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The look and feel of your kitchen set the ambience of your entire home. It’s a space where nourishing meals are prepared, loved ones gather, and your interior design expertise can shine—selecting a suitable colour scheme for your newly constructed or renovated kitchen. This blog will help you to explore neutral shades, background options, and more.

Choosing a colour scheme may appear straightforward, but it is essential as the kitchens can get valued. Whether you are going for a complete alteration or minor updates, ensure the selected colour scheme aligns with your desired overall look and remains timeless for many years. Before finalising a specific kitchen colour scheme, consider the following six vital factors:

Consider the Overall Picture

How will your kitchen blend with the overall decor of your home? For instance, if you have an open floor plan, your kitchen and living room might be visible in the same space. If your living room features a modern design, a traditional country-style kitchen won’t replace it. So, evaluating your entire home’s personality is vital before selecting colours and materials for your kitchen. Unify rooms with a subtle touch of colour and avoid an exact match between your living space and kitchen. Looking at the broader context, you can envision how your modern kitchen renovation will integrate into your overall space.

Neutral Tones Are the Way to Go!

• Embrace Timeless Hues: Start by choosing timeless neutral tones you love for the base. Consider shades like ivory, beige or white for the walls, as they effortlessly blend in without causing any distraction from the other colours in the kitchen. Furthermore, ensure that larger items possess a neutral quality that allows them to harmonise with the rest of the elements.
• Infuse Light-Toned Neutrals: You can make a kitchen feel luminous and spacious by adding light-toned neutral shades as they flawlessly mix with natural light.
• Reserve Bold Accents for Accessories: Use bold elements on accessories, such as window treatments and wall hangings. For instance, if you like hunter green, consider using it as chair cushions rather than painting your cabinets green. It will help you to infuse a touch of vibrancy without overwhelming the space.

Choose Light or Dark Colour for Your Cabinetry

Cabinetry covers a significant kitchen space, instantly catching the attention of the one who enters the kitchen. Choosing between light and dark cabinets is crucial for colour schemes.

Typically, small spaces benefit from light-coloured white or soft grey cabinets, as they create an open and airy feel in the U-shaped kitchen. Likewise, large kitchens can exude cosiness with a darker colour scheme. However, personal preference should also guide your decision. Dark kitchen cabinets can lend an elegant and sleek appearance and are less susceptible to visible scuff marks from daily usage.

Once you have settled on light or dark cabinets, you can choose from various colours and materials to craft a distinctive look. Remember that you may change the colour of your flooring or countertops in the future, but well-crafted cabinets will endure for around 40 years or more.

Integrate Neutral Benchtops

Certain benchtop materials like granite or quartz consistently remain popular choices year after year. If you’ve ever stepped into a kitchen from the 1960s or 1970s, you’ll understand why opting for a coloured benchtop is not wise. While mustard yellow counters may initially stand out, they can quickly get dated. Instead, opt for neutral colours that balance your cabinets. Also, it is advisable to alternate between light and dark tones.

Therefore, if you have dark cabinets, opt for a light-coloured benchtop. Shades like white, black, and brown tend to pair well with various colours, giving you flexibility when changing your paint, splashback, or kitchen appliances.

Inject Colour through Your Splashback

The kitchen splashback lets you infuse colour without investing in expensive materials. If you choose a colour you like but may dislike in the future, you need not worry, as it is relatively easy to change the splashback. 

An occasional integration of coloured tiles adds a touch of vibrancy and playfulness to the kitchen splashback. Furthermore, updating a splashback can be taken up as a DIY project, which many homeowners can do every few years. It aids as an excellent accent, enabling you to refresh your kitchen’s colour palette without a significant investment.

Evaluate the Lighting 

Is your kitchen getting plenty of natural light through windows or artificial lighting fixtures? If your kitchen lacks natural light, avoiding dark colours and choosing lighter tones is best. Conversely, if your kitchen is well-lit and bright, dark colours can add an air of sophistication.

The Bottom Line

There is no one-size-fits-all approach for colouring your kitchen, but following a few guidelines can help steer your project in the right direction. Whether you aim to create an ideal gathering space in your kitchen or undertake remodelling with the intention of resale, researching design principles can prove beneficial.

Most paint stores and home improvement centres employ design professionals who can offer expert advice. If you need clarification about which colours harmonise best, don’t hesitate to seek professional guidance. Consider all the factors mentioned above, recommendations from the experts, and finally, choose a colour scheme that resonates with your preference and aligns well with your overall home decor.

If you plan to renovate your small or luxury kitchen in Sydney, contact the kitchen design specialist, Emporium Kitchens, at (02) 9645 6706.