Remember the mood board I shared a few weeks ago? The kitchen plan took a dramatic turn—good change, thankfully. After several installations and some travel, the design that seemed perfect on paper didn’t translate when everything was assembled.
Originally, I had planned a deep mustard for our Semihandmade cabinet fronts. I picked a color I loved and had the cabinets painted before our trip. While we were away, the tile and floors were installed and the space began to take shape. When I returned, the combination wasn’t working. The new hardwood stain read slightly different than the existing floors and that subtle variation made the mustard cabinets clash rather than complement.
I tested several yellow tones, but they were either too light, too bold or too close to the floor color. Since the floors couldn’t be changed, the yellow idea had to go. I know many readers were skeptical about yellow, and while I still think the right setting would make it amazing, it simply wasn’t the right fit here.
Next came testing a wide range of colors—blues, teals, greens, purples, peaches and pinks. Deep jewel tones felt heavy across all cabinetry, and splitting the layout with a separate top and bottom color didn’t work with the cabinet configuration. Purples were quickly ruled out and peaches read too close to the wood tones, so those were eliminated.
We eventually landed on pink and proceeded to test dozens of shades until we found the right one.
The chosen shade is a soft, dusty blush with a hint of mauve—Dunn Edwards’ Galveston Tan. It reads light and warm without feeling sugary, and it ties the kitchen to the rest of the home in a gentle, cohesive way.
Although pink is already present in several rooms, the house is compact and connected; this color helps the spaces flow together. In a way, pink has become a neutral for this home, allowing brighter accents to pop in each room while maintaining harmony. It also happens to be a color both Jeff and I agree on for this house.
The switch to a lighter pink prompted changes to hardware and lighting. The previous handles felt too modern next to the softer shade, and the new pendant picked up different tones in the tile than the original plan did. Fortunately, the rug still complements the space, which was a relief.
We’re approaching the finish line—oak open shelves from Semihandmade are on the way and I can’t wait to style them with colorful dishes and objects. The space already feels lighter and more joyful, and I’m genuinely happy with the new direction.
A quick shoutout to my designer friend Jess at Taylor + Taylor, who rushed over to help weigh color options—her input was invaluable when I was unsure. The process reinforced some important lessons about testing paint in the actual space under real lighting and alongside fixed elements like floors and tile.
If you’re interested, I can put together a detailed post about picking and testing paint colors—tips, mistakes to avoid and how to evaluate samples in situ. Would you like to see that?
Stay tuned for the final reveal in a few weeks—I’ll share the completed kitchen as soon as it’s ready.