How to transform your kitchen with colour
Colour is one of the easiest ways to transform a room. From a fresh lick of paint on the walls, to a full colour overhaul, you can easily switch up the look and feel of your kitchen in just one afternoon.
While neutral or monochrome colour schemes have a timeless appeal, it can sometimes feel hard to inject your own personality into the kitchen. But playing with colour means you can very easily change your kitchen’s look and feel without a full-scale renovation.
If you want to create a colourful kitchen but aren’t sure where to start, then read on for five ideas to get you inspired.
1. Start with the colour wheel
Fun fact: did you know that Sir Isaac Newton invented the colour wheel? While he is best known for his physics breakthroughs, Newton also mapped the colour spectrum into a circle. It’s a great tool that designers use to visualise the relationship between primary, secondary, and tertiary colours. And there a few ways to develop colour schemes for your kitchen:
Monochromatic
Start by choosing one base colour plus any number of variations of that base. This can include shades, tones, or tints.
Complementary
Complementary colours are the opposite hues on the colour wheel. In their most basic form, they are one primary colour and the secondary colour that is created by mixing the other two primaries.
Split complementary
Rather than being a mixture of two colours, split-complementary colours contain a combination of three colours. To achieve this, you mix together one primary colour and two adjacent colours.
Contrasting
As the name suggest, this scheme uses colours from the opposite side of the wheel.
Triadic
A triadic colour scheme involves three evenly spaced colours on the wheel, which will yield a bold combination.
2. Use your appliances as inspiration
Given they’re essential to your kitchen, why not use your key appliances as inspiration for some colour? The new NEFF Flex Design range features four distinct colours that you can add to your major appliances – anthracite grey, brushed bronze, metallic silver and deep black.
Each of these four colours come with their own unique style and colour combinations. For those wanting a bold kitchen, then a black and white colour scheme – with deep black trimming and handles on your appliances – can bring this look to life. If you want something more subtle to let other colours pop, then you can’t go past the metallic silver or anthracite grey trimmings and handles for your oven, warming drawer, induction cooktop, rangehood and coffee machine.
3. Create a feature or accent wall
A feature wall is a great way to create a focal point in your kitchen, and it’s the perfect way to ease into using colour if you don’t want to commit to a full colour overhaul. You could paint the wall in a single colour, wallpaper it, or even design a simple mural. Tiles are also a great way to add colour to your space – choose a striking hue for your backsplash for example.
Design tip: See if you can match your feature wall with your built-in oven or coffee machine. The Flex Design range gives you options to choose from, meaning you can find a feature wall colour that seamlessly matches with your built-in appliance’s trimmings. Matching your built-in oven or coffee machine with your kitchen? Yes please!
4. Use kitchen cabinets as the foundation
Depending on your set up, kitchen cabinets typically take up approximately 40% of the visual space in your kitchen, so if you’re ready to go bold, it makes sense to use them as the base for your colour transformation. Take inspiration from nature and choose the colours and tones found in forests, the sky or even deserts – earthy soft hues that play well with so many other colours.
If you’d like to use your cabinets to add colour but don’t want to go all out, opt for two-tone cabinets. Paint just a few cabinets, such as a stretch of uppers, to add interest without overwhelming the whole room.
5. Bring colour in with accessories
Sometimes adding colour to the kitchen can be as simple as choosing one hue and using it for many small pieces (even vintage ones!), such as chairs, cushions, or vases. If you have open shelving, you could display colourful pots and pans. Repeating one colour through the space makes it feel integrated into the decor, even if you’re using it in very small doses.
So, how can you choose the best colours for your kitchen?
The world really is your oyster when it comes to selecting colour in your kitchen. The best colours for your space really depend on your personal taste and the size and lighting levels in the room. But some ideas include earthy tones, such as rich and warming clay, dark colours like inky blues and blacks to add drama, or pale, cool shades of green for a calming effect.
You could also take your cues from your appliances given that they take up a large portion of the kitchen. If your dishwasher, oven, and cooktops are made from stainless steel, you have the choice of selecting either warm or cool colours as they both compliment the silvery tone of steel. Opt for a combination of colours that coordinate with one another on the colour wheel. For example, you might choose cool colours such as blue or purple, or, you could go with warm combinations, such as red, orange, and yellow.
If you’re ready to choose unique appliances for your kitchen, consider the NEFF Slide & Hide® oven in four distinct colours that match your style. Book in a free product demonstration today, and a NEFF kitchen expert can help you explore your options.
About NEFF
NEFF is a German-engineered kitchen appliance brand, with a product range that includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, coffee machines and dishwashers designed to make life in the kitchen a daily pleasure. For people who love to cook, NEFF gives you the tools to create meaningful connections, express your creativity and make memories. Because real life happens in the kitchen.
