colour advice - NE facing cold feeling kitchen

[mspbrittle]

I really want to warm/brighten up my kitchen before winter really sets in, at the the moment it is (very scuffed!) white

it's dark and feels a bit like a tunnel, one window on N side and french doors on east side. Long and narrow. Putty coloured base and wall units - big bleugh but very neutral and quite acceptable. Will be changing the manky worktop for a plain solid wood one I think. Floor is unpleasant laminate but I am stuck with that. Light coloured (btw if anyone has good, inexpensive kitchen floor ideas PLEASE let me know)

bf is coming round tomorrow ready to tackle the decorating with me but what colours to go for

thinking to keep white or similar on two walls and put a colour of the other two (have ALWAYS been a white walls girl til now)

I was wondering about a warm buttery yellow, or an ochre and then I looked at lime zest which I thought might eb nice with no 6 on two walls and no 1 on the other two

what do you think? any other warm bright and uplifting suggestions?

White is cold, so lose that. Go for a primrose yellow - light but warming. Lime Zest could get very boring very quickly!

Also, orange/terracotta/reds in small details will go well with the yellow, but avoid any big blocks of colours. Chrome accessories will help too.

see it's all very difficult as I am very much a cool/earth coloured person when it comes to my clothing - it's all teal and heather and moss and navy, maybe the odd bit of red...these warm colours do not come naturally to me AT ALL...but I've tried green in that kitchen before and wasn't happy so went straight back to white

I do have a rather sunny yellow colour on the kids bedroom walls and it lifts my spirits evertime i go in there - I want that effect...

orange and red details sound ok [terracotta always makes me want to vomit but I may need to get over this]

how about easter morn ?

or lemon chiffon

primrose yellow

I'm not an interior expert, but I am a photographer, hence interest - light, colours etc. The darker yellows are nice colours in themselves but you may find them just too dark when used on a whole wall. If you've only got a small space between tiles and cupboards, then it could work.

Laminate is a good floor option - cheaper than wood. This is from Wickes, who are having a sale at the moment (can you tell I'm bored at work right now?!) I'm currently in rented accommodation and our cheap-skate landlord has put down the plastic stuff that looks like laminate but it's just awful, high-heels are a no-no and if one bit gets ripped, you have to replace the whole floor. HTH.

thanks comtessa

can't find primrose on the uk site (are you irish? I'm originally from cork!)

I don't have loads of wall space to cover - it'll be small bits behind shelves and between top of units and ceiling really plus an old chimney breast where my washing machine currently is

Hi, no I'm not Irish - just googled dulux + primrose yellow and that's what came up, I didn't see it was the Irish site! Piffle, I really wanted to use that in DC1's bedroom too. Hmph.

The nearest thing I can see is this

AHA! It was Wild Primrose, not Primrose Yellow!

If you preferred green, this is Nordic Spa

nordic spa feels too cool, and the wild primrose feels a bit wishy washy (fussy aren't I?!)

I do like that buttercup you found

am thinking along these lines currently

sorry, that link was supposed to go to the 4th little piccy under the main one...I love that strong bright warm happy yellow...

That could work well, as long as there's enough neutral (worktop, tiles, fridge) to balance it all out. You could use toning, so a paler yellow on the narrow walls, and the brighter/darker yellow on the wall/s at the far end of the kitchen, would that help make things feel a bit less tunnel-y do you think? Brighter/darker will make walls feel closer in.

Getting very into this as moving into first home this weekend which is total blank canvas - magnolia throughout - and very excited about choosing colours for rooms!

yes there will be lots of neutral, and I think I'll keep two walls in non-yellow - maybe a dove grey, maybe white or cream...
the yellow will be along one long wall and a short wall that is mostly taken up by the french doors to garden

exciting for you moving into your first home comtessa - good luck with it and enjoy choosing your colours - it can be great fun, especially first time around (I loved it!)

Horrible name, but ointment pink by F & B is warm and would go with putty.

Thanks msp, I picked up the keys last night, moving in tomorrow - not a moment too soon as DC1 due in November.
Happy decorating! :o

I had something on my walls that Dulux used to do called Tuscan sunset, a sort of terracotta pink, which my decorator referred to as old lady's directoire knickers colour.

I like the sound of both that colour and your decorator Scaryteacher .

{grin] Scaryteacher, I have it in my mind's eye...