Retro Design Dilemma: Choosing colors for Michaela’s knotty pine kitchen

Reader Michaela needs no convincing when it comes to loving her knotty pine kitchen — yes, knotty is nice! However, she’s at a loss when it comes to some decorating questions. Smartly, Michaela is starting small by trying to figure out what color to paint the ceiling — bright white? Off white? Beige? She’s also wondering what color appliances would look best in the space, since she plans to replace them over time. And what about the table? Michaela says she would love to add some color to her kitchen somehow — through the appliances, counter tops or some other way — and she needs our help to decide which direction to choose. Opportunity to play decorator, dear readers!

Michaela writes:

Basically I’m looking for help not so much to redo my kitchen but to tweak it here and there so it just has a nicer, fresher feel. For example, the white vinyl vertical blinds will likely be replaced. I’m also replacing that grate on the ceiling and painting it white to match the ceiling. I’ve done a lot in terms of just cleaning up the look. Little things like replacing all the big white ceramic knobs on the kitchen cabinets with more original-looking antique bronze small knobs.

My main question right now is which color white color to paint the ceiling to go with the knotty pine. I will also slowly be replacing the white kitchen appliances with black appliances. But for now I just want to start with painting the ceiling a shade of white, and there is a laundry room next to it where the ceiling needs to be painted as well.

I have the same issue in the living room. The rest of the house has knotty pine ceilings. Anyway suggestions on the color of white would really help me a lot. I don’t want to be too creamy, and stark white may not be the best. But I just don’t know. Every white has certain color undertones and I’m unclear how to proceed. BTW I’m keeping the little vintage lamps you see in the first photo. They’ve grown on me. Just need to work on cleaning them. Lots and lots of cleaning!

P.S. I’m on the fence about the table and chairs. They were there in the house when I purchased it. At first I h***d them. Now they don’t seem as egregious. Someone helped me arrange the chairs differently, taking some of the chairs away from the table which makes it seem more homey. But I’m being offered good money for this table and chairs. So advice on this will be much appreciated. Eventually I’d like to redo the flooring. But it’s in such good shape I can’t see replacing it right now. Eventually I’d like to replace each appliance with a black colored appliance as they die away. And I’d also eventually like to change the countertops to something other than white. Just because …. I like color.  I know granite may go away soon in popularity, but I picture a nice black brown purple eggplant type granite. I have it in my other kitchen…I think it would look great in there.

Ok readers — now we need your help. What color would you paint the ceiling? How about the appliance color?

Thoughts on window treatments or other ways to bring more color into the space?

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Pam & Kate’s ideas for this knotty pine beauty:

When it came to Michaela’s knotty pine kitchen — which has many original, fundamental features that we love! — the first thing Pam and I both agreed on was that it could be even prettier with the addition of more color. While we loved the table that was already in the space, we both felt it could be switched out to immediately bring more color/interest down to that end of the kitchen. Since Michaela loves and wants to keep her colorful slag-light pendants, those are the start for building out the color palette — and they are a great start.

We love the way deep emerald green looks with knotty pine, so I searched and found this vintage teal green and cracked ice table from Ebay seller siloview. The table’s decorative scalloped design mimics some of the scalloped woodwork in Michaela’s kitchen. The chairs — which are new reproductions of classic diner chairs from Vitro — match the vintage table beautifully and add more color and pizazz to the space. (Photo of green Vitro chairs from Classic Kitchens.)

When it comes to the appliances, Pam and I were concerned that black appliances are too dark for the space. We’d much rather see Michaela use almond, white or if she’s game — vintage appliances — in her kitchen. Pam reminds us that there are plenty of 30″ vintage electric ranges — like this vintage Kenmore electric stove — out there.

To pump up the color even more, we suggest that Michaela consider window treatments using barkcloth like that from Full Swing Textiles Moonlight in the Pines barkcloth in Juniper to make some valances for the over the sink window, patio slider and large window by the dining area. This pattern is great because it picks up the green from the table and chair set, the yellowy orange of the knotty pine wood and flooring and has pops of red and black to help tie in accent colors in the room — such as the vintage lights that Michaela has grown to love. It also brings home the “woodsy” feel that we suspect Michaela likes — we saw the moose tray hanging on the wall near the table.

Michaela, you also can hunt for vintage fabric or vintage valances…. and be check out our story, 7 places to buy barkcloth, for more barkcloth possibilities at a variety of price points.

For the patio slider, the valance will help cover up the very practical vertical blinds on the patio door. On the other two windows, making cafe curtains from the same barkcloth will help spread the color, pattern and softness throughout the room. . If Michaela needs further light blocking on these two windows, a roller shade can easily be added underneath the valance.

One final thought: Decorator Pam says she is thinking all the window treatments in this room would look better if they are boxy and tailored, rather than gathered and flouncy. “Box valances” can be pretty easy to DIY.

Okay. Back to decorating. Speaking of the moose tray that Michaela has hanging on the wall in her dining area, we think that it — and the small painting on the opposite wall — are too dinky for the wall space — those big walls offer a terrific opportunity to add color and personality! One idea that could suit this retro kitchen: How about starting a vintage paint-by-number collection — like these vintage paint-by-numbers from Ebay seller dayzeemaydog and hang them in a gallery-wall like installation on each wall. This will add interest and more color to the space, plus it gives Michaela something fun to collect over time.

Another way to pump up the color in Michaela’s knotty pine kitchen — bring in a second color from the light fixture by adding some colorful dinnerware like fan-favorite Fiestaware in scarlet red. Be careful, though, Michaela — with most any design palette, we’d recommend going slow with the addition of color. Start with two colors — one is a ‘main’ accent color — in this case the green… the other — in this case, the red — is the secondary accent color. The risk if you start bringing in more colors is that it becomes… chaotic. Take it slow.

When it comes to the ceiling color, we think the stark white shown above might be a leettle too stark. To be sure, a brite white ceiling is going to reflect the most light back into the kitchen. From a practical, “I want light”, “I need light” standpoint, a #1 go-to solution is to paint your ceiling brite white and bounce a lot of light on to it. In the kitchen work area — that for sure is happening now. But, the question is… with all that lovely warm knotty pine, can we knock the white down a bit and still have enough light in the space? You could try it –>

Above: Instead, Pam suggested we try a light beige color for the ceiling, perhaps something along the lines of Sherwin Williams biscuit, which is a beige with warm orangey undertones similar to those in the knotty pine. If we didn’t want brite white, we would try a color like this. Note: Pam says that in her downstairs family room — which has original cherry paneling — she painted the ceiling S-W Beige from the Suburban Modern Palette (use the Search box in the header area at the top of any page to find our stories about this important go-to palette). The S-W beige looks great — the ceiling actually reads as “white”. BUT, Pam’s family room was designed to be overall dark and cozy — not  a space she wanted to be lite and brite. So that is the trade-off you are playing with when making this color choice….

You’ll also notice that I removed the black and white checkerboard tiles in the kitchen back splash, which to us competed with the serenity of the knotty pine and read more as diner retro than the woodsy, knotty pine retro we are going for. Since Michaela is thinking she will replace the counter tops (and likely the back splash too) at some point, for now she could do a quick fix like reader Lori who painted her ceramic tile backsplash. If Michaela decided to take on painting her back splash, she could paint the black tiles the same color as the other white tiles so they blend in. P.S. Michaela, Pam says she kinda likes your counter tops. Ripping them out and replacing them will be costly and a hassle. So maybe… live with them at least a year… do more research here on Retro Renovation… and take your time in making this decision.

Armstrong #5352 — woot!

Lastly, both Pam and I immediately exclaimed how lucky Michaela is to have one of the most desired patterns of retro kitchen flooring in her kitchen — Armstrong #5352. Michaela, did you realize???? Again, we suggest that you study up on this design, then live with it for at least year to see if it grows on you like the light fixtures did — especially since you say that the floor is in great shape.

Though the most popular color way of Armstrong #5352 was the brick red, we think the warm golden color way in Michaela’s kitchen is just dreamy. Michaela — do you know some of our readers would do just about anything for that flooring?

All that said about this flooring, though: Precautionary Pam advises: There can be vintage nastiness in our vintage houses such as as lead and asbestos in the old materials and their layers — Michaela, this includes flooring like this — we don’t know what era your flooring is from, what’s in it, or what adhesives were used to install it; before you proceed, get with our own properly licensed professional to assess what you have so that you can make informed decisions. Readers and Michaela: No advice on this issue allowed in the comments — Get With Your Own Properly Licensed Professional to Assess What YOU HAVE So That YOU Can Make Informed Decisions.

More knotty pine love:

Great space, Michaela, let us know what you decide! Meanwhile, here are a few knotty pine inspirations from our archives, golly, we’re just basking in the honeyful glow of it all!:

Above: The time capsule house with FIVE vintage pastel bathrooms also had this fantastic knotty pine basement!

Above: Knotty Pine and turquoise together — ‘Betty Crafter’ says, Yes to the Knotty Pine.

Above: Eartha Kitsch respectfully retained and revived the Knotty Pine kitchen in her 1956 ranch home.

Above: This 1940 time capsule in Seattle had the same Knotty Pine loving owners for 70+ years — and quite possibly the most impressive basement we’ve ever seen.

Above: Jeff worked hard to add detail to his Knotty Pine den — finding a place where you can still buy scalloped, mid century style Knotty Pine cornices and molding.

Above: Knotty Pine isn’t just for the kitchen — in this Retro Design Dilemma, we helped reader Jeanne come up with ideas to decorate her Knotty Pine bedroom with Tiki flair.

Above: Back in 2010, we gave reader Tracy ideas for decorating the Knotty Pine kitchen in her 1962 ranch house.

Above: Back in 1952, Formica already knew that Knotty Pine was nice in this vintage advertisement.