i'd say that the "honey" coloured wood isn't helping much either... I would suggest going white on the cupboards... and then sticking to shades of grey on the walls... pretty and light and soft.

Then bring in some accessories in whites and blues and with pops of other colours to spruce things up. perhaps a bit of yellow and orange and of course green via some nice fresh herbs.

you could also consider hitting the hardware store and picking up some tile for a bit of back splash action. white again.. or maybe a bright blue to work with the counters. If you can't take them out... then work with them!

Oh yeah and buy some cutting boards to help tone down the blue... 2 or 3 random cutting boards are not only handy but will help hide the counter!

If you paint a nice medium toned grey on the walls in a flat or eggshell and a fresh white trim in semi gloss and just change the hardware on the shelves to a modern silver
(you can get cheap packs of hardward at Home Depot or Lowes)
you can make it look modern and fresh.
Post pictures of the "after" and good luck!

You didn't say if painting the cabinets is an option, if allowed, I'd paint the cabinets white and the walls a soft grey. Blue and grey accessories with a few pops of black would be nice.

I agree - pretty gray tones that are strong enough to contrast the blue. I'm not a big fan of cabinets without doors, but if you want to go that way and take the doors off the hinges, it would lessen the hit of the honey tone and you could paint the backs of the cabinets the same color you paint the walls. I also see a bit of country kitchen curtains peeking out near the window and am wondering if roman shades or blinds are the way to go. Sorry this is keeping you up at night. It doesn't seem so horrible to me, but the grass is always greener right?

I have blue countertops in my kitchen, and a budget for new countertops is not an option for me, either. I put up a chrome backsplash from home depot. It cost me about $200 or so and makes the countertops look almost on purpose.

This looks like it could be a really cool retro-kitchen!

I'd go with the patriotic/country vibe and paint the walls bright red - with glossy white trimwork and appliances, and red & blue accesories & curtains, you could have a great kitchen!

For more ideas, check out RetroRenovation.com

I agree with the calls for pale grey walls. I'd leave the cabinets unpainted and bring in some pale yellow accents.

My countertops were exactly that color. I painted them with countertop paint from Lowes about 8 months ago. It only cost about 15 bucks and looks way better.

I would do a pear green that goes with the tone of the cabinets/counter. I have a green kitchen and LOVE it!

While I see where a lot of comments about painting the walls grey and cabinets white are coming from (i.e. making the space more contemporary.) I fear that this fix would come across as a design cover-up and look somewhat cheap. I think the kitchen should work with what it has. The cabinets are in good shape as is the chrome. The pale blue color of the counter is not optimal but can definitely be tied in w/ wallpaper. I believe this kitchen can be made to be very Madmen 50's cool. I would wallpaper the walls plaid (possibly using brown, tan, and pale blue colors.) I'd keep the cabinets the same. A few nicknacks (cook books, cutting boards, cookie jars) can be used to downplay the counter's dominance in the room as well. So I say go for it and make the kitchen 50's Madmen cool- it will still work even if the rest of the house is styled either modern or classic.

fatcatpaulanne, please tell us more about the countertop paint. I am under contract for a house that I love with a kitchen I hate, I saw a counter rehab kit at lowes, but it was $250.

I also moved into a house with flesh walls! It wasn't till we painted them white that we realized our counters were pink, too. Eh, it's the least of our worries. I don't mind your colors so much, but I'm with a previous commenter who objected to the hardware - I vote for something in a silver tone. Hope you have fun with your redo!

Your cabinet hardware is also very country kitchen - at first I though "ugh!" at bepsf's suggestion, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes, and the cuter I think it would look. If you don't want to replace all the hardware - and if it is consistent throughout right now - then a little bit country / retro makes sense.

But you know, a bright canary or lemon yellow would have the same effect, I think, with bright white trim and appliances, and it would be much easier to paint over a year or two down the road when you decide to give the whole kitchen a makeover. My mom's kitchen growing up was always had a on bright white / bright yellow / pale blue or a navy blue color scheme, and it usually had a country or nautical theme, which I think could really work for your kitchen.

Good luck!

Since the countertop has metal edging, you should be able to buy laminate sheets and glue them down with contact cement. Not too many stock color choices, but it does come in black.

when I was a kid I visited Monet's house, and his kitchen is decorated entirely in a slightly deeper shade of blue and its complementary yellow. It's one of the happiest kitchens I've ever been in, so I would totally second embracing the blue if you can find a pale yellow that neatly compliments it.

I love the idea of going "Mad Men" in your kitchen but I feel like that would take on a commitment to the look in the rest of your house. If you have a vintage style going already, I would run with that idea.

The blue really is not so bad. We have "bisque" colored appliances. Honestly, I didn't even notice this when we were looking at the house but now it is a design challenge in our kitchen. There is nothing wrong with the appliances - they are all good quality & work well - so I can't justify replacing them. I say embrace what you have and work something out around them. Don't try to pretend like they are not there. If you want to paint the cabinets, I think white with grey walls would be nice but not anything super special.

I would be hesitant to paint countertops; I'm not sure how well that would hold up.

I'm curious what color your appliances are.

I think baanthony was spot on: "While I see where a lot of comments about painting the walls grey and cabinets white are coming from (i.e. making the space more contemporary.) I fear that this fix would come across as a design cover-up and look somewhat cheap."

I definitely think you should embrace your home's history. I like the plaid walls/Mad Men suggestion, and I also like the patriotic color scheme from Bepsf - though if red walls scare you, you could always do white on the walls and bring in touches of red with kitchen accessories (I'm picturing a red teapot and some cute red-stenciled fabric on the windows). If both of those sound too retro for you, then go with yellow and blue and look up pics of french country kitchens for inspiration.

Before you do anything though, get some chrome hardware.

Public service announcement: If you do decide to pull anything out in your eventual renovation, PLEASE offer the materials to your closest thrift store for building materials. Those cabinets are probably solid wood as opposed to the particleboard junk sold nowadays. And I know customers at our store who get very excited about chrome-edged counters and old cabinet hardware. I work at Community
Forklift, which is in DC, but you can find home improvement thrift stores like ours around the country. Just check out the directories at www.BMRA.org (the website for the Building Materials Reuse Association) or http://www.Habitat.org/env/ReStores.aspx

I like the idea of white walls with some red accessories - maybe add a stripey fabric on that cafe curtain. and change the hardware for sure.

I would paint the walls white, and have blue and red accessories (art, tea towels, canisters for flour and sugar, etc). It would make it feel kinda 50's and fun. Like bepsf's suggestion, only without the red walls (unless you *really* like red, then go for it).

DO NOT PAINT KITCHEN WALLS IN FLAT OR EGGSHELL.
Sorry, but seriously. I hate semi-gloss, but in kitchens and bathrooms, it is a must. You need to be able to clean the walls, because (unless you don't cook ever) there is always food and grease making a mess, no matter how clean you think you are. If you don't want the whole kitchen semi-gloss, you can buy flat paint and get a clear semi-gloss to paint over the backsplash with.

@RuthieatCommunityForklift--

Kudos on the PSA!

Hey I have the exact same hardware on my kitchen cabinets! Probably the same honey-colored wood, too, but I do like the wood. For quite a while after I moved in, I wondered how to replace the hardware and make it work. Since it's the hinges too it's not so easy. I eventually made peace with the hardware though and now I rather like it and can't imagine anything else on there.

But I LIKE denim and flesh.

although I agree that painting the walls grey and cabinets white might look like you are trying to apply the "modern" look to cover up what your kitchen really is: I simply ADORE kitchen cabinets painted white...if you do it right it won't look like a modern cover-up at all and more like a white country kitchen. Especially if you retain the cute black hardware (also saves you some $$).

what color/material are your floors & appliances? white cabinets with white appliances may not look so great (unless you have vintage appliances...?)

I am really excited to see how this turns out for you...I hope you hurry up and post "AFTER" pics. I wish I could come over and help paint ;-) GOOD LUCK!!!!

**the denim blue/chrome reminds me of a french cafe. Just add accessories you like (and use!) that make you happy

White cabinets, new hardware, light grey walls.

Knowing the color of the floor would help though.

A second PSA: much as you all may enjoy being white, not everyone is. Beige is the appropriate color term, not "flesh tone".

I saw a reno show recently where they used aluminium flashing as a stainless steel backsplash. I am planning on doing it. Cheap, cheap and easy to cut with an exacto knife and a long straight edge. Use contact cement to adhere to the wall (or I was planning hot glue for an easier to remove later when I can afford a real backsplash option or two-way tape). If you can't afford to remove that hardware, at least remove it all, including hinges, and spray paint it all a brushed stainless metal (and straighten the handles out - you can reuse one of the holes and woodfill the other hole). I just used a french vanilla paint on my cabinets and they look wonderful. They were 1970's faux wood. Good luck and have fun!

Patrick always cracks me up. So, I guess the kitchen needs some snaps and studs. In chrome.

"But I LIKE denim and flesh."

That's hot.

Hey, you have the Mad Men kitchen!

http://www.exquisitefunction.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/madmen_draperkitchen.jpg

Get some plaid wallpaper in there! j/k

I agree you should paint the cabinets. White will brighten the room and hey, demin and a white tee is a classic look right? If you want to be adventurous, maybe paint them a bright yellow.

My suggestion is to go to the valspar website and use the online painter. Choose the country cottage kitchen because I know you can change the countertop color on that one(maybe the others too)- it's Trim 2. Change that to your denim blue, then see what colors you like with it on the wall and cabinets.

That is amazing how similar your kitchen is to the madmen kit. Love that show!

A little "lipstick and rouge" can make a big difference:

You can paint the walls an ivory color and add a mexican, greek or italian looking tile backsplash (incorporating the blue like you meant it to be there) and add some other wrought iron elements.
- or for a sort of mod/country look, paint the cabinets with a silver color Hammarite, can or spray. It looks a little like a galvanized metal texture. Then you will need to change out the pulls and hinges. Your minimalist backsplash would look fine with this and the walls could be ivory again.

Good luck!

Try a wood veneer (mahogany?) on those countertops and paint the cabinets, wall and trim a soft white (Swiss Coffee) and ditto on the silver hardware.

Here is a spot for easy wood veneers http://www.rockler.com/CategoryView.cfm?Cat_ID=1459

I agree with the plaid wallpaper/Madmen suggestion. If you want to save up money for a real reno later on, the Mad Men solution would be a fun temporary option. Totally rad, and, if you get bored of it, you can change it as soon as you have money for new counters.

Instinctively I see buttery yellow. You just want a wall paint color... It seems that a lot of posters overlooked that. The Monet kitchen... That was my first flash. Simple.

The countertop paint does work but not perfectly. http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=208

On the edges, it has worn off a little bit. In fairness to it, we only put one coat on and we are not gentle with our countertops having 3 teenagers in the house.

On the edges, it looks kind of like we distressed it on purpose with the blue showing through in 2 places. Still, when you walk in the room and see chocolate brown, not denim blue, it's a huge improvement.

I would do it again.

It should be the blue walls that works well with blue denim fabric.