When it comes to giving your home a stop-and-stare makeover, only a few things are more exciting than choosing the perfect paint job for your new kitchen — but only if you know all the options to consider. That’s because your kitchen is more than just a room, it’s the beating heart of your home from dawn until dusk, and so you need to choose the colours that best reflect your home, your vibe, your outlook and your family’s personality. That’s what colour does best.
From creating a classic timeless look to adding a more contemporary aesthetic, to opting for a more industrial style, colour is one of the most effective ways to create the atmosphere and feel you’ve always wanted your kitchen to celebrate. That’s why it pays to think about this aspect of your kitchen makeover from the get-go, especially as each different shade will have a knock-on effect on the rest of your design dreams: the furniture you choose, the appliances you say yes to and even the kitchen accessories you dot around your space. It will all depend on the colour scheme you settle on.
To help you out with this part of the process, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite go-to kitchen colour schemes to consider for your shaker kitchen cabinetry and everything that goes with it.
It All Starts With Your Colour Palette
When you begin creating your dream colour palette, there is only one place to start: your kitchen cabinets. No matter how big, small or unique your kitchen might be, your cabinets will almost-always account for the majority of the surface area in your space, so they’re almost-always the best place to start planning your colour scheme, which is why most of our advice will be focussed on this approach. That said, they aren’t the only place to start your paint journey.
For instance, if you are planning to use a standout piece of furniture or art as a centrepiece in your kitchen, or you have an eye-catching appliance like one of our stunning Everhot electric stoves, it might be a good idea to make this your starting point. From our decades of experience, it can be a whole lot easier to match the colour of your walls and kitchen cabinets to your Everhot’s Dusky Pink enamel finish, or the one-of-one sofa you inherited, than to do it the other way around. And the same approach applies to other pieces you’re proud to show off, whether they be a piece of wall art, a brightly coloured rug, maybe even a collection of cast-iron crockery that’s been in your family for generations. They’re all worth thinking about from the outset.
Understanding The Creative Possibilities of Paint
As we already mentioned, the vast majority of your colour scheme will come from your kitchen cabinetry, so picking the right paint for these is crucial. However, it is also just the start of your options because there are so many additional surfaces in a kitchen that encourage you to get creative with your colour scheme.So as well shortlisting colours that will look incredible on your kitchen cabinets, make sure you also think about possible paint colours for your walls, island, harvest tables, stools and dressers, all of which will have an impact on the overall look and feel of your kitchen.
To understand this in all its eye-catching glory, we always recommend talking to paint and colour consultancy experts, such as our friends at Paint The Town Green. But as a general rule of thumb, choosing a shade for your walls that is similar to your kitchen cabinets will blur the lines and make your room feel bigger, while opting for a wall colour that contrasts with your cabinets will add an incredible depth to your room.
As for choosing a colour for your island, harvest table and even your kitchen dresser, these are your chance to get creative, especially if you want to give your main cabinets a classic and neutral look. It’s your chance to have some fun, create a focal point and give your kitchen space a burst of colour without totally committing to it. For example, painting your island a strong, bold colour while opting for softer tones for the rest of your kitchen cabinets, will create a centrepiece and give your kitchen a dollop of personality to make you smile every time you walk in.
Our Most-Popular Cabinet Colours
There’s a reason you came here, and this is it: choosing the perfect paint colour for your kitchen cabinetry. At Olive & Barr, we have 4 carefully selected shades in our core collection, and an almost endless selection of colours to choose from through our partnership with the colour consultants at Paint The Town Green. Of course, that has probably overwhelmed your senses slightly, so help guide you to your dream colour scheme, here are a selection of our favourite and our most-popular colours:
Go For Grey: For a Scandi-inspired look, our core grey celebrates the classic Shaker-style kitchen, while adding a more exciting and contemporary flair that will suit any modern home. What many consider to be the epitome of style, it’s no surprise that our grey kitchen cabinetry has long been one of our most popular colour choices.
Do Something Green: Earthy and elegant, cheerful and vivacious, striking yet subtle, our green Shaker kitchens are a popular choice among stylish homeowners who know what they like. Green is a bold and peaceful colour choice for your handmade Olive & Barr kitchen and will prove a timeless addition to your chosen interiorscape.
Blue Is For You: Deep, rich and Inviting, our blue shaker kitchens ooze class and sophistication, which is why they make a deeply stylish addition to any home. It’s the perfect colour to make a style statement while celebrating the timeless traditions of a Shaker kitchen. Depth, balance and a splash of grandeur, our blue will add a dramatic edge to your space, especially under the soft glow of candlelight.
Interesting Ivory: White, off-white and ivory kitchens always have a light, airy and clean feeling to them, and that’s just half the reason they’re so popular. Adding a sense of modern simplicity, which is what our Shaker kitchens are all about, our ivory colour is as versatile as they come, allowing you to choose your favourite flooring and worktops, while adding a splash of colour through your accessories. In short: this classic shade is perfect for a bespoke handmade kitchen with a soft, beautiful finish.
Explore Our Other Colour Combinations
While we offer four core colours, we offer a paint service that allows your Shaker kitchen to be painted in any shade, hue or combination you like. So to help you better understand your options, here are some examples of our finished projects:
Thanks for reading. For more kitchen designs and cooking inspiration, follow us on Instagram and Facebook — or come and visit us at one of our kitchen showrooms.