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Kitchen cabinets: Pale blue gray, pale minty green, or dark blue?

2 years ago

Hi all - I'm about to make final color choices for my kitchen cabinets and am torn between a few options. My house is a little 1900 cottage in New England. I am completely redoing the kitchen and opening it up to the dining room, along with other interior and exterior renovations. I'm trying to be as sensitive to the era of the home and to preserve the original architecture wherever possible.


Cabinets will be custom inset doors with a simple bead and decorative brackets holding them up. There's a small run of open shelving. Counters will be honed Danby Olympian White marble. Floors will match the original medium dark brown white oak throughout the rest of the house. Dining room decor may change so won't dictate the cabinet color. Wall color will follow from cabinets.


For blues, I've narrowed to F&B Parma Gray and Borrowed Light and BM Gentle Gray. For greens, I like F&B Teresa's Green and Blue Green and BM Italian Ice Cream. For dark blues, I like F&B Stiffkey and BM Newburyport. All of these colors, IMO, work well with the marble and in different lighting conditions (I went through 30+ peel and stick samples that i cycled through different locations in the kitchen for multiple days each, but I'll also get a sample door of one or two finalists).


I want something that will look at home in an antique cottage, but it doesn't need to be "period." Because this is New England and the kitchen is not super bright (currently has one exposure and once open to dining room, will have two), I also want something that will look decent in low light and artificial light (some of the murkier F&B colors that are so popular do not).


I've thrown up a few inspiration photos, plus my floor plan and current views of the kitchen and dining room and a single photo that shows all the finalist colors together and examples of kitchens painted in those colors (couldn't find one for Italian Ice Cream). I realize that these are somewhat different vibes, but I think I could make any of them work. Just very indecisive about WHICH.


Thoughts on what makes the most sense here?



















Comments (25)

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    I'd go with either a pale sage or the blue gray.


    Here's a kitchen we did recently in Benjamin Moore's Heather Gray with Simply White Uppers:



    Bernal Heights Sustainable Kitchen · More Info


    Bernal Heights Sustainable Kitchen · More Info

    But I also like the gray/blues. I'd go even grayer than the photos you show:



    modern deco kitchen redesign by emily henderson featuring clé's "big al" tiles · More Info


    Blue Steel Kitchen, Portland, Maine · More Info


  • 2 years ago

    I agree with Sabrina, sage green or blue gray.

    HU-918119203 thanked woodrose77
  • 2 years ago

    Jenna Bush Hager's kitchen. Benjamin Moore "Wedgewood Gray" on cabinets and "White Dove" on trim, Waterworks glazed tile, Ferguson brass fixtures, Top Knobs cabinet hardware.


    HU-918119203 thanked M Miller
  • 2 years ago

    That's a cute little nice-sized kitchen.


    Personally, I'd go with sage green ... then go with red accents in the adjacent dining room. Those two colors can be good friends.

    HU-918119203 thanked Mrs Pete
  • 2 years ago

    I would also go with a sage color; classic and neutral! When I had my bathrooms redone, I chose sage colored vanities and love them. You can mix various colors with sage too: pinks, reds, yellows, creams, and salmon.

    HU-918119203 thanked kculbers
  • 2 years ago

    What makes your heart sing? Most people have a preference for true blues or blue greens.

    I have a lot of blue greens in my home and virtually no true blues. In my closet I may own 2 or 3 blue shirts and a dozen blue green.


    My sister in law has blue eyes and wears blue all the time. My sister has olive toned skin and never wears blue and wears more true greens than blue greens.


    Even if 50 people say you should pick blue green, if it isn't what you love best it won't make you as happy as the color you love.


    I'm painting my kitchen cabinets purple - don't expect the whole world to love my choice, but it works with my home and my other colors.

    HU-918119203 thanked Jennifer Hogan
  • PRO
    2 years ago

    I'd go with the sage color. The pale blue is lovely but might feel cold in the New England winter.


  • 2 years ago

    B.M. Van Cortland Blue is a color to consider. I love with white counters.



    HU-918119203 thanked elcieg
  • 2 years ago

    If I wanted light, I wouldn’t pick gray.

  • PRO
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    is your light northen? typically more blue which is going to turn Parma Gray somewhat lavender




    this shot it looks more light blue, but the cabs in the foreground have the purplish tint.


    I would seriously get some sample doors painted and place them in your lighting.



    Borrowed Light is pretty


    love the BM Providence Blue


  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Please, no periwinkle blue. Dusty blue would work great.

    HU-918119203 thanked Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
  • 2 years ago

    what's the rest of your house like? Your colors are pretty different to me - a lot of pastels and some moodier blues. I agree with @Jennifer Hogan, what does your heart tell you? I'm completely drawn toward moodier blues - I live in Boston in a 100+ yo house so I get it - and so I love Stiffkey Blue, but what do YOU want?

    HU-918119203 thanked Sally T
  • 2 years ago

    I always gravitate to blues, and even though the blues you shared are gorgeous, I think I really like the pale greens. I really liked that Teresa's green.

    It seems you're getting a different vote with each new post.

    If it helps, I do think they're all very nice but my vote is that green.

  • 2 years ago

    My vote goes to BM Gentle Gray. So lovely! I couldn’t resist pairing it with artwork.



  • PRO
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I have no idea what the rest of your house looks like but I like the blue...






    HU-918119203 thanked lisedv
  • 2 years ago



    HU-918119203 thanked eld6161
  • 2 years ago

    chinacatpeekin Thanks! What a gorgeous kitchen! So helpful to see Blue Green IRL.

  • 2 years ago

    Beth H. - Thank you! My kitchen windows face south to southeast, but they don't get quite as much light as you'd expect because of the location of nearby trees. I did notice some of the blues turning lavender, but not Parma. The biggest issue I had was the murkier/more complex colors getting totally washed out into nothing - like Mizzle.

  • 2 years ago

    elcieg Thanks! I love Van Cortland Blue - it's currently the color of my front door! Quite a bit darker than that photo, though, and it just wasn't a top pick compared to the other dark blues with the marble.

  • 2 years ago

    Sabrina Alfin Interiors Thank you! I like sage and tried many samples, but ultimately preferred the fresher, cooler tones of the slightly minty greens. I've always preferred cool colors with accents of warmth (e.g., natural wood shades, a textured camel colored rug, etc.) than to make warmer colors the star of the show. Secondarily, I was a little hesitant on sage specifically because it's been a top trending kitchen color for a while now. Those are gorgeous kitchens though! And thank you for the additional suggestions on medium blue/grays!

  • 2 years ago

    Sally T Thanks Sally! Wish I knew what I wanted...this would be a lot easier. I like all three options and think each can work in the house. The rest of my house is not a great gauge because it will change after the renovation, but my tiny living room is... blue and green!


  • 2 years ago

    Your dark blues are over powering, your greens seem too minty dental office. Your greys blend well with what I see of your dining room but may feel to blah in the winter. Explore FB greys with green undertones or olives. These look radically different depending on the light. Purchase a samplize wall swatch of each of these 3 colors and tape them to your walls in different locations and at different times of day


    Pigeon

    French grey - gorgeous

    Treron


    Good color study post here on French Grey cabinets in different light.

    http://moderncountrystyle.blogspot.com/2014/03/colour-study-farrow-and-ball-french-gray.html


    Also a good inspiration post - 12 F&B colors for the perfect English Kitchen

    https://laurelberninteriors.com/2020/05/17/12-farrow-and-ball-colors-for-the-perfect-english-kitchen/ 


    Hope you post after pics. Looks like a beautiful space in the making.

  • 2 years ago

    @HU-918119203 - I love your house! It's so warm and inviting - super curious where in NE you live! I'm outside of Boston and love my 1920 center-entrance colonial.

    HU-918119203 thanked Sally T
  • 2 years ago

    Sally T Thanks so much! I live in Fairfield County, Connecticut... so just barely "New England." The house is very cool - it was built as a barn in the 1800s, then converted to a house in 1900, though you probably wouldn't guess it was once a barn unless you knew.