Seafoam is an old color that's a new neutral. It gets used in everything from bathroom tile to wall paint to kitchen appliances to bed linens and, chameleon-like, adapts to every setting. Seafoam can preserve a sense of history in a contemporary renovation or serve as a soothing backdrop to the colorful toys and books of toddlers, and it's an excellent color for updating thrift store furniture to blend in with any decor.
Perfect Cottage Kitchen
In a 1918 Craftsman cottage, seafoam green pulls the vintage look and modern appliances together. Paint paneled cabinets, drawers, microwave housing, open shelves and one wall a flat, pale seafoam. Reproduction hardware in dark pewter complements sleek granite countertops. The white tile backsplash behind the stovetop and sink gets a maize tile design with highlights of seafoam. Hang enameled colanders in white and seafoam from cuphooks near the sink, and set an old-fashioned citrus juicer in seafoam-enameled metal on the counter. Smooth white linoleum is both earth friendly and design appropriate. The colors and materials reinforce the history of the cottage and its kitchen while keeping things light and contemporary.
New Look for Old Wood Pieces
Reclaim secondhand wood furniture with a couple of coats of seafoam green paint. The color evokes both country and early- to mid-twentieth century décor so it seems perfectly natural on the pieces but allows them to blend into your current interior. Paint a glass-doored breakfront or cupboard seafoam, and display Fiestaware pieces or a porcelain collection. Paint a bedside table and child's bed frame seafoam, and add a patchwork quilt and a nightlight that looks like a bunch of balloons. Fill a seafoam bookcase with picture books and stuffed animals, and you create a comfortable retreat for a young boy or girl. Paint an old, scrolled picture frame seafoam green, pair it with a bone-colored linen mat and use it to display a page from a vintage magazine or picture book.
Seafoam Showhouse Bathroom
Don't despair if you have a seafoam green bathroom. Incorporate a few showhouse design tips, and transform your blah bathroom into an elegant space. If seafoam tiles cover the bottom half of the wall, add more tiles. Set smaller iridescent seafoam tiles up to the ceiling. Seafoam glass tiles are another pretty choice, and these work well in showers, too. Cover the window in pale seafoam linen or canvas with a Roman shade. Use thick glass shelves with a seafoam tint, and mount them with polished steel hardware. If you are replacing the sink or tub, use a slab of pale marble for the sink to provide a contrast with all the seafoam tile. And consider a metal-clad slipper tub for a dramatic focal point. If the tub and sink are typical white porcelain and staying right where they are, brighten up the bathroom with new teal and seafoam towels.
