The colors on my computer may be off. What color is your counter top?

I've seen older homes that have that cutout area where you've got the stove and fridge.. do you know why builders did that? I've always wondered about those areas.

I know this seems like blow-off info, but have you looked through Pinterest or Houzz? I know what you are going through-- you know the FEELING you want, but not the look.

Look on those sites for images that give you that feeling, and then we can analyze them for color help!

Lauriedeee, the counters are red, and we will be getting rid of them as soon as we can. Not sure why they built those alcoves back then.

Angle, thanks for the websites! I will take a look.

You might consider hiring an interior designer who would pull together paint and finish choices for your house that would help you get the look you are after. Doing this would probably save you alot of time and frustration and in the long run you'll save money by not redoing mistakes.

I think you are better off getting help here. It is free and there are so many experts that contibute their opinions. Unless you have seen a designers work over and over and like what you have seen and can clearly articulate what you want, then by all means hire one.
But I for one have never been happy with a decorators advise and so that is why I feel if ever I would hire another one I would have to be very choosy.
As anele suggested, go through Houzz and other decorating sites for inspiration. Then come back here and we will help you through the process.

What style was your 1929 home built in? We had a 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival so a lot of paint decisions were made based on the architecture. Our neighborhood was a mix of SCR as well as Craftsman and 1950s bungalows.

Knowing the architectural style will probably help people better give advice. :)

Choosing paint colors is always nerve wracking for me. Sometimes it is easier to get suggestions on this forum when you are more certain about what you want, for example: "Please suggest a blue-gray for a dark room".

Do you have a specific color in mind? The ones you have chosen look really bold to me. Is that what you wanted? Why don't you like it? Are you trying to match something? What colors are you painting the adjourning rooms? The answers to these questions would help people steer you in the right direction.

I think it is always a good idea to pick paint colors last. Maybe you should wait until you decide on a counter top?

Are you looking for a vintage style or do you like more modern colors? I started off using Benjamin Moore's historical paint colors are they seemed softer and more appropriate for an old house.

I am very curious about the tile you are painting. Were they damaged? or just a color you did not like? That looks like lots of work but I am pretty lazy, myself.

Here are a couple of ideas based on your red formica counters and the cabinetry:

{{!gwi}}

My first thought when I saw your red counters was to do a cool gray of some sort and then accessorize with pops of color in linens and small kitchen appliances.

My 2nd thought is to use an aqua. I have BM opal essence in our family room and it's a cool aqua that's not too dark. I also have BM blue seafoam and is more vibrant - similar to the first photo I posted.

This would give the kitchen a decidedly 50s retro look though (which, btw, is when it seems most of the kitchens in our 1929-era neighborhood got its renovations prior to the 2000s. Retro is one thing. Original 1950's renos 50 yrs later is another, lol.).

You say you are paralyzed, oh boy do I know that feeling all too well!!!! Many of us here can relate to that feeling...and many here can help you finally make a decision so don't run out to that interior designer just yet!

My first impulse when I saw your pics is to go with a golden yellow, not quite as bright as the one you sampled, maybe one with an earthy tone to it. Because those primed tiles almost remind me of bricks, I also thought of a warm brownish golden color as well.

First, anele, I'm sorry about the typo with your name in my response --I was typing on my phone and it auto-corrected.

binsd -I'm not sure of the style, but I will find out.

maureeninmd -I had envisioned this kitchen as having sort of a small cafe feel , if that makes sense. I wanted something in the red family for the main tiles, and then other colors for the border tiles and the wall and then also the ceiling (I was also planning on painting the back wall of the alcove the same color as the un-tiled portion of the wall). But when I saw those colors on the wall, I inwardly grimaced. They aren't warm; they're garish, and the colors don't flow together at all. Because of all the tile, now I'm not sure how I can pull off red on all that texture, if you know what I mean.

I think another part of my color issue is that I have an aversion to whites and creams. The reason is because I just spent the last 14 years in an awful little apartment where everything was white or neutral. My kitchen had white appliances, white floors, white cupboards, and white walls, and we weren't allowed to paint. It was so very sterile. So, with our first home, I'm trying to give myself a splash of color. If I could figure out how to incorporate the creams, whites, etc. into the kitchen while also having color, I probably would be fine with it.

As for the adjoining room colors, very few rooms flow into each other. Every room in this house except one has it's own door.

We really can't afford to change the counter top right now, but I'm desperate to get something started, so that's why we're starting out with paint.

As for color style, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

The tiles were painted metal originally (decades ago), and they were yellow (In fact, I found a box of spare tiles in the basement yesterday). A year ago, a family member decided to paint them, and she never got around to actually painting (this house has been in my family since it was built), so they've been primed for a year.

My house was built in 1926 and also had plastic tiles 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the wall. One day (I was there 17 years.) I decided I REALLY hated them and started popping them all off. Underneath was this horribly thick ridged glue of of muddy brown color. The upper part of the wall was smooth, well as smooth as real plaster can be. I left it like that for a while so I could ponder and come up with a solution. Well, I did solve it. I stuccoed the entire room myself and built up the upper portion of the walls to match the thickness of the area with the dried up glue. After that all dried I painted it all in oil based paint to kind of waterproof it. Also hand stripped off the asbestos based vinyl flooring underneath which was the original maple floor. Once I dissolved off the mastic the floor people were able to legally come in and sand it.
Here are the pics:

If you are going to get new counter top soon, I'd wait till you get the counte rtop before painting, so you won't have to repaint!

binsd, thank you for the pics! We do plan on getting rid of the counter top within the next 6 months or so. I'm not heading towards retro, but the colors gave me something to think about. :)

nutmegxo, I really have been sitting here for two weeks getting more and more fried over this. I feel pretty silly that I'm having such a hard time with this! Thanks for the color suggestions.

EG3d -wow!I'm very impressed with your kitchen. These metal tiles here are at least 70% of the wall space. The only non-tiled areas are 17 inches above the tiles and the ceiling. Behind the counter is all tile, underneath the west windows is all tile, and the entire alcove is tile. I like the tile but I can't figure out if I can get away with painting all the tile a glossy bolder color or if I should save the bolder color for an accent --like maybe the back wall in the alcove, etc.

ummm: we plan to purchase a counter that works with the existing colors.

Anyway, I really, really appreciate all the help so far from everyone. I'm beginning to feel like I can tackle this with your help. Thank you so much! :)

Yes, most of my walls were tile and the tiles near the stove had partially melted.
Pick the countertop first. Paint can be matched to any color. I would do the top trim tile and that thin accent tile in black or dark green. And then for the rest of the wall pull out a color from the countertop. I was just thinking of Uba Tuba granite which has interesting colors:

I have to say that I would at least go window shopping for your counters first before painting. That will help give you some direction.

Right now, are you planning on coordinating your paint to the red formica? I absolutely can understand why you want to paint the primed walls (I would, too!) but I do think that having an idea as to what color family your counter tops will be will help you with wall color selection.

The GOOD thing is that while painting can be a pain, it's a much easier fix to change colors if you decide you love Juperana Gold granite but have seafoam colored walls. :)

Ah okay, I see what you mean now by at least having an idea about what counters we want and then pulling colors from there. No, I'm not planning on coordinating the paint now with the red counters because I know we're getting rid of it. Since the floor is also being scrapped (I'm pretty sure this is the worst linoleum pattern I've ever seen...) too, does that mean we should be also picking that before paint or doesn't that matter as much? We have severe budgetary restrictions at the moment, and I'm having a very hard time with the look of the kitchen because I spend a lot of time in it, so the cheapest quick fix is at least some paint, which is why I was trying to start with that.

I think paint is what many people think of first . . .it seems so obvious and makes a big change FAST. But, the problem is, then you are locked into it.

Paint is the easiest thing to match with OTHER elements, which is why it's a good idea to get those other elements in place, and pick paint last.

Just as an example . . .we had curtains we wanted to use in my girls' room. We picked the paint based on the curtains. In that case, I picked a paint that would match exactly. It looks very "custom" that way. I am not suggesting you match things exactly, but if you paint last, then you have a billion options vs. trying to bother with matching the counters to paint.

RE: aversion to whites/creams . . .when we moved to a house, my DH said: "I don't care what colors you pick as long as they are not white/cream. We don't live in an apt. anymore, so I want color!" Well, we had bought a reddish sofa that looked good in our apt., but trying to find a COLOR to go with it was my nightmare for years. I decorated around that sofa, and then the "color" I picked for the walls. Guess what color my walls are now? CREAM. Sofa? WHITE. Don't be reactionary in choosing your colors!

Some images I found on Pinterest:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

White does not have to be boring!

jleighs,

I know alot of people discounted the idea of hiring a designer, but, I just want to throw out the idea again that it would be a very good idea to get some professional help if you can. When you are at the beginning of a house reno the decisions you make early will influence the rest of the choices that you make for your house. If you concerned about flow, and connecting one room to the other, it helps to think about the big picture; what group of colors do you want for your house, what finishes do you want in your house, how does your house need to function (ie do you have pets and kids), etc. The choices that you make now may seem small but you are setting the stage for the rest of the decisions in your house.

One of the problems with folks recommending paint colors on the forum is that there is alot of context about your houes, lighting, and finishes that gets left out of the conversation. Choosing the best paint color for a room is very very tricky, even when a person has talent for choosing color and is standing inside the room. The forum works great for paint recommendations when the person has chosen a color that is a little too (fill in the blank) on the walls and then folks can help point them in another direction. Your situation is different from that and I don't think the forum will get you where you are going in a very straight route. The easiest and least expensive move you could make is to hire a designer to help you set the tone for your house. She or he could help you with colors, finishes, lighting, prioritization of work, etc. It would be well worth your money. Until you can afford that I would sit tight and collect pictures of rooms that speak to you. The other option is to locate some design books that are appropriate for the time period and style that your house was built and see if you can develop a scheme from there.

Did you prime the tiles or the PO? I don't know if you will ever be happy with painting them and if they are original to your house perhaps you could embrace them, remove the paint and work around them. Many people put a high value on original tile from 1929. If you are set on getting rid of it put it as a priority as it will be much more difficult to do after a nice floor or countertop is put in.

Also, I would second the opinion to get some design advice up front. You will probably spend less on the advice than on paint samples.

I have a question, though you said you like the tile, how hard would it be to remove the tile...or at least part of it? I DO agree that you should pick out your counter top first. If it were me, I would probably paint all of the tile one color...border and all. You could have an accent paint color in the niche that the stove and refrigerator are in, but I think by painting your tile one color, border another color and top of the wall another color, it will look chopped up and not the look you want.