Color Your World: Pick A Winning Kitchen Palette

Designing your new kitchen is as much about the color palette you choose as it is about your selection of appliances or cabinetry.

What will the finished room look and feel like? Colors inform our moods…from calming to comforting to energizing. Just as a wardrobe can be timelessly classic or look-at-me trendy, your new kitchen will make a statement.

The “rules” for kitchen-appropriate color schemes today are no longer narrowly defined. Good news and not so good news. More options. More decisions to make. Here are a few guides that may help you effectively navigate the wide world of kitchen colors.

Neutral + neutral = wow. Pewter gray and warm brown combine to make kitchen magic.

Be bold in a cautious way.
If you are not certain that red cabinets or a shiny black backsplash will hold their appeal six months from now, choose items that are more easily modified for your color experimentation. Walls can be repainted; hardwood floors can be refinished; accent pieces such as artwork, bar stools or area rugs can be changed out.

Let the rest of your home guide kitchen choices.
Your new luxury kitchen should be a showpiece, not a showroom. It shouldn’t be so startlingly out of sync with the rest of your home that it stands out like a movie set. At the same time, designers caution you to avoid falling into a color cliché trap by steering clear of color combos you see over and over in restaurants and retail establishments.

Consider optical illusions.
Light affects color. Choose kitchen colors with lighting in mind. Will the room be flooded with natural light during the day? What kind of lighting systems or fixtures are you planning to add? Remember that color can also create the perception of more or less space. Make the space appear larger with cool, light and subtle tones. “Contract” the room by choosing warm, dark and brighter colors.

Light, airy neutrals – used for cabinets, counters, andflooring – accentuate the spaciousness of this sunlit kitchen.

Investigate new color combinations and looks.
Find inspiration and direction in the recommendations of color experts. Recent pairings from the Pantone Institute include chocolate brown with light green and a dash of a brighter hue, or deep purple teamed with gray and soft yellow. The next big color for 2011? Color Marketing Group bets on Honey Moon, a blended yellow that combines the “sweet earthiness of honey with the romance of a harvest moon.”

Bright and bold or soft and neutral. What does your dream kitchen look like? These days, the kitchen color palette is firmly in your hands.