How to Choose a Color Scheme for Your Kitchen

Kitchen by Concepts In Color

Choosing a color scheme for your kitchen can be a time consuming and thoughtful experience. With hundreds of hues to choose from, picking the right color scheme can mean the difference between a dream kitchen and a mistake. However, taking into consideration your personal preferences, your kitchen’s lighting and room size will help make this decision more manageable.

This is your kitchen – one place that you will use everyday. If you enjoy blue, for example, use that as a color off of which you want to build. Don’t be afraid to use bright colors as well. Kitchens are typically thought of as happy places, so if bright colors make you happy, find a way to incorporate them, either through accessories or focal point colors.

Look at your surroundings. How big is the kitchen? How much natural or artificial light does your kitchen have? What are the kitchen’s dimensions? Choosing dark colors for a small kitchen, for example, can make the kitchen appear even smaller. According to Sherwin-Williams, if you have a big room and want it to feel more intimate, colors such as red, gold and brown are better to use. If you do not have much light in the kitchen, lighter color schemes may make it feel brighter.

Get to know the color wheel and which colors are complementary. Painting the walls in a kitchen is just one component of a color scheme. You will have to choose colors schemes for the cabinets, appliances, countertops, backsplash and hardware, for example. These are important desicians. Matt Kimble at Concepts In Color can sit down with you and help you get started in the right direction.

Wood
Take into account wood. If you already have dark stained cabinets, for example, that you wish to keep as part of the color scheme in the kitchen, consider lighter colors on the countertops and walls to contrast those dark cabinets.

Style
Consider what your style is. Are you more country or contemporary? Country kitchens use splashes of bright colors, such as red. Think bowls of red fruit — a color that you can then incorporate into the rest of the decor in the kitchen through accessories. Contemporary kitchens, on the other hand, may use more earth tones or neutral colors.

Look at what’s in style. Just like clothing, home decor styles change all the time. If you plan to sell your house in the near future, you may want to consider color schemes that are currently in style that will appeal to a wide array of potential buyers. This goes for hardware and appliances as well.

Flow
Look at your other rooms. If you have an open flow into the kitchen from the living room, you may want to consider a color scheme that complements the color schemes in your other rooms. You do not have to pick the exact same color scheme, but instead can pick a color that is in the same family or a complementing color. This unifies the entire space.

Bring Out Your Best
Look at your best features. Do you have a picturesque window in the kitchen or beautiful cabinetry? If you have a focal point in the kitchen, choose a color scheme that accentuates that piece. Examples of potential items to feature include crown molding, fireplaces, a focal wall and windows. To accentuate one of these, use contrasting paints or try different finishes of paint that make these items stand out. For example, if you have a beautiful backsplash that is bright, choose a more muted neutral color on the wall that makes the backsplash stand out that much more.

Watch your room at various times of the day. When the sun is at its highest, the color of your room may look different at night under artificial light. To ensure you like the color scheme you pick for your kitchen at all times of the day, tape a few paint samples (or paint sample spots on the walls) and watch how they vary throughout the day in different lights. Talk to Matt at Concepts In Color and find the easiest way to bring out the best features of your kitchen.

More About Color: www.conceptsincolor.com

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Wall Colors for Productivity

Whether you’re looking for a paint color for your home office or wish to cover your workplace with hues that promise to stimulate productivity, there are a number of theories that claim to know which way to go. With several studies to choose from, the color that is most productive for you may end up being the color you most enjoy.

University of British Columbia

Six hundred participants took part in a study at the University of British Columbia – Sauder School of Business, designed to learn which colors most inspire productivity. As part of the study, participants were asked to complete particular tasks on the computer. The computer screen on which they worked was blue or red. The study showed that when participants were asked to perform tasks requiring attention to detail, a background screen color of red boosted their performance by 31 percent. When participants were asked to complete tasks requiring creativity, a blue background screen produced better results.

AllBusiness.com

AllBusiness.com, a resource for small businesses, suggests covering large wall surfaces with pastel shades and accenting the room with darker, richer colors that introduce excitement into the room. The accents don’t necessarily need to be found in accessories. For example, safety warnings, exit signs and trim colors can provide vibrancy. The theory is that walls covered with intense primary colors can lead to a loss in visual acuity or visual clarity.

University of Texas at Austin

As director of the interior design program at the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Nancy Kwalleck studies the psychological effects of color. Most notably, she has examined which colors, if any, are most conducive to productivity. What Kwalleck has discovered is that people are more productive when surrounded by particular colors. The problem is that the color that stimulates a person is highly personal, and there is no one-color-fits-all palette.

The “Hawthorne Effect”

A 1920s study led by Harvard Business School professor Elton Mayo showed that employees respond to any change in their environment, as long as they feel they have a part in deciding it. Employees responded less to actual environmental changes than to the belief that their preferences were being recognized. If you’re painting a private space, only you can determine which color best inspires productivity. If you’re hoping to increase productivity in a shared space, consider using a neutral color on the walls and allowing individuals to add color to their own areas.

Find out more about color: www.conceptsincolor.com

Thanks to By Dana Sparks, eHow Contributor

Information on Exterior House Paints

Exterior house paint isn’t just about color. Choosing the right paint for your house is also about where you live, the amount of sun your home gets and the architectural style of your home. Additionally, consider cost and quality of the paint. Also, consider hiring a professional painting contractor that is right for you.
Read more: Concepts In Color

1.    One-Coat Paint
You probably would prefer to use only one coat of paint when repainting your home. Some brands market their paint as one-coat coverage, which is possible; however, one-coat paint will work only on a home that has been previously painted.
Talk to Matt at Concepts In Color for advice on one-coat painting.

2.    Geography
When choosing the paint color, think about your location. If you live in an area close to the ocean, the color you use will appear even brighter due to the reflection off the water. Bright colors are often used in oceanside communities. While these colors might look appealing near the sea, they might not work well in a Southwestern location. Talk to Matt at Concepts In Color for advice on geography.

3.    Considerations
The exterior materials used on your home will be a decisive factor when you choose paint. Whether it’s siding, stucco or wood, this must be considered for the highest-quality paint job. For best results, be sure to prime your home first, which will help give the house a smooth professional finish.

Read more: Information on Exterior House Painting
Exterior Color Ideas