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tenisha_y_evans

NEED HELP decorating our new home!!

6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

My family and I just closed on our new home mid-dec. We love the house but having a hard time getting it to flow. The first issue is that the paint color of the walls is SW Alpaca which a light grey but has a somewhat profound purplish undertone. It looks great with the white trim, but our kitchen cabinets are antique white with a creamy undertone. The second issue is that the fireplace is busy with mainly tan colors running through it. It does have hints of grey as well. The second issue is that the honey brown kitchen island doesnt really match the brown grayish floors. I ordered grey furniture from Restoration Hardware (that cant be return since it is being made custom) but now I'm not sure it'll match the house. It's like I'm trying to mix cool colors with the warm earth tones in the fireplace and granite. I was thinking about painting the cabinets a true soft white instead of antique white and refacing the fireplace to a solid light or dark grey marble. But then I'll prob have to change the kitchen cabinets and brass lighting which all seems costly. It I could simply paint the house a warm color that matches the fireplace and cabinets but then it may not match the modern gray furniture we ordered. I need help!!

Comments (11)

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago






  • 6 years ago

    You've identified the undertone problem. Your cabinets and kitchen (pretty!) is mainly yellow undertones, while your wall color has purple undertones. Right next to each other, they look a bit off. because of that. Your gray furniture may have warm or cool undertones, depending on whether it's gray with beige, brown or taupe undertones, or with blue (cooler) undertones. I would wait until the furniture is in place and get some expert color consultation help to figure out a paint color from room to room that will marry everything. Some good resources online are Kylie M Interiors, or Maria KIllam. Both (are color geniuses and) do online color consultations. I used a $125 online color consultation with Kylie to prevent a very expensive mistake with cabinet color (needed to pick the right "white" to not look discordant with the red birch trim in my house and other hard finishes. Maria Killam's ebook "How to pick paint colors" is a must have before you pick up a paint brush: https://www.mariakillam.com/product/how-to-choose-paint-colours-pdf/ .


    I would 100% change wall paint before attempting to paint kitchen cabinets, especially ones as nice as yours.


    New Home thanked adel97
  • 6 years ago

    Not a Pro.

    As mentioned above, do not paint or change anything. Wait until your furniture arrives and you add decor, etc.

    Paint is always last when it comes to decorating.

    New Home thanked njmomma
  • 6 years ago

    Your home is very beautiful! Congratulations! To my eyes the only thing " wrong" is trying to use gray in this space. I would surely repaint the walls before touching your cabinets or fireplace. A nice creamy color would work so much better.

    Once your furniture arrives you can use art, fabrics, etc. to make the furniture work. In the meantime get rid of the gray walls.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Congrats on your new home! This can certainly work. The wall paint color in the family room will likely have to be change. (an easy fix). If you have SW Alpaca in the kitchen, it does not appear to be an issue in there.


    However, I agree that the honey-brown island is not working. So, you could get only those island cabinets painted in the kitchen.


    The color of the fireplace face could work and be pulled in, but if you don't like it you can change it. The granite in the kitchen and the marble in the fireplace feel a little dated, but I would live with them for awhile. What sticks out to me in the kitchen as dated is the backsplash. Consider also, that grey has come style-wise and having some golden tones mixed with your greys will actually update your space.


    Without spending a ton of $, my conclusion is that the most economical plan at this time would be to paint the island and the family room walls.


    What direction is the family room facing and could you please let me know what fabric you chose for the family room furniture? Thanks!

    New Home thanked CDR Design, LLC
  • 6 years ago

    Thx for your help! This is the furniture we ordered . Its veneto leather (similar to a suede or microfiber look) in a grey color called graphite

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    I think you are going to be just fine.



  • 6 years ago

    Thx! Yes I think the furniture will match the Alpaca paint really well but I dont know how well it will match the fireplace (bc of the dated look AND the tan colors). I really wish we could just reface the fireplace with update tile and get a new mantle (not a fan of the arch shape). Then paint the kitchen a soft white with a backsplash that ties the granite to the cabinets. then get nickel hardware and island pendants. I think that'll look much more updated but who knows how much that will all cost!!

    I'm going to take everyone's advice and wait until the furniture comes and see what will be the best change to make. I'll keep you guys so posted!

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    You can add in accents that have more golden tones/ beige tones.

  • 6 years ago

    My Husband and I went back and forth on what to do with our mismatched home. Either change the grey paint throughout the house or change the warm colors in the kitchen. Although it's the more expensive choice, we opted to go with the latter since our furniture is modern and grey.

    So without spending an arm and a leg we are wondering what is the mininum we can do to make the kitchen more modern. The cabinetry is in really good condition so we are going to paint them white. We also purchased polished nickel cabinet hardware pulls and a polished nickel chandelier and pendants. We are thinking to change the backsplash matte white subway tile with grey grout to try to match the countertops. The countertops are very busy and have a ton of warm colors running through them, but they also have a nice amount of grey, black, and white. We're hoping the lighting and hardware will pull out the greys and whites and minimize the golds and browns. We are also debating onnif we should keep the built in custom appliances or get new appliances. The current appliances work and are in hood condition but are a bit dated since they've been there since about 2009. The big range hood also looks a bit dated with the little decorative ornament on the front.

    Any suggestions or ideas would be great!