The colourful kitchen

2019-06-28 What is your favourite colour? Do you prefer a lot of colour or do you like more subtle and neutral shades? Do you like earth tones or bright and vibrant hues? Regardless of your preference, we all live in an extremely colourful world. Our world expresses itself through colour in the most beautiful and complex ways. It shows us the calm whites and grey tones of winter to the pastel shades of Spring to the vibrant lush greens of summer and of course the beautiful reds, browns and gold tones of autumn.
 
Colour is also a tool of personal expression. The colours we choose for our clothing and homes are a direct expression of our personality, mood and preferences. Many of us, however, are scared to use expressive colours in our homes. We often turn to a default colours like off-white, greys and beiges and maybe use an accent pillow or blanket to add some personality. Interestingly, when many of us enter into a bold or colourful space, we are often inspired or wish we were bold enough to use it in our own homes.
The topic of colour is a very sensitive subject when working with clients. We rarely have a client that seems too comfortable with colour, or at least choosing a colour. We always find these moments quite amusing because we can sense how much our clients long for more personality and excitement within their home, but somehow are afraid to use colour as a tool to express themselves. “What if I don’t like that colour anymore in a few years?” “What if the colour makes the room smaller?” “Is the colour too loud?” “Does the colour fit with our cabinets, couch, floor,…?” The result? Beige rooms with a brightly coloured pillow instead.
 
But truthfully, we can absolutely understand that someone with little to no experience in colour theory, choosing a colour with confidence can be a huge challenge. That’s why we like to give our clients a few practical tips when choosing colour. The kitchen is the notorious stepchild when it comes to adding or choosing colour. The kitchens we see most in our clients’ homes are white, wood and/or grey. When installing a new kitchen, our client also generally ask for white, wood and/or grey. Does that sound like that might also be you?
 
We at ZWEI Design believe that the kitchen is a great opportunity to choose and use colour. The kitchen is where life, joy, stress and many other emotions happen on a daily basis. It is where meals are being prepared, parties are being held and laughter is being heard.

The modern home sees the kitchen as the centre of the home anyway, so why not use this space to showcase our personality?

So you want to add colour? Easier said than done. Don’t worry, here are some helpful tips:
 

When designing a colourful kitchen we encourage our clients to choose a main colour and use that as the foundation for the entire space. Select a few shades of that colour to break up the monotony. For example, paint the cabinet base a shade or two darker than the cabinet fronts.

From there, it is important to find a natural material to balance the boldness of the colour. We chose the CALACATTA LIGHT countertop with a built-in sink by SapienStone as our luxurious yet neutral surface.
 
Up next, we need to find some accent colours. To underline the freshness of that pink we decided to add splashes of mustard yellow to create an almost summery vibe. Most people haven’t studied colour theory, so to help with inspiration, try an online colour calculators like this one: https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/. These are great yet simple tools to help you find your perfect accent colour.
 
To finish the space off, we wanted to contrast the playfulness of the pinks and yellows. To do this we simply selected elegant brass and silver details and used it throughout.
 
When it comes to colour, it’s all about balance, but have fun with it! It is meant to add joy, excitement and personality to your home. Embrace it!

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1. Find the overall “colour season” of your home.
   Start by looking around your home to identify what “colour season” your prefer. Do you see the cooler colours of winter, the rustic colours of fall or the vibrant colours of spring and summer? If you’re struggle with pinning that down, find your favourite corner in your home. what do you see? After that, ask yourself why you like it. Is it a single colour? Or perhaps a combination of colours? Hopefully this helps you see that you already have a colour preference.
    
2. What do you wear?
   This second step is a fun one: open your closet. This typically shows what colours you feel most comfortable in. Often your home and your clothing tend to be similar in colour but this is not always the case. But your closet might just reveal a few different colours that aren’t in your home. Draw inspiration from these colours as well. After all, if you feel comfortable wearing them, you might just feel comfortable using them in your interior.
    
3. Let’s talk feeling.

In a last step figure out how you want to feel in your space. For example, finish this sentence, “I want the kitchen to be…” Keep your sentence simple. Here are some example words: fun, a gathering place, homey, comfortable, natural, organic or minimal. These words will help understand what emotion the colour should communicate.