According to CIL paint, the colour you paint your kitchen can enhance your eating experience. Not surprisingly, then, the company’s new Culinary Collection of paint colours features names such as Adorable Peach, Bright Cherry, Cranberry Zing, Curry Spice, Lime Twist and Olive Oil.
“White kitchens have been trending for a number of years, but now we’re seeing a resurgence of colour in the kitchen, from cabinetry to counters to walls,” said Alison Goldman, brand manager for CIL paint, a brand of PPG Architectural Coatings, crediting the revival to current rich-in-colour bohemian, retro and return-to-nature trends in home decor.
“The kitchen is the most-used room in the house and the area where family and friends tend to gather, so it’s the perfect place to add colour and personality to a home,” Goldman said. Still, it’s important to choose kitchen colours wisely, she cautioned, as some are better suited for this multipurpose environment than others.
“Warm, uplifting colours, such as yellow, red and orange, and soft shades of grey, violet, blue and green, are known to be more conducive to appetite-building, entertaining and conversation,” she said, explaining that CIL paint took these findings into account when developing its new palette.
CIL paint’s Culinary Collection brings together the brand’s top kitchen colour recommendations from its existing paint line-up. “No matter what the look or size of your space, the collection has a colour recipe for everyone,” Goldman said. For starters, she offered these suggestions as good choices for:
Modern kitchens: Grey is all the rage in home decor these days, and muted grey walls work especially well in a modern kitchen. Other striking wall colour options, particularly in kitchens with stainless steel appliances, are lemon yellow or apple green. If a full wall of these bright colours is too much for you, paint them above your cabinets only or even inside cabinets with glass doors to liven up the room.
Country kitchens: Complement wood cabinetry by painting the walls cozy shades of terra cotta red.
Small kitchens: Make a small space appear larger by minimizing the contrast between the walls and cupboards. Choose a palette of colours with similar tonal value. Another option is to paint a focal wall a bolder colour and the other walls a lighter version of that colour. Use the kitchen’s vertical space to stack rows of shelving or add upper cupboards extending to the ceiling to maximize storage and the visual height of the room.
Windowless kitchens: If you can’t see the outside from your kitchen, consider bringing the outdoors in through the use of colour, such as optimistic shades of light green and yellow. A soft yellow can simulate the look and feel of sunshine. Crisp, white paint on trim, ceilings, mouldings and doors will help brighten the walls even more. For maximum brightness, install the right combination of artificial lighting in the room – including task, overhead and ambient lighting – and use high gloss paint on doors and trim to reflect the existing light.
“When choosing paint colours, take into account the colour and design of your cabinetry, countertops, tiles, moulding, appliances, lighting and flooring,” Goldman said. “And remember that paint isn’t just for walls – freshly-painted cabinets, tables, chairs and other decorative objects go a long way in helping to create a spectacular kitchen decor.”
