Reader Paige needs our help — she and her husband Dustin recently bought a 1960 ranch house, and they are struggling to decide what paint color would help liven up the brown, brown and more brown found throughout the kitchen and connected dining room. She isn’t a fan of the brown backsplash, flooring and countertops, but they will have to stay for now. Can we give Paige a few paint and decorating ideas to help add some color her kitchen?
Paige writes:
I’ve been a follower of Retro Renovation for a long time and have seen you help fellow readers with paint! My husband and I just bought a 1960 ranch, and I am really struggling with what color to paint the kitchen/dining room.
Our kitchen is open to the dining room, and unfortunately the brown back splash and brown floor will have to stay for a while.
That, paired with the blonde woodwork and a wheat Heywood Wakefield table and chairs are really giving me some issues! I’m not attached to the upholstery on the chairs so that can be changed if need be! I definitely want to go with color in the kitchen but everything I pick seems to clash with the floor. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
So, what can we do to help liven up all of that brown? We think there are a few key changes that can make a huge difference and up the happy factor in Paige’s kitchen:
- Light: Adding additional sources of bright light — like new, brighter ceiling lights — will help the space feel more cheery right away.
- Color: Between the brown wood cabinets and trim, brown tile floor, brown tile backsplash, brown countertop and beige walls, there is sure a lot of brown in Paige’s kitchen. The quick, easy and inexpensive way to fix this problem is to choose a cheery paint color for the walls, or maybe even a wallpaper accent wall.
- Rug: To further up the happy in Paige’s kitchen, we suggest getting a large area rug to place under the table in the dining area. This will not only add color and pattern to the space, but also help break up the large expanse of brown flooring.
Now, let’s see four options we came up with to help brighten up Paige’s brown kitchen.
Kate’s option 1: A happy aqua
In this option, I found a light colored cheery flower print indoor/outdoor rug that will contrast with the medium brown floor tiles and inject some life into the room. Next, I pulled the aqua blue flower color found in the rug and used that shade to paint the walls. This instantly refreshes the space! Playing off Paige’s Jere inspired starburst wall hanging, I also added a coordinating sputnik light fixture that will not only add interest but also more light to the space. Finally, a medium toned vintage wood starburst clock helps repeat just a little bit of the wood up on the walls. Paige could recover her dining chairs with a solid coral, green or aqua fabric and also use that fabric to make coordinating valences for above the sink and dining room window.
- Aqua walls — like Sherwin-Williams ‘Spa’
- Paige’s Heywood Wakefield dinette set
- Paige’s Jere inspired wall art
- Sputnik light from Practical Props
- Rug from Overstock.com
- Vintage starburst clock from Ebay
Kate’s option 2: Cheerful coral
This option — similar to option 1 but a good choice if Paige likes warm colors more than cool colors — I used the same light colored cheery flower print indoor/outdoor rug that will contrast with the medium brown floor tiles and inject some life into the room. Next, I pulled the coral flower color found in the rug and used that shade to paint the walls. This instantly refreshes the space! Playing off Paige’s Jere inspired starburst wall hanging, I also added a coordinating sputnik light fixture that will not only add interest but also more light to the space. Finally, a medium toned vintage wood starburst clock helps repeat just a little bit of the wood up on the walls. Paige could recover her dining chairs with a solid coral, green or aqua fabric and also use that fabric to make coordinating valences for above the sink and dining room window.
- Coral walls — like Sherwin-Williams ‘Persimmon’
- Paige’s Heywood Wakefield dinette set
- Paige’s Jere inspired wall art
- Sputnik light from Practical Props
- Rug from Overstock.com
- Vintage starburst clock from Ebay
Kate’s option 3: Kitschy kitchen wallpaper
In this option, I started with some fabulous vintage 1970s wallpaper with a kitschy kitchen themed print. So as not to overwhelm the space and save on cost, I would wallpaper just one wall as an accent wall. The remainder of the walls would be painted a cheery aqua, pulled from the wallpaper pattern. Next, I’d add a yellow area rug — another color pulled from the wallpaper pattern — to help brighten up the floor and add even more color. A classic globe ceiling light over the table would not compete for attention with the wallpaper, and would provide a nice amount of light in the space. A grouping of vintage wall plaques in coordinating colors to the wallpaper helps repeat the color scheme and ads a bit more kitsch to this kitchen. Finally, a medium toned vintage wood starburst clock helps repeat just a little bit of the wood up on the walls. Paige could recover her dining chairs with a yellow, green or aqua fabric matched to the wallpaper pattern and also use that fabric to make coordinating valences for above the sink and dining room window.
- 1970s wallpaper from Hannah’s Treasures
- Bright aqua walls that coordinate with the aqua in the vintage wallpaper — like Sherwin-Williams ‘Tantalizing Teal’
- Paige’s Heywood Wakefield dinette set
- Globe pendant light from Practical Props
- Rug from Overstock.com
- Vintage starburst clock from Ebay
- Vintage tree of life wall hanging from Ebay
- Vintage yellow flower and butterfly wall hanging from Ebay
Pam’s option 4: Warm and woodsy like Grandma’s kitchen
Pam here. The first thing I thought of when I saw Paige’s kitchen was to start with a braided rug, because this whole space has old-fashioned feel, like a knotty pine kitchen. In addition, that DELICIOUS Heywood Wakefield Dogbone set can skew old-timey or mid mod. So I went for a kitchen like my Grandma Agnes had. I found a Capel rug that would look good with the brown — kinda foresty. I looked for a cheery barkcloth that would add more pattern via matching valances for the two windows — hey, you could also do a cafe curtain on the bottom half of the dining room window, which would add even more cheer. Kate chose a dusty blue paint color taken the rug and the barkcloth. In this concept, I skipped a light for over the table thinking you may want to keep the existing fan with light, for function. And I found forest green fabric for the chair pads.
- Aqua blue wall paint — like Sherwin-Williams ‘Raindrop’
- Paige’s Heywood Wakefield dinette set
- Braided oval American Legacy rug in Pine Forest from Capel Rugs
- Maharam Messenger ‘Turf’ fabric from Modern Fabrics to recover the chair seats
- Martha’s Vineyard vintage barkcloth fabric from Ebay seller floridabungalow for window treatments
- Vintage starburst clock from Ebay
- Paige’s Jere inspired wall art
Ok, readers — here’s your chance to chime in. Which of these options do you like best for Paige’s kitchen? And: Feel free to add your own ideas to the comments, too!
Lisa in Seattle says
This is a hard one because the newer floor is a gray-brown that doesn’t play well with the warmer brown of the cabinets and trim. I’m wondering if a nice vintage light green tone would pull them together. Light green is not the most exciting color, but makes a good almost-neutral backdrop for bright accessories (orange/red/coral, especially!) You can see the combo in this fun wallpaper sample: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/19/3b/e2/193be275bdb44193e9d1ed414d4b6c51.jpg
I agree with others that new, shinier hardware would help the overall look. If your new pulls don’t match the hinges, it’s not too difficult to paint those.
pam kueber says
Nice wallpaper choice!
Katherine Pinkerton says
The coral wall in dining room is spot on. Yes, to lights, maybe some period perfect sconces flanking a large mirror to reflect more light. Get the biggest rug the room can hold leaving a small border…to civer max of that grody floor and brightness. The HW dining room set is THE iconic whalebone table with dog bone chairs, made in early 60s. I would work from that date for all other accents, fabric. Please, no granny with this glam dinig room table and chairs…Jetsons style and colors all the way. At least paint upper cabinets a soft light color because the kitchen is so dreary otherwise…maybe base cabinets the same color as dining room wall. Always use a warm color that faltters food and skin tone not green or blues… Fun house. Love the furniture.
Paige M says
I also love the coral! In fact, it’s the color swatch I had on my wall before I even reached out for help! Seeing it up on the wall here really helped! I love all the options but do think I’ll go with coral. I won’t be painting the cabinets but will add some under cabinet lighting and am considering taking some of the doors off for display.
Lisa Compo says
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/specialty/countertop-paint/
Lisa Compo says
When we bought our house the kitchen vinyl floor had some scuffs and small tears, so it was on list of things to replace. To temporarily remedy the situation, I bought 2 5×8 nylon area rugs at Wal Mart for $40 each. I picked the black and white speckle to go with our appliances and chrome knickknacks. They are very durable, easy to clean if you spill anything, keep noise down, not slick when wet (coming from pool),cushiony when standing to cook etc… Well, we liked the rugs so much that we forgot about the defective floor underneath. You could pick a lighter color to brighten the brown for a cheap distraction for awhile. I agree with others about brightening with chrome canisters/small appliances, possibly white or shiny cabinet pulls etc…I have a white eyelet window valance that adds a soft pretty touch but lets all the sunlight in.
You could install under cabinet lighting with rope lights tucked into tracks (virtually invisible), or some other method. Although not “matchy-matchy”, you could put a new white panel on the dishwasher and hunt for a low cost white stove. I know there is a way to paint countertops, Rustoleum brand comes to mind. I think lightening the countertops and the area rug would help the most.
For the dining room, bring home your favorite paint chips, scatter them on the current floor and see if it has yellow, gold or green undertones. Since you are keeping the floor awhile, work with it to choose your paint and then accent with bolder colored accessories. But… I personally would go with a wall to wall carpet remanent as someone else suggested, especially since the room is small, therefore economical to fix, and quickly. Then the floor is no longer an issue. Mom always had rugs everywhere so it’s how I was raised, with coziness. AND..we don’t throw food on the floor. 🙂 The dog takes care of stray crumbs. Best of luck, sorry I wrote so much..I love to decorate! Can’t wait for your “after” photos.
Tikimama says
Pam, I sent you photos of my warm/cool kitchen a while back that shows the aqua I use against our honey-colored cabinets. I love it! We have an aqua vintage oven, the new appliances are white, and I use colorful accents in my linens, countertop appliances and knick-knacks all over, primarily in aqua, but with other colors, too. We have our original brown tile, and I love color, so it works for me!
MidModMom says
We are just about to move into a 1960’s ranch, so I was looking for ideas. I have been wondering why people put a rug under a frequently used table. Is it just for decoration? I prefer the look of the braided rug, but I have those chairs and they are going to get stuck on it. Indoor/Outdoor rug is the better option. I prefer no rug.
Here are some options to brighten up the kitchen, specifically:
1) Switch out the hardware for brushed nickel, so the cabinets aren’t weighted down by that dark hardware. Unless you plan on keeping this hardware when you re-do the countertops, etc.
2) Paint that backsplash a lighter color – they do make a paint specifically to paint tile.
3) Remove the cabinet doors next to the window, paint/paper/put up foam core on the inside of the cabinet in white or a cool tone color, and have open shelving to display your cool mid mod kitchen items, or canisters, etc. *This is actually the least expensive and least labor intensive, but biggest impact option.
4) Put a rug on the kitchen floor! Do the indoor/outdoor rug so it is easier to clean. There are so many options.
5) I’d personally keep that floor over those black appliances. As much as I hate stainless steel appliances, I think it I’d put them in this kitchen. I know you can’t do that now. I guess there is a time and place for stainless steel!
Candie K says
Wonderful ideas!
For inexpensive options in the kitchen: I would add a couple of colorful rugs (green/yellow, or red maybe), and check out antique shops or even the dollar store for some ceramic accents to go on the countertops in colors that match the rug color you purchase. Maybe some bird or owl statues/ canisters and kitchen utensils? Please keep us posted!! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Kate says
My recollection of that era (looks 70s to me), this would call for lots of orange and bright yellow, with a little bit of a warm leaf green. I’d do a nice light colored floor with just some specks of orange, yellow or brown, (marmoleom perhaps). I like some daisy motif in there too, maybe in the curtains or a wallpaper.
Mary Elizabeth says
Kate, I like your ’70s color ideas. But I think Paige said the floor, counter and backsplash have to stay for now while they assess the immediate repairs that need to be done when they move in. That’s why people were suggesting only paint/accessory/curtain solutions for now, not major renovations like replacing floors.
All in all, I think it is good for anyone who buys a new MCM house–or any house–to live in it for a while until it “speaks” to them about what is going to work for the house and their lifestyles.
Lyndasewsalot says
Hi, good luck in your new home! If it were my kitchen / dining room , I think I would try and prime the floor and paint it . Maybe use masking tape , and make it look like 9 x 9 tiles. Home Depot even sells little speckles and sparkles you can sprinkle on some of them. Then after the paint. Put a clear coat on it. You can still use area rugs over it. I love pans suggestions . And I would refresh the cabinets , not paint them. Good luck.
Tom D says
Totally agree, you have to deal with that floor and paint is an easy and cheap solution. It won’t last forever, but it will make the entire space look SO much better until you can replace it. I would tape off a 12″ border around each space and use 2 colors, then you’ll have a rug effect without the tripping. Or do 12×12 squares in a plaid effect with 3 colors. Total cost would be less than one rug. If you’re really feeling it, peel up the flooring and paint the subfloor.
db says
With whatever colors you pick, don’t skip metallic accents! Bill already suggested copper, which is my personal favorite, but most anything you prefer would literally make it shine.
Do you love your cabinet drawer pulls? If not, and they are a standard size, could maybe find some brighter options to use there.
Following the theme of colorful canisters and enamelware – if you have any bright small appliances (stand mixer, etc.) and don’t mind the ‘clutter’, leave those on the counter! If you have more standard colors, could always make vibrant cloth covers, possibly in the same fabric used for kitchen window treatment and/or chair seats.
Also, a way we’ve brought color into rooms where an accent wall was not feasible, has been to paint the ceiling a color, and leave the walls alone. We used a blue in the living room, a coral pink in the dining room, and have been very pleased with the results.
Good luck!