Brighter kitchen!!?

Question

we're trying to repaint the kitchen so it catches more light and looks more cheerful yet modern... right now its a light yellow color that i HATE so my mom and i were thinking maybe red and lighter orange... or???? gimmie your suggestions and why!!

Answer 1

Dpends on which direction the sun hits the kitchen. If coming from a "dead" window, for example a north window or one that doesn't allow in a lot of light, going with reds and oranges really darkens down a room.

Instead, get a quart of paint (probably the smallest size you can get in a custom color) or two, or three (yes, that's probably $40 there) and apply to each wall.....such a 3'x3' area is enough. And watch the color over a 24 hour period at least.......better sun and cloudy weather too if possible.

What color is the cabinets? Perhaps you can pick a color out of the wood, you know, undertones. Or at least a complimentary color to the undertones.

While I love red, I think one wall would be enough. And don't do the ceilings in the color, stay with white or very light. It will balance out the color on the walls.

Go to Sherwin-Williams' website. There's a color try-out in there. You have to claw your way through the website, but it has room pictures that you can change colors.....it will give you an idea how red or oranges will appear in a room situation.

Answer 2

If I were doing it, I would paint the base color light - you hate the yellow, so go with a basic white, light beige, light gray, mint green, etc.. Red or orange in my opinion would not make things lighter. Next, to add some color, decorate with pictures, wall decorations (that you can change when you're tired of them), or some other features. Next, it might be a good idea to look at your lighting in the kitchen. I prefer high output flourescent fixtures for the main lighting, and maybe a decorative incadescent fixture above the sink area to dress up things a bit. Good luck on brightening up your space!

Answer 3

Lighter orange sounds good. Make sure to paint the ceiling a lighter color than the walls so the room looks larger and brighter.

Answer 4

If you want to catch more light, don't do a red. Any darker color will absorb light. Go for pastels like sage or periwinkle. I personally love light yellow. My whole house is in light yellow and I get a lot of compliments on it...
:-)

Answer 5

Well, depending on the shade of red or orange, you could end up making the room look smaller. So be careful with your color choice--have you considered apple grren or a bright yellow with stark white glossy trim?

Answer 6

I would do light blue, like Sherwin Williams "Balmy," because blue is "in" for kitchens right now. Take a look at some of these kitchen makeovers from the show "Spice Up My Kitchen" on HGTV:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_kitchen/article/0,1793,HGTV_3375_5608693_02,00.html
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_kitchen/article/0,1793,HGTV_3375_5571479_02,00.html
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_kitchen/article/0,1793,HGTV_3375_5549459_02,00.html
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_kitchen/article/0,1793,HGTV_3375_5591277_02,00.html

Don't you think the blue really brightens it up? And you can add lots of red accents like they did in the kitchen with the red stools.

Answer 7

If you want light go with white. ( I didn't mean to rhyme) Then add colour with your accessories. If you just want cheerfull go with the bright colors.