What’s the best color to paint your kitchen? There’s really no clear answer to that question, because color, like so many other things, is in the eyes of the beholder. There are, however, some time-tested color scheme ideas that can transform your kitchen in the most elegant way.
Many paint and design experts would advise you to go with soft, neutral colors in the beige, green, yellow, gray or white families as the foundation color. This is a sensible move, because it opens up a wide range of choices for accent colors from both paint and objects such as rugs, flowers and plants, tablecloths, furniture, dinnerware and more.
A neutral color scheme speaks softly, allowing smaller pieces of more vivid color to stand out and be noticed. If your walls are painted with thick, dark colors or colors that nearly burst off the walls, the powerful colors in decorative objects can get lost in the shuffle.
Neutral colors compliment your changing tastes
As time goes on and your tastes change, your gentle sky-blue color scheme will always form the perfect backdrop for newly added colors and shades. Neutral colors are amazingly versatile and always compliment smaller pieces or patches of vivid color. With a foundation of stark, screaming color, whatever objects you bring into the kitchen will have to compete with the dense color blanket. With soft, peaceful colors on the walls and ceiling, any decorative touches you add will get instant notice and stand out like they should.
Another great thing about neutrals is they won’t conflict with sharper tones from other color families. For example, let’s say you want to add to your kitchen a lovely seascape painting with a luscious orange frame. If you put it on a wall painted in a very soft neutral green, the rocky cliffs and rolling sea water will jump out at you. Whereas if you place your work of art on a wall painted fire-engine red, you’ll have a visual conflict that detracts from the painting.
Neutral shades soothe
Most kitchens see a lot of activity. Tables are gathering places to eat and socialize. Counters and sinks are food-prep stations. Busy rooms in most cases feel better when the predominant color is relaxing and settled.
Imagine walking in Times Square in New York, with bright colors assaulting you from signs, billboards, marques, store displays and crowds of people wearing exciting blues, reds, purples, and greens. Now get out of New York and imagine you’re in the Heartland, standing in an endless field of wheat that seems to run up against a pale blue sky on the horizon. See the difference?
So our advice is: find a gentle, relaxing color you like and make it your primary shade for your kitchen. Then get creative with contrasting trim color and a world of objects in any colors that are currently high on your list. You’ll be amazed by how nicely everything fits together.
Franklin Painting of Farmington, Conn., can help you make your kitchen come alive with a professional paint job that gives you the exact result you’re looking for. Call (877) 646-7774 and tell us what you need, and we’ll tell you how we can accomplish it.
