@riverlover I was just looking at a decorator who said that red would go well with the oak.

The paint is mostly off-white (with a tetch of orange). And it needs a new paint job, desperately. 20' ceiling in the main room. In a previous house I did a half-bath that green. And then moved out, knowing that someone else would require 4-5 coats of paint to cover that! I am not sure that color would not make foods look odd, just sayin'. A dark red?

@cybrestrike Keeping tabs on Peter Daou is kinda like taking one for the team. You're a better man than I!

But for what you've got in the kitchen, that green looks light enough. I always think kitchens should have as much natural light as possible. Open kitchens with sunlight and lots of room is my jam.

I've been following the crazy centrists on Twitter recently. You know, the Peter Daou and Sally Albright types. Those people cannot let their cultish love of everything Clinton go. When (not if, when) Chelsea Clinton runs for Congress, she'll already have the "can't touch her because she's a Clinton" shield on her at this rate.

There's also the issue of Obama finally cashing in his chits with the well-heeled crowd he successfully defended from the plebs, via bailouts and other less civilized means. He's essentially Teflon now in the Village and in some parts of the liberal blogosphere. Like I said before--he'll be the first billionaire ex-President.

Normally I would say that there's no one could pay me to put a chip in my body, but...I wouldn't say 'no' now, considering my circumstances.

Trying to find a job in this market is getting kind of frustrating. I'm apparently overqualified, too old, and not experienced all at the same time. And that's before all of the scammers out there. Maybe I should start robbing banks or something.

@dance you monster If you must keep such cabinets (and it'd be expensive to replace them, I know), the color of that chalk paint in the can is not going to be a good choice.

Well, yes; of course, if I had unlimited funds, I'd replace the cabinets. Actually, I kind of like the idea of a retro-50s-looking kitchen. But I've got to think about spending money on dining room furniture, living room furniture, putting in a garden (and even a small orchard), replacing the HVAC in the next three years, etc. etc. So I'm afraid the cabinets are here for the foreseeable future.

I love that color but am afraid you're right. It's a great kitchen color; it's not a great color for my kitchen.

The color should be of a light value if you are of a more reserved character, or a dark hue if your strength of personality can hold its own.

Light colors (other than white) don't seem to look very good with the golden oak. The kitchen is currently a light gray-blue, like a blue sky seen through mist. I think it looks pretty bad. It's as if the coolness of the color is fighting with the warmth of the wood. The dining room is a warm cream. That looks bad too, and I'm not sure why. Like I said, the green in the rec room is working splendidly, so I'm thinking strong green colors in the other rooms, and I'd like it to be as close to plant colors as possible.

Buy a few sheets of foamcore board, at least 2 feet by 3 feet, to paint with any color you're considering. Colors look very different in different lights and more importantly at different scales. Seeing a chip, or the color in a can, will not tell you what you'll get when it's dry on a wall.

This is a brilliant bit of common sense. We were thinking of painting a small square on the wall, but this is even better. I will absolutely do this, and despite the cost of the foam board, it takes a lot of the stress out of choosing the paint color. Because that IS the stress of it; you can't tell from a chip, and you know you can't; you just choose something that looks good and hope for the best.

Thanks a million for this tip.

Look, we've met, you and I. You're not that formal a person. Forget about those rich people's houses. Those interiors are too antiseptic, too practiced, too perfect, because they are only used for formal circumstances. Look to something less "rich" for a model, something more welcoming. I'm not saying to go country if that's not your preference, but at least go for relaxed, something that will not cause a scream if it gets a little bumped or blemished by someone someday. Wear your bumps and blemishes well.

If I go country, I think the whole house will end up seeming like this:

http://southpark.cc.com/clips/166704/welcome-to-1864

But you're right about me being informal. I was more interested in the colors in those dining rooms, but you're right about getting a less formal version.

That wood trim looks god-awful because it is god-awful.

A) Oak is not a particularly pretty wood. It became the wood to use in the U.S., at the marketing of lumber companies, in the late nineteenth century, when we had already cut down every cherry, walnut, or chestnut tree whose wood was better and when most Americans could not afford mahogany (also much prettier wood but with its own issues of sustainable harvest and pillaging of Latin America to consider).

B) Those cabinets are unrelieved walls of wood to hide the mess the owner has inside those cabinets, and everyone knows it. It's like decorating with tarps.

C) If you must keep such cabinets (and it'd be expensive to replace them, I know), the color of that chalk paint in the can is not going to be a good choice. Your walls should not be the focus of attention; you and your guests should be. The walls should recede to be what enfolds those protagonists, what protects them, what lets them shine. The color should be of a light value if you are of a more reserved character, or a dark hue if your strength of personality can hold its own. A dark red is but one choice; a dark green or dark blue or even dark grey might work just as well, too, depending on what will be seen against it.

D) Buy a few sheets of foamcore board, at least 2 feet by 3 feet, to paint with any color you're considering. Colors look very different in different lights and more importantly at different scales. Seeing a chip, or the color in a can, will not tell you what you'll get when it's dry on a wall. The twenty to thirty bucks you'll spend on several sheets of foamcore and several sample cans of paint will be a pittance compared to the cost of the painting project, and a welcome investment when you realize you'll have to live with whatever color you choose.

Just my $0.02.

Edited to add: Look, we've met, you and I. You're not that formal a person. Forget about those rich people's houses. Those interiors are too antiseptic, too practiced, too perfect, because they are only used for formal circumstances. Look to something less "rich" for a model, something more welcoming. I'm not saying to go country if that's not your preference, but at least go for relaxed, something that will not cause a scream if it gets a little bumped or blemished by someone someday. Wear your bumps and blemishes well.

@gulfgal98 What's pickled oak?

is a color I love. My neighbor has a green that looks exactly like that in her kitchen, but she has white cabinets. I am not sure how well it would wear visually in a big room. Since I am giving my opinion, I do not like the 80's oak cabinets either, but I love pickled oak. I wonder how hard that would be to do?

Of course, it is your home and so you should do what pleases you.

@gulfgal98 Well...I guess I could look into what it would cost to replace the cabinets, but I'm assuming it would be ridiculously expensive. I'd love black and white cabinets with a lovely yellow-green on the walls, but...

is a color I love. My neighbor has a green that looks exactly like that in her kitchen, but she has white cabinets. I am not sure how well it would wear visually in a big room. Since I am giving my opinion, I do not like the 80's oak cabinets either, but I love pickled oak. I wonder how hard that would be to do?

Of course, it is your home and so you should do what pleases you.