How to Choose Paint for the Kitchen
- 1). Use a color wheel to better understand complementary colors. Obtain a color wheel from an interior painting company, or go online for a virtual color wheel or chart. Easy to use, the color wheel matches a wide range of colors to other colors to determine complementary color combinations, color relationships and complementary shades and tones.
- 2). Select a monochromatic color scheme. Choose a color such as blue, for example, and then pair it with white. For a true monochromatic color scheme, include dark blue curtains, pale blue walls, a medium blue table cloth and a patterned kitchen rug that includes both blue and white. Paint window and door trim white to complete the look.
- 3). Use color to cool and warm your kitchen. For a summer accent, use complementary colors such as peach, pale green and orange. Use this color combination to cool your kitchen and add a touch of summer. For a fall or rustic accent, use complementary colors such as brown, dark blue and hunter green.
- 4). Use muted colors for a low-intensity kitchen and vibrant, bright colors for a high-intensity kitchen. The general rule of thumb is to pair a dominant color with sub-dominant colors and a accent. These combinations can be low-intensity or high-intensity, as long as a flair or accent is used to break up the dominant and sub-dominant colors. For a low-intensity kitchen, choose rose (dominant color), pale pink (sub-dominant color) and green (accent). For a high-intensity kitchen, choose dark lavender (dominant color), burgundy (sub-dominant color) and yellow (accent). Incorporate the colors into a specific pattern or save the accent for the trim or upholstery.
- 5). Use color combinations to create a mild to severe contrast. Combine orange, blue and white; red and blue; black and white; or white and yellow to create a striking relationship between color. If you don't like these combinations, achieve the affect by choosing fully saturated colors that offer the highest level of contrast. Choosing similar tints or shades will diminish the overall contrast of the composition. You have hundreds of combination from which to choose.
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