Simple to Remember Guidelines to Choosing Colors for Kitchens

How do you choose what colors will work for your kitchen design?

It’s easier than you think. Once you eliminate what won’t work, you are left with a simple palette to choose from. So here are a few ways to filter out colors from your kitchen.

Color for Small Spaced Kitchens

Don’t use dark timbers and colors that will make the space appear smaller. So avoid dark reds, purples, dark blues and greens.

Look for clear crisp colors or whites with a tint of blue, green or yellow for a subtle background of color. Keep cabinetry simple and unadorned and avoid clutter as it will create chaos in a small kitchen.


Color for Large Open Plan Spaced Kitchens

Don’t make a huge contrast in color to the remainder of the décor in your home unless you want your kitchen to visually dominate the living space. Choose a color that flows with the single open plan space. Generally open plan living uses one color for the walls and has small pockets of color to define specific areas within this.


Open plan spaces predominately use white as a wall color and then add color and texture to that. So colors that would work in a large open plan spaced kitchen are mottled, textured neutrals, whites, grays, black and silver metallics, materials like Corian, granite, laminates, stainless steel and tiles.

Then use color in accessories, flowers, jars, vases, pendant light shades, bar stools, pictures etc to provide focal points and pockets of color.


These kitchens are small functional and compact. They generally aren’t a feature of the home simply a necessity and often use colors and textures to blend into the space and encroach as little as possible.

Most apartments are strapped for space and don’t have an abundance of natural light so bright light and clear colors tend to work best. Once again neutrals, whites and grays with accents of clear crisp colors, teal, apple green, hot pink, citrus yellow in small forms. Therefore the timeless all white kitchen works well with white appliances or for a modern look, soft metallic gray with stainless steel appliances is sleek and functional.



Color for Standard Typical Spaced Kitchen

Yippee!! Anything goes…. Obviously as long as it suits the style of your home and kitchen you can use any colors you like. The only thing to be weary of is lighting.

If you have a lot of natural light and well planned task and feature lighting then the colors you use can be strong and bold and you will still be able to see and the kitchen will be highlighted but if you have little natural light and poor lighting then either upgrade it or choose lighter more light reflecting colors.


Color for Outdoor kitchens


Yes the latest fad – not only is it trendy, but a fun way to use color outside. Think about the plantings that you have. Add some panels of bold colors to contrast. For example red flowers add a purple panel behind them to highlight the flowers and greenery. Add fun colored upholstered squabs or cushions to outdoor seating – hot pinks, burnt oranges, teal and crisp green apple.

For more color ideas for your kitchen look at the specific style of kitchen that you have, traditional, contemporary, country.

Make the most of color, use it, don’t get obsessed with it – step back and visualize your kitchen and how it will look, use brush outs (large cards of paint colors) to hold up in the space to see how the color works at different times of the day with different light. Start gradually and build up color.

If you are in doubt, stick to neutrals and layer gradually. Add color until you get the look you want. After all haven’t we been told for generations from the real estate agents that white is best in the kitchen as it is the color of purity and cleanliness and the most versatile and the best kitchen color for resale!

Contemporary Style Kitchens

Contemporary styled kitchen’s characteristics are their efficient use of space, their simplicity of form and openness.

The cabinetry is simple with little or no decoration; it is often made of prefinished board like laminate, a pale timber veneer, or a lacquered paint MDF board.

The use of glass in overhead cabinets is common and lighting plays a major role.


Cabinetry lighting is a feature especially in glass-fronted cupboards and under overhead cupboards to allow light to fall on the counter top.

Halogen is the preferred type, as the fittings are small and provide a lot of light and they literally make everything sparkle. Pendants over breakfast bars or islands are popular.




Windows in the kitchen are functional and generally not decorated unless with a functional blind to reduce the direct sunlight or provide privacy. Color is what makes contemporary style kitchens popular, reds, blues and bright colors. The color is often in the decoration, not the cabinetry. The walls are painted, colored tiles used as a splash back behind the sink or behind the cook top. Accessories are colored and can be changed regularly to create a new look.

The contemporary kitchen is functional and versatile. The appliance colors can be selected from white the most traditional, to black the most sophisticated or stainless steel for a clean hygienic modern feel.


The contemporary styled kitchen is a low fuss easy care kitchen that has products specified for easy cleaning and low maintenance. Vinyl flooring is popular for it’s easy clean and hygienic properties as well as cost effectiveness. Tiles are popular and new eco flooring options are creeping in for example laminate timber flooring strips, they look like timber but they’re not!

Contemporary styled kitchens covers a vast array of looks, it works well in most modern homes today and is an ideal style for remodeling and renovating your kitchen as it can be changed to create different looks with a minimum expense through colored accessories.

Country Style Kitchens

Country styled kitchens are difficult to define exactly as they have an eclectic feel, which means that they have all sorts of bits and pieces from differing styles and periods combined to create the country look.

There are also regional styles that are probably more well known like French Provincial Country Style or Old English Country Style, Colonial American Country Style. They all bring a similar feeling to the style, that of a safe, warm and comfortable homely ambience to the kitchen.


Generally timber is a major feature either in the cabinetry and or the flooring and the furniture.

Timber counter tops are popular or simply a mobile timber island or cutting block.

The finish to the wood is simple and often a white wash or distressed look is used over the wood to create a weathered or aged feel.

Most country styled kitchens have room for a kitchen table and chairs.

Usually in timber or wood, with a plaid or checked upholstery.

The preferred timber types are pine, maple or the local wood in plentiful supply.



Pot racks – generally metal, and timber chopping blocks are features and numerous other forms of display for cooking utensils and jars of sugar, flour, salt and condiments etc.

The country kitchen lacks order and symmetry but it does possess visual movement and controlled clutter. The style allows for combinations of accessories and wrought ironware, copper pans, ceramic plates and jugs, different patterns in fabrics and collectables. They are functional and homely. Many finishes are different, combining timber with painted tiles, metal work and ceramic, as long as there are no high contrast clashing combinations – the country feel exists.


The prevalent colors are creams and whites combined with natural timbers and light browns. Highlight colors are dependant on which country style you follow but in general, reds, earth greens, blues are popular and common colors in plaids and checked fabrics.

The American Country Style is typified the the colors of sun aged barn reds and dusky blues, patchwork upholstery and painted floor boards, floor cloths and matchboard wainscoting, stenciled motifs and artwork and simple rag rugs.

French Country Style or Provencal or French Provincial is defined by the Provencal print of fabric which features warm sun drenched color schemes of bright yellows, pinks, reds and blues. The walls are often white washed or color washed in natural tones of ochre, russet, honey or rose. The flooring is predominately terracotta tiles and the use of timber is prolific with simple functional, rustic designed furniture. Metals feature in accessories, wrought iron cabinetry handles, pot racks, plate holders and candelabra and shutters to the windows.

English Country Style is a weathered and well-used look. An elegant yet old and faded look, still homely with the generational comfort of unchanged history and style. Worn floor rugs, needlework cushions and upholstery on timber kitchen chairs, faded floral chintz drapery at the windows. Soft subtle mellow colors, creams, pinks, generally warm colors as kitchens were often in colder areas of the house. Display of condiments, preserving jars and always some sort of flowers, either wild flowers in a vase of flowers and herbs hanging over the stove to dry.