Choosing The Hues For Your New Contemporary Kitchen

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Planning a new modern kitchen provides a chance for you to express your creativity, but picking colours can become overwhelming. Here are some tips and ideas to help you arrive at your favourite palette.  

Contrast

A contemporary kitchen is full of smooth, sleek surfaces that are free of fussy details such as ornate handles. These clear areas are ideal for showcasing colour contrasts. You could, for instance, cover walls, upper cupboards and floor in whites and creams, and spread chocolate brown across lower cabinets. Another option would be to contrast navy cabinets against pale grey counters and walls. You can also differentiate upper cabinets against under-counter cupboards: white against charcoal, as an example. Colour blocking in this way prevents a cluttered feeling as diverse colours aren't dispersed randomly all over the room—though this approach is perfect for small accent items, such as kettles.

Proportion

Varying the hues across a kitchen landscape is all about proportion and balance. Rather than using three different shades evenly so that a third of the room's surfaces is one tone, and another third a different hue and so on—it's best to break up the proportions. For instance, use a neutral across about 70% of surfaces, and reserve the remaining 30% for one or two other hues. Use brighter accent colours over smaller areas, so they don't overwhelm the room. A third colour could bridge the gap.

When selecting colours, think about your preferences and the mood you wish to create. For a calmer and more soothing effect, stick with cool blues and greens, or add vigour to a kitchen with warm reds and oranges.

You could, alternatively, go with one monotone colour throughout the room and use darker and lighter tones to inject contrast. For example, a kitchen might be full of different shades of blue: pale across the walls and flooring, with navy cabinets and deep natural stone countertops.

Timber

Texture variations also create ideal opportunities for adding diversity. A timber or bamboo benchtop will pop against a background of creams and whites. Alternatively, pair light-wash timber cabinets on a kitchen island against deep charcoal under-cabinet cupboards, granite floor tiles and white walls. A failsafe approach is to spread neutrals over a large swathe of surfaces, and then add blocks of contrast in another neutral or brighter hue. If you limit the number of different coatings or colours and apply them in an ordered way, your kitchen will sparkle from the exciting contrast in shades and textures. Ask your home builder for more colour ideas for your new home.

16 June 2020