When choosing the kitchen colours, less is more. Bold or high impact colours will always date a kitchen, everything from busy, highly textured and patterned finishes – things like cabinet doors with ornate panels, heavily patterned bench tops and mosaic-tiled splash backs.

On the flip side, the less clutter there is, the less your kitchen will date. Trends in design look favorably on aesthetics that are based on clean lines and low fuss.

Colours also influence how large or small the kitchen feels and texture adds contrasts and interest.

For perfect kitchen colours be sure to choose carefully especially for things which are reasonably permanent and can’t be changed easily. These include tiles, splash backs, flooring, door fronts and bench tops.

Colours

Neutral
Unless you are reasonably confident with colour, when choosing new kitchen cabinets, tiles and benches, it’s best to use neutral, natural tones and textures.

Some of the smartest looking kitchens around are based on neutral and classic colour schemes. Clever combinations allow more colour to be added as desired by painting walls, adding art and by the use of highly coloured fresh produce and accessories.

Bold
For those who just can’t resist bold colour, the kitchen can be used as a real style statement for the home. Some of the latest fashion colours for door fronts, bench tops and walls are predicted to be intense, vibrant and exciting. Another (safer) option for bold colours is to paint a wall in a bold colour (as this is cheap and easy to change later if you get tired of it), or you can add bold colours with accessories like kettles, ornaments and handles.

Woodgrained finishes are perfect to offset colours. Wood grains however have a higher tendency to go in and out of fashion faster than neutral colours.

What colours will stand the test of time?
As a general rule choose neutral, classic shades for materials, for bench tops, cupboard doors and the floor. If you want to inject the latest fashion colour into your kitchen, pick a spot that can be changed relatively easily – such as replacing the splash back or painting a wall or introducing colours into accessories.

Color combinations:  The next step is to choose combinatations of materials that work well and are less likely to date. Materials like timber; stone; engineered stone; laminate and solid surface are popular choices for bench tops.

Choosing the right balance of colours and materials can be complicated, so talk to our kitchen designer about colour selections.

Here are some tips:
A small kitchen does not allow a lot of opportunity or require an array of different materials, whereas large kitchens are often in need of breaking up one colour or material.

It’s often a good idea to start with the bench top surface colour, as this can prove to be the most costly part of kitchen (depending on the material) and then choose the other surfaces and finishes to achieve your overall desired outcome.

Visually, red represents nearness and warmth; blue distance and coolness. The eye actually sees more warm colours than it does cool. Light bright colours expand size while dark cool colours contract. Colours that get our attention the fastest are the ones at the warm end of the spectrum.

Of course, there are many different shades and tints of each of the previous colours and each will have its own distinct personality. Designers should base their colour selections on how their client feels about a particular colour. One person may be energized by a room filled with bright vivid colours; another person may find the intense hues tiring.

White:
White implies virtue, purity, cleanliness, spaciousness and innocence. White rooms tend to be very dramatic and create a feeling of quiet luxury; many kitchens are still absolutely superb in various shades of white.

Blue:
Reflects a calm, restful and relaxing environment. Blue is one of the most popular colours and tints of blue will make a room appear more spacious.

Green:
Represents nature, growth and relaxation. It is a soothing colour and may remind us of rebirth. Green goes with almost any colour and in its darker and more neutralized shades can be used as a neutral. A green kitchen feels fresh and clean.

Red:
Expresses excitement, high energy, warmth and vibrancy. It is the strongest of all colours. It is a very stimulating and active colour.

Orange:
Symbolizes spirit, warmth, comfort and action but, an extremely vivid shade of orange can be tiring when used over a large surface.

Kitchen Trends

For more information see “What is the latest kitchen trend?” under our FAQs.