red kitchen cabinets?

[Anonymous]

I love it. I painted my crappy kitchen cabinets bright green, though, so I'm biased.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen red cabinets I like, but I don't like it in the example above. The cabs aren't modern enough to pull it off, in my opinion.

I mostly agree with this. OP's inspiration photo is ok, and probably a big improvement over the oak, but I'd rather see red on sleeker cabinets.

I'd consider gray for cabinets with molding frames like the ones pictured. I'd also rip out upper cabinets because I don't like them... but I get that this isn't for everyone.

[Anonymous]

I don't like upper level cabinets in general, so take this with a grain of salt, but I would definitely paint the lower cabinets any bold color but not the upper ones. It just looks top heavy to me.

[Anonymous]

Bad idea.

[Anonymous]

Red encourages appetite and food consumption, hence the use in fast-food restaurants.

[Anonymous]

I would paint the upper cabinets red and the lower cabinets black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the opinions. I don't expect to be moving any time soon, so I am not TOO concerned with the re-sale factor. Our house is also not worth a lot compared to the DCUM standard ($325k -- we are not in DC), so the resale market and expectations for kitchens may be a slightly lower. (Which is not to say that people who dislike red cabinets will be forgiving, just that they are unlikely to be expecting the high-end kitchens that may be the norm for $million+ houses.)

Be aware, that it isn't just for reselling soon. If you are painting red, just know that it will take a lot of primer and paint to cover the red. The more detailed your cabinetry, the harder it will be to cover even later (the paint will be too think and will make insets and detailed work messy and harder to keep the clean lines with multi layers of paint. You'd probably have to strip and sand and then repaint, which will be a bear. If you plan to paint with red, for resale, you probably will need to replace the cabinets entirely. If you plan to paint them again later, you should paint a light color or a neutral color that can be painted over easily for a new look. Bold and distinctive colors like red, bright blue, bright green, teal, etc should only be done if that is the last color that will be painted on the cabinets unless they are flat/slab style doors.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I think it'd be great. I am biased, however. Mine are dark red, with stainless handles, gray tile floor, bright white counters and white/gray glass tile backsplash. I love that it's pretty clean lined and modern while still kind of cheery.

[Anonymous]

Its your home-paint it the color that will make you happy!

[Anonymous]

I really like the idea, however, that color shown in your example post is very bright. If this is the exact red you are after, consider if you get lots of natural light and what the cabinets will look like with all of the kitchen lights on. You may need sunglasses.

Would you consider dialing it down a tone or two?

I'd vote yes, but with a different shade of red.