[airehead]

<p>Just moved into a rental home and the last people used a)horrible colors and b) cheap paint (old paint is coming through).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I love a light airy house, and I usually leave my walls white.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I need some advice as to what colors to paint the kitchen/enlarged mud room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The kitchen is painted a horrible green.  It is so icky that it ruins my taste for any green in the kitchen.  It's a pastel medium, green-yellow color.  Considered a "cold" color?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The attached "mud room" is painted a horrible yellow the mister absolutely hates.  (One of the bedrooms is painted the same color)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I can't paint the walls white as the floor, appliances, and cabinetry are all white.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Any advice is appreciated.  I know squat about colors.</p>

 

[rlemert]

<p>  I'm not a big color 'expert' myself, but my tendency would be to go for a very light tan or brown. Then again, I have a tendency to go with colors I like on an individual basis, giving little regard for how they work as a package.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  This is also one bone of contention between DW and myself. Her preference would be for every wall in the place to be some sort of white, off-white, or beige. She's always wanting to "preserve the resale value", even though we've now been here ten years and have no plans on the horizon to move. I, on the other hand, want to enjoy <strong>what I like</strong>, and I like to have a little color around. (I have managed to get her to accept some accent colors on the trim, but that was a major battle.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  We do usually agree on what we absolutely don't like. When we moved into our previous house, we avoided the master bedroom until we'd had a chance to 'fix' it. The previous owners had believed the press releases, and they'd covered a dark khaki green with a single coat of candy-striper pink.  It didn't cover. (When we washed the walls prior to repainting, we found that someone had also written their name in the pink paint. It wasn't noticable when dry, but stood out on the wet wall.)</p>

 

[yar]

<p>If all the kitchen fixtures and floor are white - I'd go with a pretty deep wall color - whtever you like in the color pallette. (Personally, I'd go with a brown or gray, but I wouldn't expect those choices to be too popular).  Your existing colors have pretty much killed green and yellow for you, so maybe a dull/colonial blue or something like a raspberry.  (deep colors, but not bright)  With everything white, you don't really have to worry about making the room look dark.  In fact, instead of a white ceiling, I'd think about just a much lighter shade of whatever you put on the walls.  Warning - anything in a red isn't going to cover nearly as well as you'd expect - be prepared for 3 coats.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>yar</p>

 

[RaisingArizonainNH]

<p> I would advise  a neutral in a light tan for wall white for trim.  You can add a dash of color with art or accessories.   You can get paint now that has primer built in - one coat coverage .  Check out  the home improvement store for details.  I love color but I own my house and it is NOT modern by any sense.   Because it is a rental- neutral is best bet as suggested.</p>

 

[airehead]

<p>Thanks guys for the ideas.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm so behind the curve--usually when we move in the house has been cleaned to military standards.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This one was horrid.  Had to have the carpets cleaned professionally ($$ we weren't planning on spending again, as we'd just paid to have our last house's carpets cleaned) the day after we got there--mr aire insisted.  (If the mr notices, it's really bad, lol)  The carpet cleaner actually apologized for the condition of the house--he said that that's not the way things are "usually done around here".  He has absolutely nothing to do with the house--it just offended him.  He commented on it was the worst he'd ever seen in this neighborhood.  He was absolutely adorable.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The shrubs are all overgrown and the oven and tile floors are filthy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Plus the walls are icky--paint issues and holes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sad thing is the house belongs to a friend--who has never even gotten to live in it--and his property mgr is not really doing him favors, sadly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We are doing our best to do little repairs here and there and clean what hasn't been cleaned in forever.  He was generous with us, so we are trying to </p>
<p>help him out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Plus I have a brazillian boxes to go through.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I don't know where to start!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Question two:  Did we do right by telling our friend of the real state of the house when we moved in?  We felt really bad telling him the truth, but we felt we'd want to know if it was our house.</p>
<p> </p>

 

[jebba]

<p>As to question 2, absolutely.  His property manager doesn't seem to be doing right by him, and he should know.  Does he live in the same town?  If so, he should check on his property once in awhile.</p>

 

[merigayle]

<p>absolutely he needed to know the state of the house!! and if you are getting a REALLY good deal on the rent, then i would suck up the charges, otherwise, i would hope your friend would reimburse you some. A thorough cleaning should be standard practice in between tenants, as well as fresh paint.</p>

 

[airehead]

<p>Thank you Jebba and Merigayle--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The owner lives in another state, about 800 miles away.  He and mr Aire actually talked on the phone yesterday and he apologized.  We told him we just wanted his house taken care of.  (and we refused to send him the bill for carpet cleaning. He waived our security deposit originally, so I think it's only fair)</p>