All things bright and beautiful...
Make your kitchen stand out with a pop of colour, writes OCTAVIA LILLYWHITE
WHETHER you’re going for a complete cabinetry refit, getting out your paintbrush, or just updating with some fun accessories, adding colour is the perfect way to cheer up a kitchen.
NO MORE NEUTRAL GROUND
AS LOCKDOWN lifts, Britons are reportedly ready to spend a whopping £61.8bn on home renovations – about £1,175 per person.
For many of us, it’s the kitchen that’s begging for a refresh – the heart of the house, and a place we’ve been spending a lot of time in recently.
In order to cheer up our mood as well as our walls, we’re bringing in an injection of bold hues and contrasting colour to a room that is all too often boringly neutral.
ADD A FEATURE WALL (OR A FEATURE SOMETHING ELSE)
IT’S the most tried-and-tested way to add a hit of colour, plus it’s cheap, and if you decide you hate it next week you can do it over.
A neat back wall behind your sink and cooker is ideal. The joyful yellow below is Banana from Benjamin Moore, £30.50 for 1ltr, which really
pops against an all-white room with a neutral wood floor.
However, most kitchen walls are busy with windows, cabinets and storage, and if you only have one wall that is ‘spare’, it may feel too overwhelming for an accent colour. But there are other ways you can cheat an accent ‘wall’…
■ Use a full-length cupboard:
A FULL-HEIGHT storage space, built-in or freestanding, is ideal for taking a block of boldness.
The zesty orange shade above left is Charlotte’s Locks from Farrow Ball (from £27 for 0.75ltr).
Bringing the colour onto the inside of the cabinet doors looks gorgeous, especially with fresh white shelves inside.
This would also work well on a Welsh or French dresser, using a contrasting colour behind the shelves or inside the cabinets.
■ Use a through wall: If your kitchen has an opening to a hallway, consider painting the wall that is visible from the kitchen. Hallways take colour well, as they tend to be small with stable light, so you could paint the whole area, or just the wall that faces into the kitchen.
■ Use an adjacent wall: If your kitchen is open plan with a dining or living space, paint the wall that abuts the kitchen area.
Use a shade that complements the kitchen, and add one or two accessories (inside the actual kitchen area) in the same colour to draw the eye.
■ Get your own dream island: Pink is one of the hottest colours this year (especially this shade from Dulux
Trade, above – the trade shades don’t have fancy names, but you can colour match to any pink you like), and kitchen islands are still a big trend.
PREFER A PROJECT?
YOU can paint pretty much any cabinet with the right prep and primer.
If they are plain or previously