Kitchen Color Wars

by Susan Serra, CKD

My daughter is potty training her toddler now, not to mention nursing her brand new infant so she talks in “wars” – nursing wars, potty training wars, war, war, war (interspersed with bliss) so “Color Wars” seems a natural thought for me right now.

If you want a white kitchen using a pale color to add visual depth, add it in the tiles as shown here in the blue subway tiles that run across the entire wall. Kitchen Designer: Susan Serra, Photo: Kitchen & Bath Ideas

I’ll tell you what I think about color and it’s something I have not said before in a public forum.

I think choices of color, selections that we make for our kitchens, have a whole lot to do with what your mood is … right now, this minute. I see color and mood SO connected and so fluid and so subject to change as a result.

Does the season of the year have any influence on color choices? What about the trend color (I’m hearing of 3 trend colors at this moment)? What about the colors of the wall covering in the restaurant you just went to that you loved or the fabulous outfit you just wore and which colors inspired you? We’re being “hit” with color at every second…new stimuli, our moods and our surroundings can shift our focus easily.

Don't be afraid of a WHAM of color on the counter tops like this blue lavastone. Kitchen Design: Susan Serra, Photo: Better Homes & Gardens

If you’re in the middle of, or close to, the color selection process, don’t go crazy, don’t obsess, don’t agonize and ask everyone you meet what he/she thinks of “this” color. Do some research on color palettes.

Get a bunch of samples that you respond to emotionally and which work within your home’s practical requirements. Consult with your designer. A good color will reveal itself to you. More helpful hints are:

1. Get a few of those small Benjamin Moore paint samples in their sample sizes or the large cards

2. See color in context – that is, one color next to another which will nudge each color into a more realistic looking shade

3. Look for color undertones such as green, yellow, blue, pink

4. Gather all samples together and evaluate colors, undertones, lights and darks to find harmony

Find colors you like from nature like this pretty moss green in this Bungalow Styled Kitchen by Susan Serra -Photo, Kitchen & Bath Ideas

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5. Look through images of finished kitchens and be aware of the size and proportion of areas of color and the  relationship of one colored area to one another

Don’t go to war with color. Don’t let confusion, exhaustion, anxiety into the process. Instead, embrace the inherent beauty of color; all colors. After all, the color you choose will change depending on indoor lighting, outdoor lighting, other colors surrounding it, time of year, window treatments sheer or opaque and other factors. It will always be different ANYWAY at least ten times a day.

Don’t be too casual about selecting a color or too obsessive. Find the in-between sweet spot and the color you choose will not only be good enough, it will be just right!

Visit Susan at:

The Kitchen Designer.org
Bornholm Kitchens.com
Scandanavian Made.com
@susanserrackd
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