Choosing Color: See How 3 Bold Palettes Change 1 Kitchen
Designed to be flexible when it comes to color, this kitchen easily handles different color schemes
Jennifer Ott
November 22, 2016
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's work has been featured in many print and online publications. Her recently-published book, "1000 Ideas for Color Schemes," is a beautifully illustrated and easy-to-navigate guide that takes the guesswork out of selecting the perfect color palette for your home or special event. For more information on Jennifer Ott Design, visit http://jenottdesign.com/.
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's... More
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My top advice when it comes to decorating with assertive colors is to use neutral hues for most of the items that are expensive or difficult to change out — such as flooring, countertops, cabinetry and large pieces of furniture. After that, go wild with color for items that are much easier and affordable to tweak, such as paint, textiles and decorative accessories. See how a simple change of paint and textile colors transforms this bold-hued kitchen.
My top advice when it comes to decorating with assertive colors is to use neutral hues for most of the items that are expensive or difficult to change out — such as flooring, countertops, cabinetry and large pieces of furniture. After that, go wild with color for items that are much easier and affordable to tweak, such as paint, textiles and decorative accessories. See how a simple change of paint and textile colors transforms this bold-hued kitchen.
As a lover of bold color, I purposely designed my own former kitchen (shown here) to be a laboratory for color exploration. The idea was to pick neutral tones — shades of brown, gray, white and black — for the elements I would not want to tinker with, but then have fun with the wall and island color, as well as the textiles on the bench in the dining area. This is the vibrant color scheme I came up with, but scroll down to see, through the use of computer renderings, what else I could have done with the space.
Get the look: Accent wall in Parakeet and island in Larchmere, both from Sherwin-Williams
Get the look: Accent wall in Parakeet and island in Larchmere, both from Sherwin-Williams
Option 1: Neutral With a Twist
Here’s a scheme that incorporates warmer colors into the space. The wall color is a soft warm gray hue not dissimilar to the color of the concrete floor and engineered quartz countertops, but the island gets a zesty dash of bold orange.
Get the look: Accent wall in Frappé and island in Autumn Gala, both from Valspar
Find a kitchen remodeler on Houzz
Here’s a scheme that incorporates warmer colors into the space. The wall color is a soft warm gray hue not dissimilar to the color of the concrete floor and engineered quartz countertops, but the island gets a zesty dash of bold orange.
Get the look: Accent wall in Frappé and island in Autumn Gala, both from Valspar
Find a kitchen remodeler on Houzz
Option 2: Hot and Cool Balance
This palette features an equal mix of warm and cool hues. The luscious pink plum wall color and warm pecan cabinet fronts form a pleasing contrast against the almost-black-clad island as well as the gray elements in the space. The accent wall and island colors are rather dark, but because the rest of the space is light and bright, these small bits of deep color don’t feel too heavy.
Get the look: Accent wall in Summer Plum and island in Iron Mountain, both from Benjamin Moore
This palette features an equal mix of warm and cool hues. The luscious pink plum wall color and warm pecan cabinet fronts form a pleasing contrast against the almost-black-clad island as well as the gray elements in the space. The accent wall and island colors are rather dark, but because the rest of the space is light and bright, these small bits of deep color don’t feel too heavy.
Get the look: Accent wall in Summer Plum and island in Iron Mountain, both from Benjamin Moore
Option 3: Monochromatic yet Dramatic
And finally we go back to a cool scheme, this one featuring a couple of shades of grayish blue. The accent wall gets a wash of deep navy, and the island is clad in a softer gray-blue reminiscent of faded denim. It’s still dramatic, but the featured hues have a neutral quality that keeps the overall look more restrained than the previous options.
Get the look: Accent wall in Stiffkey Blue and island in Parma Gray, both from Farrow and Ball
Your turn: What colors would you suggest for the accent wall and island?
More
Learn how to create and use Houzz ideabooks
Find out how to remodel your kitchen
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And finally we go back to a cool scheme, this one featuring a couple of shades of grayish blue. The accent wall gets a wash of deep navy, and the island is clad in a softer gray-blue reminiscent of faded denim. It’s still dramatic, but the featured hues have a neutral quality that keeps the overall look more restrained than the previous options.
Get the look: Accent wall in Stiffkey Blue and island in Parma Gray, both from Farrow and Ball
Your turn: What colors would you suggest for the accent wall and island?
More
Learn how to create and use Houzz ideabooks
Find out how to remodel your kitchen
Find kitchen designers in your area
Find a painter near you
Browse kitchen and dining products
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Although I think the color combinations are vile-- particularly that pea soup vomit green-- almost ANYTHING is an improvement on these endlessly bland, "I'm-so-scared-of-color", not just neutral but NEUTERED, "please-don't-notice-me!" kitchens that are dreary combinations of white, beige, and gray. Please, Houzz, find a designer who actually UNDERSTANDS color and knows how to use it!
Love the one with orange! I’m just not brave enough! My kitchen is all white😉