Paint color suggestions

[mac78]

I have this very small eat in kitchen that I would like to paint. I am looking for suggestions for color.

I was thinking.....wainscoating wallpaper under the chair rail and paint it white. But then what for the top color?

My dining room (which is a wasted space), has no windows (due to an addition) and it is painted a dark golden yellow. I don't know if I should keep the kitchen/dining room the same colors, or different. I need help please.

We added on a family room, so our dining room has no windows. The dining room opens to the family room by a 6' door way.

Problem room: Kitchen....what color to paint it.
Here are a couple pics.

Also, in my kitchen below the chair rail, there used to be paneling. I took it off years ago, and did wallpaper until I got sick of it, and then tried to texture the walls to match above...didn't do a very good job, so sponge painted over it to cover up the defects. I hate it, that is why I am thinking wallpaper wainscoating.

My little kitchen. I am a childcare provider, so we use my kitchen a lot, it is only 9 x 13. I hate it.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/mdburch/247a.jpg

My dining room (looking into the front living room)
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/mdburch/240a.jpg

My dining room (looking into the family room) (I have since painted the family room...no more border....painted a creamy tan (light), going coastal cottage in there
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/mdburch/250a.jpg

[annielinz]

If you are considering doing wallpaper below the chair rail in the kitchen, I've seen wall paper that looks like bead board and have heard favorable remarks about using it. Or do real bead board which may hold up better due to the fact you do daycare in the home.Paint it white to go with your cabinets. That would really kick up the cottage look you are going for and also tie in with the coastal look you want.
Regarding the color again look around your home what are you dominant colors. For instance if you are thinking of replacing your valances maybe find that first and pick a color from the fabric and use that as your jumping off point.
You need to find your inspiration then pick your wall color from that.

[Gigi]

What a charming kitchen and dining room! What color? What do you LOVE? Soft colors, bold, what color can you live with a very long time? So many possibilites...I can't wait to have everyone else chime in?

And a warm welcome too! ;)

[Lynzee]

I love your kitchen and dining room!

I can't help you with paint colors...I am still unwilling to admit that paint comes in colors other than white...so I will leave that for the resident color experts, but I do think it's important to go with what you absolutely love.

Beadboard would be beautiful and would be perfect for your coastal theme. How often do you tend to change things though? If you like to change your decor often, paint is definitely the least expensive option.

Good luck ~ keep us posted!

[RoseMary]

Your kitchen and dining room are great rooms to work with! Since you are a childcare provider, I would hesitate to put wallpaper where little hands might be touching it a lot~there might be some heavy duty type wallpaper that are made for that, though.

I'm with Gigi on the color--choose something that you love--and then go for it:)!

[mac78]

I am wondering, since my biggest concern with my kitchen/dining room is that they don't go together.....I am thinking about painting the kitchen the same color as the dining room, or else a lighter shade of the same color. Is the golden yellow in the dining room considered a neutral color?

I have to do something in the kitchen below the chair rail to cover up defects in the wall from removing paneling years ago, that is why I thought using beadboard wallpaper would work....I could do it myself and it would be easy and cheap, and I would paint it white. But then, my walls by the back door get a lot of beating from the garage door entrance, so,,,,something to think about the wear and tear on wallpaper.

Does anyone have any suggestions what to do under the chair rail....any painting techniches or ways to camoflage the defects. By defects, I mean there are places where paneling was put on with black construction adhesive, and I have sanded and sanded, and you can still see the lines with a simple coat of paint, I tried adding texture and it did help, but it is still seen when painted....hence the sponge paint....covers up the defects in the wall.

Also, since my living room has creamy golden yellow walls (same paint chart as dining room but 2 shades lighter)and I have painted 1 wall in my living room an accent color of burgundy, I am thinking of keeping living room, dining room, and kitchen the golds, burgundy, and a touch of blue in these rooms. And then for my family room, it is already painted a neutral color and I have a blue/creme oval braided rug in there, and just adding more blue touches back there with some throw pillows of gold and burgundy. Plus, shells and other small items to give the coastal feel.

You ladies have all given me great ideas and suggestions. Thanks so much. Keep those ideas for me coming....I need all the help I can get.

My burgundy wall in the living room
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/mdburch/248a.jpg

Other side of the living room
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/mdburch/249a.jpg

[annielinz]

The only thing to suggest for your lower walls is to either add bead-board(not the wallpaper kind) for durability or have them re mudded/textured. Until you take care of that problem you will unhappy with anything you do to them-trust me on this;) I had the same problem in my kitchen on the back wall. I re-mudded myself, it really wasn't too hard.

If you like the yellow then continue it thru the house, it is a great neutral. My concern is the dark burgundy wall. It is very bold next to the light yellow walls. It seems to be throwing the balance off in the room. If you like the color use it as an accent but in smaller doses. I think if you painted the whole room with the yellow it would give you the calm beachy feel you are desiring.
However if you want to keep the burgundy wall have you tried putting your couch against it and putting the TV on the smaller wall? You need something big to break up such a powerful color.
In your dining room for more pow there, you could add a darker color under the chair rail, it'll ground the room. And you need to only go with a darker hue of what is above the chair rail, not necessarily a completely different color. However (keep using that word:))if you keep your burgundy wall in the LR you could add burgundy under the chair rail to help the colors flow from room to room.
I hope I'm not confusing you, I'm just trying to throw out some ideas.

[shabbychick]

I hesitate to give any advice since I'm not much of a decorator, but have you considered bringing in some sage green in each room? It might help you bridge that gap between the strong burgundy in the living room and the more beachy colors in the other rooms. I think it would go well with the lovely dark woods you have in some of the furniture pieces I see in the picture. Plus green is one of those neutrals that goes with just about anything (as it does in nature) and is as at home in a beach theme as it is in any other theme (like Tuscan, which uses golds and reds). Just my humble opinion, informed by nothing but personal taste. :)

[chyna]

Am I imagining things or did you ask us about painting over at CL? I'm probably not going to be much more help this time around then last but the beadboard idea sounds good. You can get the thinner type of plywood sort of a luan (sp???) so you wouldn't be taking too much room from the kitchen and it would be easier to keep clean since the beads wouldn't be as deep. I must be still stuffed up from my cold because I have no color ideas. Put that in the books. :p

[mac78]

I had asked about paint for my family room. I have since completed the paint job in that room, but still need to add coastal/cottage things to the room. A work in process. Now I want to redo my kitchen. I love the beadboard idea, but, I have to do all the work, and I am not so sure about me cutting and putting up beadboad....that is why I have been talking the wallpaper look alike stuff. lol

[chyna]

the stuff I'm talking about is sheets of the "beadboard" and all you really need to cut is once along the bottom/top, the thin stuff would be even easier and even if your cuts are uneven the trim would hide that. The board by board on the other hand could be more than you chew. We've been putting ours on the kitchen ceiling and it does take quite a bit longer. :o Now the sheets we used in the bathroom went up in no time flat.

[annielinz]

Well, since I have never installed either I can understand your concern. The bead-board wallpaper I've heard about is quite thick and may hold up to the daycare kiddies. It's along the line of the anaglyptic paper which is thick and does wonders for covering up walls in bad shape like you say yours are in. Go online and look for that kind of paper. I'm not sure they sell the thick kind at Home depot.

Heres a link:
http://www.grahambrown.com/us/store/viewProduct.do?id=2082519

[Scrantonluna]

I think you need to do two things; one, break up that long wall in the kitchen, and two, eliminate the chair rail from one of the rooms. Breaking up the long wall will define where your kitchen is and is not - your attention is drawn immediately down that little hallway there, and you want to bring it back into the kitchen. I would keep a beadboard or something similar in the kitchen, which should stand up better to spills and stains than regular paint would. I just put a solid vinyl beadboard up in my bathroom, which would last a long, long time in a kitchen and clean up very easily. It's also reversible, with more of a plank board look on the back. To seperate the kitchen from the hall, I don't know if it's in the budget, but I would consider doing a doorless jamb with a transom window above. Take a look at Valspar 'Spring Eve,' a more vibrant green, from Lowes.

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ol-images/nursery/uploads/2007-04-19-2_ViewSouthFromChair.jpg

As for the dining room, I'd pull the chair rail (you don't want every room to have a very common theme, you need some variety and each room should be it's one, not just it's own color). What I would suggest is a little optical illusion, in the form of a shelf, some MDF sheets, and a bit of adhesive and paint. Take a look at the pic below, all they used was a plate shelf and some MDF strips glued to the wall, then painted it all to make it look like expensive woodwork. MDF is inexpensive, environmentally sound, and easy to cut and work with.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/252/448863059_728b69b61b.jpg?v=0

[mac78]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. To Scrantonluna.....thank you. I wanted to let you know that the pics are a little deceiving. My kitchen is a mere 9 x 13 and a pie safe and table take up most of that wall space.

This is what I think I will do......Beadboard wallpaper....thank you to whoever posted the link to it......

Another question.....paint color.....I am thinking a coastal cottage color....any suggestions. Thought about a smokey blue for upper wall and white for the beadboard. Then decorate in coastal cottage, to go along with my family room.

My dining room is that deep golden yellow/mustard kind of color and I have a pear picture in the dining room that matches the wall color great.

So, it is right or wroong to do two themes......family room and kitchen would be coastal cottage, and dining room cottage/pear.

Sorry so many questions.

[shabbychick]

Somewhere in the world there's a cottage on the coast that has a pear tree growing in the yard. IMO, there's no reason why those themes can't coexist. There's also no reason why you can't put a seashell or two in your cottage/pear room to bridge the themes. I say whatever makes you happy in your own home is what you should go for. Who is to tell you what's right or wrong in your own house? If you like it, go for it!

[mac78]

Thanks, I will do that. Amazing the little things I don't think of. lol

I am still working on the paint color.....I am just not sure on blue for a kitchen.

[Breezy]

If I were going to decorate in a coastal way I'd use white, blue and sand colors - nothing dark - that way the rooms would be light and airy just like a summer day at the coast.
As some of the ladies said just use colors you like - make you feel good - and go for it. There's no right or wrong way to decorate your own home just do it your way. Best wishes and please keep us posted.