Metal Ocean vs. Seagrass Strand

It is frustrating that I cannot seem to get an accurate hue on these pictures.

So it really is between Metal Ocean and Seagrass Strand.

Metal Ocean.



Seagrass Strand.

My concern is that the Seagrass may be too busy against our floors. What do you think?

This is Metal Ocean against our floors.

The Green Kitchen

The other night I found curtains from Pottery Barn which are a linen and cotton blend. For all the accents, I am selecting Behr's Snowfall White to go with the white dishwasher, wall oven, and ceiling fan. These curtains will go over the sink and the large window on the other side of the kitchen. I like these curtains because they have the texture of linen, but still let light come in. They create a romantic airiness without being to over-the-top frilly. These curtains will soften the kitchen and give it more of a French look without going overboard.We can easily adjust how much light we want to come out by adjusting the length. This would pair nicely with white curtain rods I found at Amazon. There is also a French wall clock that will fit the theme.


So overall, I have light maple, pale greens, white, and stainless steel. Depending on which countertop I pick I will either be continuing the pale green theme with Seagrass Strand, or introducing pale blue and gold with pale green. Green is the jell of the room and the white softens it all. I can add more greens through potted herbs, kitchen rug, and trivets. Will be adding stainless steel kitchen shelving and possibly a worktable.

On Saturday Morning was able to go over my choices with a good friend, who I had helped when she needed to paint her house for sale. While I am still waiting on the Seagrass Strand countertop sample, I am getting closer to my final vision. Unless the Seagrass Strand knocks me off my feet, I will be going with the Metal Ocean. Metal Ocean is like an impressionist painting. It goes real well with the tile, stainless steel, and the wall color which is now Behr's Celery Ice.

While Spring Bud Celery Ice by Behr is a brighter, less muddy form of green than the Spring Bud.

It comes down to two possible Formica tops after ordering countless samples from both Formica and Wilsonart.

In backsplash news, I found a source on Ebay that sells a sheet of 1 inch Verde Laguna marble tile for $9.99 a 12"x12" sheet - way cheaper than the 5/8 tile I found locally. They have free shipping. This pricing makes doing a 6 inch backsplash on both counters feasible. Ordered! The Verde Laguna tile is my favorite feature and everyone I have shown it to has absolutely and universally loved it. There are so many lovely variations of green. When we impregnate and enhance the stone it will be even more beautiful. Total tile material cost: 80.00 dollars US.

So the theme of the kitchen is Green French kitchen integrating pond creatures like frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, and lilipads. The theme will fit our Lenox Butterfly Meadow dishes.

Still Reconsidering Countertops

Below are some pictures of Seagrass Strand and Metal Ocean. The first two are the Seagrass Strand and the last one is Metal Ocean. I have asked my supplier if these come in different finishes...



Update: Just found out that Metal Ocean and Seagrass Strand come only in Matte finish. Is the Matte finish going to be boring? They will be less expensive than the Crystalline Iris which is the top of the line Wilsonart, while Metal Ocean and Seagrass Strand is the bottom of the Formica. I really wish that they had a texture. What I liked about Madras Indian Slate is that it was honed. Crystalline Iris has texture to it and has a deeper more interesting pattern.

Plan B For The Kitchen

Math is hard. If I want the the green tile I cannot do the entire kitchen without it costing $500.00 or more materials and labor for just the tile. We can do it, but that is not what I envisioned my tile budget being. Another option is to just focus on the peninsula where the new cooktop is. We still cannot do stone for the countertops, but I can get Wilsonart Crystalline Iris with the Verde Laguna 5/8 inch tumbled marble. I have more leeway with the color when it is just the peninsula and it is a feature in the kitchen, rather than a pervasive color throughout the kitchen.

My tile budge gets cut drastically and cut the countertop budget somewhat. We can paint the entire kitchen a light green taking the terrible wallpaper off. The cabinets are being cleaned out and have this great green reed liner paper. The money we save in tile can go to electrical, lighting, painting, and shelving. When we do the major kitchen remodel, then we only have to undo just a little tile to get new counters.

It is scary how mission creep happens. We just need to focus in getting the peninsula in so we can have a new stove. I have to remember the kitchen will be a great improvement with the new peninsula and cooktop.

UPDATE: If we keep the paint color the lightest green, we are able to have the Wilsonart Crystalline Iris on both counters. The deal is that we will have the laminate backsplash and save money.

New Color Scheme

So I am rebounding. I am opting for the Formica Metal Ocean, Spring Bud paint for the walls, and Verde Laguna 5/8 inch tumbled marble. In the morning I may go over and see if I can add pale light blue to it. Behind the color chip is the maple cabinets we have.



So the poster above is going to be my muse for my kitchen color scheme.

I also think this draw pull might be nice. Some sort of Frog drawer or cabinet pull is needed. Because I am weird.





Another possibility is to use seagrass strand, which I also like because it is more zen, but I am not sure how it would look with the cabinets. I know it would look lovely with the tile.

What do you think?

Back to Square One

Finally got to show hubby what I wanted and he said that the countertop I picked out looked like vomit. Of course this throws me into a loop. I am at my wits end to find a light enough kitchen for him that pleases my green/blue fetish.

Help me.

Vizualizing the New Tile Design

Through the power of Photoshop I was able to visualize what my new backsplash might look like. I will go to Home Depot to verify, but i think it might work. The question is: will this Cypress Green paint work?