Apartment Therapy San Francisco | #35 - Garrett's Energizing Kitchen

#35 - Garrett's Energizing Kitchen

Name: Garrett
Location: San Francisco
Type: 2-bedroom Condo (purchased 1 month ago and currently renovating).

Why I use color:

I use color to affect the energy of a space. For my kitchen, I am always tired at the end of the day and wanted a way to energize my time in the space. The bright green is strong enough to help me put away the frozen food and actually cook a meal.

2 good color tips:

1. Use color in places aside from the walls. Sometimes it's more visually appealing to invert the standard color treatment (strong color on the trim, soft colors on the wall)

2. When using strong colors, choose natural colors to help ground them. (Use bright green with wood tones, or bright pink with browns.)

2 good color resources:

1. Travel Photos: When I travel I often take pictures of mundane items (walls, streets, etc.) for the texture and colors present. This is also a perfect use for a camera phone. Take pictures of anything that catches your eye for future reference.

2. Magnified Images: If you zoom in on a image, you will see that what appears solid at a distance is actually made up of lots of distinct shades and hues. I'll often use a zoomed-in picture to find colors that organically feel related.

Comments (20)

The green is lively, but doesn't work for me with your wood tones. Perhaps a wall color other than white would help?

posted by etslee on 2006-10-23 11:49:56

Great Idea, althought the green isnt really my taste,i love the idea of another color, like orange.

posted by Wes on 2006-10-23 11:53:56

That color green would put me off from eating. Great for the diet.

posted by lUCY on 2006-10-23 12:43:20

Hmm, it'd be one thing if all the cabinets were painted green (which could be a bit overbearing), but that bright green just doesn't go well with the wood. I don't know what to suggest but it's not working for me.

posted by bonk on 2006-10-23 13:18:31

i like the green, and i like the wood. perhaps a colorful tiled backsplash would help pull it all together.

posted by tree on 2006-10-23 13:25:05

I really like the green and the wood, but the stark white walls are really disrupting things... I'd like to see a muted color that would marry the wood and green.

posted by MattPDX on 2006-10-23 13:41:07

I beg to differ. I love the green with the brown.

posted by pb on 2006-10-23 14:46:50

I like the green with the wood too! A warm grey instead of the white would be pretty.

posted by ag on 2006-10-23 15:40:32

The wood is great.

posted by hanifa on 2006-10-23 16:02:30

Why? Why? Why?

posted by Anonymous on 2006-10-23 16:19:08

LOVE IT!

posted by D on 2006-10-23 16:54:50

I love it too. It's different and I think it goes well together. Love the countertop and all the appliances. What doeas green have to do with not eating or diet, I don't get it.

posted by km on 2006-10-23 17:00:24

I like the idea of a backsplash or another color to tie the green and wood together. Right now they don't really seem to mesh b/c the green is so neon.

posted by Amanda on 2006-10-23 18:24:30

I like the green with the wood. However, I agree with a previous comment, if you replaced the white with an alternate color? AWESOME! :)

Thanks for sharing your space and good ideas!

posted by penny on 2006-10-23 18:55:30

I would rather see the red of the blender and toaster on the cabinets. Or better yet a foresty green like what I think I'm seeing on the floor.

posted by charlene on 2006-10-23 19:54:58

I don't get it. Bottom cabinets looks high-end. Green cabinets look really cheap. Maybe a green mosaic backsplash?

posted by Carla on 2006-10-24 05:46:59

There is another color. The red counter appliances??

Garret, I liked your tips, they were interesting, useful and something different.

posted by tr on 2006-10-23 20:16:32

I swear, within a year every kind of bright or lime green will be the new avocado (which is bound for a comeback, no?). The brown cabinets are so nice. I would have done all of the cabinets that brown, then painted the wall a color. I'm not sure what to make of the black countertop--to me, it looks dated already. Maybe stainless steel instead.

posted by JefferyK on 2006-10-23 21:19:47

Thanks all for the comments. I've only been in the house for a little over a month ... and will definately take some of your comments to heart!

Its hard to tell from the pictures, but the walls are actually a creamy yellow color with bright white on the trim.

This is all part of a soft remodel. The previous owner put in the black granite and stainless steel appliance, but all of the cabinets are the original 1950's design. I had the lower cabinets refaced (and reconfigured) using bamboo plywood. I think the woodwork is beautiful. (It was done by bambookitchensf.com -- I highly recommend them!)

(And JefferyK, I completely agree! Green will be the new avocado next year but luckily it only takes a weekend to repaint. )

posted by Garrett on 2006-10-23 22:18:39

I usually think green and brown is a nice color combo, but for some reason, I think this green doesn't work as well with the brown of the wood. Maybe because both colors are so saturated they look like they are competing with each other?

posted by kk on 2006-10-24 07:47:50