Decorating Guides

Tips on Picking Paint Colors For a Kitchen

When a entire renovation exceeds your budget, painting walls, moulding and even cabinetry may give your kitchen a face-lift, which makes it appear more spacious and clean. Color-challenged decorators needn’t worry; simple tools will help you select timeless colors that complement your present endings for a universal appeal. Finish is as important as colour, therefore choose for easy-to-clean satin or eggshell paint.

Combining Colors

San Francisco designer Joan Osburn proposes making a first pass at colour selection by amassing all of the colors that appeal to you personally”no holds barred,” then narrowing down your choices. Interior painters and designers frequently use a colour wheel to ascertain complementary colors. When combined, the basic or primary colors–blue, black, red and yellow–produce secondary colors–green, orange and purple. Primary and secondary colors mix to create tertiary colors such as blue-green and red-orange. Opposite colors on the wheel draw, creating color pairings for you . ASID-certified interior designer DeAnna Radaj recommends choosing a wall colour that complements the colour of cabinetry, a more predominant backsplash and appliances. To highlight cabinetry, contrast the paint colour. As an example, if your cabinets are white, then use a deeper colour. If they’re timber, use a lighter color. You may then produce colour cohesiveness with decorative art and accessories. Consider the style of your decor when making your colour choices. For example, bamboo cabinetry combined with a Wedgwood blue works well with a relaxed table for creating a country feel, whereas a red-based paint appears more fitting together with uber-modern furnishings.

Planning for Resale

Keep away from trend-setting colors that may make a home look dated if you try to sell it afterwards (consider: the avocado appliances from the’70s). Nature-inspired colors such as terra cotta and granite may add a colour punch while keeping a classic elegance that isn’t so robust or personal which it may turn off prospective buyers. Softer tones in lighter colors produce a more roomy feel and allow you to make a grand colour statement with accessories and artwork. Choosing a lighter colour gives you the option to save extra paint for quick touch-ups or to apply a fresh coat before showing your home to prospective buyers.

Choosing Colors for Mood

Color psychologists identify the influence of paint choice on our mood, appetite and energy level. Select your kitchen colors to suit your personality and goals. Orange hues stimulate appetite, which may help inspire pickier eaters in dinnertime. People who find themselves attracted to the kitchen should consider painting it blue, which not only encourages relaxation, but can also decrease appetite. Red stimulates energy, and yellow lifts the mood, making either colour an ideal choice to highlight a breakfast nook.

Paint to Emphasize or Camouflage

Cabinetry and countertops have a tendency to be the high-priced items which stand in the way of many homeowners and their dream kitchen remodeling product. If you would like to draw attention away from the cabinetry, select a wall color that closely matches the cabinetry colour, or in the exact same shade or colour family. The less contrast the better when you want to minimize an element’s visual impact. The unified line of the matching cabinetry and wall color helps expand the distance, too. On the other hand, consider highlighting a unique bay window by painting its own moulding a contrasting color a shade darker or lighter than its surrounding walls. Stainless steel appliances offer a contemporary appearance and allow for a variety of colour choices that easily combine. But avoid employing an exceptionally dark paint colour with black appliances, and opt for a color aside from white if you have all white appliances.

See related