It’s decorating time again!
I’ve been humming and hawing over the state of my kitchen for some time now. Do I take up the floor, do I paint the cabinets, do I just do nothing and wait to see if I ever get around to extending the house? The biggest cause of inaction with this decorating project has been just how far it keeps sliding down the priorities on the To Do list. But since I got my hands on a great vintage table setting last week, I’ve been spurred into action and moved it up the list. So today I booked the painter and I have three days to decide on my colours. Nothing like a deadline!
Originally I was planning to go with a lighter version of the blue on this blog for the walls, but after finding this table in blue, I’m now leaning towards yellow. So I’ve been flicking through paint swatches to narrow down the choices and will start doing some brush outs tomorrow to see how they all look on the walls. Getting just the right shade will be critical to creating that retro feel; not too pale, not too orangey. Visiting my favorite retro blogs and Flickr streams has been a great source of inspiration, for where else can you find colour coordinated, era appropriate resources all in one place?
Thank you to American Vintage Home for these images
1. 1956 Youngstown Metal Cabinets, 2. 1955 American Kitchen, 3. September 1949 – Armstrong Linoleum, 4. 1950s Kitchen Design with a Chambers Range, 5. 1941 Yellow & Green Armstrong Kitchen, 6. 1953 Armstrong Sunflower Yellow Kitchen
Vintage Sears Colour Co-Ordination Chart
The windows in my kitchen face North, so I’m hoping to catch as much sunlight as possible and bring it inside. Given that my floor is a dark slate and my cabinets are all a light-ish Tasmania Oak, I need to balance all this without it looking sickly. Of course the safest way to check this is to do some big brush outs on the walls and check the colour in all the lights of the day. Which means that tomorrow I will be a mess of Butterfingers, Custard Puff and Lemon Blast!
If you have any recommendations, suggestions or horror stories about yellow kitchens to tell – now is the time to let me know!
It’s just perfect. Dark, spiced and a...
I love your new table – it is devine. The kitchen pictures are inspirational – my fave is no. 5.
I have the same chairs in my kitchen ^_^
I’m in the process of covering them as during summer my boyfriend complains he sticks to them.
I also nominate No 5 as the best look. And I’d agree with Weedy, cover the chairs. I’m sure you could find some fab vintage curtain material to do it in…
Icy & Weedy: I covered my last lot of dining chairs, but even though I made them removable and washable it wasn’t enough to cope with a just 2 ear old! So choosing the vinyl chairs was on purpose this time and so far have been working perfectly to keep them wipe over clean!
I painted my kitchen a Duluxe yellow, I think it was called gelati or lemon gelati (I matched it to the original art deco tiles around the kitchen sink). It’s a bit like the yellow cupboards in the first image.
Anyway, it’s been like that for almost ten years and I still love it, and it goes perfectly with my ’50s kitchen dresser and vintage bits and pieces.
I don’t have any horror stories about yellow but I will say make sure the painter finishes the edges nicely. We rent but for some (inconceivable to me) reason our landlord put a giant sea green feature wall in the middle of our lounge room. The colour is not bad but the edges are all wonky and it looks like a child did it. Also the giant bow chair in the third pic is full of win!
I like Number 5 the most–those are my kitchen colors.
Yellow is my favorite color, and I use it often on walls. The first time I did, though, was a disaster. My husband painted the nursery for our daughter the “soft, buttery yellow” I requested, but it was markedly darker than the little paint chip, and was almost a chrome yellow. We learned! Now I go two shades lighter than the sample, and that works (so far!)
I like the gelati-ish yellows, too–as the morning light warms up during the day, the color just gets warmer and fuller, but it’s cool and clean early in the day.
Yellow will be lovely! I like quite saturated colours but that maybe too intense on all walls? I’m thinking a proper sunflower yellow hehe
Can’t wait to see which colour you do pick. Good luck with it, I know it would be a very hard decision for me!
Being an architect, this subject is right up my alley. The Melb Uni Architecture library has a great collection of vintage home magazines, full of inspiration (and you don’t have to be a student to look through them!)
Here’s some books that you might be interested in
Home magazines and modernist dreams : designing the 1950s house by Alastair Greig.
Contemporary : architecture and interiors of the 1950s / Lesley Jackson
I have a yellow kitchen! I love it because it makes the area feel bright and sunny!
In my last apartment, my boyfriend and I chose a colour that was a bit too intense, and it looked a bit off. This time, we chose a colour that is just a smidgen lighter than the original colour, and it looks great. I would recommend going with a lighter yellow, as opposed to a darker yellow because the darker yellow can very easily be too much.
I actually painted my kitchen yellow and loved it. I think it was called Sunshine Yellow. It definitely makes the kitchen bright and cheerful!
Bessie: And when they have great names like “Sunshine” it always makes you feel better too.
Paige: Yes, I think a soft yellow is the way to go, otherwise I don’t think my eyes could handle it first thing in the morning!
Laura: That is a great suggestion! And b the way.. I am currently looking for architect well versed in Mid Century Modern. If it sounds like your thing can you get in touch via the contact section (in the About area)? I’d love to talk to you.
Esz: It won’t be a sunflower yellow – think more like Grannies flour canister set!
Caryn: Yes – Gelati. That is the perfect way to describe the intensity level.
Violet: Trust me, I am the world’s fussiest when it comes to those things. I have very high standards in everything (too much so at times) which can make working with me a tad difficult… And yes, you need those chair is pink
and blue!
Nicole: It really brightens the place up, which is one of my issues too with such a dark floor.
I’ve a formica and pleather set in almost the same colors and I’ve gone with a wall shade called “moonlight”.
It is what I like to call “quietly golden” it is lighter then a custard, but definitely not off white. I’ve found it to be the perfect backdrop for my set. Also I can change the whole look of the room whenever I wish by switching out the curtains,and the wall color is subtle enough not to feel too busy.
Good luck!
Those are great ideas! I cannot pic a fave. Cannot wait to see the finished kitchen.
-meream
I second all the opinions about choosing a lighter yellow than you think you need!
My husband and I chose what looked like a lemon yellow on the swatch, and when it went on the walls, it looked like a fast food restaurant!
We had to dilute the paint with a LOT of white just to get it looking like the swatch. So if I had to do it again, I’d choose the shade I liked, then go at least two shades lighter, and it should turn out the way you want
Good luck!
Hi,
lovely table and chairs by the way, but I have to say that I go with your first plan of the paler blue. If you pick a warm pale blue, like the one surrounding this comment box, but a tone lighter or so, I think it would be fantastic. Even though the table is blue as well, that will be fine. Also, it will make the chair and the light oak cabinets really pop. The yellow might make the light oak just melt into a sea of yellows and do it no favors.
When I choose colours for where I live, my final decision is; “Would I look good in this colour if it was a piece of clothing?”
If not, I don’t choose it, I know, totally vain lol, but has worked so far.
Love the bow shaped cahir backs. Too cute.
Melissa: Looks like what Minnie mouse should have in her kitchen, yes?
Kris: I’m still thinking of that, so today I am going around painting yellow and blue swatches in different areas of the room to make the final decision.
Julie: Oh no! That would be awful to have a kitchen that looked like a burger chain.
Meream: I can’t pick a fave wither, but I like elements of them all.
Mandy: Very subtle. I’ve done the same with my lounge,dining and family room,so I can change the feel by changing the accessories. But for the rest of the house I love strong colour that you have to really commit to. I love the immediate impact of it.
These pictures are beautiful as is your new table
Also I was reading another blog ThriftCandy and she had a post full of inspirational kitchen photos. thought you might like a look.
http://thriftcandy.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-kitchen.html
I personally love the feeling of sticking to the chairs–it reminds me of my Grandma’s house because she still has and uses a dining set with that material on the seats.
My mother painted our kitchen yellow, and I’ve always loved it. If you go to some of the bigger-name paint and hardware stores (I live in the U.S., so I’m thinking Sherwyn-Williams and Home Depot), they can match a paint color to a sample color you bring in–like a piece of fabric or colored paper. I’ve known people who did that with good results.
I look forward to seeing pictures of the result!
Coool – I just found all my old movie mags from the 40s-60s and am gonna scan them next week. The vintage ads are too good to be missed!!
Wanderlusting: Make sure you post them on Flickr or somewhere so we can all take a look.
Ruth: I think they can do that here too. I have one of those big professional pantone colour fans that I am using to find exactly what I am after and running around matching that to other things.
Emma G: Thanks, I’ll have a look.