How to Choose Kitchen Cabinet Color
When to Choose a Light Kitchen Cabinet Paint Color
Natural wood stains are popular finishes for kitchen cabinets, but you can also make a stunning impact in your space if you choose a lovely hue. A lighter option, such as beige or white, can work well in some kitchens. However, a muted shade of blue, green, yellow or another hue can look amazing as well. Before choosing the design for your kitchen, pay special attention to the impact of a lovely, subdued hue on your cabinets.
The Impact of Lighting
Kitchens are often darker places in the home. Functionally, upper and lower kitchen cabinets provide much-needed storage space, and they may line one or several walls. Sunlight filtering into the room may be minimal, and even artificial lighting may seem insufficient. As a result, a closed-off kitchen can seem uninviting and even claustrophobic, but you can dramatically improve the ambiance with a lighter kitchen cabinet hue. Colors like white, beige and others have reflective properties whereas darker colors absorb light. Reflected sunlight radiates throughout the kitchen, making it seem airier and more inviting. While it can produce a modern design, it may feel sterile in some cases regardless of how large or small the room is.
The Size of the Room
If your kitchen is smaller in size, using a subdued shade of paint could work well for your space. These colors create the illusion of the walls and cabinets moving away while darker colors seem closer. White or a lighter kitchen cabinet color palette visually enlarges the area. Keep in mind that some busy textures can make the space feel smaller. If you are working with a kitchen cabinet texture, you can choose a quieter tone to beautify the area. In addition, the light reflection can make the texture pop with lovely results.
Trendy vs. Timeless Hues
Options like white and beige for a kitchen cabinet color are timeless. White and quieter tones have been used for decades, and many people continue to choose them today. In fact, they are well-suited for everything from a country farmhouse kitchen design to a modern look. If you are looking for something more trendy and current, you can choose a muted tone of blue, green or another color to suit your decor and complement your countertops, flooring and walls.
Explore Kitchen Cabinet Color Options Today
The possibilities for your kitchen cabinet paint color are seemingly endless. While you want to choose a tone that appeals to you personally and that corresponds with the established design elements, you also should pay attention to factors like lighting, size, wall and counter colors, textures and trendiness when you choose your kitchen cabinet paint color.
Is a Dark Paint Color Right for Your Kitchen?
While many kitchens have a natural wood stain, white or a muted color of kitchen cabinet paint, a darker shade can elevate your room’s design in exciting ways. A darker tone, however, is not suitable for some kitchens. What should you know before painting your cabinets navy blue, forest green or another dramatic shade?
A Dramatic Touch in a Large Room
A darker kitchen cabinet color adds a dramatic layer to the design. Often, darker cabinets are combined with neutral countertops and wall color to create balance and contrast. While some people may initially be opposed to a darker kitchen cabinet tone, buffering the cabinets with lighter elements elsewhere in the kitchen can be stunning. Deep, dark colors are often associated with a modern design, and they can be used with contemporary decor as well as chic, country and other styles. While white and muted shades of paint can create a clean and even sterile look, darker tones add coziness and character.
The Practical Benefit of a Dark Kitchen Cabinet Color
Compared to white and other quieter paint colors, a darker tone has a practical benefit. The kitchen is often a heavily used room in the home, and the various cooking and daily living activities that take place here often leave behind food splatters, smudges and other marks on the cabinets. Subdued kitchen cabinet colors do little to conceal the blemishes. The cabinets may require far more cleaning than dark cabinets would. Without frequent cleaning, the lighter cabinets can make the space look dirty even after the sink, appliances and countertop have been wiped down. Before you choose your kitchen cabinet color, reflect on how frequently you want to wipe the cabinets down.
A Word About Color Selection
Before you choose a dark kitchen cabinet paint color for your space, focus on its the size, the ambiance and natural lighting. Darker colors create the visual impression of the surfaces moving in closer. In a large kitchen, this can make a cavernous space seem warmer and cozier. In a small room, however, dark paint can highlight and enhance the room’s smallness. In addition, dark paint absorbs light rather than reflecting it. If your kitchen has minimal natural light, the dark kitchen cabinet paint can make the kitchen feel darker and less inviting.
Discover the Possibilities for Your Space Today
Are you torn between a darker or more muted color for your cabinets? Some kitchens incorporate both into the decor. For example, they may have darker kitchen cabinet lowers and white uppers, or the kitchen island may contrast the cabinets. The design possibilities for your kitchen are incredible, and now is a wonderful time to take a closer look at what may work for your space and choose a palette that suits your space well.
