10 Tips for Choosing the Right Kitchen and Bathroom Colors

Making the right color choices for your home can sometimes be intimidating, especially if those color choices are attached to large price tags. In the kitchen and bathroom, most color selections, from floor to ceiling, can seem very permanent (tile) and very expensive (cabinets).

[image: Coastal Living]

As most Apartment Therapy readers have noticed, color inspiration can come from anywhere but not all colors work everywhere. The trick is finding the right colors for you and for your room. We’ve put together a list of tips to consider when choosing a “no regrets” color scheme for your kitchen or bathroom.

1. Pick colors that you love and that you respond to emotionally. Juicy yellow in the kitchen might be invigorating for one person and crazy-making for another (like the character in Gilman’s Yellow Wallpaper).

2. Don’t be afraid to go with brighter or more saturated paint colors in the kitchen or bathroom. Usually there is very little empty wall space and the paint color becomes a border around the cabinets, appliances and woodwork. The right paint color can make these items pop, like the right frame for artwork.

3. Be prepared to be flexible and make compromises. As you go through the process of selecting all the colors and finishes, your plan will be constantly revised.

4. Choose one element to launch your color palette, but don’t buy that item until all accompanying selections have been fully researched. For example, use hand-painted tiles as an inspiration but don’t purchase them until you know you have coordinating countertops and flooring.

5. Start with the least flexible element of your bathroom or kitchen and match others to it. It’s much easier to adjust stains and paints on cabinets or walls to harmonize with granite or tile.

6. Do not underestimate lighting. Look at all your color and finish choices in daylight and in the artificial light that will be in that particular room. Soft blues and greens might look fresh in morning light, but dull in incandescent light. Color-corrected fluorescent lighting can be helpful.

7. For granite and other countertops, the safest approach is to keep it neutral and versatile. This is a big ticket item that you don’t want to replace when the trends shift again.

8. When choosing cabinets, consider the undertones of the wood. Some woods are warmer (like pine) or cooler (like walnut) and a stain can accentuate this even more. In addition, woods like maple can be glazed, tinted or painted for even greater variety.

9. Backsplashes can, well. . . make a color splash in a big way. In a kitchen, choose the countertop first and then match the backsplash. This follows our rule about selecting the least adaptable element first. There are zillions of tile choices out there, but not quite as many countertops.

10. Reverse the order for the bathroom. Here we go contradicting ourselves. . .but in the bathroom the tile should be selected first. That makes sense if you think about the area tile covers.

There are no rules about what colors are appropriate or not in a kitchen or bathroom, but there are some generalizations. Pink or peach is more flattering to skin tones than is green, so a soft coral is lovely in a bathroom. On the other hand, green contrasts well with wood tones and is a versatile choice for a kitchen. Finally, when nothing else seems to make sense, there’s always crisp, clean white.

What are your best color suggestions for kitchens and bathrooms? Do you have any helpful "rules" for selecting colors in these spaces?

[images: House Beautiful and Martha Stewart Living]

Comments (12)

I tend to like simple, classic materials for the kitchen and bath like Carrera marble countertops and subway tile backsplashes. I find that they are timeless and flexible when it comes to different design styles; they can go from farmhouse to modern easily. I like to add color with paint and accessories that are easily and inexpensively changed.

I also LOVE mixing the color/style of upper and lower kitchen cabinets. I think it breaks things up and adds interest. My favorite is black or dark grey lower cabinets with white uppers.

Another favorite is graphic wallpaper in a small bath or powder room.

Related question: I have a very small NYC bathroom that I'm looking to renovate. Thinking white subway tile up most of the walls, and then pale-pink-painted walls above that. Is doing a dark gray slate tile on the floor too dark for a tiny bathroom, or will the white/pale pink keep it from being so? (Was also thinking of small black and white mosaic tiles on the floor, to give it a more retro feel--I will already be decorating with black towels and such to make it feel a little vintage-y--but those are hard to keep clean, yes? I am not the best housekeeper...)

Ooh, I love the idea of pale pink with subway tile and dark slate. I think it would look great. There won't be too much of it in a tiny bathroom so I don't think it will read as a big overwhelming dark floor.

I feel like black & white mosaic with the pink and subway tile is really committing to a retro look. The slate would make it easier to change the vibe in the future.

Janbrady: I would be a little worried about the slate floor because it can have variation that goes towards dark greens and browns sometimes. I prefer the idea of a black and white honeycomb mosaic tile -- which might be a little on the vintage side but is also as classic as the white subway. Another option might be to use soapstone floor tiles, which will be more of a deep gray to black with some white veining.

I'd agree with all the advice. The only caveat I'd add is if you FALL IN LOVE with an element (stone, tile, countertop) screw the order and go for it. True love doesn't come around all the time. :)

I'd also suggest that once you've collected your samples and swatches, look at them from a distance, as well as up close. Sometimes stuff that looks gorgeous right up close reads very differently from the distance you might more often be seeing it from.

Also, keep in mind these spaces are really just the backdrop for a LOT of other stuff that gets brought in... dishes, towels, groceries, dinner plates, bottles of wine... so don't panic if you finished-but-unstocked kitchen or bath seems a little empty. It won't be when "life" comes in.

I'm not a huge fan of green as a color choice for either of these rooms.

Appreciate the thoughts, Misty. Definitely don't want the green/brown tones. Didn't think I wanted veining, but will check out the soapstone.

i have those awful faux-wood kitchen cabinets with an odd pink undertone. anyone have a suggestion to counter the pink cast?

I love the first bathroom and the #2 kitchen! Lovely! #3 bathroom is cute, but it's a bit too girly for my liking.

patrick (the other one):

Funny you say that, because I LOVE green in a kitchen!

Given, it has to be just the right green, and preferably combined with a healthy dose of natural light, but, to me, nothing reads "bright, clean and alive" more. And that is exactly how I want my kitchen to feel.

ifmyheartwasahouse--

There are always exceptions! It's just such a tricky color that can spoil the appetite if not done correctly, and not one I go to without specific client request. I could see a bright clear apple green, or a sexy olive working though, you're totally right.

Bathrooms, though... still less inclined! :)

Whatever the tile chosen for the bathroom floor, it should not be slippery when wet. I like the small octogonal or penny marble white tiles with a spot of black here and there.