Creating a sense of harmony through color is one of the many important design decisions in the kitchen. This space has several elements like the backsplash, countertop, flooring, walls, and cabinetry, and balancing and creating the right mixture of complementary and contrasting colors and textures is essential. For now, let's focus on the harmony between the cabinetry color and the walls. To understand whether the kitchen cabinets should be light or dark, we sought the help of experts. Here's what they had to say.
SHOULD KITCHEN CABINETS BE LIGHTER OR DARKER THAN WALLS?
Experts are of the opinion that both options have their advantages and disadvantages. While lighter kitchen cabinet colors reflect more light, giving the illusion of a larger space; darker ones give the space some depth. 'I prefer darker-colored cabinets against lighter walls in a kitchen as it adds depth and grounds the kitchen in the space,' says Kashi Shikunova, director at Yam Studios. 'This contrast creates a bold feature, lending a sense of luxury and higher quality to the overall ambience making the smaller space feel more special.'
WHAT COLOR SHOULD I PAINT MY WALLS IF MY CABINETS ARE DARK?
'If the kitchen cabinet color is dark and the kitchen is small, consider painting the walls a few shades lighter to provide contrast,' says Grey. 'Say the cabinets are black, I would do the walls in grey. This adds light to the room and makes it feel larger. If the cabinets in a kitchen are dark and the kitchen is large, I select a color that is lighter but complementary to create a dramatic effect.'
WHAT COLOR SHOULD I PAINT MY WALLS IF MY CABINETS ARE LIGHT?
With lighter cabinets, you have plenty of choices for wall colors. For a striking two tone kitchen, consider a darker wall color — perhaps a few shades darker than the cabinets. You could even experiment with other darker tones like navy blue, teal, or burgundy. This scheme would work best in larger kitchens where the wall colors don't make the space feel too caved in. In smaller kitchens, you could go for more earthy tones like taupe, mid-tone grey, or olive green.
SHOULD YOU MATCH THE KITCHEN CABINETS WITH THE ISLAND?
While deciding on colors for the kitchen cabinets and walls, do remember to take note of the island too, as it is among the larger surfaces in the room and immediately visible. If you want to play safe, you could consider a kitchen island color along with complementary tones as that of the walls and storage.