Kitchen Color Schemes

STEP 1 - Choose your cabinet colors. Kitchen cabinets typically take up 50% of your budget and occupy about 40% of the visual space in your kitchen. For these reasons, most people start out by choosing a cabinetry color that fits their tastes before choosing other colors in their kitchen.

STEP 2 - Choose your appliance colors. Your cabinetry cannot be finalized until you know which appliances you intend to buy. As focal points, your sink and appliances can have a big impact on your kitchen color scheme.

STEP 3 - Choose your countertop colors. Your kitchen countertops are close to eye level and will occupy a large portion of your visual space. Be sure to bring a sample of your cabinetry color to help you choose a coordinating countertop color.

STEP 4 - Choose your flooring colors. When selecting a kitchen floor color, be sure it coordinates well with the cabinets, countertops, and appliances, as well as with the floors in adjoining rooms.

STEP 5 - Choose your backsplash colors. By now your kitchen color scheme is nearly complete. There are many backsplash options that can either coordinate or clash with your color scheme, so if you need extra help, don't hesitate to enlist the services of a designer when selecting a backsplash.

STEP 6 - Choose your wall colors. This is the often forgotten backdrop to the overall color scheme. While your walls are often covered with cabinets, it's a good practice to choose a wall color that coordinates well with the more prominent elements in the kitchen.

STEP 7 - Choose your hardware colors. Your faucets and cabinet handles are installed last, after the cabinets and granite have been completed. While it is common to coordinate the faucets and handles colors, it is not required.

MORE HELP: Below are some additional articles, photos, and design ideas to help you develop your kitchen color scheme.

Colors by Style STYLE is an important factor when choosing a color palette for your kitchen. For example, a traditional kitchen can be made quite modern simply by adjusting the colors in the kitchen. Consider your style before finalizing the kitchen color scheme. » Country » Craftsman » French Country » Modern » Retro & Vintage » Traditional » Transitional » Tuscan » Victorian » More Styles	Cabinet Colors CABINETS occupy about one third of the visual space in a kitchen. Here are several kitchen cabinet colors for you to consider: » Antique White » Black & White » Black » Blue » Brown » Dark Tones » Gray » Green » Orange » Pink » Red » Two Tone » White » Wood - Light/Med/Dark » Yellow » More Colors	Cabinet Materials REAL WOOD is still the most popular option for kitchen cabinets. The natural grain and tone of wood strongly affects your kitchen color scheme. Here's a list of cabinet materials, including popular woods: » Alder » Bamboo » Beech » Birch » Cherry » Exotic Woods » Knotty Woods » Maple » Painted Wood » Plastic Laminate » Red Oak » Stainless Steel » Thermofoil » Quartersawn Oak » Walnut

Kitchen Color Trends	Popular Kitchen Colors! My clients often ask which colors are popular today and which colors are not as likely to go out of style tomorrow. Great question! Based on my own research sorting through thousands of photos of recent kitchen remodels, it would appear that: 1. Overall, today's most popular kitchens feature wood cabinets (40%), followed by two-tone cabinets (30%), white and antique white cabinets (22%), and other cabinet colors (8%). 2. For wood kitchens, the most popular choices are medium stains (40%), followed by dark stains (28%), light finishes (26%), and trailed by whitewashes (6%). 3. For traditional kitchens, the most popular wood stains are fairly evenly split among Cherry/red-tones (40%), Walnut/brown-tones (31%), and Golden-brown stains (29%). 4. In solid-colored kitchens, the top paint colors include white (39%) followed closely by antique white (36%) and trailed by gray (7%), red (7%), black (4%), and "other" colors (7%).

Countertop Colors GRANITE is by far the most popular countertop surface for kitchen remodels, and for good reason. With over 500 colors to choose from, it's easy find great choices! » Black Granite » Blue Granite » Brown Granite » Green Granite » Red Granite » White Granite » Yellow/Gold Granite » ALL Granite Names	Appliance Colors APPLIANCES can make a profound impact on kitchen color schemes. Stainless steel is an excellent choice, and white looks right in certain situations. Here are the top color choices for today's kitchen appliances: » White » Black » Stainless Steel » Bisque » Red & Retro Colors » Wood Panel	Kitchen Wall Colors YOUR WALLS are like the canvas of a great painting. Because kitchen walls are mostly covered by cabinets and backsplashes, wall colors are often decided last. But that doesn't mean they aren't important! Be sure to brainstorm for ideas on treating your walls. » Wall Colors » Painting Ideas » Wallpaper Borders » Wall Decorating » Wall Tiling » Murals

Article by John Hake, Signature Designs

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