Colourful kitchen with pink, blue and yellow cabinets

How to plan a colour scheme for your kitchen

Planning and decorating a kitchen is one of the largest changes (and challenges) that you can make in a home. With that in mind, it’s worth taking time out to consider the colours and textures that you might want to incorporate into its character.

Create a three colour palette

Changing the colour scheme of your kitchen is the fastest ways to get a refresh, but it’s still worth using a colour palette composed of three colours to make sure you get it right: The first colour might be something that can’t be changed, such as the counter top (if you don’t plan to change your cabinets and tops that is). The second colour is usually something that is neutral that will serve as a backdrop. This can sometimes be based on an exposed section of wall behind a sink for example. The third colour is the one that will make your kitchen unique and make a statement across accessories and tools.

Getting the right floor colour

Whether you want laminate flooring, vinyl flooring tiles, or solid wood flooring, it’s important to consider what tones you want in order to have your flooring fit with the aforementioned colour palette. Whatever flooring you choose, it would almost certainly fall into the second category of neutral colours. If you happen to have light coloured cabinets, it might be worth choosing a darker kind of flooring. Our Karndean Ashford marble style vinyl flooring tiles for example, are one of our most popular flooring options and offer a wonderful contrast to lighter cabinets.

Appliances matter too

If you’re changing around appliances, it’s worth waiting until you decide what your third colour in the palette will be to ensure that you’re adhering to your plan. Also, if you’re making minor changes to hardware colours, such as faucets and handles, you can also base these on the neutral colour you have chosen. Although this is not absolutely required, it is often the finishing touches and small details that really make a kitchen complete.

If you do happen to be changing your countertops…

It’s important to remember that kitchen cabinets can make up a huge proportion of your budget, which can sometimes be as high as 50 per cent. Additionally, cabinets make up around 40 per cent of the visual space in a kitchen, so if you are going for a full refit, deciding the colour of your cabinets will need to be the very first step of your planning.

Lighting is everything

Lighting is, of course, essential for the everyday goings-on in your kitchen. Designers often encourage homeowners to think about lighting around the same time they think about plumbing, and would even go as far as allowing the same budget for lighting as flooring. You can also consider installing ambient coloured lights that can change depending on the mood you want in the room at any particular time. This is particularly helpful for when you just want to relax in a kitchen you have just spent weeks redecorating.