The Color Mistake You Shouldn't Make When Painting Your Kitchen

Planning to remodel or re-paint your kitchen soon? Well, before you get started, note there's a color mistake you should avoid when painting your kitchen — using dark colors. Why's that, you ask? Well, it's good to use dark colors, like black, dark gray, or dark browns when you're designing a cave. Or if you have the resources and budget to build a highly-modern kitchen with great lighting, both artificial and natural. Otherwise, dark paint and colors don't work as well in a typical kitchen space. Kitchens are meant to be warm and sunny, inviting spaces, unless you're Batman. 

Dark colors absorb light and that can make a kitchen appear darker at all times. This can make the space gloomier and it may even appear a bit less spacious. But, if your heart is still set on painting your kitchen with a darker shade, we recommend using deep shades of cool colors such as green or blue, rather than the heavier and more drastic shades of black, gray, and brown. These cool colors are also quite pleasing and easy to contrast with pops of warm color in the kitchen, such as an orange rug or a red KitchenAid mixer on the counter.

In the end, dark kitchens can still work out, granted you have a plan and a good budget. There are also many ways to make a dark kitchen feel brighter. Dark paint can also work beautifully if your kitchen space has a skylight, large windows where sunlight pours into, or strong, modern lighting to balance out the heaviness of dark paint.

And here's another idea for you to consider. Paint your cabinets in darker colors, rather than the walls. If you do so, be sure to balance them with lighter walls, counters, and flooring. A crisp white or soft cream wall will reflect light back into the space, preventing the cabinets from feeling too heavy. Additionally, one thing you'd like to avoid when renovating your kitchen is painting the cabinets and walls the exact same shade, especially when you're set on darker colors. If you need some color ideas, we've uncovered the kitchen cabinet color the stars of Unsellable Houses recommended.