Restoring Woodland: Gray & White Kitchen (BEFORE)

I was dead-set on an all-white kitchen, but over the last couple of weeks, we've picked out our cabinets and countertops (which are a pristine white), and I've had a little bit of panic about our little home looking to much like a little medical clinic.

I mean, is there a point where too much white looks - hospital like?

Paul mentioned to me that maybe we go with a soft, true gray downstairs - in the kitchen for sure. At first I was like no, I want all the white, and then I thought... Hmm. Gray could be a nice, cozy accent to our gleaming white interior.

So, then I did what every normal person does when they need to make a decision: I Googled. I found a few beautiful kitchen photos that were what I would consider to be my dream kitchen, and then I decided that gray was the way.

Then I did, again, what every normal girl in 2015 does: took to Instagram to ask people for their favorite grays. I'm way too indecisive for the 50 billion shades of gray and white that are out there. I mean, there's blue-toned, and green-toned, and beige-toned, and warm/cool-toned with no hint of blue or green... it's just... overwhelming.

Luckily, IG is amazing and several people recommended a particular shade of Sherwin Williams called TinMan.

The only problem was: TinMan doesn't exist. Well, at least not for me, now, online or in my local store. They told me it was a Rodda paint, and I was all Instagram doesn't lie. He shrugged apologetically, and pointed me to what he's found to be a perfect, true gray: Light French Gray.

I trusted him, and we tinted our 5 gallon bucket of brilliant white paint with Light French Gray, and my heart had slight palpitations as I changed my mind three times before he took it to the back to mix it up for us. We went straight to the house before I changed my mind and we had to put our 5 gallon bucket of Light French Gray on OfferUp because I want all white.

The result? Perfect. I'm literally in love, and Paul is trying to convince me to paint the whole downstairs with... but the problem I am having, is that I have a gray couch and other miscellaneous decor I want to decorate the (white) living room with, and it would be such a great way to balance out the new color of our attached kitchen. Gray couch, gray/white area rug, rustic wood and some silver/gold because I have an identity crisis and my style is quickly morphing from farmhouse chic to obnoxiously blingy 15 year old girl with her first pager... and a complimentary gray kitchen. I feel like gray in the living room would make everything darker, and too "matchy matchy". Anyway, some pics, because that's really all anyone cares about (and we're still in progress - saving some money and doing it ourselves):

Primer is drying, so wall is a little patchy 

Sherwin Williams - Light French Gray