Every housewife dreams of a cozy and stylish kitchen, so that it would be a pleasure to cook there, gather with the whole family at a common table, or simply have warm, friendly gatherings. The first step towards fulfilling this desire is choosing the shades with which surfaces and objects will be “decorated”. A well-composed palette will become a constant source positive emotions and will help create a joyful atmosphere in the heart of your home.
Psychology of color
The influence of flowers on the human subconscious is inherent in nature itself. Receiving up to 80% of information about the world around them through vision, people have learned to instantly recognize the features of things not only by their size and shape, but also by color. And although in the modern world there is no need to look for edible berries or distinguish a sneaking animal among the foliage, reactions to color combinations have largely remained at the level of instincts.
In addition to genetic heritage, likes and dislikes for certain tones are formed individually, depending on personal experience. For each person, certain colors are associated with some memories and can evoke different emotions. This is why it is so important to choose the design of the kitchen yourself, or at least indicate your own preferences when discussing the project with the designer.
How to choose shades for the kitchen?
In order for the finished interior to look harmonious and thoughtful, it should be visualized before the renovation begins. It is best to start from the color of the set, and choose the finishing of the walls, ceiling and floor in addition, as a background for the largest part of the composition. Furniture in the dining area, large appliances (oven, refrigerator, microwave), countertop surfaces, all kinds of metal elements, and textiles also play a fairly important role.
Be sure to pay attention to the compatibility of textures. Thus, gloss is ideal in tandem with darkened glass and chromed steel, the nobility of wood will be beautifully set off by untreated stone, and whitewash will look very nice next to small chintz flowers and enamel in pastel colors.
Color wheel
For several centuries, artists and designers around the world have been using the so-called color wheel - a multi-colored circle divided into 12 segments. Three basic colors - red, blue and yellow - are located on it at opposite points, forming an isosceles triangle. The intermediate place is occupied by shades obtained by mixing adjacent colors in equal proportions.
Equal in brightness and saturation, all 12 colors combine well with each other. If you choose shades placed opposite each other, you get a complementary contrast. Adjacent segments are called analog - such smooth transitions are usually found in nature. You can also “draw” triangles, squares and rectangles on the color wheel - the corners of the figures will demonstrate the most balanced combinations.
Palette from the picture
When creating a kitchen design from scratch, you can use another rather unusual method of selecting colors - based on a photo or picture. It could be a landscape, still life, flowers or any other beautiful image. A special program or online service - a color palette generator - will help you instantly analyze shades in their percentages.
This technique will also work when you need to find a suitable frame for existing kitchen fragments. No one forbids taking a photograph, for example, of a set, and after accurately determining its color code, look at complementary, contrasting, triadic options for best design apron or walls.
Neutral combinations
The main feature of achromatic colors is their versatility. Black, white or gray can be used without restrictions both as a background and as accents. With their help, it is easy to play with halftones, adjust brightness and contrast in the interior, lighten or darken individual fragments.
Black and white kitchen designs almost always look modern and thoughtful. Thanks to the abundance of different materials, textures, patterns, and decor, it can be adapted to any style, be it elegant classics, discreet minimalism, serene Provence, neat hi-tech or rough loft.
The neutral color palette also includes beige, cream and most shades of brown. The noble color of wood in the kitchen is perceived very naturally, regardless of the surrounding textures.
Warm combinations
The color temperature of a particular shade can be determined intuitively, without consulting tables. Bright sunny colors fall into the “warm” category: light green, yellow, orange, scarlet, reddish-brown. But they all must be pure, without impurities. Darkened or whitened to pastel, these colors become dull and cold.
A warm palette is an ideal option for the kitchen, because many people associate this room with the hearth and the element of fire. Appetizing fruit and berry tones will look perfect here - orange, lemon, banana, mango, kiwi, strawberry, juicy lettuce, ripe tomatoes. A white, light green or sand background will create an atmosphere of lightness, and gray or brown will help to slightly dim the summer brightness.
When decorating your kitchen in warm colors, you can look for inspiration in the landscapes of golden autumn. Tan, pumpkin, and straw tones are an excellent choice for a country-style interior. In such a kitchen there will always be a cozy atmosphere, and the air will constantly be filled with the aromas of homemade baked goods.
A neutral-warm design can be achieved by recreating coffee motifs. The light milky beige palette will remind you of the exquisite taste of a latte, and the deep dark chocolate shades will surely appeal to espresso lovers. Splashes of orange, dark red, and green will add brightness to such a kitchen.
Cold combinations
The reason for decorating a kitchen in a cool color scheme may be the desire to slightly reduce the ambient temperature or simply a love for calm, unobtrusive shades. The violet-blue-green spectrum belongs to the water element, retaining its purity, depth and mystery. While warm tones bring you closer, solid cool textures visually expand the space, as if moving away from the observer.
Flawlessly smooth surfaces in electric blue, cosmic blue, and purple colors are a popular option for a laconic modern kitchen or modern style. They look beautiful in gloss, and are also ideally complemented by tinted glass and polished steel.
Vintage kitchen furniture painted with matte paint in turquoise, olive or lavender is an indispensable attribute of the Provence style. The decoration and other interior elements are also dim, in soft pastel colors, sometimes with a rustic print or rustic sketches.
When studying the theory of combining colors in the kitchen interior, it is impossible to do without practical experiments. After all, sometimes in practice the palette differs from computer graphics. To find out what combinations of different shades and textures actually look like, it’s worth looking at photos taken in real conditions. To do this, the photo gallery presents a large selection of options, among which you can easily find the optimal color solution for the design of your kitchen!
Color design is not only a way to create stylish design, but also the opportunity to transform space, even rooms with an unsuccessful layout.
A successful combination of colors in the interior of the kitchen, a place where we spend a lot of time, will help create a comfortable, favorable environment.
At the same time, you need to take into account so many nuances - from choosing the shade of the floor and walls to the colors of accessories. It is unlikely that you will be able to figure everything out on your own. Basic principles and examples of successful combinations will tell you which color is best suited for the kitchen.
Some important points you can find out from the video:
7 basic rules
Rule 1 - Don't use more than three colors at a time
Even if the selected colors in theory combine well with each other, in the interior of one room they can create a color mixture.
At the same time, the choice of the necessary options from a huge palette is also subject to a certain rule, which is separately formulated under number 2.
There are no strict rules about what color can or cannot be used. It's just a matter of the extent of its use.
The design can be guided by several principles (schemes).
Contrast:
- 60% - main color or background (dominant);
- 30% - complementary;
- 10% - accentuating.
This design principle is well suited if you want to use catchy, rich colors in the interior, for example, red, bright orange, etc.
At the same time, as a dominant or main one, they will have a bad influence on a comfortable perception, but as an additional or accentuating one, they will successfully dilute a boring, neutral background.
Connected:
- Use those colors that are located next to each other on the color wheel.
Monochrome:
- One color is taken as the base and complemented only with its shades.
The most dangerous design method for inexperienced designers and the average person. Here you need to take into account both psychology and the degree of saturation and intensity. Otherwise, you risk getting the range merging into a single spot.
This combination is especially dangerous in the kitchen interior when using red, purple or orange.
The photo below is an unsuccessful example of monochrome design.
Rule 2 – Create the right background
What color should I choose for the kitchen as the main, background color?
If you don’t know how to “feel” the interior, intuitively determine successful combinations, then always focus on basic, neutral and less intense tones: white, beige, brown, gray and all their shades. They are universal and harmonize with almost any other.
Rule 3 – Consider the location of windows and the degree of illumination
- If the kitchen windows face north, then the color palette should be warm. For example, cream, light yellow, orange will make the interior more comfortable.
- White, grey, black, blue will help add coldness to an overly sunny, southern kitchen.
The approach to choosing a color based on the degree of natural light is the same: in a bright, sunny kitchen, cold, cloudy shades will come in handy. Warm ones are the opposite.
Rule 4 – Determine your starting point
Where to start designing? If you have already purchased furniture for the kitchen, then take it as a basis. In addition, it is the most expensive part of the interior. Follow the basic principles here.
- A neutral background can allow for more vibrant detail.
Light tiles on the floor and white brickwork make up a neutral base and go well with the green set.
Bright accessories in the Provence style, patterned pillows and rich patterns on the wall panels create the main highlight.
You can place accents in the textile design (curtains, sofa upholstery, covers for chairs or stools, tablecloth) or in the design of the apron.
- Bright decoration requires restraint in furniture and accessories.
Rule 5 – Color depends on style
In some styles it is customary to use a certain range of colors and shades.
- . Contrasting combinations are not accepted in a traditional interior. In most cases, natural wood shades, brown, etc. are used.
Classic dairy cuisine looks beautiful and expensive.
IN neoclassical pastel shades are often used.
- Provence, country, shabby chic– romantic styles, basically love a calm palette in natural, natural and aged wood tones. They allow the use of rich accents in textiles, apron patterns, and other details.
- are predominantly dark tones, the colors of natural wood, raw concrete, and brick.
- Minimalism strives for restraint not only in colors, but also in shades. A basic color set or a contrasting black and white combination, a combination of white, black and gray are the most common.
- Hi-tech mainly involves the use of white, black, gray, silver. And his main distinguishing feature– presence of metal elements. You can use a bright detail only in a single design.
- Feature Scandinavian The interior design is a light, calm (usually white) color scheme as a background and the presence of accenting, bright accessories.
Rule 6 – Consider the area
- Light colors visually expand the space. Therefore, for a small kitchen white, cream, beige, milky, etc. most optimal.
In a small kitchen you should not use a contrasting design principle.
- The spacious kitchen allows you to use both monochrome and contrasting schemes. If it is necessary to “compress” a room that is too large, then they will cope with the task of combining black with light tones, saturated colors with pastels.
Rule 7 – Color combination of floor, walls, ceiling
A dark floor is impractical. The slightest dust, crumbs, and stains will be immediately noticeable on it.
The choice of colors for finishing materials can create the desired effect (see table below).
How not to make a mistake when choosing the color of furniture and materials?
To make it easier to navigate when buying furniture, finishing materials for walls, floors and ceilings and choose the right colors, use the following tips.
- Make a project.
There are many on the Internet free programs for kitchen design, which anyone can master. For example, online designer Prodboard. The created 3D model will clearly show which combinations will be favorable and which will be unsuccessful.
- Take your favorite picture from the Internet as a basis.
Save a project or photo of a real kitchen from the Internet. Mark for yourself the main, additional and accent colors. Determine what color scheme was used to decorate the kitchen unit, dining area, walls, ceiling, and what accessories were used.
Analyze whether this design is suitable for your room in terms of layout, level of illumination, window orientation, etc.
Using the Eyedropper tool in the graphics editor, you can create a palette. Follow this guide when going to construction and furniture stores.
- Determine the color combination according to the table.
Using the tables below you can determine whether the selected colors will look harmonious in one room.
Photo gallery: a selection of modern ideas for inspiration
White– an undoubted favorite of the past and current seasons. Especially popular in Scandinavian interiors. Combines with any colors and shades.
Beige or , diluted with colorful accessories from pink, purple, green, it can look very stylish.
Grey– practical, but not suitable as a dominant feature for cold, small kitchens. Can act as background. Looks beautiful with almost any color: red, pink, bright blue, turquoise, orange, brown.
- Gray and orange.
- Gray and blue.
Green– an ideal color for the kitchen in terms of its effect on the psycho-emotional state and appetite. Looks good with red, yellow, brown, white.
- Beige and green.
Light green , like a shade of green, combined with white.
Brown symbolizes stability, constancy, devotion to tradition. It is not without reason that it is used in classic interiors. Goes well with your own shades, red, gray, wine, green, yellow.
- The different colors of the upper and lower tiers of cabinet fronts are very relevant in modern design.
- Set in two colors: a win-win combination of white with other tones.
Blue And blue, their shades in a sunny kitchen, when diluted, can look stylish and fresh. Blue curbs appetite.
- Blue and yellow.
Violet And lilac contradictory. They combine coldness, aristocracy and pedantry at the same time. This color is difficult to work with. It is with it that you can find tasteless interiors. More suitable for creating accents.
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The combination of colors in the kitchen interior is important tool to create a competent and harmonious space. Thanks to color, we can visually change the area and geometric shape, add mood and unique style.
There are no “right” or “wrong” colors in design, because each color has its own perception characteristics and can create the desired effect. It is generally accepted that cold shades calm, relax and reduce appetite, while warm colors, on the contrary, increase appetite and energize.
Basic rules for color combinations
To create a harmonious interior, you must remember:
1. Light colors always expand the space, while dark colors reduce and conceal it. Therefore, it is advisable to choose light pastel colors, which can be diluted with bright details. A spacious room will seem cozier and warmer if you use dark colors with bright shades in the interior design, and choose a two-tone set.
2. The interior of the kitchen can be black and white (achromatic) or colored (chromatic). Colored ones are divided into single-color (monochrome) and multi-color. Multicolor, in turn, are divided into analog, contrast and triad. When choosing colors for a multi-color kitchen, you should be guided by the rules of the color wheel.
There are the following basic rules for color combinations:
- All colors are combined with each other as follows:
- black and white and can be combined with almost all colors
- beige - with white, brown and blue
- gray is the base color, combined with red, blue, purple
- pink - with gray, white, brown, turquoise
- red - with blue, green, yellow and gray
- brown - with green, beige, blue
- orange and yellow - with blue, violet, lilac
- green - with yellow, beige and light brown
- blue - with green, red, yellow
What is a color wheel and why is it needed?
Designers have collected all the colors that surround us into a color wheel, consisting of primary, secondary and auxiliary colors. Using the color wheel, you can choose colors that harmonize with each other, complement or play in contrast.
In the center of the color wheel is a triangle, at the vertices of which are the primary colors: yellow, blue and red. On the edges of the triangle are additional colors obtained by mixing the main ones: purple, orange and green. Then there are six auxiliary colors and six related-contrasting colors.
Application of the color wheel:
- The primary colors located at the vertices of the triangle are always combined with each other. The combination of colors that is obtained by rotating the triangle in a circle will also be harmonious.
- The colors located in a circle opposite each other combine perfectly with each other.
- Neutral colors harmonize with all colors of the spectrum.
- Two related and contrasting colors can be diluted with lighter or darker ones that are similar in tone.
Colored (chromatic) kitchens
Colored or chromatic kitchens are rooms decorated using one or more colors. Rooms designed in one color are monochrome. Depending on the number of colors used and their location in the color wheel, colored kitchens are divided into: three-color (triads), contrasting and analog.
Single color (monochrome)
Decorating a room in one color is not an easy task, because in addition to the main, basic color, which can be any color, it is also necessary to use its shades. At the same time, the more shades are used, the more interesting the interior becomes. When decorating a monochrome interior, it is permissible to dilute the main color with white. Lately, designers are increasingly using silver instead of white. The love for metallic is due to its neutrality and compatibility with many colors, moreover gray very practical and not easily soiled.
To prevent a monochrome kitchen from becoming boring, you should remember:
- For decoration, you need to choose more than three shades, one of which will dominate.
- Using shades of the base color, you should divide the room into zones (zoning), thanks to which you can adjust the layout.
- The use of materials of the same color but different textures allows you to add a touch of diversity to the interior of a monochrome room.
- Contrasting accents can revive monochrome, but the main thing is not to overdo it.
Tricolor
A classic example of a triad is the combination of red, yellow and blue.
Three-color kitchens or triads are rooms in which three colors are used, located in the color wheel at the same distance from each other. In this case, only one color can be dominant, the rest are used to add emphasis.
Triads can be designed using the following colors:
- red-yellow-blue
- purple - orange - green
- blue-yellow-red
- peach - light green - lilac
- pink - lemon - blue
Contrasting
Using contrasting colors in the interior requires extreme care, because using colors opposite in spectrum can make the kitchen too aggressive or pretentious. In this case, one color is chosen as the main one, and the contrasting color should balance it. The deeper and brighter the base color, the more active the room will be, and conversely, the lighter and paler the base color, the calmer the room will be.
Contrasting cuisine is currently at the peak of popularity, but over time it can not only get boring, but also begin to irritate. To avoid this, it is best to choose flooring and furniture in calmer colors, and choose the color of wallpaper or curtains in contrast.
In this case, the rule of subordination should be observed: the color of the furniture is taken as the starting point, the floor is made darker, and the ceiling is made lighter.
The most popular rooms are those designed in the following contrasting colors:
- blue+orange
- purple+yellow
- blue+peach
- light green+pink
- lilac+green
- beige+dark brown
- red+gray
The combination of any bright color with black or white is also contrasting.
Analog
An analog kitchen is a room designed in colors that are located next to each other on the color wheel. These are not shades of the same color, but completely different colors, for example, yellow, orange and red or green, yellow and light green.
You can use more than two colors in an analogue design, but only one should dominate. For example, it is acceptable to decorate the interior using green, blue, orange and yellow colors, with a predominance of the primary color (yellow or green).
In the design of an analog kitchen, it is necessary to use adjacent colors of the same brightness and saturation.
Black and white (achromatic) kitchen
Since black and white are not colors as such, rooms decorated in black and white are considered achromatic. As you know, this is a popular interior design option in Scandinavian style, minimalism or. A classic example of an achromatic interior is white.
Colors typical for black and white kitchen design:
- white and black
- metallic (black or silver) and white
- white with splashes of olive, brown or terracotta
- white and beige
When designing an achromatic interior, designers attach great value lighting. Thus, you can emphasize the color of white furniture with the help of colored lighting; in the kitchen, using the color of silver, it is better to use cold white light In addition, with the help of light you can emphasize the texture and color of furniture.
Feng Shui color is of great importance. So, it is advisable to avoid using the color of “fire” (all shades of red, pink and orange) here, because this provokes quarrels and disputes. You should not use dark blue.
Since the kitchen combines the elements of Water and Fire, in its color design preference should be given to cool light colors (blue, white, light green). In general, best choice Feng Shui color is white, because it balances fire and water. Stainless steel dishes and sinks also contribute to this balance.
According to Feng Shui, yellow is a favorable color for interior decoration, because it promotes the movement of positive energy. will delight the eye, like a little sun.
By dividing the room into zones relative to the cardinal directions, they can be activated using color. So, red is the color southern zone will contribute career growth, black color in the northern zone - spiritual development.
Briefly about each color
The choice of color for the interior should be based on personal preferences and the wishes of household members. It should be remembered that each color has its own characteristic features that influence our perception.
Red
Traditionally, the color red is associated with passion, energy, life, in addition, the color red stimulates the appetite and improves the digestion of food.
It’s not for nothing that in many cafes and canteens the decor is red combined with orange or yellow.
If weight gain is not part of your plans, red is not your option.
A rich red color visually makes a room smaller, so in small rooms it is better to use muted tones of red in combination with soft, cool shades.
In general, it is somewhat reminiscent of Japanese design, because for the Japanese, red is the color of wedding, joy and happiness.
Chinese style is characterized by a combination of red with white or black, giving the room harmony and style.
With the help of red, you can highlight any decorative element or interior item that brings a sense of celebration and awakens positive emotions.
Green
Green is the color of peace, harmony, unity with nature. The combination of green and yellow makes the kitchen more cheerful.
Perhaps someone green interior It may seem cold, but the feeling of calm and positivity is 100% guaranteed. The combination of blue and green colors has a positive effect on tired eyes, relaxes and puts you to sleep, so this color scheme is more appropriate in the bedroom than here.
The interior looks luxurious, the design of which is made in dark green in combination with gilding.
Blue
Blue color gives a feeling of balance, calms, fills the room with coolness and visually expands it.
The rich blue color suppresses appetite and is suitable for selfless, persistent, and spiritual people.
If the windows face south, using blue-blue colors in the design will make the kitchen cooler.
You can dilute the cool blue color with white, green or red, giving the room more comfort and warmth.
