Kassey's Kitchen

Hi Christine,

I love your blog! You have great taste and I love your no-nonsense advice. Whenever I'm waiting to pick up my kids at school or their activities and I see on my phone that you've posted, it makes my day that much more fun.

I'm hoping you can help with my kitchen. We've wanted to update it since we moved in about three years ago but it wasn't until my faucet starting really leaking on me that I've gotten the sign-off from my husband to make some changes. Getting a light spray when I do dishes and the frequent changing of the  towels and drip bowl beneath the sink has finally started to drive me crazy!! Obviously, our plumbing skills are lacking.

I'd like to replace my countertops and probably refinish the cabinets, either darker or white. I'd also like to do something different than my current tile-from-the floor backsplash. Ugh. I do like the brick hearth in my kitchen and I like the color of the brick but I don't know how  to coordinate that brick with backsplash, counters and cabinet color. Help! I'm not much into modern style. I kind of prefer an old world or country kind of feel. Any advice you could send would be wonderful.

Thanks,

Kasey from Austin

Hi Kassey, 

I am glad that you want to keep the brick.  I find brick in kitchens very charming.  On your cabinets should you go light or dark?  I could imagine a light grayish off-white.  I think it would be great. 

I also can imagine a middle gray color as well. 

My first instinct was to go black on your cabinets, maybe with a light distressing.   I liked the idea of black, until I started thinking about counter colors, and backsplash colors.  I think the material that would look the best on your backsplash is a black or dark gray slate.  Not a lot of variation in color- a solid black would look terrific with the brick. Also note that you do not need the slate tile everywhere. Above your cooktop- yes, of course.  I think it would be cool to even put a slab of slate in that spot, and use it as a chalk board.  Then you can use beadboard in all of your other areas that currently has the ceramic tile.  Your counters?  I think a concrete counter, about the color of the mortar in the brick would be great.  With all of those darker backsplash and counter colors- I would keep the cabinets lighter. 

Go black or chrome in your new faucet  (right away!  ;-)  and also your hardware.  Here is a materials and finishes board for your made-over kitchen:

And just to spend a little more of your money- I added some new hardwood floors to your materials and finishes board...  Thanks for the kind words!

XOXO

Christine

Lacey's Kitchen

Hello Christine,

                I ran across your website and I couldn’t be happier!  I am hoping you can help me please please please!!!  My husband and I bought a 1938 home.  We have updated every room and we are working on the kitchen now.  We have redone the cabinets in black. We painted our countertops grey and we have backsplash underneath the cabinets black, white, and grey with white grout. Our appliances are white. The only problem is the walls. There is a chair rail and it is just a disaster as you can tell by the picture. I have tried several different colors and cannot make up my mind so please disregard the décor and the mess. We are trying to get it all together.  Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!

 Lacey

 

Hi Lacey,

This is too easy.  I can do this blog post in 3 minutes.  REMOVE THE CHAIR RAIL!  Wow- that was so easy.  Can you see how much smaller the chair rail is than the door trim?  It's too darn small.  If you wanted to put in a larger one- we could talk.  ;-)  The next thing I want you to be careful of is making your 1938 home too modern.  Embrace the age of your home.  Don't try to make it look 70 years newer.   I can only see a glimpse of it in the pictures, but the backsplash is making me wonder if you need to pull it back a bit to 1938.  Be true to your architecture.  You have black white and gray, don't try to overdo it too much with red.  I have some strong feelings about red walls- you can read about them here. 

Add some more traditional elements.- Start with a runner or rug- like this striped rug from Wayfair.

Add Roman shades in your windows.  Here is a great fabric from Beautiful Fabric:

I would cover your walls in a wallpaper, like the one below from York:

Sometimes I walk into a home and I can see - oh, there's the original moulding, there's something added later, etc.  Your trim work should all go together, like a good addition to the exterior of your home.  Ideally, you would not be able to tell the new from the original.   New trim can be added, of course, but effort should be made to make it look original to the home.  (Not if you have ugly 1985 tract home trim- I'm talking to a girl whose home was built in 1938...)  For the rest of you - with newer homes- If you are replacing your baseboards, because they are small, etc., that probably means that you should also be replacing the rest of your door trim, window trim etc.  Frequently, if you do not, not only would you have issues with scale, but also style and width issues where your new baseboard meets your old door trim, etc.

 BTW, you painted your counters?  I'm not even going to go there.

Thanks for writing in,

Christine

P.S. When I said to embrace the age of your home, that doesn't go for everyone either. (Hello 1980's) I also want to note that there is a difference between parts of your home that are appendages of the architecture, like your kitchen cabinetry, trim work, etc, and your loose furniture.  Those are two totally different items.  I have a friend, who I hope doesn't read this post, who had a charming brick cape cod built in the early 1900's- and inside was a light maple contemporary Home Depot kitchen, with black and white tiles.  When you have a fabulous traditional home, embrace it!   If you want a modern home, go buy one. 

Gray Hardwood Floors

My sister is refinishing her hardwood floors and wanted to go with an espresso finish.  I told her she was "so 4 years ago..."  and that, with her gray counters, she was the perfect candidate for the latest color in hardwood flooring, "gray." 

Staining warm wood tones gray doesn't actually come out "gray"- especially in the lighter tones, but the hint of gray is that hint of the unexpected that creates a really beautiful look.

The species of wood, the intensity of the stain, and the variation of the plank coloring can give the gray very different looks.

This color is called "graphite."  It is certainly more modern- a strong look. 

The color above is more specifically what I imagine in my sister's place.

To further blend her existing warm tones with the gray- I would use her backsplash as a unifier.  Something like this combination of slate with gray glass would be perfect:

Good luck Debbie- take some good before and after pics for us!  (even if you do go with espresso)

Hardwood from Armstrong.

Cool New Find: The Twilight Bay Collection

The 80’s are back! Don’t worry- I am not referring to the side ponytail and boom box- but rather to the popularity of French inspired furnishings. Lexington Furniture’s new line Twilight Bay is just fresh and edgy enough to capture the younger crowd, and yet is filled with classic pieces that can be timeless selections for homeowners.

The collection is available in three unique wood finishes: Chestnut, Antique Linen and Driftwood. Chestnut is the perfect medium tone- with enough tonal variation to mix nicely with other woods.

The antique linen is a slightly distressed cream painted finish, and the driftwood is the very current gray stain that is so very current and popular. The three finishes work together beautifully – and are meant to be mixed and combined in the same room, and even within the same dining or bedroom set.

The textural variation of the collection is also anything but flat. Some of the finishes include burnished stainless steel- that you will find, among other places- on the table top of the Shelter Island Bistro Table- and structurally in the Dalton barstool.

The quintessential rush seat is a beautiful French inspired addition that you can find on dining chair and barstools. These textures- together with the wood finishes and fabrics make for a fantastic combination.

The upholstery line is charming with its French Laundry styling.

The tailored slipcovers are paired with classic French chairs adorned with nail head trim. The juxtaposition of formal and casual combined with the tonal neutrals -add to the versatility of this collection.

What do you think? Make it or break it?

The Secret to Selecting the Perfect Paint

Christine,
My tile is actually almond color but because of this bright (urine) yellow it looks pink- I need a color that will go with watermelon colored rugs, light oak cabinets, and almond color tile......
Sherry

Dear Sherry,
Paint can be a very tricky thing. Contrasting colors will make each other a stronger version of themselves. For example- if you have a subtle neutral wall with under shades of green to it, and put red sofa next to it- it will make the paint look green- whereas if you put an olive green sofa next to the wall- the wall will not look green at all- but will look like a shade of beige. Does that make sense? So- with this theory- if you have a tile that is pulling a cool red color- pink- (I mean the cold kind of cool- not the Fonzy kind of cool.) and you paint the bathroom a warm yellow- (as you did) it will bring out the pink- to make it worse- you could paint the bathroom a warm green. Then your tile will look even pinker. So- what will make the tile not look pink? Pink paint. Red Paint. Purple paint. Maroon paint. However- these would all look hideous in your little room. :) I am suggesting a light cool gray color on your walls. I would also paint your cabinet and your baseboard white. Warm wood tones are not the best. DO NOT paint the walls a warm gray. For example- here are some towels from Crate and Barrel in cool gray- these towels from CB@ are a warm gray. See the difference? A warm gray can look green- which will pull out the pink. Then use solid white towels and black and white photography for art. I hate to give specifics, as this is a tricky job- but I would try a shade like Sherwin Williams Krypton 6247- get a sample quart and give it a try.

Another totally different option would be the right cool shade of taupe or beige- a darker version of the almond tile. :) Good Luck! Purchase sample quarts :) The photo at the top of the page shows a beautiful gray and white bathroom from the Country Living 2008 house of the year. Look closely at the marble surrounding the tub- that could very well be like our almond tile- and it blends right in.

Christine