The day we closed on our house was the same day I painted our kitchen. The kitchen was originally pinky lavender... and just terrible. I had seen a blue kitchen with white cabinets in a Pottery Barn catalog and knew I had to have the same (even though our cabinets were honey oak at the time).
I found the PB Color in the catalog - Benjamin Moore, New York State of Mind - at got to rolling. (You can find all sorts of kitchen reno details here). The color was a tad brighter than I had hoped, but I still got the look I was going for.
Husband on the other hand liked to refer to it as Painters Tape Blue (which I still defend it was not). However, I did always agree I wish it was a tad more muted.
So last Sunday, before the snow storm hit, we ran to the paint store and decided to give it another go (only 2.5 years later).
This is swatch of my original color scheme. I think online (or at least my monitor) the blue looks similar to what I wanted, not what I got.
Upper Left - Benjamin Moore, New York State of Mind
And an online photo of NYSoM.....
Photo Found Here
And a Photo from my own kitchen.... Maybe its the light we get, but it does photograph MUCH brighter than it looks I promise (Husband agrees)...
This view is a little more realistic....
We got inspiration for the new blue when I brought home this dish towel from Crate and Barrel last fall. It was the perfect grey'd out blue we originally wanted.
Darjeeling Dishtowel - Crate and Barrel $1.95
We went to Sherwin Williams and had them color match with their Duration paint. We only needed a quart and since they were having an End of Year Sale, it only cost us $17. We've learned over the years that the higher quality paints do really provide better coverage (ie, less coats and less time... and less sore muscles) and we definitely wanted that when working with a dark base to start.
In progress (Canyon Blue at the bottom and edges)
All done!
Hysterical, it looks almost the same!

In real life, I don't think anyone would notice a change, but the Husband and I definitely do. I really wanted to keep the two blue walls because the rest of our house is so neutral. I feel like if any room can have some vibrancy, it can be the kitchen. I also love how crisp the white cabinets look against it. These were my arguments to Husband on why we had to keep it blue and just find a less "bright" color. I'm glad we were able to call truce on the "color war" and I'm stoked that he's happy with the new shade.
This was such a great project that we were able to complete together in a few hours. It was nice to have something to do and I'm already making a list of new projects to tackle next year.
I love it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are having a better week and have a great NYE!
Thanks Rosa! (I love Lola's Xmas outfit, hehe)
ReplyDelete... and yes, aside from the bird inside the house incident this week is MUCH better than last :)
Although I can only see a slight difference in the two blues (the new color looks darker), I love both shades. That is such a vibrant blue and it really makes the white cabinets pop.
ReplyDeleteI love your kitchen! The colors are really pretty. It's amazing how much paint colors can change a space. Happy home decorating in 2011. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's totally a difference. I love your newer shade.
ReplyDeleteI see the difference! And if it makes you feel better, I did almost the same thing, but with two shades of green. No one else could tell the difference, but to me the wash of light was totally different and worth the effort of repainting. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! I'm so happy with it and its funny (and awesome) that some of you can see the diffrence :)
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog (via Lisa @ Respect the Shoes) and I was reading I was thinking of RL's Canyon Blue!! I have it up in my house, it really is a perfect shade and goes really well with white wood work. Not too bright or too muted. Love it!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea! Thanks for stopping by..... that's too funny you knew the paint color and have it too. We are sooo happy with it, amazing what the minor difference can do!
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