Paint suggestions, I need help...badly

Hello, I'm a new member and first off I'd like to say I love the site, been browsing here for a few hours now. Basically I just moved into a rental property that my family was renting to some friends of mine and I want to change some things around. I'm horrible at interior design so I was wondering if you guys could give me some suggestions. I've posted some links to some pictures of the rooms I want to redo. You can get use the kitchen sink as a point of reference.


http://www.l33tmachines.com/users/brian/DSC00696.JPG
http://www.l33tmachines.com/users/brian/DSC00695.JPG
http://www.l33tmachines.com/users/brian/DSC00694.JPG

This is my kitchen and family room. Basically I want to paint the kitchen cabinets, I really want to replace them but I dont have the money right now. Any suggestions on colors? The floor is a light beige tile and the appliances are black with the exception of the fridge which i might replace with a black one if it looks better. Also, I'm going to get rid of the 1980s flourescent light up there and put in some recessed lighting to match my family room.

As for the family room the couches will probably get replaced with something of a similar color (ivory/bone). The carpet will be getting replaced with some laminate flooring, probably some sort of light oak color. The blinds look pretty new so I'd rather not replace them if I dont have to. SOOO... my question is what color should I go with for the walls in both the kitchen and family room? And what should I do with the cabinets? Should I leave the brick alone or paint it? I'm lost. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Brian

Edit: forgot to mention in the first picture, directly behind where i was standing are 4 full size pantrys that match the rest of the kitchen cabinets so those would also need to be painted.

 

you can paint any color you want! but what look/feeling/style do you want? what colors do you like?? do you have anything that you want/need to work with? like artwork or an area rug or a piece of furniture - anything?

are you also renting? or do you now own it? if so, will you be selling it anytime soon?

 

Hmm, well I guess you can say I'd like a more modern look. Also, I'd like to go with light neutral colors overall. The house is not very large and I feel like using dark colors on the walls makes it feel smaller. Right now the only thing that I have is an area rug that is light tan with a darker brown outline that is about 8 inches wide. I had a thought last night but I'm not sure if it will work. I was thinking about painting the walls some sort of light khaki color then purchasing black couches, a glass coffee table with a black base and a matching end table. This would match my black media tower. Then I was thinking about painting the cabinets some sort of beige or off white or very light tan. Also, I was looking around online and I found this product called "brick-anew" from www.brick-anew.com. Has anyone had experience with this? I wanted to paint my brick fireplace but I also want to keep the "brick" look at the same time, just not in red. This product seems like it might do the trick. so basically everything will be sorta light neutral colors with the exception of the furniture which will be black. btw, both my window moldings and sliding glass door molding are black. Oh and also I own the house and I'll probably have it for awhile.

 

i'm glad you started talking about black, because it was starting to sound very bland!! i like the black furniture (tables, media) but i'm not sure you need to go black with the sofas. maybe a dark brown - then you'd have browns/creams/blacks. a little more interesting. better yet - a sofa in a fabric that's tweedy, with flecks of several colors/shades. then you could use some black throw pillows on it. and mix in a little metal for sparkle - either chrome or brushed nickel.

i'm not too crazy about beige cabinets - i like white or just off-white (or black or red...) - but not beige. it's too close to a wood tone without actually being wood. not sure that'd really change what's there enough to be worth it. the white/off-white would be fresh & clean & would stand out nicely from the khaki walls, and blend with the counters, which are basically khaki & white swirled together! i'd go white. choose your khaki color to match the counters & your floors. make sure it's not too taupe-y beige or it won't look good with your warmer-brown floors.

yes, i'd paint that brick! i'd probably take the khaki paint you're using on the walls & mottle it together with some white onto the brick. i can't see your fireplace that well, but is there a mantle? if not, put one up. you could paint it white like the kitchen cabinets or black. for a contemporary look, keep it streamlined & simple. but it'll give you a good place for a few accessories to make that area a focal point. or......is that a tv mounted on the brick????

as for those blinds......they may look new, but something's gotta give! verticals next to horizontals? ack. one of them's gotta go.

 

thanks for all your suggestions. I thought about the black cabinets but I have a lot of cabinets and I thought it might be too much. You can't see it in the picture but behind me in the first picture are four full size pantrys that match the cabinets, probably about 6 feet high and 7 feet wide. So that would be A LOT of black. Also, if my ceiling was higher so that there was some wall above the top of the cabinets I think I could get away with the black.

You mentioned to choose a wall color that isn't to "taupey beige", I'm not quite sure I know what that is. Is taupe that dull lavender/beige kinda color? You'll have to excuse me if I'm not using the right terminology. As for the blinds, someone else mentioned that the verticals should go so I guess I should get rid of those on the sliding glass door. What should I put in it's place? Also, yes, that tv is mounted to the wall above the fireplace. Is that not a good mantle piece? haha.

Edit: I was reading another one of your posts and you mentioned those solar mesh sliding panels from JCpenny. Do you think something like that would work with what I'm trying to do. I might have to take a trip down there to check those out.

 

just to clarify - i wasn't suggesting black cabinets for you. i just meant that i LIKE black cabinets, and red ones, and white ones, and off-white ones. for YOU, i recommend white. even off-white will seem dingy next to your counters. and definitely not beige.

yes, taupe is a grayer tan color - and it can get lavendar-y. keep your khaki warmer, somewhere between your floors & the counters.

i vote for getting rid of the verticals, too. personally, i hate them for residential use. they belong in office buildings IMO. get draperies. this is a great place to use a fabulous fabric, especially if you have no intentions of using any kind of fabric window treatment over the horizontals. something color blocked maybe? or 2-toned.

the tv is a lovely accessory, no doubt but it will blend in more once you paint out the brick (similar to the "twilight taupe" picture). you might even want to go with a darker brown mottled with white for a little more contrast with the wall.

edit: i'm not sure solar mesh sliding panels "go with" horizontal wood blinds. i think they're too different. with draperies, there's enough of a difference that it'd be okay. maybe you need to change the blinds, too?

 

hmm ok, now i just have to search around this website for "mottling", haha. Maybe I'll ditch the blinds also, they're faux wood so they were probably like $50. I don't know about the fabric drapes, I can barely decide on colors let alone a material AND style of drapery. Maybe i'll leave the blinds and stuff for last. I gotta do the floor and scrape the ceiling this weekend. I kinda like the idea of those solar mesh things but I have to see them in real life first. Privacy is not really a concern, I'm just worried about cutting out some of the light.

 

mottling is like what's pictured on that website for bricks anew - the twilight taupe picture. just 2 colors randomly splotched together. marbled together? ....blobbed together????

and i think those solar mesh shades come in a roller-shade type version, that you could use on the other windows. then they'd all go together better. i've seen them in some restaurants - they're cool. you'll like them. the wood blinds aren't terribly contemporary anyway.

 

I'll have to look around to see exactly how it can be done to look nice on the brick. That brick-anew kit is about $200 when all it is is probably $50 worth of paint and some applicators which are most likely sponges. Thanks for all your help. I think I know what I'm going to do, or at least attempt to do.

 

yep - you should be able to paint that brick by using primer first & regular latex paint. it'll take a lot of paint, though, to fill all the cracks & crevices. but no big deal. i can't imagine what magical items the "kit" could contain.

sounds like you're off & running! good luck & post "After" pics!!!

 

Is there another term for it (mottle)? Didnt come up with much when i searched.

 

try searching for "sponge painting", or "stippling", or "marbelizing" (without the veins), or "ragging". most paint stores have example cards of the different effects & instructions.

but really - on a surface as uneven as brick is, you just need to get 2 different paint colors and alternate them so you get a 2-toned effect. and because the surface is so uneven, you'll probably need to use an old brush, as opposed to a sponge or anything else. actually, to make it easier, i think i'd get a full coverage base coat on the brick first, and let that dry. then go back with both colors & do the mottling. that way, you'll be able to see more clearly the pattern that you're putting on there, and not have to worry about getting coverage, too.

 

I would explore an alternate furniture arrangement. I dont like the back of the sofa up against the kitchen island. I would rather see a love seat and chairs perpenidicular to the island. I think it would make it easier to for people in the kitchen to talk to people in the living room. I wouldn't want to sit on a sofa with my head a foot from the sink. It maybe a little more difficult to see the TV, but I'd at least check out other alternatives.

 

Yeah i see what you're saying. That room is so tiny it's hard to get a decent furniture arrangement in there. I'm thinking about putting a sofa against the wall that is to the right of where the TV is now and then moving the TV to the wall next to the sliding glass door. I actually just wish there wasn't a fireplace in there, it would make things so much easier. That area of kitchen counter that is behind the sofa now is actually designed to be used as a bar to eat on. it hangs over the base a good 1-1.5 feet. This room is kind of a nightmare to arrange furniture in. Also I'm keeping in mind that it has to be arranged for a decent home theater setup so that kind of eliminates any placing of the TV in a corner or something.

 

In addition to looking at the solar mesh planels from JC Penny's, if you have an Ikea in your area, look at their fabric panel window coverings. Very cool. Definitely get rid of the verticals. Cold and unattractive.

I gather the focal point of the living room is TV/media viewing. Have you considered not utilizing a sofa, and going with smaller footprint furnishings? A couple of chairs-and-a-half would work well in such a small space, yet allow snuggling with a loved one. A good example is the Manhattan Chair-and-a-Half at potterybarn.com. Throw in an ottomon and side tables rather than a coffee table. Face it, chances are your coffee table is used for your feet, and just collects stuff on top. Think outside the box of sofa, coffee table, and chair. I'm thinking two chairs-and-a-half, ottomon, side tables, and definitely move that TV. Then you'll appreciate that fireplace.

One other thought...you do not need to "match" your black media cabinet to the upholstered furniture. Black goes with everything.

Okay, another thought after the one other thought I'm of the believe that colors don't necessarily make a room smaller. Think cozy, not small. It already is a small space.

Black, white and taupe are all extremely neutral. Is your personality neutral? Your home should be a reflection of your personality. Before you start painting, take the advice of the moderator and pick SOMETHING. Something with colors that you love, be it a new piece of artwork for over the fireplace (since you're going to move that TV), the upholstery, or those new window coverings. But get something to start with.

-Deb