The kitchen is statistically the most used room in the house, which is why it can often seem so overwhelming when redesigning or renovating the kitchen. Sometimes it can seem like there are endless considerations; layout, style, type of cabinets, to name just a few. However, one of the seemingly smaller considerations that can have a big impact on the overall look of the kitchen is the color scheme of both the cabinets and the walls. We’ve outlined some of the key factors to consider when selecting color schemes below.
Painted kitchen cabinets have become increasingly popular in recent years, as homeowners are often looking to put an individual stamp on their kitchen. When it comes to selecting colors, as tempting as it may be to splash in bold or quirky hues, there are a few factors that need to be carefully considered beforehand.
The color of the kitchen or cabinets will be greatly affected by the light in the room – the way it falls and reflects off the cabinets and walls. This means that it is important to determine the orientation of the room, as this influences when the room will be exposed to sunlight.
Generally speaking, south-facing kitchens can often have more flexibility with kitchen colors, as they receive the most sunlight. As a result, these kitchens can often take on darker tones without making the overall room look too heavy. It may seem obvious, but kitchens that don’t attract a lot of natural sunlight can benefit from warmer pastel hues.
It is also important to consider the purpose of the room and its size. If the homeowner is lucky enough to benefit from a large open-plan kitchen and living room, a different approach to selecting colors is often required. This is because the owner is likely to spend more time in this room and since it serves multiple purposes such as entertaining guests and being the main center of the home, the color scheme should also be suitable for all and each of these activities. . Pastel shades of gray, green, blue, and cream are particularly popular for cabinets, as anything too bright could be dominant in this type of room.
However, many homeowners choose to keep wood kitchen cabinets in their natural form with exposed woodwork.
Darker woods like walnut are still popular, as the grain of the wood tends to be quite prominent depending on whether the grain of the wood was cut horizontally or vertically. Other popular woods include oak, which can be used throughout the kitchen or in specific cabinets to create a unique design feature.
In the above two cases, it can be beneficial to keep the wall colors neutral to really show off the cabinets.
Finally, many homeowners now choose to combine two different finishes, especially when they have an open-plan kitchen design. Many kitchen designers will create custom furniture for the ‘living’ areas of the room that complement the more functional kitchen area. In fact, a smart use of juxtaposing painted cabinets with exposed wood can help delineate different zones within a room.
In addition to the color and style of the kitchen cabinets, it is also important to look at the craftsmanship of the cabinets themselves. The overall finish is greatly affected by the way it was manufactured. Cheaper, mass-manufactured cabinets are unlikely to offer the same amount of precision joinery as their custom counterpart, while the upfront cost of custom cabinets may be off-putting at first, it’s the long-term investment potential which can guarantee that it offers lifetime value. .