I'm not sure why you want gray walls. Gray is a color that is fading in popularity so it might be better to avoid it. Inasmuch as your kitchen appears fairly dark, consider painting not only the cabinets in Alabaster, but the walls also.

Hi Christina,

We have grey walls and LOVE them! We live in NYC area, go to numerous open houses, and we have not seen any indication that grey is going anywhere.

But my question is about your lighting.

What bulbs are you using? You need white LED IMO.

It's when you see gray everywhere, as you do now, that you can tell that it is going to go away, not today and not tomorrow, but in 2 or 3 years, so I think it's good to alert Christina that an expensive paint job should perhaps not be undertaken in a color which is fading in popularity.

I don't see gray with the countertop & backsplash. Also don't you find the layout of the stovetop, sink & refrigerator rather awkward?

I agree with jck910 that gray is not a color I would choose to go with your countertops. You need a warmer color.

Thank you for your feedback! Yes, jck910, I find the layout to be rather awkward but we are not in a place to do a major renovation at this time. Carolyn, I agree, the room does appear dark in the pictures but it really isn't. Maybe I should take some new pictures? There are 9 recessed lights plus a 5 bulb chandelier over the kitchen table. Janie, the bulbs are all warm 65 Watt incandescent flood lights and certainly contribute to the room appearing yellow. Perhaps changing the bulb to led would lesson the yellow. I'm drawn to grey kitchens, bedrooms, etc. I love the look of white cabinets and grey walls. I should have mentioned that I plan on painting the area above the cabinets the same color of the cabinets and adding some molding to make them more appealing.

It would be great if you could replace your granite with something you really like. Painting your walls light grey would considerably reduce the yellow appearance of your kitchen. I would also consider going with two-tone cabinets - upper cabinets - off-white, lower cabinets and island - grey or marine. But this would work better with a granite like Viscont White, for example.

Christina,

Change all your bulb before doing anything. Afterwards, stand back and take a long hard look. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.

Agree with Aqua about your granite.

Grey and yellow is a beautiful combo, is there somehow you can make that scheme work?

You might find that once you change the light bulbs and paint the walls to a light cream color that everything flows a lot better. The beige/yellow on the walls in making everything harsh. If you find that you still are not happy then replacing the backsplash and countertops would be best first.

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Janie, changing the bulbs is excellent advice. I will do that and post an updated picture. Aqua, replacing the granite would be ideal but we are going to wait till later to do a major renovation. Suedonim, I agree about the backsplash. I originally had planned on keeping it but am reconsidering as I have grey samples from our previous house that are working with this granite but not with the backsplash. Heather, i think you are right about changing the backsplash.

Wow, changing out the bulbs to LED really made a difference. We already had LED "warm " bulbs so I just switched out the incandescent for those. Here is a picture of the granite with a grey I am considering. It is SW "mindful grey". It's more of a "clay" colored grey. I'm considering a shade lighter as well. Here is a pic of "mindful grey" next to the granite. Any suggestions for an off white cabinet color that won't look yellow or dirty?

No gray. If you are sticking with the same cabinets & not painting them I would go with a very light beige/off white on the walls & change out the backsplash to a similar color. I would also take down the pots & pans above your island.

I'd pick and off-white/cream colors for the walls and that's it. I wouldn't paint the cabinets. Doing so will draw attention to the appliances.

Agreed on a warm white or cream paint (although I don't mind the grey in the first pic above on my monitor; there are warm greys too?) and changing the backsplash. That would make a big difference to the datedness of the kitchen. I wouldn't paint the cabinets either, if you're planning a bigger reno down the road. Having them professionally done is expensive, and apparently oak (I think is what you have?) doesn't take paint particularly well. Wood tones are apparently coming back into style, and I agree that white cabinets will just make the black appliances really pop. There's a recent thread here of someone who spent lots of money creating a white kitchen, only to hate it when it was done--commentors convinced her that it was the black appliances that were making the difference! :)

IF you must go gray go more greige. Change out the hardware as well.

I have not chimed in previously because you said you wanted to paint your cabinets. If you decide not to, simply changing your wall color to cream and doing a cream backsplash will get rid of the yellow - which was probably decreased a lot when you changed out bulbs. I don't have a problem with you painting your cabinets - but you don't need to - and i have seen a lot of lousy DIY cabinet paint jobs.

My wood kitchen:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042

Mark_Rachel- I must go gray (lol).... greige is a good idea. Did you by any chance see the close up of my granite a few comments up with the grey? Any thoughts on that or a lighter shade for the walls? Cabinets are definitely getting painted. I don't like wood and don't care if it's coming back in style. Looking at painting the cabinets an off white... but not cream. I like the mix of beige and grey because I don't care for solely white and light grey kitchens. They are too white to me if that makes sense. I plan on switching the appliances out to stainless steel but not at the same time unfortunately. The dishwasher will be the first to go (and soon). I know mixing black and stainless steel appliances will not be ideal but the end result will be good once they are all switched out.

jhmarie- Thank you for your comment. It will definitely not be a diy paint job. I'm checking around and looking at reviews. I've seen some rough diy paint jobs as well. Agreed!

How about a lighter blue? Blues complement woodwork nicely, and would be lovely with your wooden cabinetry, countertops, etc.

Or a darker blue ...

https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen1-contemporary-kitchen-los-angeles-phvw-vp~189359

Lighter blues ...

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/color-guide-how-to-use-light-blue-stsetivw-vs~2862016

I understand the issue - you're trying to make some affordable updates you can live with before you do whole renovation. Here's a good article that can help you select some new paint colors for the walls and cabinets: How to Change From Beige to Gray / Greige I'm looking for a home in an area where beige/brown/yellow is everywhere so I'm about to be in the same boat - wanting to love my home more but not fully renovate for a while due to budget etc. I agree with the idea of changing out your lightbulbs, and if it works for your budget, changing out just the backsplash could be a great update. Even simple subway tile would modernize and simplify your space and you could use a grout color that ties into the countertops. I would recommend painting your kitchen's trim the same as the rest of the house to unify the space. Hope this helps. Would love to see some "after" photos when you're done!

Could you take a picture of your grey sample against your cabinets? With the new, cooler-tone light bulbs on and without the counter visible?

This seems like a kitchen where wall paint, a new backsplash, and a different counter would make a MUCH bigger tonal difference than painting the cabinets. Warm wood like your cabinets pairs well with cool tones (and pairs much better with cool tones than the counters do), plus the eye hits the counter much thoroughly than it hits anything else. So the impact of the counter is very large.

Painting cabinets is such a huge undertaking that it actually might be more cost-effective to replace the counters with something cheap (not stone) in a color you actually like. And the effect of that much be overall more dramatic and to your liking.

Christina H,

Here are some interesting gray paints that pick up a bit of greige even beige in different lights...Some others that are known to have the versatile effects in different lighting... BM Revere Pewter, BM Balboa Mist, and Pale Oak.

And what about cream colors...

Now notice how some of the Houzz gray and yellow kitchens have hints of wood. I am not saying to keep your wood, just wanted you to see. I assume you are keeping your floors which might look really nice.

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Greys are tricky, but when done correctly gorgeous.

Suggest picking 3 favorites & get small containers of each.

then painting test areas throughout space.

See them in daytime & night time.

Then pick your favorite.

Curious to see what changed you ended up making? any updated photos?

we have a similar countertop but with darker wood cabinets. were trying to make some small changed to update it