If you’re choosing colors for your kitchen, it might be hard to determine what palette is right for you. These days, kitchens are more than an area for cooking and utility. They’re communal spaces.
 
Many homeowners choose white or neutral colors to keep a kitchen balanced. But, you don’t need an eye for design or an understanding of color theory to select the right colors for your kitchen.
 
All you need is a sense of some basic things, such as use and location. Then start factoring in your kitchen’s other aspects, like lighting, cabinets, and other accessories.
 
Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s an easy-to-use kitchen painting breakdown:
 
Purpose in Color

The kitchen can be the most important part of your house. After all, it’s the hub for your everyday activities.
 
Through homecooked meals and time spent together, some believe that the kitchen is the most important room for your family. Live alone? Same thing. Your kitchen still receives a high amount of traffic through solo daily activity.
 
When considering colors for this space, think about its purpose. Also, consider the duality of your kitchen. Regardless of where you live, this area could double as an entertainment space or gathering area.
 
Warm colors

Specific colors can set the proper tone for use. HGTV weighed different tones against the colors that inspire actions. “Warmer colors such as red are believed to stimulate the appetite and are an excellent option for kitchens. Red is incredibly versatile and there are multiple shades that would really pop in a kitchen, either on the cabinets or the walls.”
 
Yellow hues are a good option if you want to open up a room and inspire hunger in your guests or family members. Yellow can lift the energy of your kitchen with it’s bright, sunny effect. HGTV adds that it also pairs well with white and gray accents.
 
 
Cool Colors

Want a more relaxed atmosphere? Blues and greens can bring a calm, earthy feeling to your kitchen. Blue hues give it a crisp feel. Just be sure to balance the blue with white or neutral accents to avoid weighing down the space.
 
Like blue, green provides comfort. Green also pairs well with white and natural accents. If you opt for a butcher block countertop or island, the combination with green walls can give your kitchen an earthy atmosphere.

Neutral colors

Neutrals and white are among the most popular colors when it comes to kitchens. These palettes can give your kitchen a refreshing feel in the morning with its clean look. It’s also easier to match with your countertops, cabinets, and appliances. Gray is also a good choice here, but as HGTV said, “It often gets categorized as being too cold . . .”
 
Location

The location of your kitchen establishes the purpose and overall atmosphere. By “location,” we’re talking about connection. Is the kitchen a separate room, or is it part of an open floor plan connected to a living or dining room?
 
If your kitchen is open and connected with another considerable area of your home, you’ll want to think about flow. Color can help by establishing kitchen borders. This is why many homeowners often choose neutrals for their kitchen. Most want to avoid strong colors clashing with their living or dining area.
 
HomeTips recommends a simple remedy to an open floor plan: “Pull rooms together with a thread of color, and try not to match the shades between your living space and your kitchen perfectly.” 
 
 
Lighting

The amount of light in your kitchen is a significant factor when choosing colors.
 
Windows impact the amount of natural or artificial light in the space. Better Homes & Gardens recommends taking into account the different shades of your favorite color in the sun and shade. “Northern light is cool, for instance, and it's often best to counter it with a warm color. But as the sun moves or drifts behind clouds, colors shift and change.”
 
BHG touches on how the lights in your kitchen can impact its color. “Artificial lighting changes colors, too. That's why it's so important to apply samples where the colors will be used and in context with other colors and materials -- which also affect perception.”
 
But don’t stress over the light in your kitchen. Read on to see how you can accurately test colors in different lighting conditions.
 
Fixtures, Cabinets, & Accessories

Aside from light, elements already found in your kitchen like fixtures, cabinets, and accessories can guide the color selection process. Martha Stewart’s website advises homeowners use these “color cues.”
 
Countertops provide a great jumping-off point for color. Common countertop materials, such as wood, marble, granite, and quartzite, give a natural balance for a color to work around.
 
Likewise, using neutral tones on kitchen walls can open up the potential for a pop of color on your cabinets. Accentuate those neutrals with warm or cool accents. Just make sure to use a good finish on your cabinets to ensure you get the color effect you’re aiming for.
 
Light fixtures are another way to bring in character for neutrals, whites, grays, or even dark colors. Most light fixtures come with a brushed gold, bronze, nickel, or chrome finish. Brushed gold against a white background gives your kitchen a beautiful accent without going overboard.
 
Aside from fixtures, look to your kitchen accessories—for instance: your refrigerator, stove/oven range, sink, even your coffee maker. Chrome, a popular finish for most accessories, works well with cooler hues. Bronze or brushed gold is more flexible. It can warm up a space painted in darker colors, or it can add to the effect of warmer tones such as red, yellow, and burgundy.
 
 
Test Your Colors

Once you find a selection of colors--test them! Don’t fall into the one-and-done trap only to discover that you don’t like the color after you’ve finished painting.
 
Most paint stores offer paint samples that come in small canisters. Get samples of the colors your like and paint swatches on the wall of your kitchen.
 
Are you’re existing walls painted in another color? Grab a white foam-core board and paint your swatches on there. This method is a bit more effective because you can move the board around to different spots in your kitchen, gauging both natural and artificial light.

Conclusion

When it comes to choosing colors for your kitchen, don’t sweat the small stuff--be inspired by it. Think about the feeling you want your kitchen to inspire; it’s purpose in your everyday life. That way, you can create a space that adds to the comfort of your home.

Painting your kitchen cabinets is a great way to make a big impact without breaking the bank. It can also be a little intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be! Whether you’re a DIY pro or a DIY novice, we’ve got some tips and tricks to guide you through the process and tackle the job with confidence.
 
Step 1: Choosing the paint
 
Oil-based or Water-based?
Once you decide what color you want to use, you need to decide on the right kind of paint. You can use either water-based or oil-based paint on your cabinets. Oil-based paints are generally considered more durable, have a smoother finish and require less coats. However, they have a strong smell, higher VOCs, and can yellow over time. Oil-based paints are also more difficult to clean up mistakes.
 
Water-based, or latex, paints have become more popular and offer a wide variety of options. Water based paints improving all the time and are more resistant to cracking and chipping than ever before. They do not yellow over time, dry quickly, can be cleaned up with soap and water, and are better for the environment.
 
But if you’re still unsure what type of paint to use on your kitchen cabinets, consider the look you are hoping to achieve. If you’re going for a more modern, sleek finish, oil-based paint will give you good results (though the sheen can dull over time). If you are looking for something more matte and rustic, use a latex paint.
 
Step 2: Prep for Painting
 
Empty cabinets and tape
Before you begin, you need to empty cabinets and drawers. Apply painters’ tape where cabinet frames meet walls, counters, and floors.
 
Remove doors and hardware
Remove all the cabinet doors and drawers. (If you are super careful, you might be able to paint the drawers without pulling them out, but it will be easier if you do.) Remove any hardware. Don’t forget to label and bag everything you remove so you remember how to reassemble when you’re done.
 
Wash cabinet surfaces
Thoroughly wash all surfaces with a good degreasing cleanser like TSP. Removing as much oil and grease as possible will help the paint stick to the surface of the cabinets.  
 
Strip and Sand
The purpose of sanding your cabinets is to simply scuff them up just enough to get rid of any gloss and create a surface for the new paint to stick to. You don’t have to spend a ton of time on this step. A 120-150 grip sandpaper will work. If you prefer, you can use a liquid de-glosser.
 
After sanding, be sure to clean up any debris with a vacuum or tack cloth. Paint will reveal every bump and crack, including tiny dust particles.
 
Prime
Like sanding, priming does not need to be perfect. You just need a thin coat on most of the surface area. Be careful not to let the primer to pool in corners.   
 
 
Helpful hints on Sanding and Priming
If your cabinets are currently painted, you may be tempted to simply paint over them. But you do need to prep the surface. If they were painted with an oil-based paint, you must sand and prime the cabinets if you plan to cover them with a latex paint. If they were painted with a latex paint, you should still at least sand before painting.
 
If you’re painting over cabinets with a heavy wood grain and are looking for a smooth finish, you can fill in holes in the grain with a light spackle. Then sand and prime.  
 
Some new latex paints -- like chalk paint and milk paint -- can be used without sanding and priming. These may sound like great options if you’re short on time, but they will also require multiple coats of paint. (And the subsequent waiting for each coat of paints to dry between coats.)
 
If you are unsure what kind of paint is on your cabinets or what material they are made of, paint a small section of the cabinet and let it dry. If you can scratch or chip the paint off with your fingernail or sandpaper, you’ll definitely need to sand and prime.
 
Step 3: Paint
Start with frames and use the appropriate size brush for each section. (Small details, small brush. Large surface, large brush.) Choose high quality brushes with ultrasoft bristles. Not only will these give you the most professional look, they’ll also retain their softness better when properly cleaned so you can use them again and again.
 
After you finish the frames, move to doors and drawers. Paint the backs first, let them dry, then paint the fronts. Be sure to allow enough time for the paint to dry between coats and sections.
 
Finishing with a paint roller can be helpful if you are trying to avoid evidence of any brush strokes.
 
Using a paint sprayer may save some time and definitely eliminates brush strokes, but you’ll need to mask off all surrounding surfaces and have a place where you can spray the doors and drawers. You’ll also need to properly clean the spray bottle when you’re done. This method can give you the most professional look but it’s also the method that requires the most skill.
 
Step 4: Reassemble
Add hardware
If you are using the same hardware, be sure to wash and polish before attaching them to your freshly painted doors and drawers.
 
Reattach Doors and Drawers
Because you labeled all the doors and hardware, reassembling your kitchen should be quick and easy.
 
Step 5: Enjoy!
Your newly painted cabinets will definitely give your kitchen a whole new look and feel. You’ll have the professional-looking, upgraded kitchen of your dreams, without having spent tons of time and money! 

Painting your home is never a simple choice. This is especially true when it comes to its interior. While making things cozy is certainly a priority, it’s also important to keep things stylish in any home. One of the most popular and simple ways to do this is adding an accent wall to make the room pop! You might be wondering what color of paint to use as an accent, which wall would work best, or if an accent wall even makes sense in your home.

We understand that these questions may feel a touch overwhelming. That’s why we’re here to make painting your home simple. Read on to learn some of our tips for selecting and painting an accent wall for the interior of your home.

To Accent or Not to Accent

Before you learn about the ins and outs of painting an accent wall, you should decide if one even makes sense in your home. From our perspective, there’s a color of paint that will work great as an accent in any room of your home. That being said, accent walls sometimes clash with the design of the rest of your home. For instance, it generally isn’t recommended to add an accent wall to a large room because it can make the space feel too large—the opposite of the cozy feeling we all want in our homes. Alternatively, small rooms often benefit from accent walls which can both add some excitement and make the space seem larger. It’s also worthwhile to add an accent wall to your home if you’d like to draw attention to a specific detail in a room, such as an art piece. The right shade of paint can draw everyone’s eyes that direction.

What You Should Accent

Now, you’ve decided that an accent wall may be the right choice for the inside of your home. Before you rush out to buy paint, it’s time to decide what you actually want to accent! This is the step where you can really allow your personal sense of style to shine through. You may want to draw guests’ eyes to an interesting architectural feature, painting, or even sculpture. Or maybe you want an accent wall that matches your furniture, giving the room a cohesive feel. No matter what, be sure to choose a specific aspect of the room to accent—otherwise, painting an accent wall won’t make any sense.

Keep Architecture in Mind

When choosing which wall to paint, we cannot emphasize the importance of analyzing the architecture of your home enough! While our dreams for a home are limitless, we do have to work within the confines of the space. With this in mind, check if the room has any walls that are either recessed or far from the room’s entrance. These walls are often the best accents as a bold color of paint will emphasize their unique features and give the room depth.

Paint with Caution

When painting the interior of your home, it can be easy to get carried away. On paper, complicated and busy designs sound great. In reality, they can make a room feel confused. When it comes to painting an accent wall, we recommend less paint rather than more. Namely, your accent wall will be most effective if it is small! Ensuring that your accent is a smaller portion of the room allows it to really pop and prevents the paint color from overwhelming the space.

Choosing the Right Paint Color

Here’s the fun part! You’ve decided that your home needs an accent and have picked the perfect wall. Now, you need to decide on a paint color. We encourage you to be open minded during this process. Never be afraid to pick a dozen paint swatches to test things out. And when picking out colors to sample, be sure to get a wide range. Colors that might seem to bold in the store could look beautiful in your living room. Alternatively, the colors you love at the store could feel a bit too plain to serve as an accent wall when you get home. And never forget to compare your paint swatches to more than just the wall you plan to have painted. Because this is an accent wall, you want to be sure the color doesn’t clash with any other features in the room.

Call Us to Get the Paint Job Done

At the end of the day, painting your home is a very personal process. After all, everyone who visits will notice your accent wall immediately. That’s the point! Guests can tell when you have put a lot of thought into the design of your home’s interior and quality paint is a great way to send a message. Once you’ve settled on colors and walls, reach out to our team. We’ll proudly help you take your interior design to the next level, one coat of paint at a time.

Call or email us today for a free estimate.

​Before starting any wall painting project, it's important to prepare the walls before they are painted. This first, and most important step, is usually the one done poorly or skipped altogether by painters with little experience. But I've learned that a properly prepared wall makes all the difference between a new coat of paint looking ok and looking fantastic. 

In newer houses the walls may not need much prep work. If the house and/or paint is old and peeling off, then it will need to be completely removed before new paint is added. You can remove the old paint with a sander or a paint stripper and scraper. Paint strippers include harsh chemicals and can be dangerous to use. Paint scrapers involve more work, but usually the end result is much better. 

​Give me a call today and we can discuss your painting needs in Charlottesville.