Design Dilemma Friday- From Dark to Airy
This week’s kitchen question:
“My kitchen is generally really dark. I love light and airy, but I don't know how to do that without major renovations, which is not in my budget right now. A little while ago we upgraded some of our cabinets in a dark blue/green color. The rest of my cabinets are all brown and I really don't like it. Should I paint them a contrasting color to the hutch like an off-white, including the trim? We had also checked into getting marble countertops installed, but unfortunately, those won't be in my budget for a long time either. Is there a way I can paint my existing countertops? I have small kids, so I'm worried if that might look scuffed up and dingy really quickly.”
- Jenni
Ok Jenni, I’ve had a bit to think about your kitchen and I’m excited to give you some ideas. As always though, remember you live here, not me. So I’m happy to give advice but understand I may not have all the information and you are welcome to disregard whatever may not work for your home and lifestyle.
Essentially, you have 3 main questions or issues it seems like you’re struggling with.
How can I make the kitchen feel light and airy without major renovation?
There are a couple really simple things you can do immediately that will make the space visually more, which contributes to feeling more open. The first would be to get rid of any visual clutter that’s not absolutely necessary. In any good design, you want a balance of positive and negative space. The negative space is a spot for the eye to rest and it offers contrast to the positive space, thereby further highlighting the features you want to. Right now you have little negative space because there are so many things on all the counter surfaces. I know it’s not a glamorous or fun project, but minimizing these things will have an impact.
Start with cleaning off your fridge. This is really a change for the entire family but hopefully it will only take a few “gentle” reminders. You might store the kids magnets in a box so they can play with them, and then put them away when they’re done.
Next, move to clearing off the countertop on the blue cabinets. You could decide to keep the cookbooks on one side with possibly a plant, and the kitchen aid on the other end. Between them, try to keep it empty and clean.
Go for the same idea on the other side of the tall cabinets by the arched entrance. Maybe that’s where you set up a coffee bar, or a wall basket for mail, or even an herb garden if it gets some good light. OR you can also just leave it empty for some good negative space.
I’m not sure if this will work because I can’t see from the images, but I would look into the possibility of removing the upper cabinets above the peninsula. I know it’s difficult to lose even the smallest amount of storage in a kitchen, but it would be worth the purging and mental gymnastics of reorganizing. It would mean you could open this space and let that window light come in farther. Additionally, removing that huge visual barrier would make the room feel bigger and less claustrophobic. It may mean you need to attach an end panel of oak to whichever cabinet end is left exposed, but you may be able to salvage the back of the cabinetry coming down to accomplish this. It’s all a matter of weighing your priorities, but at least consider this as an option.
The last thing I’d like you to think about is if there’s any way to add more lighting to the kitchen. Maybe you could add some recessed lighting to the ceiling on a dimmer. Or possibly you could install some LED strip lighting under your cabinets. If you remove the upper cabinets above the peninsula, you could consider adding some pendants for task lighting in that area. Different angles and pools of light will interact almost magically to make any space more inviting and feel less like an interrogation room.
Should I paint cabinets an off-white, including the trim?
I’m not opposed to this idea but I think you need to be very careful and thoroughly do your research. This is NOT an easy DIY and takes a ton of prep. The amount of prep you put in will directly relate to how durable your cabinets are. And because you can’t go backwards in the process, you need to make sure it’s done well or even hire it out to professionals.
That being said, you could definitely go for this look but there are two things to keep in mind.
Do you really want white lower cabinets? Your lower cabinets will take more wear and tear than your uppers, and you need to wipe them down quite regularly to keep them looking nice. They are just the least forgiving color for any dirt or damage. If this were the look I decided on, I would consider carrying the blue color in your newer cabinets around as the lower cabinet color and doing white only on the uppers. This does get a little tricky with your specific cabinets, as you do have some floor to ceiling ones. I think I would change the entire wall of cabinets next to the blue ones, to be blue also. Then I would change what looks like a broom cabinet (by the fridge) to white and have that white go up and around the fridge to the other white uppers, while leaving the lower cabinets in the kitchen blue.
I also think, at the very least, you need to find ways to add this blue color to other areas throughout the kitchen. It needs to feel related to other elements. You could do this by adding a blue tone or blue patterned backsplash. You might put a fabric roman shade with blue above the sink window. Or do a treatment to the back of the peninsula that incorporates blue. Just find little ways to tie the color in.
