Natwerk Designs

Wall colors for living room, Paint ideas for kitchen. pictures included?

My house is really small. Currently the carpet has been torn out and I have TSP (walls have high gloss on them) and so are ready to paint. I am basically just stuck on how to paint and how to make my living/eating area and kitchen all flow but create some find of definition. The kitchen is also getting new laminate floring like the rest of the house. I am debating on painting the cabinets and/or adding some hardware to the doors or just leaving the cabinet as they are. If you suggest I paint the cabinets what color should I do it? I cant change the counters because it is out of our budget at the moment. Since our space is small I want colors that are bright and give the appearence of a bigger room or space. I really like the yellows and greens and I was thinking of neutrals in that color but honestly I am just stuck and I dont even know where to start or where to concentrate on. We are adding 3 inch white base molding as well, I am hopeing this gives the walls a longer appearence. This is the new floor being installed. http://www.simplefloors.com/products/Laminate-Flooring/ClassicCollection/Northern-Oak-Block/flooring261.aspx kitchen http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/lizgas-photos08/NE3zj74AwzXmUGKWhUy501RZhkPmlsU0300.jpg living room http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/lizgas-photos08/cLDMQJBKp4OwT9asMynFVJaN8zEPEfO9030.jpg hallway http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/lizgas-photos08/12.jpg fireplace http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/lizgas-photos08/12.jpg PLEASE HELP ME, i am so overwelcomed I get a head ache each time I start thinking about it. Oh yes the slidding door and the windows you see there are pretty much all the natural light the house gets. If this was you home what would you do?

Public Comments

1. You can define your living/dining area by using large area rugs. If the space is too small for one under the dining do just the living area. A large rug will show some division of space. I would definitely paint the cabinets. Those are a bit dated so a fresh coat of paint will definitely spruce up the kitchen. A nice white, not glossy, with either stainless or platinum handles for the cabinets, knobs for the drawers. I like the look of a medium sage throughout the living and kitchen areas. It's a neutral that everything pops next to it. Yellows are difficult. What looks good on the sample never translates to the walls. It's almost always too bright no matter how low a yellow it appears. Pick plenty of color samples to bring home and look at during the day and the nighttime light. Wall sconces add upward light without taking up floor space. And don't forget a good reading lamp and table next to the sofa. A contemporary chandelier over the dining should work for that area. A well placed wall hung mirror can reflect some of the light from your slider too.
2. I like the house. I wouldn't paint the kitchen cabinets, but I would paint the walls a soft celery green. Then go a little darker, with a shade of sage in the family room. Add some art to the walls. Something like this? http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=1386437&CID=0EAC302FED304A999C3101FB0389F94F&PPID=1&search=1152&f=c&FindID=1152&P=1&PP=3764&sortby=PD&cname=Decorative+Art&SearchID=
3. If you want a bigger looking room, don't paint a very bright color. Darker colors make rooms look smaller. If you want longer looking walls, don't add a baseboard. Baseboards shorten the wall. Your kitchen counters are off-white, so you want a warm (not cool) color in that room. But to make it look bigger you also want a light color. Example: Glidden Colorado Dawn.
4. play around with the Sherwin Williams color visualizer to find colors that you like. It is the best paint visualizer on the web, imho. I like how their color palette is laid out, I like that you can search by color family & color name, the "painted" rooms look the most realistic, and it suggests coordinating color schemes. You can literally spend hours: http://www.sherwin.com/visualizer/ I think "papaya" (# 6661) might be a great choice. You can take a photo of your house & upload it to the makeover gallery on this website: http://www.roomvues.com/ You can get color suggestions & for $5 they'll photoshop them onto your room so that you can get an idea of what it will look like.