Using wall color to tone down yellow, solid oak floors.

7 years ago

I’m buying a house with my dream kitchen, as far as layout and appliances go. But the color choices aren’t my taste. I prefer cool tones and monochromatic color schemes. The kitchen has alder cabinets (somewhat neutral in cool vs warm...but leaning warm) and yellowish solid oak floors. Black granite countertops. Stainless steel appliances (which I like). Oh and the walls are currently a warm white/pale yellow.

I’m not up to refinishing the floors right now. I’m pacing my demands to be kind to my husband. I feel painting the walls is my best option in making it work, in both financial and energy expenditures. I’m open to painting the cabinets, my husband is not so much-but he won’t stand in my way if I’m passionate. My husband thinks if we change the lighting it will cool the tones-and I’m sure he’s right to a significant degree.

To give you my starting point: My current kitchen has white cabinets, and beige granite and walls. Very neutral and boring—and what my brain needs. There’s too much noise “in my head” and so I need calm in my environment.

What do you think? Is there a way to use color, like makeup artists with red/yellow/blue skin tone-correcting bases, to tone down all the warm wood?

I created a visual to try to show you what I’m working with:

Featured Answer

cpartist

7 years ago

Switch to cooler bulbs in the 5000 kelvin range. I would choose a soft blue color for the walls. Something that on the card reads more gray but once up on the walls will read more blue. Also what are the pulls on the cabinets? That is an inexpensive change.

If that is the kitchen, you may or may not find the island is a barrier between your sink and the fridge.

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Comments (6)

jhmarie
7 years ago
Consider a cream or a green with gray undertone or gray with green undertone. Cool grays with warm woods are often a miss, but green grays, which are usually warmish, seem to help bridge the cool / warm divide. A warm wood kitchen combined with lots of white can also be a calm place.

These cabinets are not alder - but it is calm and would be calmer if the grout was a lighter gray or even white:

You don't show the sink wall, but with all that storage along the fridge wall, you might remove some sink wall cabinets and leave more open area. Put up some calm and pretty artwork instead.

This kitchen is also not alder, but the increased window and decreased cabinets make for a calm and pretty space:

You don't need to tile the walls - just a pretty painted wall with some pretty calm art would work. Before you paint the cabinets, look at the possibility of calming other surfaces, especially the backsplash if it is at all busy.

This is one green gray which might work. I might do a slightly lighter shade.
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Kimberlee S
Original Author
7 years ago
Gray-Green is what I was thinking, too. It doesn’t fight with it but calms it down by introducing cool.

I thought about blue-gray, also—I have SW Kryptonite on my walls and love it. I wanted blue but found every blue to baby blue. I learned I actually wanted a gray with blue.

Green is my favorite color but I’ve always hesitated using it because I’m so sensitive to color and felt it could be challenging to find the right shade. But I might dive into it. Do you have any favorite green-grays/gray-greens.
Kimberlee S
Original Author
7 years ago
Jhmarie, those pictures you posted: Mama likes!

I wish I could wave a wand, like Aurora’s fairy godmothers...”pink....blue...pink....blue” and lighten up my black granite counters. About ten years ago I had black granite in my kitchen and loved it—but no more. Maybe I will in a few years and then I’m all set!
jhmarie
7 years ago
SW Sea Salt is a popular green gray, but different people get different results. I would paint a large piece of foam board with a sample jar of paint and look at it in different lighting at different times of the day. Lowes has sample jars of SW paint for about $3.50

This is supposed to be SW Rainwashed - I've never seen it in person except on a paint deck where it looked more gray. If the gray / green looks drab, you may need to add more white / cream - like in a backsplash:

If you do not have under cabinet lighting, add it to your list. For me, it is a must with dark countertops - and for older me with older eyes. I find mine is also calming:)

This is my wood kitchens idea book - just in case you see something that inspires. It has both new and older, refreshed kitchens:

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens
l pinkmountain
7 years ago
If you're looking for a good blue-grey, I used SW "Grey screen" and it looks good with orange toned wood. I wish I had gone with more of a grey that was like a brownish stone color though. Not because the blue-grey wasn't great, but because I like the warmer colors with wood.

Just beware, a high contrast color will not tone it down, it will accentuate it. If you like warmer yellowish colors, go for them. I went with grey because I wanted something that not only went with my trim, but also a mix of other woods.