Posted: 8/31/2006 3:06:35 PM EDT
I need to design my kitchen color scheme and could use a bit of help. We have decided on either a denim blue or bright red cabinet scheme. I really like the red (since it's almost half the price), but I'm at a loss for color ideas. What would go good with red cabinets? We are trying for a very modern look, and I am not against doing multiple colored walls/tiles/coutertops. I need some color ideas for those three things. My wife says that she wished I'd be gay for a couple weeks so that I can choose all of our colors. I told her that I've been trying to get her to be a lesbian for a few years now and it hasn't worked. What made her think it'd work on me.  Thanks for the help! Kris |
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I feel your pain...I'm in the process of painting the living room / hallway / entryway and the wife picked out three different colors to mix and match. My only advantage is that she watches all the gay dude decorating shows on TV to get her ideas, so she has a pretty good idea of what she wants. |
I already planned on concrete contertops. I'll probably go with gray with an inset chunk of black granite for cutting and baking needs. Unless some one here comes up with a better color idea that is. I think I may use stainless steel for the backsplash though since I can get it cheap and it looks good. |
check this out: www.sonomastone.com/residential/furniture/furniture40.html |
I saw a pic of that in one of my concrete books. They also had a mesh vegetable tray that went ove the sink. Only problem is, concrete does not work very well for a kitchen sink. (from what I've read at least) They say that throwing pots and pans and such into it, it is easy to chip and that some home inspectors won't even allow concrete for a sink.  I think it looks great though!! I'm going to use a tried and true stainless steel sink, but the dish strainer will be cast in place. I love concrete!!
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Colored cabinents are trendy it's going to look dated in 5 years or less. Why not go classic wood? Then you just put the red or blue on the paint where it's easy and cheap to change the color. I would go classics and then adjust the easily changeable things around them (paint, backsplash, drapes, etc), which keeps your cost down and keeps teh house sellable to more people. Because even if you plan on being there forever, you'll have to sell someday, and it's better not to be trapped in a dated house. Just my thoughts, I have utterly no color talent, I make my GC's wife pick the colors. |
I appreciate the advice, but we are building this house the way "we" want it, not the way John Q. Public wants it. It just so happens is that "trendy" is what we want. I haven't put this much effort and headache into this project so that everyone else loves it but me. I figure that if 10 years down the road we decide to sell, the kitchen will need remodeling and we will have well gotten our money out of it. I don't see the point in trying to satisfy everyone else except me. If that was what I had wanted, I would have just bought a house and not gone through the troubles of building. Keep the ideas coming guys!! |
| How's the lighting in the kitchen? If you're wanting to go with a darker cabinetry and countertop, it's going to be like a cave in there without good lighting. If you're set on trendy, I'd go with black cabinetry, black pearl granite countertops (or your concrete, whatever), dichroic and copper lighting, and slate floors to tie it all in. That's just me, though. First thing that came to mind. |
Well, there will be plenty of lighting. In fact, in a 10' x 12' kitchen, I'm going to have 19 20w halogen bulbs in projectors plus at least 10 10w under cabinet bulbs. I think I'll be OK.  As for the black, that is what we originally wanted. We were going to have gloss black lower cabinets and silver upper cabinets. We fell in love with the Kraftmaid Venecia line, but for those two colors, we were looking at almost $10k in cabinets alone. If I go with the blue or red, I'm looking at about $4k-$5k. That a bit better. As for the slate, I wonder how hard (or easy) it is to keep clean? It seems with all the nooks and crannies that it would hold the dirt. 
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Sounds good. The slate's not difficult to take care of, and it's gorgeous when it's all said and done. Very cool. We tiled 95% of our house a few years ago, and I wish we could go back and put slate down. Next time... |
As a cabinet guy i agree 100%. I loath colored cabinets. Natural oak, hickory, or maple are the best IMHO. |
 just my $.02 |
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