Help for my Dark kitchen
Sharon Shaz
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
hi i would like to paint my kitchen walls to brighten up the room but also need some ideas on what to do around the solid fuel range as it gets covered in soot. there is a large shed right outside the kitchen window which blocks the light but this can not be knocked all ideas welcome as well as paint color if anyone could help with window treatment and lighting ideas that would be great. Thanks in advance
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Amy Stanley
11 years agoSharon Shaz
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Will dark coloured kitchen units make my low ceiling look lower ?
Comments (3)I think it can be stunning! I agree with cabinets to the ceiling except use cdrown molding for the English look you desire. By all means good lighting however to achieve the look do not use harsh lighting. Have dimmers and have a smallish lamp on one of your countertops for ambient lighting. I do suggest Carrera marble if you go grey or hammered stainless (to resemble pewter) if you go dark blue for your countertops and pl;ease consider hanging some antique mirror. I have a wonderful photo of a tiny deep blue kitchen and cannot seem to lay my hands on it. If I find it soon I will post it for you. I hope you will go for it and post photos! Hope this helps. :)...See MoreNeed help choosing paint colour for my pine kitchen units - dark room.
Comments (0)Hi I want to brighten up a kitchen. I am on a tight budget. I am considering painting the pine kitchen units and perhaps replacing the black laminate counter-top. Any ideas on colours - the room is north/ north-east facing?...See MoreNeed help with my new kitchen
Comments (3)There's a lot of cream/same colour in that room. You could contrast or offset. Try glass fronted wall cabinets in, say, blue. Or open shelving to display pictures, books, colourful jars etc....See MoreMy house is dark & damp and ineed suggestions about brightening it up?
Comments (0)I come across many old houses, such as the one you describe, that may seem like lost causes but have huge potential. When building to the back, many home owners think about the additional space they will gain, but don’t consider the impact the extension will have on existing spaces within the house. In the past, when they did think about light, they did such things as leaving the window in the old room to try to deflect some light from the new room. This led to unsightly extensions that looked as though they were lobbed onto the back of a house without becoming part of it. Generally, I would advise locating a new living, dining space and kitchen in the extension to the rear, and opening that room to the back garden through floor-to-ceiling glazing and doors. This will allow the natural daylight to flood the space and, importantly, provide you with a visual connection to the garden. When adding an extension to the back, though, you must remember that it will create a“middle area”, which is generally dark. My suggestion here is to put a lavatory or utility room, or both, into this space—these are two rooms that don’t need lots of light but can be valuable in your home. Another option would be to light the middle area by incorporating a roof window into the new extension, which will help to direct light into the darker spaces. The type of roof window to be installed will depend on the roof it is to be inserted into. For example, is it flat or pitched roof? We tend to use flat roofs as, unlike pitched roofs, they don’t break the eye line from your first-floor rear windows. Before you build an extension, though, you must ask if your house really needs it. Another option is to forgo the extension and any demolition and brighten up the existing rooms. There are clever tricks to transform a dark space. First, the use of lighter paint colours can help to create a brighter feel to the space and would be the least expensive way to approach the problem, although the end result will be limited. Avoid dark bulky furniture. You would be amazed at how much visual weight it adds to your space. For example, if you have a dark dresser, try swapping it with a lighter-toned table that has legs so that you can see the floor. Third,well-placed mirrors can visually expand a room and reflect light, making any space feel bigger and brighter. The dark feel of a house is often intensified by clutter. If you want a bright room, you should consider embracing minimalism. Good luck with your new home, and have fun in whatever you decide to do. Mark Davies is co-director of Arc Design; www.arcdesign.ie...See MoreAmy Stanley
11 years agoSharon Shaz
11 years ago
leelee
11 years agoMy pet peeve is pictures hung too high. Lower your 4 small pictures so the middle of the pics is 60" from the floor. Also, never hang anything in a straight line with the top of a window or door. OK, now the paint. Paint the doors white. Paint the kitchen white. Remove the black tile backsplash and either replace it with something going up to the bottom of the cabinets or leave it off entirely. It's distracting and not very useful as it is. Someone already mentioned using tile behind your smokey stove but be sure to go with charcoal grout and dark tile. Would you consider painting cabinets? How about white cabinets and a colorful backsplash? You can easily add track lighting on the ceiling. You live there but on screen your kitchen doesn't look that dark. Some people misdiagnose the problem....your kitchen needs a little flair.
Sharon Shaz
11 years agoleelee
11 years agoWhich one of the doors pictured above goes to the outside? I think that's a great idea. Paint the other doors white and replace the exterior door with a white one with glass panes.
Sharon Shaz
11 years ago
PROOnePlan
11 years agotfeni52355
11 years agoIf possible I'd look at adding some LED can (down) lights in the ceiling in addition to the paint and tile etc. If you want light in your kitchen there is no better light out there.We have 11 ceiling lights on dimmers and we love them. Also look at adding under cabinet LED lights from Inspired LED (see them on this site). We have them and they make an amazing difference. I know the budget is small but perhaps at a future date.....
Geneviève
11 years agolast modified: 11 years agoleelee
11 years agoSharon Shaz
11 years ago
Rare Bird
11 years ago
747.2fra
11 years agoI love light so personally that's where I would start. The attached pic is a before/after that I found online of a skylight tube. These are around $200 at our box stores. Installation would definitely add to that though. But it would be worth it to me.
toscanagirl
11 years agoSharon Shaz
11 years agoGeneviève
11 years agoGeneviève
11 years agoSharon Shaz
11 years ago- PRO
OnePlan
11 years ago Sharon Shaz
11 years agoRare Bird
11 years ago
handymam
11 years ago
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