It has long been said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. As such, care should be taken in selecting the right color, mood and style for you and your family to enjoy. Here’s how to help you make this important decision and get the most out of your Woodley Park kitchen’s paintwork.
Finding the right finish
Cooking is just more fun when it’s messy, but that doesn't mean cleaning up has to be hard work. Easy to clean surfaces and backsplash areas can help with a quicker, more effective clean up, as can selecting the right paint finish. High-gloss finishes are less porous and therefore more hygienic for use in the kitchen, however a full gloss has a tendency to highlight imperfections in plastering or wood, particularly under the bright functional lighting needed for kitchens. The high reflectivity of full gloss can also create glare and cause light scattering, reducing the warmth created by ambient lighting. As a good compromise, a satin or soft gloss can be used to aid cleaning while maintaining an ambiance that is gentle and pleasing to the senses.
Color schemes
There is no shortage of color schemes to choose from when it comes to kitchens. This allows for a lot of freedom of choice, but can make deciding on a color scheme an imposing task. Since the kitchen plays such an important role in family life and social occasions, it sometimes helps to focus on the mood you’d like to create rather than the colors to begin with. Do you want a kitchen that is light and airy? Social and vibrant? Deep and comforting? Rich and warm? Cool and soothing? Or perhaps you simply want to create an unassuming backdrop to your busy schedule?
Another strategy to help narrow down the options is to select a single color, either based on the desired mood, permanent features or an old favorite and build a scheme from that based on complementary matching or contrasting colors. Remember to take permanent features, such as countertops, cabinets and flooring into account.
Cabinets
Cabinetry is a central feature of a kitchen’s aesthetic, so you want to make sure you choose a coating that highlights the material’s best features. Stained wooden cabinetry provides visual warmth and texture. High quality wood is perfect for showcasing and can support a wide range of interior design themes and styles. However, if uniformity or a bold new color scheme is something you’re after, painted cabinets can help you achieve this. Older cabinets are also prime candidates for painting as the flaws, gouges and scratches can be cleverly masked. The beauty of cabinets is that they can always be repainted or sanded down and stained if you should change your mind.
RELATED: SHOULD YOU PAINT OR STAIN YOUR WOODEN KITCHEN CABINETRY?
Wooden Flooring
As with stained cabinets, wooden flooring is an excellent opportunity for introducing carpentry accents into your home. However, they can also be painted in order to introduce a solid color with a wood texture, or whitewashed for a shabby chic or cottage look. In this way, a floor can be used to anchor a light color scheme or contribute to a clean, all white look or monochromatic color scheme. It’s worth mentioning that painting a wooden floor is a job best left for the professionals to ensure smooth, lasting color.