How to Effectively use Colour in the Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so making sure the environment is just right is essential. Most popular designs still tend to be white or cream, but remember you have a palette of colours, from subtle off-whites to moody graphites and everything in between, at your disposal.
Harvey Jones, the provider of Shaker kitchens, has provided these insights into how to effectively use colour throughout your kitchen.
Sometimes a hint of colour is all you need
Don’t feel the need to play colour safe – a hot pink linear island will add real punch to the environment, for example. While most of us probably won’t opt for a bold green or bright pink over the whole kitchen, adding accents with the use of selected pieces of furniture, surfaces and accessories can be a great way to be a little more adventurous. Stronger shades such as deep blues, dark greys and warm reds are increasingly popular right now. Colour needs to be used carefully though – don’t follow trends exactly.
If you’re not feeling brave, try just a little of your chosen colour to see if you can get used to it. Remember too that colours will affect the mood of a room. In general, warm colours that ‘advance’, reds and yellows for instance, tend to be energising and stimulating, while cooler ‘receding’ shades such as blues and greens will feel calming and soothing. Whilst this may not have a huge impact, it’s certainly worth considering.
There are new neutrals in town
If you don’t want to choose a bold colour, you have the choice to opt for ‘new neutrals’ instead.
Colours like Farrow & Ball ‘Elephants Breath’ and ‘Charleston Grey’ blues are good choices. They’re great on their own but also work in conjunction with a bold hit of colour — neon pink for an island, for instance, or dark graphite grey on a bank of cabinetry.
These subtle shades let you add colour without altering the overall appearance of the room and also work well with all work surfaces and flooring, so they are easy to update if your style changes.
Neutral colours are particularly susceptible to change at different times throughout the day – looking quite different in natural and artificial light. Use this to your advantage by opting for shades that will appear fresh by day and welcoming by night. If you’re not sure, make sure to test a shade out in both the daytime and the evening to see how both work.
For north-facing kitchens, it’s best to try and avoid cool colours, as the combination can make the room look cool. If you’ve got no natural light, choose lighter and neutral shades to make the most of the light.
I’ve learnt so much about kitchens, having ours redone, it is really interesting to see all the different designs out there, what sort would you go for?
*This is a collaborative post.
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I am looking to change up my kitchen with color.
My hubby has to be the blandest person there is and always likes a neutral colour scheme but even I get bored of that lol
I am in the process of thinking about our kitchen as it needs to be ripped out, walls replastered, floors re-levelled etc. I hate the thought of the boring stuff, but am getting quite excited looking at paint and cabinet colours!!
My kitchen is at the back of the house and doesn’t get much light it’s in need of overhauling. It’s a boring cream colour at the moment. I do like the white and I’d love some yellow tiles round the sink and the cooker or even lime .
I LOVE colorful kitchens. I think most colors work unless they’re like burgundy or something too bold and dark.
Most people have mono chromed kitchens but I think the kitchen is the best place to add colour! 🙂 x
We have successfully renovated our kitchen and it is a combination of cool tiles (grey and white) and warm wood counters and white cupboards. The clean look sometimes crave some colour, and when I feel like it needs it a nice pop of colour from some flowers and towels does the trick! Nice to have a bit of colour from time to time!
Abbi
Out kitchen is all neutrals but then I will add a pop of color with the dish towels, decorative bowls or oven mitts. That way I can inexpensively change things up every season!
It always stands out to me when I’m reading something from a Brit or Canadian the little differences in English spellings. Like “Colour” is “Color” here in the States. A few years ago dark wood and granite kitchens were all the craze and it is interesting now to see how colorful themes have replaced them in popularity and those updates from a few years ago already appear dated.
we’ve recently talked about bringing colour into our rooms to theme them. I quite like the idea of a plain kitchen with coloured accessories.
I am lucky that my kitchen has so much light and I have a little of colour which is awesome.
Great tip about considering your colours based on how the sun hits your kitchen. I think the amount of natural light a room gets has a big impact on design choices.
The kitchen truly is the heart of the home, a pop of colour is a great way to make the design your own 🙂