Kitchen

Pamela Langone
by Pamela Langone
Im thinking of painting my Island a black with some old door pieces added to sides to give some detail. My husband wants the doors to remain color they are. what do you think?
  17 answers
  • Christina Christina on Oct 24, 2014
    I love the idea of repurposing doors for the base. Black can be gorgeous, but it can also show off smudges and fingerprints. A bit of info on that: www.houselogic.com/blog/kitchens/clean-black-kitchen-appliances/?eo_sm_sa_ch. Keep in mind, too, that kitchen is dark, at least from this picture, so consider if you want to go even darker.
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    • Susan Renaud Susan Renaud on Oct 25, 2014
      @Pamela Langone Flat black paint is the worst for any kind of touch. Even wiping it down with a dry cloth. I'd go with semi or satin. And the old doors would be so beautiful done this way. Good luck. I'm sure it will be a masterpiece. Wish I had the space.
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Oct 24, 2014
    If agree with your husband. As long as your appliances are black, it would look OK - but what if you change out down the road to stainless or another colour? Why not just get some trim and do it in the same pattern as your existing cabinet doors?
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Oct 25, 2014
    Missed that.
  • Adrianne C Adrianne C on Oct 25, 2014
    I think the one who actually uses the kitchen most, and cleans it, should paint it whatever color they would like to look at!
  • Kimberly A Kimberly A on Oct 25, 2014
    I have remodeled many rooms including kitchens. (I am even in the midst of one right now). I have always found that cohesiveness is the key to a professional look. If you paint the island black then the whole island should be black. Leaving the doors as is would cheapen the look you are trying to achieve. Good luck with it and enjoy your new change!
  • Lori Lori on Oct 25, 2014
    The kitchen does appear quite dark in this picture but if you like that that's up to you. I personally think there will not be enough contrast between the top and bottom ( if you paint it black) to make it interesting. I do have a suggestion in case you are interested for the ends though. If you are putting old doors on, just for looks, why not build out wirh a frame and put the door on that, then you could store things in there, like spices you seldom use but take up space, anything small like hot sauces and oils etc. that get used occasionaly. I've always wanted to do that but never had the right configuration.
  • Jennifer Serrano Jennifer Serrano on Oct 25, 2014
    I paint a lot of kitchens,and I agree that the islands that are most appealing to me are all the same tone. If your husband wants some of the wood tone to remain, you could use a black "wash" or "stain" over it, and some wood would still show through. OR if you paint it black, you could sand the edges a little to "distress" it, and some of the wood tones would come back through again. It's a little more work, but looks great! Be sure to clean it WELL before doing anything to it... paints/stains won't stick if there is any kitchen grease underneath. If you find old doors to give interest to the sides, you might consider colors that are in those pieces already, and pull some of those tones onto your island. It's always easier to pick colors when you have an inspiration piece. Please post "after" pictures!!! Have fun!! (BTW, I love your stove!)
  • Gwyn Gwyn on Oct 25, 2014
    I'm afraid black would make what already appears to be a dark kitchen even darker. I would suggest an accent color instead.
  • Cathy Cathy on Oct 25, 2014
    The island looks bachwards to me. It looks as if it should be turned around. But as for color, I would leave it as is. Your kitchen is beautiful. I wouldn't change it except for turning the island around.
  • Linda Stroney Linda Stroney on Oct 25, 2014
    Since your cabinets are already dark, I would go with something lighter,
  • Parle Parle on Oct 25, 2014
    I think it would look cool. It's not an abrupt in your face as upper cabinets are. I day go for it and would live to see the "after" photo too
  • Centrd Centrd on Oct 25, 2014
    I'm unclear on the question. imo, black is a good choice for your island it works with the existing cabinets, maybe with the edges sanded as recommended above. If you mean your husband wants to paint the island black and leave the existing doors as is, that's definitely a no go. Or does he want to leave the old doors that you're adding to the island in their original color? If the latter, what color are they? Or are they wood? I like the idea of adding old doors to islands in general but it's got to be cohesive. Sarah Richardson has done a number of islands with reclaimed wood that look really cool, and sometimes she trims the them out with painted wood, but Im not sure if you mean you want to paint the new doors black or leave them in their original condition? Here's some pics of Sarah Richardson's islands with reclaimed wood for inspiration, as well as an island using an old door for detail.
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    • Centrd Centrd on Oct 26, 2014
      @Centrd Also, if you're going to paint the island black, then it would be good to have other black accents in the adjoining space...a black table or chairs...or lights, or some accent furniture for cohesiveness. You probably wouldn't want a black island that doesn't relate to anything else in the area. Will that work? As for resale. Two colored kitchen cabinetry and back are super popular in kitchens right now, so I don't think it's going to be a problem for resale, not for a while at least.
  • Monica Monica on Oct 25, 2014
    I am thinking Happy Wife Happy Life, Whatever you do, husband bound to love it... (and yes, black would be -well, dark--LOL however, if you goal is 'moody' then there you are.)
  • PattyV PattyV on Oct 25, 2014
    I always think a island should stand out from the rest of the kitchen. I would screw on raw slabs of reclaimed wood to add a little rustic touch. If you don't like in years to come, you can unscrew and fill in the holes.
  • Randa Randa on Oct 26, 2014
    I think it would be too busy I am a realtor and see homes every day
  • Wendy Johnson Wendy Johnson on Oct 26, 2014
    I don't think your kitchen looks dark , I think your picture does ,lol. The whole island would look great black and I would love to see how you do the wood pieces you add to it.
  • Sharron Abrams Sharron Abrams on Nov 02, 2014
    I would do this in Grey - This will set off the colors of the frig and blend with the rest of the colors in the room. The grey should have a blue tint to it. Gives it a clean and Fresh look