Expert tips for choosing the right paint colour for your kitchen
If your kitchen is due for a paint job, don’t just opt for white by default.
We asked colour expert, Rachel Lacy, to share her top tips for choosing a new paint colour for your kitchen.
Unleash the colour
According to Rachel, the next decade is going to be about bold and bright colours in the home – and the kitchen is the perfect place to start.
“The kitchen is a lively space,” Rachel starts. “It’s a space where you can bring in some bright, contrasting, lively colours because that’s what a kitchen is. It’s not a space that requires ultra-sophistication. We can save that for other spaces.”
If you needed permission to experiment, there you have it!
Follow your heart
Not sure which colours to choose? Think about what you love and don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s ‘too much’ for a home setting. There are ways to work with everything.
“Each person has their own palette — there are colours we are innately drawn to,” Rachel begins.
“I believe whatever colours you love are the best colours in the world and if you aren’t sure, then just paint a section of the wall or start with a shape.”
New technology can help you define and refine your personal taste. Through the app, you can take photos of colours you see in passing, name the shade and then have it made into your very own paint!
Play with smaller spaces
If your kitchen has only a finite space to be painted, this is all the more reason to go wild.
“The actual painted area in your kitchen may not be so big, as most kitchens are open plan these days,” Rachel says.
“I think there is an opportunity to have a bit more fun [with smaller areas]. For instance, you could get painted glass splash backs or work with the space above the cabinets.”
Consider the colour of your floors, benchtops, appliances or tapware when choosing paint colours, Rachel recommends.
While there are no hard and fast rules, you may want to hold swatches up to these items and consider the effect. If all else fails, try to match a warm-toned paint with other warm tones and cool tones with, well, other cool tones!
For example, while blue can be considered a ‘cool’ colour broadly speaking, there are shades with ‘warmer’ undertones that could work better with cream stone benchtops and gold tapware. Ask a colour consultant if you’re unsure.
One wall, two colours
Another trend set to emerge is multiple colours and patterns on a single wall or area.
While Rachel confesses she would paint every cabinet door a different colour, most of us are slightly more conservative with our colour choices.
However, if for instance, you have a wall that extends into a dining room or other open-plan space, you can delineate these zones with paint and colour.
We asked colour expert, Rachel Lacy, to share her top tips for choosing a new paint colour for your kitchen.
Unleash the colour
According to Rachel, the next decade is going to be about bold and bright colours in the home – and the kitchen is the perfect place to start.
“The kitchen is a lively space,” Rachel starts. “It’s a space where you can bring in some bright, contrasting, lively colours because that’s what a kitchen is. It’s not a space that requires ultra-sophistication. We can save that for other spaces.”
If you needed permission to experiment, there you have it!
Follow your heart
Not sure which colours to choose? Think about what you love and don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s ‘too much’ for a home setting. There are ways to work with everything.
“Each person has their own palette — there are colours we are innately drawn to,” Rachel begins.
“I believe whatever colours you love are the best colours in the world and if you aren’t sure, then just paint a section of the wall or start with a shape.”
New technology can help you define and refine your personal taste. Through the app, you can take photos of colours you see in passing, name the shade and then have it made into your very own paint!
Play with smaller spaces
If your kitchen has only a finite space to be painted, this is all the more reason to go wild.
“The actual painted area in your kitchen may not be so big, as most kitchens are open plan these days,” Rachel says.
“I think there is an opportunity to have a bit more fun [with smaller areas]. For instance, you could get painted glass splash backs or work with the space above the cabinets.”
Consider the colour of your floors, benchtops, appliances or tapware when choosing paint colours, Rachel recommends.
While there are no hard and fast rules, you may want to hold swatches up to these items and consider the effect. If all else fails, try to match a warm-toned paint with other warm tones and cool tones with, well, other cool tones!
For example, while blue can be considered a ‘cool’ colour broadly speaking, there are shades with ‘warmer’ undertones that could work better with cream stone benchtops and gold tapware. Ask a colour consultant if you’re unsure.
One wall, two colours
Another trend set to emerge is multiple colours and patterns on a single wall or area.
While Rachel confesses she would paint every cabinet door a different colour, most of us are slightly more conservative with our colour choices.
However, if for instance, you have a wall that extends into a dining room or other open-plan space, you can delineate these zones with paint and colour.