Reader question: Can I have three finish colors in my new kitchen?

The following question came from a reader with whom I've been corresponding for the last few months as she undergoes a major renovation of a historic home.

I was wondering if you might discuss the use of color in kitchen cabinets in a future post, especially multiple colors. When I Google the topic, I often just get black and white, or wood and white or wood and black, etc.

I just got color samples in from Timeless Kitchen Designs, and we are leaning toward a combination of three different paint colors for the cabinets. Walls will be a neutral I've yet to settle on,  the floors will be a nearly uniform gray slate, I'm getting hammered zinc counters and a Shaw's Original sink.

Upon showing certain people our color choices, I have heard the comment that we are breaking a few "design rules" by having 1) more than two colors featured in the kitchen and 2) featuring those colors on the cabinets instead of on the walls or as accessories. I believe the thought is that the room will be too busy, or perhaps we will tire of these colors one day and be unable to change them without a great deal of trouble, or if we need to sell (no plans to, ever) no one in their right mind would buy a house with these colors in a kitchen.

It is true that I am unable to google a kitchen with this combination of colors, or even many kitchens with more than two cabinet colors. However, this just makes me like it even more! So, from a professional point of view, are we making a mistake? Would you advise clients to tone down the colors, or get what they love regardless? We don't think we will regret it, but it is somewhat frustrating to feel so proud and excited and have people come in and say we should stick with all off-white, or something like that.

I obviously will get what I love regardless, and I did defend my choices, but was met with shrugs and 'well, okaaaays'....Are we just more 'out there' than the average kitchen remodeler? It's not like I'm picking lime green/magenta/day-glo pink, after all.

Thanks for the question and before I wade into an answer, congratulations on choosing Timeless Kitchen Designs. Kevin Ritter is an artist in every sense of the word and I cannot wait to see what he does in your home.

Now, onto your question. I searched the web for some multiple finish kitchens and as luck would have it I came across one by Kevin, so you're in good hands. If I believed in signs I'd definitely call it that.

Look! Three paint colors!

Here are some others using three finishes and all of the following rooms are by Medallion Cabinetry. I have their image library, so these shots were easy to come by.

See? The rooms shown above look fantastic and I encourage you to throw that in the faces of the naysayers who disapprove of your choices.

I hate it when I hear someone say that something breaks a design rule. Especially when it's being said about color combinations. Short of some technical rules about form and function, there aren't any real design rules. Whatever design rules exist are trumped by the Great Commandment (at least according to me). That Great Commandment is of course Be Intentional.

Generally, the people who tell you that you're breaking a design rule are getting this nonsense from HGTV or the Garden Web and I'd ignore their "advice" without hesitation. It sounds too like they're worshiping the graven image of resale value, another dead end when we're talking about a kitchen such as the one you're planning for.

But back to my Great Commandment. When your finishes follow a narrative and they make sense for the room they're in you're on the right track. Being intentional isn't so much a question of the finishes you're using, it's more about the motives behind them. Based on our conversations, your motives are spot on and you have terrific taste. So be confident and enjoy your multiple hues. When your renovation's completed, your naysayers will go home to their off whites and envy you. Go for it!

Jenn-Air's new finish, Oiled Bronze

OK, back to KBIS. The largest appliance manufacturer who showed at KBIS 2010 was Jenn-Air, and they meant business. Their exhibit was huge and featured a kitchen designed by Ellen Cheever and she used cabinetry by Scavolini. Other trade folks out there will agree that Jenn-Air isn't the appliance brand that comes to mind when I think of a Scavolini kitchen or Ellen Cheever.

But this is the new Jenn-Air. Jenn-Air's owned by Whirlpool and for a long time, all of Whirlpool's energy and money went into attempting to make KitchenAid competitive with some of the higher end appliances out there.

Well apparently, all of that's changed now with the rebirth of Jenn-Air.

That's not what I want to talk about though. Jenn-Air had several full kitchens in their KBIS booth and one of them featured their new-ish finish, Oiled Bronze. Here's a close-up.

It seems to be a surface patina applied to stainless steel. That Jenn-Air sells small containers of of Oiled Bronze touch up paint for it tells me it is. It tells me too that it doesn't handle scratches very well.

It's being touted as an "instant classic" and of course, everyone with a dog in the race is repeating that phrase. Well, I wonder. It's certainly different but it reminded me of something and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I was poking around on Pam Kueber's terrific website, Retro Renovation and I found what it is about Oiled Bronze that strikes me.

I think it's the old appliance color Coppertone, revisted.

I wish Jenn-Air well in this push toward the upper end of the market, but the folks already sitting in that spot aren't exactly worried. It's not enough to charge a premium price, you also need to build a premium appliance to justify that cost.

What do you guys think? Is Oiled Bronze an instant classic? Is there such a thing to begin with? Is this a finish you'd buy?

Do Blogland Zombies raise urban chickens?

It's at once a simple quandary and at the same time a question for the ages. Do Blogland Zombies (here and here)  raise urban chickens (here, here and here)?

And if they did, would it look like this?

Credit for this post goes to reader Cham, who continues to egg me on.

All the way from Argentina, it's Fango handmade sinks

Last fall, I started being followed on Twitter by Fango Sink Design. Fango is an Argentine company with one production facility in suburban Buenos Aires. They make a truly unique lavatory sink and before I knew it I was their fan on Facebook and I added their link to my idea file for the next time I get called on to source an interesting sink.

Well imagine my surprise when I turned a corner at Coverings last week and saw that they were exhibiting. I walked right up and introduced myself, "Hey, we tweet together!" It's always fun to meet someone I've come to know 140 characters at a time. That's either a sign that Twitter truly knits the world together or it's a sign that I need to turn off my laptop from time to time. In any case, I was struck by how beautiful their sinks are in person.

The person on the other side of those Fango tweets is Joanna Smink, Fango's export manager. We talked for a while and she told me the story of Fango and why they decided to show at Coverings. Fango had come up from Argentina for the show on a quest for US distributors. Joanna handed me a cost sheet and I thought about changing careers for a moment. Fango sinks are not only beautiful, they are shockingly affordable. If anybody out there's interested in carrying a line of beautiful, handmade sinks let me know and I'll put you in touch.

There's a simplicity to these sinks that borders on the primitive and the effect is stunning. Fango manages to walk a line between substance and delicacy that these photographs fail to convey.

Fango's sinks come in three shapes, round, conical and cylindrical. Each of those shapes is available in three sizes and they can be either vessel-style or they can be semi-recessed. There are nine stock colors for the exterior and 15 patterns available for the interior.

Exterior colors

Interior patterns

if you find yourself looking for something new and original when it comes to bath design, look to Argentina and Fango's handmade sinks.

My first cork floor is in

I have been on a cork floor kick all year and the first of the three cork floors I have in the works is in as of last week.

There are about six seams in this photo and I bet you can't find one.

The material in question is from the Earth and Classics palette from US Floors' Natural Cork Collection. US Floors' Natural Cork Collection is a series of glueless, engineered, floating floors. The interlocking planks are each 11-5/8" by 35-5/8" and they are 15/32" thick. The underlayment's already built into each plank and the installation's a snap.

US Floors' Natural Cork Floors carry a limited lifetime warranty for residential use and maintenance consists of dry mopping when needed. My homeowners are as ecstatic about their floor as I am. I knew it would be beautiful and easy to live with and being right is a lot of fun sometimes. This is not the first cork floor I've ever encountered, this is however the first cork floor I've ever convinced someone to install in her home. I was a little nervous about how she'd like it once it was installed and it's good to know that my worry was for naught.

The kitchen where this floors is in a transitional contemporary style but I think this floor could have worked in a kitchen of any style.

US Floors makes a terrific product and anybody who makes something that makes me look good gets a thumbs up from me.

Oh since I know you're wondering. This floor cost around $9 a square foot. Check out cork floors from US Floors.