my GF and I are having a difference of opinion about color?

Dark red walls and dark cabinets will make the kitchen seem VERY small, dark, and dreary - and you definitely DON'T want red walls AND red appliances - yikes! I would also steer away from chocolate cabinets, since that would be way too many different color families in one small room. Black + olive + red = brown, so you really don't need to try to match the cabinets to the floor - especially since it won't be very noticeable when everything else is in there, anyway.

I suggest you paint the walls AND cabinets a very, very LIGHT olive-tan color, to keep the area at head-height bright and airy and coordinate with your artwork (since it will be on the walls). You could add black, olive, or red cabinet knobs or drawer pulls if you want more color on them. Then, upholster the benches in the black and olive stripe (to go with the countertop AND the walls AND the artwork). Add similar color olive (and/or red) rugs, towels, dishcloths, and potholders - anything of cloth that will easily show dirt or get stained. Large black and small red appliances will look better than chrome or stainless - you already have too many different colors doing on to add silver/gray to it, too.

This arrangement is a compromise, plus it makes the kitchen itself very neutral, and allows the upholstery, artwork, small appliances and dishes - the more personal stuff - be the accents.

You end up with:

black (dark): countertop, major appliances, (benches)

olive (medium): artwork, benches, rugs, towels, potholders, knobs & pulls

light olive-tan (light): walls, cabinets

red (accents): small appliances, dishes, knick-knacks

Just forget about trendy and go with what you both want...the red appliances would get tiresome after a while..you could compromise on these; maybe one larger appliance could be red, the others all stainless/black, etc....sounds like she wants WAY too many dark colors; this'll make the room appear smaller and cramped...you need some relief from the black countertop; consider a lighter tan/beige/brown for the walls? chocolate brown for the cabinets sounds, again, WAY too dark with that black countertop...upholstering the nook is a great idea; her idea of a pattern sounds good, with all that solid color you'd have...

You have to imagine the room as a whole, finished project; all that black/brown, again, sounds too dark for a kitchen...what are the windows like? I'm curious...what direction does the kitchen face? Please email me if you like, I'd like to know more!! Good Luck

Both ideas are sound and would give your kitchen a nice sophisticated look. Do not buy any red appliances!! If you get bored of the wall color, instead of buying a few gallons of paint, you would have to buy new appliances too! Definitely stick with black or chrome appliances. No matter how much you love the original color, it will grow old...trust me. I personally like the dark cabinets with the tan walls, but I have been called boring too.... Happy designing!

I'd give in to her on the wall color and the benches, because it's really easy to re-paint and make slip covers if you guys decide you want a change. Appliances should last a bit longer, IMO. This may be totally old-fashioned, but why don't you get the best appliances you can find (regardless of decorating statement), and cover them in fabric dust covers that co-ordinates with the benches? That way you can change the appliances as easily as you change the wall-color and the upholstery.

I do think the dark terracotta sounds a bit gloomy for a kitchen, but I'm not crazy about the tan, either. They sound more like office colors, to me. I'd pop in a strong lemon-yellow theme if you are going to do everything else so dark -- it'd go great with the greens.

(-: But it's ultimately up to you two. Who spends the most time in the kitchen? When do you spend time in the kitchen, and what do you want to feel while you are there? I want to feel energized and awake in the kitchen, myself. But some people like a very calming space that reminds them of rich spices (like your GF's scheme) or mellow like cocoa and chocolate (like yours). At least you agree on the cabinets! That's a major point! Congratulate yourselves!

Compromise. Be Aware that painting the walls a dark color will make it seem a lot smaller and as far as the cabinets go.....be aware that painting them dark if not done right will show a lot of wear and tear thru the years. as far as the upholstering goes the darker the better as to not show stains ect. it's all up to you guys and remember if you don't like it you can always change it again. That's the great thing about paint you can always paint over it. Have fun!!!

I agree with you about the chrome versus the red. The chrome will lighten it up a bit. Sounds kinda dark to me.

Dude if you want to live in peace, let her choose the color and just enjoy what she puts up, been thru the saem thing with my wife, I finally gave in. You will too at some point. Just do it now

Don't let her watch those stupid building shows on TV, they all give "TRENDY" idea's that mix and match crap to sell more things, your kitchen will end up looking very "Dated", it's like when you see an all black laqured furniture in a house, "Hello, 1986 called, it wants it's furniture back".

I agree with you. Red appliances is a definite no no.

r u stupid just do rainbow