A blue gray or a very toned down green will work.

Will you be painting the cabinets or changing the counter? I think they are fine, I just wanted to know if you are OK with them. If you are leaving the cabinets/counter, I would go with a light grey-green that goes with the counter.

Grey tones will be nice play whit two differents grey.

I would bring the green of the counters up the wall behind the dishwasher / fridge only to the point where the slope begins...paint it green inside the niches as well. It looks like the counters are 'faux' marble-ish so you could faux it up to the slope so it gives a backsplash effect. Then I'd go with whatever color you choose the walls to be...I like a rich gold or burgundy.

I think a pretty pale blue would be great. Just make sure to bring samles to make sure the color doesnt fight with the current colors. Its amazing what a difference a slight variation in undertones can do!

Tomato Red.

No offense, but I would paint or redo the countertops instead...

I love the idea of tomato red but you would have to love that much saturation in that space.

I like the idea of some shade of blue. Perhaps a blue with green tones, or vice versa.

And think it would be interesting to delineate the slope from the wall, as FengShuiByFishGirl says. But maybe play with one of the paint companies color tests first. The actual kitchen space (not including the dining area) has a lot going on with all the bottles. Too many breaks in the color line might be too much.

Btw, kitchen envy here.

What a fun kitchen! What look do you like? Traditional? "Candy jar"? We have a few ceilings that slope down low like yours, and I've painted the ceilings the same as the walls. It seems less clausterphobic. If you want, you could paint the dishwasher/fridge wall, plus ceiling, one color, and the others walls and niches another. You'll have to experiment with the skylight "box." If you *do* paint the ceiling a different color than that wall, the line where the two meet will be right about eye level. I've learned that it's better to have a perfectly straight line, using a level and pencil, than to follow the often-uneven "junction" of the wall and ceiling.

You could check the Benjamin Moore website. They have a colour viewer you can download which will let you use pictures of the space you want to paint and choose different colours from their collection. That might help you with the suggestions you've gotten so far.

Personally I think a light shade of yellow could work....

a pale yellow will work well with the white appliances and oak (?) cabinets. it will also compliment the counters, as well. i think i would extend it into the dining room, too.

Please de-clutter first. Then ask us again.

orange, if those are turquoise counter tops.

This is a challenging space, actually. And not just in terms of color selection. A few suggestions:

---With all of the wall angles and niches, you may be tempted to use multiple colors. Don't. There is a lot going on this space; adding more will make it look and feel chaotic. It is important to use a single color in order to unify the space.

---Continue the one color on walls AND ceiling. Clearly the ceiling line is quite low in some areas, and the demarcation between ceiling and wall is not always clear. (You may be able to differentiate the ceiling in the dining area... the photos don't show how separate the spaces are.)

---Since you need to stick with one color, you should keep it relatively light. The space could be oppressive if painted a deep color.

---The actual color choice will be largely determined by the wood finishes (floor and cabinets) and counter tops. And that is a toughie. The counter tops are circa 1980s. That green was usually paired with burgundy; if you choose anything in that palette, the room will be a throwback to that decade (wallpaper borders with geese come to mind). Plus it would be oppressively dark.

---That green is hard to work with. It has much more blue in it than than yellow. And yet I would not go with gray or blue paint, because I don't think those will work well with your wood finishes.

In an ideal world, I'd suggest replacing the counter tops and starting over with something you don't have to work around. But how often do we get to live in an ideal world?

That said, go to the paint store and pick up about 50 chips in a range of brown/golds. VERY LIGHT... something like a pale wheat. Something that will NOT read as yellow, and yet will not quite read as brown. If it is too saturated, it will look like a Mexican villa gone wrong. If it is too pale, it will look like a Navajo White apartment nightmare.

This may not be the simple "ah ha!" answer you're hoping for, but I think it will get you on the right path. Good luck!

I would take a shade off the countertops (blue/green/turquise) and run it ONLY up the sloped ceiling and around the skylight border. If you must stretch more drop down behind the counters, but maybe dodge the white cubbies?

Leave the rest the off-white color. The space is too small for too much of any solid color: these changes should keep it open... and yes I'm a sucker for white in the kitchen.

put in thick carrera marble counters, or new laminate in white/light neutral. no paint needed.

What I really love about this kitchen is the vaulted ceiling, and the little cutouts in the wall where you keep those bottles. I think with those features, you can be a bit bold! I would suggest going with a dark blue on the back wall and leaving the side wall white to keep it opened up. In other words, paint the vaulted ceiling and wall blue, but leave the cutout shelves white. I think that would really pop without competing with your green counters.

I think white is the best colour for this kitchen. There are already the teal countertops (which I kinda like) and a lot of different orangey/darkish coloured wood. If you want more colours I suggest bringing them in in small doses: a bright red tablecloth to contrast with the teal counters, a big poster or something on the wall behind the dining table. I know it's easier said than done but the kitchen also needs some serious decluttering. You have like 20 different types of containers standing around. Replacing them with something in a basic, uniform style would do wonders.

With this cabinet color and white appliances I would try a deep gray slightly to the green side. The skylight gives you great light and the darker tone will let the cabinets and whites pop.

I would paint the cabinets white and the walls a soft grayish green. I would not paint the sloped ceiling, it would close in the space.

I think the teal/green countertops are a nice color and agree with a few others that tomoto red would be a nice contrast. However, I also agree that the room needs to be one color and that will be too much red. How about leaving the walls white and painting the insides of those cut-outs red and finding some other red accessories? Also, de-cluttering will make this room look much better.

Good luck and send some "after" pics!

White on the ceilings.

Pale sage green on the walls (I think Restoration Hardware has a line of paint that might work as a starting base - but I am not specifically recommending their paints).

Those little nooks could be painted a darker shade of green in the same hue.

Also, I think there are magnetic films that can be used to change the appearnace of appliances - that white dishwasher really stands out!

And like someone else suggested - please declutter! This will improve your kitchen more than anything.

Good luck!

1st - I believe you have the same little classical composer statues that we do. I have not seen them in anyone else's home :) funny.
2nd - If you own, i vote for new counter tops! Cherry red or crisp white would be my suggestions. playing with the all color accordingly (shades of white/off white if you go with the red counter)
I've seen the shapes/shelves cut into the wall (near the counter top), painted a darker shade than the walls, in another home, and it looked fantastic. if you go with white counter tops, it could be very fun to paint those spaces cherry red. and yes, some canisters would be awesome.
if you do not own, I would suggest to make the green counters look like an active choice.
I would test shades of teal - i think that is the most crisp, clean and strong choice. yellow still feels a bit too suburban, with the green counter tops.
one more suggestion, risky, as you may love your kitchen table, but it feels a bit dated. could be fun to sell on craigslist and pick up something more modern/or even a 50s style crome and Formica style table.
that could be rad in your space and play down the very 80s oak.
good luck. and i hope that was helpful!!

I would either paint the cabinets white, or, replace the counter tops....and THEN think about paint.

Pale cream or turquoise.

This color--

http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/sf-samuel-house-tour/item/107177

Your space reminds me of my favorite entry from the color contest:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/room-for-color-2009/jessicas-mostly-neutrals-room-for-color-west-16-098179

I wouldn't try to replicate it exactly - the dark walls might be too cavey with your lower ceiling - but I'd reference the charming palette of green, gold, cream and wood.

I can only imagine another shade of green (seafoam?), or a beigey neutral.

It's a cute little kitchen, but those countertops really limit your choices. If it's at all possible, consider having them replaced with wood or a neutral manufactured stone. Then you can paint the walls pretty much any colour you like.

I think a creamy yellow similar to that mentioned by kelleyk would complement the green counters and warm up the space without seeming oppressive.

hey,

thanks for all the suggestions.

I should have mentioned that we rent, so we can't do anything too major. also the cabinet, at least the top one is original, and about 110 years old so the landlord wouldn't want us to paint it. And I couldn't anyway I really like painted wood cabinets, but wood that old is too pretty.

About the ceiling line being low and not straight, I think this mostly has to do with the photo, I was standing on a chair trying to get the whole kitchen into the shot, there is actually wood trim where the slope meets the ceiling.

I should take a photo of the counters, they aren't quite faux marble, I'm not really sure what to call it, but they have little hints of gold and orange.

I agree with franny007 about the table, but unfortunately it came with the apartment, and is going to have to stay, but i am trying to find some kind of oilcloth or tablecloth for it... not really sure what though.

Last note, these photos are actually from when we were posting on craigslist for a third roommate right after moving in, so the counters aren't usually so cluttered. And those TERRIBLE liquor bottles left by the previous renters are gone (I am so embarrassed).

Like someone else said, I think it really depends on whether you like color or like subtlety. If you're open to bold, I can imagine chartreuse looking awesome with those blue/green counters.

Here are some pictures that can give you an idea of this color combo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dogmom_five/3763159491/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8230585@N06/3201467323/

Here's chartreuse in a kitchen with wood cabinets, though I think it would look even better with your countertops too:

http://www.closkey.com/mybrilliantmistakes/archives/kitchen.jpg

Good luck! It's a really cool space. I'd pick a light shade and leave all the cubbies and the shaft for the window white.

Since this room is a bit light-challenged, with only a sky-light instead of actual windows, I think you should stick with a white or very, very light ivory on the ceiling and all the kitchen walls (including the nooks). The wall behind the dining table is crying out for something rich and deep to me though...

I love the ideas of white marble counters (they would solve many of the issues I think), they are obviously not in the realm of possibility in this case.

I am going to recommend a rather expensive paint for a rental, but in this case, I really think it would make a world of difference. A full spectrum paint would help bounce light around the room, and would make the most of your lighting conditions (instead of going grey in low light like most paints, full spectrum paints by virtue of having many different pigments, react by subtly changing colour). Also, I find there is a sort of "glow" to white full spectrum paint.

The master of whites is Donald Kaufman, and he has a nice range of whites for the home. In your case, maybe DKC-5 or something creamier like DKC-53 would work best.

For the dining room wall, I think a dramatic and unexpectedly bold grey would be gorgeous. It would work great with your woodwork, and would make you love your table (no oilcloths please! Maybe a simple solid-coloured linen runner, at most). The French-style chairs are pretty, and with the grey, the whole thing will look much more modern.

The greys that I think would work the best are Farrow & Ball Downpipe, or if you are less confident, Pigeon.

I love deep, dark teal, but it may be difficult to find one to work... one suggestion I have is Mere Green from F&B.

The reason I am recommending Farrow & Ball (another expensive paint, I know) is that they specialize in the sort of colours that look good in spaces of your vintage, with your sort of materials and colours. Besides, it's a small wall :-)

Try a couple of sample pots, and see how you feel.

If there are no local suppliers, there is a web source for both:

http://www.coxpaint.com/store/

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

Just checked out another post -- Benjamin Moore's Deep River could also work great -- it's between Down Pipe (still ma favourite) and Pigeon.

I would definitely do a light shade of blue. Good luck! Can't wait to see the after photos :)

Hello, I have a very similar kitchen: I live on the last floor, in a remodled attic.
I went to Ikea and got Abstrack white cabinets, replaced the original, which stored them away for when I moved out.
You see, my landlored loved them and was also very fussy about how to clean them, which was way too much work for me.
Then I painted the whole kitchen bright yellow, and left one wall white. Everybody loves this room and guests tell me they feel warm and sunny.
I wasn't quite the AT reader at the time, so I just went to the local hardware store and bought the first yellow I could get.

Good luck.

Hi. Charming kitchen, good luck!

I've done two -- count'em, two -- large-scale kitchen remodels in the last ten years. For some reason, I picked greenish walls for both. In the last rehab, we painted our 60 year old fir cabinets, which were darkish like yours. I'm all for respecting the integrity of wood, but in smaller spaces, they really close things off and shrink the perspective. I think it really depends on your style.

If you're committed to the cabinets, I'd play up their color with a warmish tan tone on most of the walls, and reserve one wall as an accent wall to pop -- like other posters have suggested, something in the turquoise-y family to integrate the countertops.

Good luck!

First of all, it's great to have so much input. My roommates agree that we should paint, but don't really have any opinions beyond that.

-- As for the concerns about too little light, there are actually 2 big windows on the left wall in addition to the sunlight. And although we are on the 3rd floor and we have that slope, the ceilings are actually pretty high. I mean, I wouldn't call it a small space, to me the kitchen seems pretty big, then again I'm 24 and living in JP, so my frame of reference is skewed.

-- I really like the idea of a dark grey like Drain Pipe, but it might be a little too much for the whole kitchen and dining area... In general my aesthetic is pretty varied. I like the idea of bold colors, but generally like a kind of vintage feel.

Again, I will try to add some photos this evening, to try to get the whole space in the shot, show the ceiling height, windows ect!

Drain pipe was just for the wall behind the dining table; white is for everywhere else.

Medium gray

I strongly recommend Benjamin Moore HC1, which is an incredible shade of yellow-green that looks different (but still good!) in any light ... and somehow goes with nearly everything. We painted our kitchen this color 15 years ago, and just repainted it, because it's still the perfect combination of bright-interesting-changeable-vintage that we like. Our counter tops are denim blue laminate and the cabinets are cherry, and somehow this crazy color pulls it all together. Trust me!

This is possibly a crazy and over the top suggestion, but what about using those peel and stick vinyl floor tiles to cover the counters? As I understand it, they install and remove easily, and they come in a variety of colors and designs, as well as being pretty inexpensive. Then you could have a more neutral counter and go with pretty much any color you want.

That said, I'm pretty heavy into gray these days, so I think it would be nice to find a shade of gray that you liked, that worked with your (possibly ~new) counters, possibly something in the medium-lightish range? I would paint the full walls that color, and then do the sloped wall a shade or so lighter, in the hopes that it would make it seem airier. The cutouts I would do in the darker shade! You could do that with most any color you liked, I suppose.

I think it's actually a very charming space, and I like the character the sloped wall adds! Good luck!

Color is an important consideration in designing the kitchen and dining . That affects great on our mood. It is best that you choose colors from the lighter shades of peach and healthier brown, yellow, pink or blue. Color can also create a feeling of space more or less in a kitchen. You must also use the 60-30-10 rule for the color of an atmosphere between three colors.