What is the Best Colour for a Small Kitchen?

When it comes to our homes, they come in all shapes and sizes, and that includes our kitchen space. While we may all yearn for huge kitchens, the likes seen in interior design magazines, for a vast number of homeowners, the reality is that your kitchen space may be more compact.

Having a smaller kitchen does not mean having to compromise on colour, but it can mean that you have to carefully consider the best way to work with tones in your space.

Navigating a small kitchen requires not only a balance between innovative appliances and smart storage space but also a keen eye for the kind of interior design which will allow the space to feel as big, light, and open as possible.

Because that’s the number one goal to consider when it comes to decorating any interior or exterior space – how can you optimise the area to make it seem larger than it really is?

Using colour in the right way can help to make your kitchen appear more spacious, but the wrong choices can make an already bijou space feel claustrophobic. So we discuss – what is the best colour for a small kitchen?

Finding the best colour for your small kitchen

Before we dive into the best colours for a kitchen with limited space, we first want to burst open a myth. Just because your space is small doesn’t mean you have to steer away from darker colours – or any colour, in fact. Far too often, we see interior styling and paint guides guiding consumers towards those colours you typically associate with open spaces: the creams, whites, light greys, and pastel shades – all the while telling them that bold and dark coloured kitchens are the enemy.

We’re here to tell you that it is perfectly possible to inject colour into your kitchen – you simply need to take care to do so in a smart and intuitive way. To do that, we recommend you consider these points before reaching for the colour swatch.

• Where does the natural light in your kitchen come from, and how much of it is there?
• What layout is your kitchen going to have?
• How many uncovered walls will there be in your final kitchen?
• What kind of mood do you want to capture in your kitchen?

Interior social media accounts and websites are packed full of stylish designs where appliances are integrated into worktops, and technology has overtaken the need to actually do any real cooking. However, if you look closely at these stylish examples, you will notice that what really gives them their polished finish is the way that colour is used seamlessly to create a streamlined experience as you move your eye around the kitchen.

And that’s exactly what you need to do to optimise a small kitchen. Instead of breaking the kitchen up into small chunks of colour, which become blended together to form a kind of rainbow chaos, select one or two colours and stick with them.

Dark vs Light colour in a small kitchen – which is better?

It is true what they say: that light colours reflect light better – and so can help a smaller space appear larger. However, in using your lighter colours, especially in a kitchen, it’s important not to create a space that highlights mess or which appears more clinical than homely.

The trick is to draw the eye in a way that gives the appearance of space but in a way that breaks up the sightline so as not to feel overwhelmingly cold.

If you decide to use white in your kitchen to open the spacing up, consider toning the medical feel down by including natural wood kitchen doors and a softer pastel shade on your cupboard doors. Soft green always compliments white and natural wood very well, creating the kind of country kitchen that any homeowner would be proud to cook in.

In this exploration of dark vs light, however, we cannot ignore the dark shades that many homeowners lean towards – not just for practicality but also in helping the kitchen to stand out. Some of the most popular modern colours we see in kitchens include darker greys and deep blues. However, if you do choose to implement some darker shades in your kitchen, then we recommend doing so on a wall that is opposite or surrounded by a source of natural light. Painting a dark corner of the kitchen in a dark shade will only serve to create a gloomy effect in the whole room, while the right wall painted in a darker colour can come off as more of a bold statement.

Alternatively, if you are a big fan of darker colours in the kitchen, you can add an extra layer of perceptive spacing by selecting a high gloss finish rather than a matt paint effect. High gloss units make a space appear brighter and reflect more light and are also great at combating the effect that a high-moisture room can have on the walls. Selecting cabinet doors and cupboards with a high gloss finish can add to this and make the entire room feel more sleek and modern.

Combine dark and light to make a kitchen appear larger

A popular and very modern kitchen trend of the moment is the combination of light and dark shades, which juxtapose each other perfectly thanks to the way the dark adds colour and personality. In contrast, the light brightens it all up.

If you go down this route, use your colour sparingly, especially if it’s a dark shade – for example, dark grey and navy blue, and contrast it is with a bright white. Keep the kitchen bulbs on a white light setting so as not to dull down the colours and keep all the dark colours cleanly finished and set apart in the room to create continuity.

When done right, dark colours can add a rich and homely feel to even the smallest of kitchens, but you have to do it right in order to achieve the right optimised finish.

Quick Fixes to make a small kitchen feel more spacious

If you don’t have the budget or the time to renovate your kitchen space right now, here are a few quick fixes you can make to optimise the way you use your kitchen space – and make it feel bigger without having to break to the bank.

• Install lights under your over-counter cabinets and cupboards to make the counter space feel lighter and brighter.
• Focus on keeping your kitchen worktops as clear as possible. This gives the illusion of space.
• Minimise your use of blinds or curtains. Embrace natural light, and don’t let the overhang of the top of a blind cut your window off.
• If you use natural wood, keep it a naturally light wood shade.
• If you’re not sure about how a certain colour or design style will look, try removable paintings and artwork rather than a complete redesign. This will let you get used to the idea of colour in your kitchen before you commit.

Or alternatively, if your budget is tight, but you really do want to upgrade, consider simply replacing just your kitchen doors.

If your existing cabinetry is in fairly good shape, choosing to simply update your kitchen doors provides you with the opportunity to completely change the aesthetic and feel of your kitchen without the need to fork out for a completely new design.

Browse our range of replacement kitchen doors to discover your perfect shade and style.

And finally, keep your storage space well organised, your sink clear, and your family out of the way during cooking time!

So when it comes to your home, the best colour for a small kitchen is really, the one you love, used well.