How Do I Choose a Color That Works in My Kitchen?
A great way to start this process is by writing down your answers to these questions devised to help you gain a better understanding of what you are looking to achieve through a freshly painted kitchen.
Some Questions to Ponder:
Would you classify your space as a smaller kitchen? Or a larger kitchen?
In general, how is the natural lighting in your kitchen? Is there lots of natural lighting? Some natural lighting? Or minimal natural lighting?
Do you want to brighten your current kitchen space or darken your current kitchen space?
What material and color are your custom kitchen cabinets?
Do you want your custom kitchen cabinets to be the focal point of the kitchen?
Following these questions, and based on the color of your custom kitchen cabinets, we will provide color scheme suggestions that best align with your kitchen transformation goals.
Best Colors to Paint a Small Kitchen
For a small kitchen choose your paint color carefully, because it can be a great way to visually expand your space making your kitchen appear larger than it actually is. White and neutral colors are great options for a smaller kitchen because white paint reflects light.
To maintain a light and bright kitchen, avoid sharp contrasts in your wall color and cabinetry color, the shade you choose for your kitchen walls should be somewhat similar to your kitchen cabinets. A sharp contrast between your walls and cabinets will create a visual boundary, and make your kitchen look even smaller. In general, a good rule to follow is the smaller and less open your kitchen is, the lighter your color scheme should be.
If your cabinets are already a bright white, try experimenting with painting the kitchen a different shade of white or a pale blue-grey. It is important to note that white cabinets paired with the same shade of white paint can make a room look washed out and too white, so it is best to paint the walls a slightly different shade of white to add some contrast.
Be sure to add back some elements of color throughout the kitchen, such as on a window sill or in decor pieces displayed on shelving. This will add depth into the space making the space more visually appealing. When you strike a balance between the sharp hues in accent pieces and bright white walls it will make the room appear more spacious.
Another way to add contrast into the space is by adding an accent wall. Painting one wall a deeper color than the other three walls, the darker hue will give the illusion of the wall receding into the background, thus making a space appear larger than it actually is.
Best Colors to Paint a Large Kitchen
For kitchens on the larger side of the spectrum, you really have a lot of flexibility in your color choices, because you do not have to worry about a darker color “shrinking” the room. But for an open floor plan kitchen we recommend choosing a paint in the same color scheme as its neighboring rooms for a cohesive and synergistic layout. Otherwise, we say to let your creativity run wild and experiment with bold and bright colors that match well with your custom cabinets.
Wall Colors for Wood Custom Cabinets
There are many types of wood cabinets, most of which have natural earth tones such as oak, walnut and maple, all of which pair well with neutrals and other earthy paint colors. However, the optimal wall color for your kitchen really just depends on your personal preference – do you want your wood cabinets to pop in the space, or would you prefer for the wood cabinets to blend in?
If you want your cabinets to stand out, consider choosing a cooler wall color such as green-grey, blue-grey, or purple-grey (or you could use a neutral color paint with these undertones for the same effect).
To neutralize the natural warmth of wood cabinets, we recommend choosing a warm earthy neutral wall color. Warm toned beiges, creams, browns, or grey-beiges will help create balance within the space and work well to offset the warmth in your cabinets or countertops.
Wall Colors for White Custom Cabinets
Bright white cabinets might be considered the most popular custom kitchen cabinet choice for a modern kitchen. This color cabinetry is extremely versatile – pairing well with a wide range of floor and wall colors.
Take a look at this clean and bright modern kitchen, where you can see how nicely the light grey walls and textured grey backsplash pair with the bright white kitchen cabinets and kitchen island.
Wall Colors for Black Custom Cabinets
Although black cabinets may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they are becoming an increasingly popular option because they hide imperfections well, and introduce a sultry element into a modern kitchen.
If your goal is to lighten up your space, using a white or off white paint is a great way to brighten your kitchen.
The Power of Contrast
Although white paint is the most popular pairing option, it is easy to see why it is so popular! The stark contrast between white walls and black cabinetry makes any size kitchen look sleek and expensive.
In a kitchen with ample natural (or artificial) light sources, you also have the option to paint your walls a bold and dramatic color such as a slate grey.
With a bold cabinetry AND wall color it is extremely important to choose lighter colored flooring and to have a well lit, open kitchen space to diffuse the harshness in the dark walls and cabinetry.
Texture for Visual Depth
Ensure your black kitchen does not look too dull and consider adding a metallic backsplash or countertops that introduce other hues into your space.
As we enter into 2022, we are going to see a rising popularity for black kitchens coupled with wood accents. Some ways we will see this – all black cabinetry paired with a wood top kitchen island or mixing both black and wood cabinetry within the kitchen space.
Wood For Warmth
The natural warm tones present in wood works well with black cabinets and helps create a warm and inviting kitchen environment.
Remodeling your kitchen is a big investment, so it is important to ensure every element of your kitchen works well together by establishing a synergetic color palette within the space. But this gets especially tricky when you have so many elements in your kitchen to match!
In a well designed kitchen, every color present from the wall paint, kitchen island, cabinetry, flooring and backsplash all work together. For a novice designer this is not easy to execute, and color pairing can get quite complicated. You are often left playing a guessing game – where all you can do is hope everything you picked looks just how you envisioned it. This isn’t the most comforting feeling especially knowing how costly it is to resolve one little design mistake.
Luckily, we have a skillful team of noblessa USA designers that work to ease the anxiety associated with planning a large scope kitchen project. The process of designing a kitchen should be exciting and hassle free for everyone, which is why we offer FREE 1 on 1 consultations with an expert designer to guide the entire process – from planning to installation.
If you have any questions or concerns at any point of the project, a noblessa designer will be there to help you, all free of charge.
To ensure this planning process is convenient and accessible, these design consultations can be conducted virtually, over the phone, or in person at your nearest noblessa USA showroom location.
In your very first noblessa consultation you will begin creating rough layout sketches and discuss the estimated cost for the project, a rough project timeline and other important details. Every noblessa USA designer is an expert in the field and there to make the process of designing a well thought out, luxurious kitchen as seamless as possible.