Choosing kitchen paint colours can be a tough decision with so many options to choose from. It’s even tougher when you’re on a budget. In this article, we take a look at some of the kitchen paint colours to avoid, along with some alternatives.
Avoid White & Very Bright Colours for your Kitchen Paint
White is not the most popular colour for kitchens. It tends to show dirt and smudges, it’s boring, it can be overwhelming and too bright, and it’s not great for food prep either. If you want your kitchen to look clean, get some off-white shades or whites that are mixed with another colour. The tinted white will make all the difference.
Apart from white, colours that are too bright or bold may be a bit much for your kitchen. For one thing, the most active room in the house is often the busiest place at dinnertime. If your kids are doing homework at the table, you’re assembling a meal or you’re simply sitting down for some quality family time, it’s important to have a soothing space where everyone can relax and focus. Intense colours can also make it difficult to cook precisely since they create too much contrast.
Colour might not be as important as lighting when you’re cooking, but it still has an effect on your mood and appetite. Generally speaking, shades that are too bright or intense are less than ideal in a kitchen — they can make it feel cramped and crowded. High-ceilinged kitchens with lots of open space may benefit from brighter hues since they draw the eye upward and make the room seem larger than it actually is; however, low ceilings aren’t well suited to bright paint colours.
If you want to add pops of colour without going overboard, consider accenting with bold towels or appliances instead of painting every wall in sight .
Other Colours to Avoid for your Kitchen Paint
Green
Green is considered the colour of nature. It is calming as it represents the colour of grass, trees and shrubs. It can add balance to an interior because it has a cooling effect. This works with other rooms in the house. However, when you are picking out paint for your kitchen, you should avoid using green on the floor or walls because it can create an odd atmosphere in the room.
Green will make the space look smaller than it actually is and it can give off a sense of heaviness if dark greens are used too often. The best way to use green in your home decor is by having one room that features lighter shades while keeping others neutral so they don’t overwhelm each other with too much saturation or contrast.
Red
Red is a stimulating colour. In fact, it’s the most stimulating of all colours. Because of this characteristic, it can raise your blood pressure and make you feel hungry. This is why it’s not a good colour for a kitchen.
If you really want to use red for your kitchen, use it for the cabinets and leave the walls white. This combination looks great in kitchens that have more counter space than cabinet space but doesn’t do much to brighten up kitchens with lots of cabinets.
Black
Black is a modern choice, but it needs to be carefully paired with colours in both the kitchen and the rest of your home. While not as risky perhaps as reds and oranges and certainly more neutral than most other colours, it does require a bit more consideration since black can make a room feel cold and gloomy, especially if you don’t have very much light coming into your kitchen.
If you’re considering painting your kitchen black, we’d recommend against it for small kitchens or those that don’t get much natural light. Black will only make these spaces feel smaller, darker, and more oppressive than they actually are. You’ll need to pair it with plenty of other colours or white accents in order to lift the mood of your kitchen.
For example, while black cabinets might work well against white walls if there’s an abundance of natural light, you’re going to want to add in some greenery or colourful accents like yellow or blue so that the space doesn’t look too stark.
Yellow
Yellow is another colour that should be avoided in the kitchen. Yellow can be a difficult colour to match and it doesn’t always go well with other colours. A bright yellow can also be distracting and overwhelming for some people and make them feel anxious. If you want to use yellow as an accent, try going with a more muted tone of yellow instead of a bright one, or just mix up the shades of yellow so it isn’t jarring when looking at it.
There are many different shades and tones of yellow that you could use for your kitchen paint colours, but you should avoid lemon yellow due to its brightness; bright gold yellows because they are too overpowering; and mustard yellows because they tend not to go well together with most other colours in your kitchen palette.
If you’re planning to give your kitchen a new look and need advice for kitchen paint colours, call our professional painters to get a top quality kitchen paint job! Call us on 086 608 1817 / 085 139 0233 or click here to get a free quote.
