apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It looks like the kitchen is open to other rooms. If that is the case I think the color should flow with the rooms it looks into. Anymore information on or pictures of those rooms?

I love how clean and inviting your kitchen is. I think the hints for the color are in the picture and your story about the coffee pot. You can easily go Southern Italian with an earthly yellow, like ocher, that will give the kitchen color and keep it bright and welcoming. Or you can go with the red of the apron and the teapot, maybe slightly washed out so it won't overwhelm. But my first instinct is the ocher. Go Italian.

I agree with eddieb, I'm feeling a Tuscan sort of vibe. Maybe it's the textured wall treatment (which I really like). I would go for a yellow or a terracotta type colour as long as it's not too orange. Something warm and inviting and rustic Italian. If it's possible, I would update the cabinets in the future and add some Tuscan-styled accessories, like brightly coloured painted ceramic ware and terracotta pots.

D-

ohmygosh!! i was totally thinking of sending this in for a question! oh pretty please give suggestions :)

DawnMarie04: the kitchen is entirely open to the rest of our apartment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/olya/sets/72157602485312823/ that is the living room, and our two computer desks.

the wall treatment really feels like someone ripped off tiles... i'm not sure how well this with the rest of our apartment. :) if it seems intentional in the photo, maybe we can make it look intentional in real life.

we are planning to have a minor reno in january, when the holiday spending will pass. minor is to the extent of replacing the counter, sink/faucet and cabinet doors. while this is a rental, we plan to live here for a while... might as well make it feel good.

sauceykat: i'm not sure ceramic pots would go with the rest of our room. since its a very small one, i try to stick to black and white tones.

edditb: red is definitely something i'd like to try; again i'm just worried about it being overwhelming for the rest of the room.

happy weekend, everyone!

oy, sorry, forgot to close the bold tag. shame on me.

I've been trying (for months) to think of a way to store the lids to my pots and pans ... you just solved it for me with your pic. I love what you did with that IKEA rack above your stove and I hope you won't mind if I copy your good idea. :)

Personally a Tuscan feel would go with the odd texture on the kitchen walls. Could you then paint the rest of the place a softer, lighter version of that color to brighten up the apartment? A warmer white if you choose to stay with white?
What color cabinets are you leaning toward, and counter? That would play into the color.

Is your kitchen the heart area of you home? Our is. No matter what we always gather there.

I vote for something warm and a bit brighter. I think it would work with the rest of the furniture. Comments?

I looked at your honeymoon pictures, go there for color ideas. I think those would work!

Fuji: kudos to my husband for that! go for it! we actually store 3 lids comfortably there, and its really convenient. Glad to help!

Janella: well, our home is tiny, so the kitchen is really 25% of it. we can't exactly gather here :-) we're gathered no matter where we are! (is this another benefit of living small?)

We still haven't thought about cabinets. We are both fans of butcher block counters. After looking at the color contests and a bunch of other links I had saved from the week I think I'm leaning towards repainting it a cleaner, softer white. I really liked Behr's Toasted Marshmallows... we used it in the bedroom, and its perfectly creamy while being white. And maybe make the cabinets shiny white.

That way the accessories like the kettle would make the color, and it'd be easy to switch it up if we get bored.

I really like the idea of a yellow tone. Nothing really harsh but nothing too pastel. Yellow is tricky so it may take some taping of paint swatches to the wall and living with it to see what works. I also think a green would work if you are against yellow. I know yellow is a love it or hate it color for many.

DawnMarie, thank you for the idea. we'll hang up some swatches and see what happens - its a good idea!

If you're looking for a mellow yellow - try Kelly Moore's Polenta. I choose it for my previously dingy kitchen / dining room on a whim and it turned out great - warm, but not shockingly yellow.

I think a yellow would look nice with the red accessories you already have in your kitchen!

update: can't redo in january as we've had car trouble. darn.

but thank you all for the advice :-)

if you like the yellow, try a colour called perkins cove available at lowes (in united states). i painted my house interior using that colour, then had the store make other batches of it lightening it 25% and then 50% so it is the same colour always but lighter shades and tones. good luck!