Editor’s note: The following item is republished with permission of houzz.com. See the original article: Palatable Palettes: 8 Great Kitchen Color Schemes.
By JENNIFER OTT
"There are no bad colors, just bad color combinations," said one of my interior design mentors many years ago. At first I disagreed with him, since there’s a certain shade of brown-mustard yellow that I definitely wouldn’t want slathered all over my walls. But after I chewed on his statement for a bit, I realized that I had seen that color used in ways that were quite beautiful. It’s definitely possible to make any single color work in your home — it’s all in how other colors and materials are incorporated with it. But how do you develop a cohesive color palette?
Spend a few minutes browsing through the thousands of kitchens showcased on Houzz and you will quickly see they come in all shapes, sizes, styles and colors. Colorwise they can run the gamut from eye-catching, bold and bright, to light, tranquil and airy. Featured here are some of the many delightfully colorful kitchens on Houzz, along with examples of color palettes inspired by the kitchens.
Warm Color Palette
Photo credit: Domiteaux + Baggett Architects PLLC
If you love lots of bright and bold colors but don’t want your kitchen to appear as if a rainbow exploded inside of it, consider working with analogous colors: colors next to each other on the color wheel.
A simple way to think of this is warm versus cool colors. This kitchen features very bold splashes of warm oranges and red. The space feels exciting and energetic — great for entertaining.
Photo credit: Jennifer Ott
Example palette: This potential palette features warm, analogous colors, plus a grounding neutral. Clockwise from top left (all from Farrow & Ball): Rectory Red, Charlotte’s Locks, Down Pipe and Pale Hound.
…CONTINUED
Bold Wall With Neutral Accents
Photo credit: Dijeau Poage Construction
A great strategy for incorporating bold colors into your kitchen is to keep the expensive items — such as the countertops, cabinet fronts and flooring — neutral in color and save the bold colors for things that are easy and affordable to change out, like wall paint.
Photo credit: Jennifer Ott
Example palette: Here is an example of a palette featuring one bold color used with supporting neutrals. Clockwise from top left (all from Yolo Colorhouse): Thrive, Stone, Air and Leaf.
…CONTINUED
Warm, Rich Kitchen Palette
Photo credit: Blackburn Architects PC
This kitchen makes me want to eat! And definitely drink some wine. The color red is said to be an appetite stimulant, which is why most fine dining establishments are painted shades of red rather than, say, green or blue. Red can be tricky to work with, though, because it tends to suck all the light from a room. Instead of painting your walls red, try using red in smaller chunks, such as the red range featured in an earlier kitchen, or, as used here, in these beautiful cranberry-red cabinets.
Photo credit: Jennifer Ott
Example palette: A potential palette to stimulate one’s appetite. Clockwise from top left (all from Behr): Indiscreet, Irish Mist, Chipotle Paste and Silver Drop.
More from houzz.com:
- Browse 95k+ kitchen design photos
- Browse 55k+ bathroom design photos
- Help! Find a contractor in your area
Copyright 2012 houzz.com
