a yellow tinge to it which I think this color will compliment. And if you changed the door handles to a brushed nickel knob, then it'll add a contemporary look to the kitchen.

Black.

It will:

-match the dishwasher
-make other colours and textures "pop" and diminish the unimpressive design of the cabinets themselves...
-look good against the off-white walls
-not add to visual chaos with the black and white appliances (and other items) in such a small space...
-it will look sophisticated, especially at night

Hey my idea would be a light, pale orange. I liked the red idea but I think a creamy orange would be much more tranquil.

b zen k.

I second the vote for black. Its a small enough space to not feel like a black hole and it should add a nice little punch.

Lime green

Black was my first impression as well, although a moss green might go if the walls have yellowish in them. I also humbly suggest some other filing or display system than "all over the refrigerator".

Chalk board paint could also be really fun and different; perfect for an apartment!

I had the same problem. Not quite white, not quite gray walls. I second the retro blue-mint green look, if that works with the appliances (hard to tell by the photo).

red!

White! It'll look clean and bright.

Hey, this is Meg.

First, thanks, guys, for all the suggestions!

Second, that actually isn't a dishwasher (ha, I wish), but just another dark-wood cabinet made darker by the angle of the photo, I guess.

All the appliances (well, all two of them - no microwave) are white. I also have a white Billy tower with the flower-patterned glass half-door (just out of the photo on the right), and a light-wood kitchen cart. My thinking is that once I pick a color, I will paint the kitchen cart (save its countertop) too, to make things more uniform.

Keep 'em coming!

Whatever colour you go with, PLEASE patch the holes made by the drawerpulls and add some new, interesting hardware. That could be really fun all by itself.

I like the chalkboard paint idea, too. Have you seen this?:
http://www.dwell.com/daily/kitchenblog/14931596.html

LOVE it.

Initially, I thought white would be the best (to match the appliances) but I'm concerned that white would make the walls look dirty.

I like the idea of black, too, with some nice new knobs of a brushed silvery color.

I think that whatever you pick, it needs to (as much as possible) make the wall color look like you meant it to be that color.

One trick I learned about how to decide paint colors -- simulate the new color beforehand, even if the materials you come up with are only close to, rather than exact versions of, your intended paint color. So one thing you could do is clear out the stuff we see in the picture -- fridge stuff, counter stuff, shelf stuff, and then use construction paper or pieces of poster board to simulate a new paint job. Stand back and see what makes the best impression. Squint to help you forget you're looking at approximations. This can also help you decide what objects to put back in the space once you redo it.

Good luck!

Here's a slightly off-the wall idea...

Paint the bottom cabinet white (to match the appliances). Might provide a more cohesive look.

Then paint the upper cabinets whatever color floats yer boat. What is your current decorating scheme? If you dont' have a dominant scheme - I'd consider whether you want things to be calm and chill or bright and bold...or somewhere in between.

Me, I liked the Coleman Mustard color of the ceiling that was posted a while back. Or other Provencal Frenchified colors (azure/royal blue or a pinky-red or a clover-green).

Yes. Black chalkboard paint would be the best. I think you would be best making the cabinets look simple- so fill in the pull holes and paint over them. And if you can't handle the walls, you can always get a sheet of plywood or metal from home depot and put in on the wall. It's really cheap to go there and get a few pieces cut. And about the floor you could always get one large grass mat from ikea. I bet with the paint, mat and plywood (painted) would cost under $50.

It depends. I like almond (off-white) yellow (banana) to brighten...but I also like Lime green....bright and fun...depends how adventurous you are. a tip... the higher the gloss content the easier cleanup will be.
changing the hardware can spruce up cabinets as well

If you don't like any suggestions given I would advise to look at food for inspirtation...veggies and fruit mainly....nature creates awesome color combos....cut a kiwi - black, bright green, white. a browning banana...brown and yellow rock. watermelon - pink and black, you get the point

Flor tiles aren't really "cheap" (16 to 17 bucks a tile, right?), and you could achieve a cool look with a painted canvas floor cloth - either buy one or do it yourself. I once saw a show where the cabinets were re-done by decoupaging and/or spray gluing vintage posters onto cabinets that are first covered with removable shelf paper...that way you can peel off the poster when you move and won't lose your deposit.....I am think of doing this to my metal kitchen cabinets in my apartment...

I like the suggestion to paint the bottom ones white to go with the stove and fridge. Then personally for the top, I'd go deep red, but any rich color would work. Get some new cabinet pulls and patch the existing pull holes before you paint. Or, you can get some of those magnetic push latches and get rid of the pulls altogether. Just make sure you get gloss paint so you can wipe down and clean easily.

unless the appliances are going to be replaced with stainless or black ones, then i would definitely paint the cabinets in a combination of white & whatever color the wall is (i'll call it "french cream" for the purposes of this post). since you stated you were allowed to "change" the cabinets - i am assuming change them altogether beyond paint, here are some options:

$ solutions:
1. paint the lowers white and the uppers french cream
2. paint all cabinets in either white or french cream and add a contracting stenciled detail in the opposite colour (a modern graphic? an allover retro print? possibilities are endless)

$$ solutions:
add some cheap wood trim with finishing nails to frame them out (you may only want to frame out the uppers as the lowers look too tight for this detail) and..
1. use this trim detail as the contrast color in the above scenarios
2. paint both the trim & cabinets the same colour and wallpaper inside the trim frames with something in matching colours

$$$ solutions:
1. cut openings in the upper cabinets and on the rear interior side, apply with a staple or glue gun:
a) great printed fabric or semi-opaque solid fabric
b) chicken wire/screening
c) semi-opaque plexi-glass
2. wallpaper all the cabinetry altogether with seagrass (in a very light straw colour)

you might also consider resurfacing or painting the countertop, or even applying an edge detail to tie in with the new look of your cabinets (e.g. a stainless edge with new stainless hardware will add sparkle & look modern).

good luck - i hope you post your "after" photos!

Whatever color you go with (I favor the orange and red suggestions), remember that it's absolutely crucial to start with a good primer. I have painted dark cabinets white and highly recommend Zinsser 1-2-3. It's a big job so it's important to do it right! I also recommend using a small sponge roller, rather than a brush, because the paint will level better resulting in a more professional finish. Good luck!

Well, since you pretty much have to get your hands on some BIN (they should pay me to plug them like this, but they don't. Honest.) before you're going to get anywhere painting those dark cabinets, you can see what it looks like primed and decide whether your top coat is going to be white or orange or what.

green! green! somewhere between chartreuse and lime! and glossy!

Glossy black with new chrome hardware. Easy breezy, will look like a million bucks, will go with everything, will be easy to retouch, and will never go out of style. Add trendy color with accessories.

Glossy black! Can't go wrong and will make cabinets recede and glow at the same time. I would also consider high gloss white if black is too much of a commitment, or a combo of the two..a cool black and white rug might work well, too, depending on the pattern/print. Have fun!

How about a sage or olive green for the cabinets? It'll compliment the other colors in the room, and it won't be a huge pain to repaint when it's time to move (if you have to). And new hardware always helps - maybe some vintage-looking colored glass or oiled bronze.

Also, consider painting the insides of the cabinets (or at least the backs and shelves) a bright, cheerful color. It'll make it easier to see what you've got, and it'll add a pop of secret color, like when your plain black coat turns out to have a hot-pink lining. Always awesome.

I say paint it in black... gives it a more modern feel.