Sunday 15 June 2008

Why Can't I Make Up My Mind?

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Those of you who’ve followed my blog for a while will know that I’m currently saving up for a new kitchen. Those of you who didn’t know, do now.

I’m about halfway there at the moment and have come to the point where I need to start planning it properly, especially as I’m going to be doing it in parts. But I can’t make my mind up!

My original plan was to have cream units with wood effect worktops and flooring, and sage green walls. The tiles have already been painted a warm red and the kitchen chairs are going the same colour, as are the legs of the table. Red and green is a combination I like.

But my kitchen is very dark. There’s just one tiny window stuck up in a corner and as it’s also in a corner on the outside of the house, very little light comes in. I usually have the ceiling lights on at the moment because the whole thing’s painted a darkish orangey peach colour with pale grey units and work surfaces. The floor is a darker grey and even the tiles were originally grey. It is, to say the least, very miserable looking.


This is what the kitchen looked like before I started painting the tiles. The photo was taken in natural light. See what I mean about dark and miserable?

Recently I’ve been thinking that perhaps it would be better to go with white units rather than cream being as white reflects more light. And I’m thinking of using a dado rail to split the walls, using the sage green on the lower part and a warm off-white on the top. That should also help brighten things up.

But I’m really undecided. I’m usually pretty sure of how I want things in the house so this indecision is starting to do my head in. I sure as heck don’t want to spend my money on a kitchen I’m not going to be happy with and as it's being done in stages, the paintwork and wall cabinets are going to have to be sorted soon-ish. After that, there’s no more changing my mind.

What do you think? Should I stick with my original plan or would the white version be better?

HELP!

Sharon J xx

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9 comments:

Vicus Scurra said...

Help. I stumbled in here and found some chick talking about colours and tiles and shit. Get me out! Please!
Where's the porn at? Anyone wanna discuss rugby union?

Sharon J said...

Vicus, darling. Are you ever going to join the ranks of the civilised?

Vicus Scurra said...

I bloody hope not.

WebSmith said...

Green is my favorite color and I prefer duo-tone or multi-tone effects.

I just finished an outside bathroom in white and light blue/green with a sage themed shower curtain for color. I can change the color of the room by changing shower curtains if I get bored. During the process, my galvanized pipe started giving way and I had to put in over 300 feet of copper ripping out and replacing most of the concrete, stone, and brick on the back of the house. My construction friends estimated that I did about $50K worth of work not including the bathroom which they said would be another 5-10. I thanked them for the help.

Don't have a pic loaded up of the bathroom but you can see the Koi pond I built.

http://ewebsmith.com/Pond.JPG

Sharon J said...

That's some pond you've built, websmith. You wouldn't like to nip over and do some building work for me, would you? ;-)

I'm definitely veering towards splitting the walls with a dado rail as I think it'll make the kitchen feel more homely. And as it's a cold room I think the cream cupboard would add more warmth than stark white. Light vs. warmth. Hmm... I think probably warmth.

WebSmith said...

Thank you. The peaches are getting ripe now and the flowers are beginning to bloom. I have added a very light green concrete column and large bowl of flowers in front.

I enjoy working with my hands and back but I haven't done it for a living. It's somehow much more satisfying than the technology I have been involved in creating. My father was a mason. I suddenly knew more and became more skilled when he died.

I have put a 6" high band of glass block windows right under the cabinets in a dark kitchen with no room for windows. Light colored counter tops reflect the light everywhere else but you don't normally see the windows. The colors change with the weather.

Sharon J said...

You sound very creative, WS. I agree that creating something with your own hands is far more satisfying than creating technology.

Those glass blocks of yours sound a lovely idea. Alas, this wouldn't work in my kitchen.

Catz said...

I would go with the cream Sharon, much warmer as you say. I have cream walls in my kitchen (which because it is at the side of the house and very close to the neighbours, can also be dark but lovely and cool in summer, a plus when baking) with light wood effect cabinets and warm colours in the tiles and floor.

Sharon J said...

Thanks for the response, Catz.

I think I'll stick with my original plan. Something is telling me that I should trust what my original instincts told me and warm the kitchen up while brightening it somewhat, too.

It is nice that the kitchen's cool during summer but I'm a bit of a chill-pin (I take a large dose of heparin every day so my blood's kept thin so I feel the cold a lot) and hate it looking cold in winter as it just makes it feel colder, too.