apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Why would you need to sand? And if you choose another dark tone, you would probably only need a tinted primer plus latex coat. I think this color is worth the effort! :(

I vote for a darkish grey to blend with countertop and help the cabinets pop a bit. Then a big big piece of art on that big blank wall.

Good luck!

You definitely don't need to sand, and unless this orange is a high-gloss enamel, you don't really need to prime either. Just paint away! Can we help you find the right soft coral?

I personally like the color, but if you hate it, it will be a continual annoyance to you no matter what color the cabinets are. Just bite the bullet and repaint.

my sibling-in-laws have a pinkish color that goes striking with the same as your cabinet colors. It's somewhere along this line:
http://api.ning.com/files/xzN7HaO6EVzD2-BtCpyOhPLiSyg0DvYZ7RW5b*B-42eIPl8zJ6CTjRJ1OdGF38MH-Avyn2RIJ0-IcmHLWPCMdl6BhdKrA-xl/G_06362_art.jpg

I would just change the wall paint and keep the cabinet color.

I have a similarly garish bright yellow kitchen and I can attest that you definitely want something more calm in the kitchen. I feel like I'm in a rush when I'm cooking, and if I eat in the kitchen I swear I eat faster than I do if it were a calmer color. Your original idea of a gentler coral would look lovely with white cabinets though, but yeah, you'd definitely need to prime to keep the color from being a surprise again.

I would paint the cabinets before picking a final wall color. It'll change the tones in the room. (Is that painted over tile I see by the window?)

If you're looking for a great coral color, check out this color contest entry: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/room-for-color-2009/heathers-coral-kitchenroom-for-color-international-16-098332

If you have some of this left over, mix in a quantity of white paint and see if you acheive the softer coral you're going for. you can paint over a patch to see if you like it and if you do, then just take the mixed batch to the paint store and have them make you some more.
White cabinets would look really good against a softer coral. Very crisp.

I personally like the color, but perhaps you would need to hang up something on the walls...they do look quite bare. Some wall art would definitely break up the color and tone it down a bit.

If you paint the cabinets white (the same white as the trim) it will look ten times better!

Repaint. There is nothing you can do to make yourself like a color you hate. Life's too short to live with ugly walls.

I feel you. When my wife and I moved into our house, we wanted to paint our bedroom a warm orange color. We did one wall, looked at it, and said, "It looks like thousand island dressing."

We repainted it a pale green, and were happy that way until very recently - it's now our daughter's room, and we did the whole thing again in pink for her. She loves it.

Sometimes, we need to know when to stop.

i really like the color, but my idea for you would be to look up "martin senour" brand paint and take a look at the color "boston fern". i'd paint the walls that color, in a satin gloss latex finish and leave the cabinets how they are. OR, you could paint the cabinets the same color as the walls, but paint them a high gloss oil, so they'd be easier to wipe down and clean, since it is a kitchen.
i hope this helps you.

~victor

http://urbanshedstudio.com/victor.cfm

the color looks fine to me, but you're the ones who have to live w/ it. if you want to try to tone it down by painting the cabinets, i like the idea of a dark gray or white on the cabinets. with maybe some more turquoise accents, like the little jar you currently have on the counter.

also, i second the comment that there's no need to sand (who sands their walls before painting - ever?). if you choose to repaint, just prime and repaint.

If you paint the cabinets white, the orange will pop (even more) against them. Also, if you choose a color on the opposite side of the color wheel, you'll have a whole lotta poppin' goin' on. Similar colors, close to each other on the color wheel, tend to tone each other down. That's why your cabinets don't jump out at you (me) like the white woodwork does. If you don't want to repaint, I'm with the suggestion of hanging a large (LARGE) piece of artwork. Another solution would be to tone down the walls w/glaze, but it seems like you might prefer the look of clearer colors. P.S. Don't feel bad. Even the pros get surprised sometimes!

What about a glaze?

I'm generally not a fan of faux finish or texture, but I once used a light/white glaze over blue. It definitely softened the color and gave it sort of a an old wall/stucco feeling. Maybe it could make the orange look more Tuscan/Mediterranean style?

I do agree with others that if you hate it, it's worth the effort to fix it!

Good Luck!

If you paint your cabinets white, the orange is only going to look brighter in contrast. Repaint your walls!

For heaven's sake, paint the cabinets BEFORE you make decisions about the wall color! Otherwise, how will you know what the final look of things is?

The wall color is ok. The cabinets are the wrong color

if you like the wall color, but dont want to see it everywhere, repaint, but take the opportunity to make the first paint job not be in vain: throw up some masking tape in interesting shapes or a border then paint over in a darker but similar color so you'll have some subtle wall art

i also agree paint the cabinets first and go from there!

also, i just realized my suggestion could go very wrong if not done thoughtfully, use discretion !! :)

I just finished using Behr's new paint and primer in one on a bright red bathroom. I was painting it a slate blue, it covered in one coat. That would at least minimize your effort. They also sell small sample pots so you could try out a few to prevent another wrong color choice. I would agree with everyone that is saying paint the cabinets first and then repaint so you only have to do it once.

Coral is a difficult color to find the perfect shade in. It is a fine line between tear-your-eyes-out bright, and grandma's-pinky-dinky soft, but it can be done! I say definitely repaint (and follow the advice above about not sanding or priming). Find a paint brand that sells sample size paints like Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore, and paint big sections of the wall before you decide on a final color.

I sanded and primed my walls, but only because the paint was possibly 20 years old and I didn't want to wash them with eco-non-friendly TSP. But fresh paint - you're good to go even without primer.

That said, I think the reason the orange isn't working is it doesn't go well with the cabinet colors. So my suggestion is to pick a paint that looks nice with the light wood as well as the high contrast of pure white woodwork. You might even be able to stay in the orange range if it is more muted - like a pumpkin pie color (so hard to describe a color with just words!)

I don't think your problem here is the bright color, but the florescent overhead lighting! I am not sure if this is a rental, but can you install some dimmer track lighting underneath the cabinets? Also, I'd recommend dealing with the cabinets too- what it looks like is a clash of bright,earthy,artsy orange and an old-world country style cabinet. i'd really try painting the cabinets a neutral (dare i say the b word) beige.
Also, you can tone down the orange by getting some nice wall paper on one wall or two with some grey and blue tones.

good look, hope to see the results!

EASY. GLAZE. Use something like cherry (a little blue in it) for the tint and it will balance out the strong yellow undertone and add fantastic depth.

I feel your pain. But take heart! It's only paint! ;) Have a painting party when you start to take some of the angst away.

If you look at the white trim around the window, it gives you an idea of how bright the colour would be near white cupboards. I agree that it would be better with another colour. I like some of the darker cabinet colours that I have seen lately. Would one of those work?

As for paint, one of my rooms had a red glaze mixture on the walls and it didn't do much to make it any lighter. The texture was different, but that was all. When I painted over it, I primed the room first and then added the new colour. I hadn't thought of tinted primer, but that would have been even better. The new colour looks great!

I agree that paint samples would be a good way to go. Benjamin Moore has a great colour selection and sample paint pots galore! It may be a bit pricier, but it's what I have used and I love it!

Courage! I'm sure you'll pick the right colour!

Yea, as posted above- try to do something about the lighting first. Try changing the bulbs. Both fluorescents and regular blubs come in different temperature ranges. I just changed out some soft white fluorescents to daylight balanced and it completely changed the colors in my kitchen (not in a good way). Then I tried a bunch of different bulbs and combinations and the end I wound up using one daylight balanced and one soft white.

Also I like the color as is. Also as posted above, once you hang some stuff on the walls it will soften, too.

I'd also want to paint the cabinets white. But I'd never get around to it because it's a pain in the butt. Sounds like you don't have that problem with laziness, tho...:)

Wow! When I first saw the photo, I throught it was my apartment! I have the exact same color in my dining room and my kitchen (similar countertops and cabinets) is a lime green. I'm still renovating the apartment, but the paints I chose had grey tones to them. I actually chose a greyish blue color for the kitchen. The paint is Benjamin Moore (Nantucket Fog). I think it makes the countertops stand out and the cabinets blend nicely with the color.

I agree that you should paint the cabinets before doing anything else and see what the kitchen looks like then.

I also like the idea that was suggested here of a glaze. You could soften & modify the paint color that way, and might love the results.

Hi Everyone -

I am the ugly kitchen owner. Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I think I will start with the cabinets/lighting and go from there. Also good to know that sanding is completely unnecessary (somewhere, my boyfriend is gloating). I swear I heard that somewhere!

Hopefully, I'll have some positive progress to report soon!

If you really want to salvage this, leave one accent wall in this color and paint the rest white.

If you've always wanted a bright kitchen give it a few days, you could just be out of your comfort zone with it ;-) Hot coral is at the other end of the spectrum from your other colour choices isn't it? If you're going to paint the cupboards white regardless, then I'd do that first and see if your initial reaction changes. I'd also put something big up on that wall either an art piece, or something functional like a rack to hang stuf on.

I kind of love it. But if you hate it just prime over it and start again. It's only a day out of your life.

hi! i read all the posts and here's what i think:
1. color: it's not ugly! it actually looks the same as the charming chicago kitchen that someone linked to. however, it does seem to be "shiny." (maybe it's the harsh light?) wall paint should never be shiny.. you should use eggshell finish.
2. sanding- softly sanding between coats DOES make the paint go on better. it is more work, but the finish will be even and smooth.
3. lighting: the lighting is more garish than the paint color. it should be softened. :)
4. built ins: since your appliances and trim are white which create high contrast with the paint, i would suggest painting the cabinets a neutral. i don't think beige is a good choice (they are a yellow beige now), but maybe a deep khaki or greyish brown. orange can be relaxing and earthy.. adding a neutral will help with that.
4. decorations: you have to lean stuff against the walls for a week or two. if you have a lot of art work, the orange color will be minimized. i just painted my bedroom a purple pink and first thought it looked like my little pony.. now that i have a ton of gold frames in there, it looks really lovely!
cabinets: definitely paint them! there is no making "faux" oak pretty.
5. other: buy white cardboard and paint samples and hang the painted cardboard on the walls/ cabinets before committing. it really helps to visualize what the end result will be. it's a process.

:)