Step 4: Choosing Colors

Benjamin Moore (not sponsored or affiliated) has a line of historical paint colors from authentic 18th and 19th century paints.  Even though my cottage is 1950, I thought this would be an easy start for choosing paints for my kitchen.  Historical colors are classic, more natural looking, and definitely go with the cottage flow.

Here in the picture, you can see my 1950 boomerang countertops with the paint chips I selected.  Since I am currently stuck with the countertops, I wanted my scheme to coordinate without being loud, like my kitchen is now.  You see the blue boomerangs?  That's the color of my walls right now.  Bright, loud, kitschy, mid-century fun.  But, I am ready for a lighter, cleaner, more classic, cottage color palate.

My dining room and living room are a sunny cream color.  They are actually two different paints, but I was able to color match them almost seamlessly because they discontinued the dining room cream, then the living room cream.  Now, I need to color match the best I can to make the kitchen creamy.  I feel this will lighten and brighten the space while creating continuity in my tiny cottage.  To keep color flowing, I will accent the kitchen with an historic blue.  (The dining room has an historic oxblood red, and the living room is accented with a hunter green).  This'll keep color interest in line with my husband's preference to not live in monochromatic home, and honor the cottage and historic preferences of both of us.

The cream needs to be more warm.  I like what I call candle-flame creams.  They are the warm-toned creams that show up beautifully in candle light.  I do not like the cold-toned creams with hints of green, blue, or gray in them.  I live in a cottage, not a hospital hallway.

No gray.  We live in the northeast where half the year it is gray outside and you begin to feel oppressed by it.  I cannot abide gray, no matter how fashionable it is right now.  However, as you can see, there are gray boomerangs in my countertop.  So, I am looking at an historic, cottage blue that compliments the gray boomerangs rather than opposes it.  Then, if I have to keep my gray vinyl sheet flooring that came with the house when I bought it, it also won't be such a contrast.  However, it'll go well with wood, wood laminate, or wood look sheet vinyl flooring, and any future butcher block I might be able to install.

The trim will be a bright kitchen white to match the newly painted ceiling.