Too Much Wood in This Kitchen? See How A Few Tweaks Will Help!

This homeowner had questions about her kitchen remodel, the big one was if she should paint the existing wood cabinets.

The other big one was if she should change the countertops. Those were new and, once installed, looked busier than she thought they would.

She wanted advice on the backsplash, paint colors and if she should replace the counters. She had first been looking at a blue or green backsplash, but now was leaning more to white.

My Recommendations:

I think your countertop choice is fine, I wouldn't redo it. It brightens up all the wood and I like that it isn't too plain. It might have been my first choice but it is not worth it to redo.

I see the backsplash choices you have there and I prefer this one, indicated in the pic below, mounted in a horizontal, stacked layout. I like the bit of variation it has with an overall solid appearance. I would not go with a blue or green here, but stay neutral. I don't think that wall should be broken up with color in that way.

I would take it up to the underside of the hood and not go beyond that.

Paint Colors for this Kitchen

For a wall paint color, I'd look at some light warm gray neutrals. Your wood is bringing such a warm tone that I think it is nice to counterbalance that.

I'd look at Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray to start. I would paint the window trim on the windows above the cabinets there in the wall color, to make for a less busy look. I'd also consider removing that bit of crown isolated there between the upper windows, with the hood interrupting. It just chops up that area and shows that your crown is interrupted there.

I would look at painting the kitchen island.

I think that will divide up all the wood nicely and because the cabinets are rather the color of the floor, then you aren't really introducing multiple wood tones in the kitchen. That color wraps up from the floor to the wall and I like it.

I would go with a black on the island, maybe Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black or Sherwin Williams Iron Ore. It would relate it to your cabinet in the breakfast room too.

Extras for this kitchen

I see you have a few black cabinet pulls on a few cabinet fronts and I really like those as opposed to the brushed nickel you have. That would work well with the new paint color on the island.

I would then look to change the pendants to one with a black finish that was a little larger in scale. I like this one at 10.5" diam x 21" tall in the black brass finish.

Lastly, in the kitchen, I'd look at doing some kind of textured glass or maybe a window film on the glass cabinet doors.

Typically, when we use glass fronts, the interior of the cabinet matches the exterior of the cabinet or contrasts with some other finish or color. In this case, the interior finish is a standard light wood-look that is a typical interior of a cabinet with no glass. Therefore, it sort of looks unfinished and sort of  "exposed". 

I think it would look better with some textured glass, like a ribbed glass, pebbled or frosted, etc., something not very see-through. It will create a less busy wall elevation.

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