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decker1018

How can I add personality to all white kitchen?

decker1018
4 years ago
We just purchased a home with a well appointed kitchen. It’s not the newest, but all of the materials are high-quality. The kitchen is currently very neutral- white cabinets, white countertops, wood floors, beige walls. Lots of windows and natural light, and a Beautiful brick fireplace in the eat- in area. This home is also at the top of our budget so we can’t really make any big ticket changes. Any suggestions on how to make it more fun? Here are some ideas I am toying with in my head: changing the wall color to something brighter, possibly a light blue or a mint. Possibly using a bold wallpaper and the very small backsplash area on either side of the sink. I was thinking something modern with a navy background and bright colored flowers.I also thought about painting the white counter stools, which came with the house, a fun color from the theoretical backsplash wallpaper- maybe a pink or purple. I thought about wallpapering the refrigerator wall instead, but I don’t want to draw attention away from the fireplace. Maybe a bold piece of art above the fireplace? A bigger project might be painting the island cabinets only but I’m not even sure what color I would like. I would love it if they were a natural hickory, but again that’s not in the budget! Any ideas appreciate it! (I apologize for the terrible photos)

Comments (20)

  • Kristin S
    4 years ago

    You have a beautiful kitchen. Are these photos showing it as it was staged for sale, or now that you've moved in?

    decker1018 thanked Kristin S
  • PRO
    R.D. London Studios
    4 years ago

    You have a lovely kitchen. I think the biggest improvement would be to paint the whole kitchen as you mentioned in a light blue or green. Add some decor pieces above your top shelves and a plant or two on the counters for greenery. Best wishes!

    decker1018 thanked R.D. London Studios
  • Pam A
    4 years ago

    Another way to introduce color would be with glass or crystal knobs on the cabinets. It is a very bright and open space, and I can see what you mean about wanting to inject some spark in there.

    decker1018 thanked Pam A
  • PRO
    BeverlyFLADeziner
    4 years ago

    Any reason there are no hanging light fixtures?

    decker1018 thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
  • PRO
    MDLN
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Paint a bold wall color. Glad I did it, get many compliments.


    decker1018 thanked MDLN
  • Gcubed
    4 years ago

    Its' beautiful. I'd paint, change hardware and maybe add a chandelier over the table. I have crystal knobs on my cabinets and they are pretty "jewelry" in my kitchen.

    decker1018 thanked Gcubed
  • cawaps
    4 years ago

    What do the double doors go to? I would find (or go to Pinot's Palette with your spouse and paint) a diptych and hang one canvas on each door. You can probably use Command Hooks and avoid even putting holes in the doors. Since the placement of the doors is so visible from the dining room and living room, I think this would have a big impact.

    decker1018 thanked cawaps
  • herbflavor
    4 years ago

    replace the double doors with solid wood doors. Paint the wall cabinets w arch at the window position a bolder/ probably darker color like a nautical blue. Then one or two lantern shaped pendants if you feel like it for the island.

    decker1018 thanked herbflavor
  • Jennifer Hogan
    4 years ago

    I love this kitchen. Not a lot of color, but a few bold splashes makes the whole room come alive.


    Interiors - Kitchens · More Info


    decker1018 thanked Jennifer Hogan
  • Jennifer Hogan
    4 years ago

    Before painting anything or adding color anywhere I would pick my color pallet.


    Figure out everything in the house that has to stay. (Not changing the flooring/countertops/ tile in bathrooms . . .)


    Figure out what you are bringing into the home that you love and will not change for a long time.


    Look at everything you own, art, clothing, jewlery, makeup, bed linens . What are the colors that you love? Everyone has a few favorites. You want your home to reflect your personality. Are you a jeans and tshirt gal or a pearls and lace kind of girl? Do you love bright, bold colors, or pastels or deep sultry colors? Which colors?


    Now examine your home. When are you going to use each room and how will you use it? What kind of energy do you want to experience in that room. Do you throw formal cocktail parties or football bbqs or simple family gatherings? Do you like to relax in the tub at the end of a long day or grab a quick shower to wake you up in the morning. Do you want a sultry sexy bedroom or a relaxing retreat?


    Now you can put all the pieces together. Lay out the colors that have to stay, lay out the colors that you want to stay. Lay then out in the order that you will see each room. If you can see your dining room from the kitchen you want these next to each other and the colors you pick will need to work together, but the colors you pick for the master bath don't have to work well with the kitchen, but need to work with the master bedroom, which has to work with the hall, witch has to work with the stairs, which have to work with the living room, which has to work with the dining room which we already established, has to work with the kitchen.


    Add the colors that you love. If you pick purple and lime for the kitchen you will want to bring those colors into the dining room, but maybe just a touch of the lime and more concentrated on the purple, then the livingroom needs to have purple, but doesn't have to have lime, and you may decide to introduce some red. Move from room to room, bringing colors that you love into the pallet, sometimes in a deep or bright version and other times in softer forms, making sure that the shades and versions of the colors make you feel the way you need to feel in each room.


    My colors are teal, purple and burgundy and my foyer happens to have red/purple/green slate flooring. I am using those 3 colors with taupe as my neutral throughout the main part of my home. Teal walls in my guest bedroom, guest bath and master bath and a deep smokey purple in my bedroom. I have a lot of the deep reds in my upholstry and art and things. I also happen to love lime green, but it won't work with teal, so I am continuing the taupe and purple into the basement where I will be doing a deep purple taupe and lime green accents. Basement will mainly be used as a game room, and it will be a place to hang some of the art that I have from a trip to Costa Rica that is brighter and greener than the decor I have elsewhere.


    I really think that every woman should feel like a 10 in every room of her home. The colors that make you feel wonderful about yourself and about life should surround you.

    decker1018 thanked Jennifer Hogan
  • ljptwt7
    4 years ago
    I would just paint the walls a color you love that would flow with your other rooms, a deep, bold color would be my choice. Then reevaluate. I think the current wall color is what makes it look so blah.
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  • njmomma
    4 years ago

    following

    decker1018 thanked njmomma
  • Kendrah
    4 years ago

    I'm not sure what is fun to you but here are some ideas:


    1. Paint the room white and have a fun accent backsplash on the sink wall. (Don't wallpaper a wet area of the kitchen.)


    2. Paint the whole kitchen white and just the island mint. Then accessorize with mint or navy.


    3. Ditch the mantle piece and get a large piece of artwork you like to hang there.


    4. Ditch the cabinet to the right of fridge and hang artwork or huge colorful plate there.


    5. Is that your dining room set? If so, get some cushion pads for the seats made from colorful fabric.


    6. Easiest and cheapest - go on a colorful accessories buying binge, put it all together in your current space and see if it is enough fun color pop for you - a colorful fruit bowl, cool potholders, dish towels, colorful tea pot, canisters.


    Here is some inspiration:


    Colorful backsplash white kitchen

    Colorful Kitchen Splash · More Info



    White kitchen light blue island


    Intracoastal Beach Home · More Info


    Could keep your kitchen white and get colorful countertop accessories


    Smeg 4-Slice Toaster, Pastel Green · More Info


    Smeg Pastel Green Stainless Steel 50's Retro Variable Temperature Kettle · More Info


    Omniware Simsbury 3 Piece Turquoise Ceramic Canister Set · More Info


    2.2-Quart Enamel Whistling Teakettle With Glass Lid, Azure · More Info


    decker1018 thanked Kendrah
  • doods
    4 years ago

    Love your home and kitchen just the way it is, soft and elegant! For a pop of color in your kitchen why not paint the bar stools a bright color, as they peak over the bar maybe that's all you need. Maybe one of the pro's could suggest a color and or do a mock up :-)

    decker1018 thanked doods
  • suzie123
    4 years ago

    beadboard the ceiling!!!! or paint it. I would consider doing the wall with the arches a wall paper-maybe chalkboard?

    decker1018 thanked suzie123
  • mnzinnia
    4 years ago

    I love all white and the ability to change the feel with accent colors.

    decker1018 thanked mnzinnia
  • mnzinnia
    4 years ago

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  • MaryAnne Smith
    4 years ago

    following

  • loobab
    4 years ago

    Hi decker 1018-


    Congratulations on your beautiful new home and your kitchen is lovely!


    I agree with Jan Moyer about not rushing into any major changes.


    And speaking of changes, how often do you like change ?

    If you paint the walls (or chairs, or island) a color, will you want to change any of it in a couple of years?

    Well, that is a lot of work, and these days, paint costs more than it used to since now it is all non-VOC, and for a kitchen you would additionally want to use a high quality paint.


    First think of your dishes, you do want whatever color you accent with to go with your dishes!


    Perhaps you can get your color craving satiated with smaller items, such as:

    plants,

    dishtowels, and

    floor mats/runners,

    artwork over the fireplace and on the wall

    valance or roman shade at the top of the window

    cushions on the counter stools and the breakfast area chairs.


    The above are all inexpensive, and the advantage of the above smalls is that you can change them seasonally like using warmer colors in the fall/winter and cooler colors in the spring/summer.


    You can even change the slipcovers on the chairs in front of the fireplace and the throw on the chair with the season.


    Another reason your kitchen looks so bland is that other than the forsythia (which is marvelous!) and the brick over the fireplace it is devoid of natural elements.


    Please think about setting out a beautiful cutting board, or a basket with different fruits, a flowering plant, or a plant with variegated foliage.


    Those would do wonders for your kitchen and make you not so desperate for an immediate color fix.


    By the way, there are indoor plants with red or purple foliage.