Get the Complete Guide to Color for Small Kitchens
Decorating a modestly sized kitchen brings unique design opportunities as well as challenges. Though limited in square footage, small kitchen spaces still deserve great style, efficiency, and visual appeal through creative use of color.
By understanding how to skillfully employ color within a compact kitchen, it's entirely possible to produce a gorgeous and functional space that delights the home chef.
Common Small Kitchen Layouts
Many rental units or older homes include galley kitchens spanning one narrow area between walls. L-shaped kitchens use a corner and adjoining wall for two work zones. U-shaped kitchens offer storage and prep space on three walls, with the fourth side open for table seating.
For tiny kitchens like these, it's critical to decorate in ways that maximize every bit of available space. Strategic color selection helps the small kitchen look and function at its absolute best.
Light Paint Colors Visually Expand Small Kitchens
Light wall colors reflect ambient light well, making any kitchen look more open and airy. Soft neutral tones like warm white, oyster gray, and almond work beautifully. So do very pale cool paint colors in sage, powder blue, or muted lavender.
Mirrored Surfaces Boost Brightness
Consider installing mirrored backsplashes which practically double visible light. For small galley kitchens, place mirrors across from windows so incoming sunlight bounces around the entire space.
Integrate glass cabinet doors, chrome hardware and fixtures, or other glossy surfaces to expand brightness as well.
White Tile and Cabinets Help Light Flow
Keep walls, cabinetry, and countertops as light as possible. Paint cabinets white or light gray and combine with white quartz counters for seamless continuity. Match white cabinetry with creamy backsplashes in travertine, marble, or ceramic tile.
Bolder Color Schemes for Small Kitchens
While pale hues may be the conventional choice, daring colors like deep blue-green, bronze, crimson, chocolate, or charcoal gray inject serious style into a small kitchen.
Balancing deeper wall colors with plenty of task lighting prevents shadows. Maintain lightness through the space with snowy white uppers paired with navy base cabinets, for example.
Bold Backsplashes Become Focal Points
Make the most of compact square footage by installing vibrant tile as a bold backsplash. Radiant orchid, golden yellow, or lime green instantly become focal points behind an all-white kitchen.
For contemporary cool, combine jet black cabinetry with a backsplash in sparkling midnight blue glass tile or stylish geometric metallics.
Creative Accent Colors and Focal Points
Who says the walls need all the color attention? Add whimsical appeal by painting the ceiling robin's egg blue or sunshine yellow. The unexpected pop of color overhead makes a small kitchen feel fun and special.
Or create a focal point with one wall in lush emerald green, looking especially striking with crisp white trim. Place a console, butcher block cart, or shelving unit in the same color for a cohesive look.
Accessories Provide Pops of Color
Colorful accessories keep small kitchen decor interesting without overwhelming the space. Display a collection of cheery Fiestaware dishes or multicolored glass canisters. Then complement them with fresh flowers and fruits adding more lively colors.
Dress windows with patterned valances, hand towels, or curtains pulling in secondary shades from the room's main color palette. Even ordinary kitchen tools become artful when creatively arranged by color.
It takes thoughtful planning for vibrant color, good lighting, and smart storage solutions to thrive simultaneously within a modest kitchen. But the spectacular results are well worth the effort.
By boldly embracing light, color transforms small kitchen spaces into favorite gathering places brimming with warmth, style, and functionality. A kitchen meticulously decorated to make the most of every inch doesn't just look beautiful, but becomes a beloved space used and enjoyed each day.