Getting Some Color on the Wall
White kitchens. Doesn’t that just make you drool? I’ve been seeing the most beautiful pictures online, and I swear every blog and website is urging everyone to pick up a paintbrush and paint those old drab cabinets a glossy snow white.
Though I’m not sure how much white we can handle in this apartment. Every wall, piece of tile, cabinet, appliance… white. That’s why I practically drug Martin over to the paint section of the nearby hardware store to pick out paint instead of more tools for our kitchen remodel. What if white were an accent color instead of THE COLOR?
You probably have one distinct feature you’ve always wanted in your future house. It’s a pre-spouse, pre-family thing that you just KNOW. For me, one of those things was always pale yellow walls with white trim and white picture frames. Then I stumbled on this link where Jessica Jones of How About Orange got brave and decided to paint brown bedroom walls.
Kind of melts in your mouth, doesn’t it?
We’ve never really classified ourselves as risk takers. But when you pack up and move to a whole new continent, the title “risk taker” kind of changes on you. So what the heck. Martin loved the idea of going brown, so we decided to paint one wall a deep brown color in our little soon-to-be yellow living room. Our color board:
warning: brown walls may cause increased chocolate consumption
As Martin roamed Berlin tool shops the next few days, I began painting. The brown was like an enormous vat of chocolate pudding–YUM! I barely finished before I was notified that Martin had the tools, and it was time to Get To Business:
Out with the old.
So what do you think? Has the eight-hour time change totally knocked us off our rocker? Or are you loving where this is going?
(first two photos from How About Orange, remainder by Making This Home)
Keep it green and simple with 2 more ideas:
October 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Brown and yellow is one of those combinations I think is hard to get just right. Friends of mine tried it with a dark yellow and a brown similar to what you’ve picked and… well… no succes. Must mention tho that they did the walls yellow and the woodwork brown. It looked kind of seventies-gone wrong. Now this lighter yellow… It could work! Especially if you keep doors and frames white. The pics from How about orange look really nice. I’m a big fan of greyish browns myself. Looking forward to the pics of the final results!
October 7th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I do love that bedroom. It looks so warm and welcoming. And I think your decor should reflect that you are definitely risk takers!
Your blog is lovely. Looking forward to seeing how your projects evolve here over time. You’ve got a great start! :-)
October 7th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Katie,
It looks great! I am looking forward to what the future will bring to of your Berlin apartment as well as your website!
October 7th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Also, I really like the second picture with the family tree painted on the wall. What a great idea! If only I wasn’t renting….
October 8th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Hi Katie,
Looks like you guys are off to a great start on your apartment renovation. I don’t envy your plans to take down any walls, though! That is going to be a messy project. Perhaps you might also want to consider a half wall opening into the other room if you are going to put cabinets in that area anyway. It would give you a place to put a raised bar-type counter and would also give you a place to hide a few plugs or plumbing lines that might be in there…just a few thoughts after the brief photos I saw :)
Best of luck and thanks for stopping by our blog. Definitely love the color you choose for the bedroom…so far the only part of our place we’ve been brave enough to paint is our guest house…but since we love the colors in there so much, we may be inclined to do another wall or two in a few rooms of the main house!
Tiffany
October 8th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Hi! Thanks for visiting! Actually, our household is half German, since my boyfriend is from Frankfurt. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the brown. When we moved in everybody asked us about painting, and we said we were keeping the wall color that came with the apartment (pale vanilla) but now that the emotion of being in a new place has gone, I really really want to paint! I have dreams of a colorful kitchen, but over here all kitchens and bathrooms are fully tiled, so that’s sadly not an option, unless I paint the ceiling bright green, which could look weird…
October 8th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Hey, Katie! I love the idea of the brown paint. It really is beautiful. Our old apartment was orange in the living room. As terrible as it sounds, it actually fit with our previous furniture and style. However, “The Other Martin in Berlin” a.k.a. “My Hubby” learned in one of his classes that orange colors actually make you hungry. Glad we moved right after I found out I was pregnant. I would have been a blimp!
I’ll keep up with this blog. I love your writing style. Great job!
Katie
October 8th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Thanks for all of the encouraging feedback! With such a small space, we really hope it feels inviting and comfortable and not too psycho 80’s flashback. (Good warning, Renate.)
Tiffany, I think you have read our minds! Our plan is to take one wall half out, just as you said. There are two heaters along that wall, so we’ll try to get as much cabinet space in there as we can. In the very least, we’ll have more counter space where before there was none!
Gracia, the idea of painting the ceiling bright green just for some color? I’m afraid that EXACT thought passed my mind for our bathroom, which is completely floor to ceiling tile like every German home I’ve seen. But like you, I’m realizing that no matter how much I crave color, a green ceiling would Just Not Cut It.
Thanks again for all the encouragement everyone!
Katie
October 9th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I think a green ceiling might be fun. :) Depends on what color your tile is.
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 am
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October 22nd, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Great article! I love deep, rich colors on the walls. Makes a room so warm. Paint is cheap so it’s worth taking the chance. Love the pictures.
Rosemary