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Painting Ideas for Modern Kitchen

Create a kitchen that feels like new with these easy to follow ideas.

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A modern kitchen. PHOTO/FILE

Whether small or big, the kitchen is the most important room in your home. It is where your family members gather daily to prepare meals, eat, socialize, and to hold intimate conversations.

Due to the popularity of the kitchen, and the high family traffic supported by this space on a daily basis, kitchen interiors often deteriorate faster when compared to the insides of other rooms in the house. 

As such, homeowners are often forced by circumstances to revamp their kitchens in order to freshen up the rooms and to maintain or improve the values of their homes.

One of the easiest ways to transform your old-fashioned or discoloured kitchen into a special space that looks and feels like new is to undertake a thorough painting job.

This task requires you to carefully pick a paint colour scheme that works in harmony with the rest of your home.

From picking the perfect color scheme to repainting your cabinets and countertops, here are five easy to follow painting ideas for kitchen to help you create a space that motivates you to get home early.

1. Pick your color scheme

Picking an appealing color scheme tops our list of kitchen painting ideas. This activity deserves careful consideration since the choices you make will determine whether the final outcome is appealing or not.

It is advisable to start by studying kitchen decoration trends to explore the most popular paint color and weigh your options to see what choices will work for you. However, be sure to pick a colour scheme that works in harmony with the rest of your house.

Interior decorators encourage homeowners to go for neutral colors such as gray, beige, ivory, and shades of white. Also known as ‘earth tones’, neutral colors never go out of season.

Besides, when painted on the wall, the colors blend in perfectly without distracting from other colors in the kitchen.

2. Work on the lighting

After picking the color scheme that suits your project, it is now time to bring the paint chips into the kitchen where it will be used to make your final decision.

Try observing the paint chip in the course of day to see how it appears under various lighting settings. A color that appears lively during daylight might seem uninviting at night under artificial lighting.

As a precaution, stay away from dark colors if your kitchen is naturally dark. On the other hand, use dark colors to add a little elegance to the kitchen if the room is naturally bright and well-illuminated.

3. Fix your cabinets

Cabinets are often the focal point of a kitchen, attracting the most attention when a person walks into the room. It is advisable to choose a light color for your cabinets in case your kitchen is small.

Colors such as white or soft gray can help to create the illusion of larger space. On the other hand, a dark cabinet can give your kitchen the much needed elegant look.

The biggest downside of bright colors such as white is their inability to conceal scratches and dirt resulting from day-to-day activities. 

4. Spruce up the countertops

Countertops are one of the largest surfaces in a kitchen, offering you a great opportunity to create a fashion statement. While nobody wants a boring kitchen, you should avoid picking colored countertops.

This is because bright colors such as mustard yellow can look out-dated very quickly, thus undermining your painting venture. It is advisable to stick to neutral colors that compliment your cabinets.

Be sure to alternate between light and dark. For example, if you choose dark cabinets then go for light counters. This will help extend the life of the counters even after you redecorate your kitchen years later.

5. Update your backsplash

A kitchen backsplash is the material that covers the part of wall between the countertop and the upper cabinets. It offers a chance for homeowners to express their style through texture, colors and materials.

Unlike counters and cabinets whose designs tend to be basic, the backsplash is an area where a homeowner can really experiment with various colors.

Since appliances and cabinets mostly cover the walls, you can use brighter colors on the backsplash than you would in other sections of the room.

FAQs

What is the most popular color to paint a kitchen?

White, red, blue, yellow, ivory, and gray are the most popular paint colors for both kitchen walls and accents. Learn how to use them to brighten your kitchen.

How do I pick a paint color for my kitchen?

While this is largely a personal choice, be sure to pick a color that works in harmony with the rest of the house. Consider both natural and artificial lighting, and how it can alter the appearance of a color.

What color to paint a small kitchen to make it look bigger?

Neutral paint colors are ideal for small kitchens. White color reflects light to create the illusion of space. When used on cabinets and countertops, it creates a solid space with few boundaries to limit the eye.

Janet Mutegi holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Nairobi. Her wealth of practical experience from working on major projects across Kenya makes her a valuable asset to our team.