Inspired by Color—Choosing the Right Colors for Your Kitchen and Bath
What inspires you? The great outdoors, a piece of art, or a favorite fabric? These inspirational items may be the key to choosing the perfect color when remodeling your kitchen or bath. Color is so much more than just paint on the walls. It’s a harmonious balance between your cabinetry, fixtures, backsplash, hardware, counters, window treatments and more. Color is a powerful design tool that can transform rooms in your home to feel more calm, comfortable, dramatic or cheerful.
No right or wrong in color
Consider a zen bath with neutrals, elements of greenery, mixed metals and simplistically styled fixtures. Or, what about a mid-century kitchen with polished red cabinetry and bright chrome accents? I tell my customers not to be afraid of some color—color is what makes the room interesting! Overall, it’s most important that you pick the colors that are right for you.
What’s your personality?
Some people may thrive in a calm, soothing environment while others may need colors that are more stimulation. The hard part is translating the colors you love into a cohesive design scheme. One way to do this is to combine a few different, yet similar, colors on accent walls in a kitchen or bath space so that the colors meet at your corners and then flow throughout the house.
It’s best to keep your color options open until the major components—the flooring, countertops and cabinets—are finalized. Then, select an anchor. This could be the color of your new cabinet door, or a beautiful color running through your countertop material. Use this to build in the colors of your walls, draperies and accent pieces.
Lighten Up
When it comes to color, it’s best to have your certified designer bring the samples of your cabinetry, flooring, countertop material, and paint to your home because light changes everything. What seemed to work perfectly in the showroom may be very different in your home, where there may be large windows or skylights or another color-changing element. The light exposure (north, south, east, west) can dramatically effects the color of your materials. Therefore, consulting with our experienced designers can help you truly customize your room’s palette, from start to finish.
Trendy vs. Classic
It’s beneficial to take the neutral path when considering fixed elements such as cabinetry, countertops, and flooring. Neutral colors such as greys, taupes, and blacks are the current trend, while whites will always be classic. Adding bold colorful accents is a great way to spice up a room while allowing the freedom of change. Merging bold colors with neutrals make for a room that is balanced and pleasurable.
Kitchen backsplashes are the perfect place to bring in some bold color. Today’s tiles offer extensive texture, shape, and color variations. Trending shapes such as octagon and arabesque add unique style while three dimensional shapes add depth.
When it comes to appliances and plumbing fixtures, today’s classic as well as trendy kitchens and baths are using mixed metals in stainless steel, copper, muted brass, polished nickel and brushed gold.
Don’t Rush It
You should walk into your new kitchen or bath and have it take your breath away every time. Don’t rush your decisions of color—they may be some of the most important decisions you make in your home remodeling project.
View the hottest trends in kitchen and bath remodeling at Allied Kitchen and Bath’s luxury showroom located in the Downtown Oakland Park Culinary Arts District. For more information on the new showroom call (954) 564-1611 or e-mail bill@Alliedkb.com.
