Shop all Kitchen Products 

Shop all Home Products 

Having an Eye for Color
COLOR TERMINOLOGY | COLOR VALUES | COLOR TEMPERATURES | COLOR INTENSITY 
TRADITIONAL vs. MODERN

Have you ever met someone who just had a flair for fashion and design?  Some people can throw a mishmash of colors together and make them appear cohesive and complimentary.  People who are less talented at mixing hues need not despair, nor do they have to fall back on ultra-conservatism and rely on using pure white to avoid making the wrong decision.  By learning more about how colors work, even the most color challenged individuals can learn how to be daring and strategic when it comes to designing their kitchens.

As human beings, we rely on our sense of sight much more heavily than any of the other senses.  Psychological studies suggest that 95 percent of our learning comes from visual cues.  Colors both affect our moods and represent how we already feel.  For example, many cultures believe dreams involving darkness represent fear and sadness, while blue is said to be an optimistic color.  Likewise, people who wake up feeling cheerful are more likely to select bright clothes to wear that day.  As color plays such a vital role in the human experience, it is important to decorate our homes with colors that make us feel comfortable.
 

Understanding Colors through Terminology
There are only three primary colors:  Red, yellow, and blue.  However, those colors can be blended in an infinite number of proportions.  Thus, the number of colors in the universe is actually limitless.  Any color can be mixed with either white or black to make it either lighter or darker.  To differentiate between the subtle nuances between various colors and shades, interior decorators commonly use the terms value, temperature, and intensity.  BACK TO TOP

Color Values and Decorating
If you take pure green, for example, and add white to it, you might end up with what decorators call mint, which is a light value of green.  Value is a color's relative lightness or darkness.  The basic color ring contains three types of colors:  Primary, secondary, and intermediate.  The secondary colors are combinations of the primary colors, and the intermediate colors are the resultants of mixed secondary colors.  All of these colors have natural values, light values, and dark values.  The natural values of the primary and secondary colors are best exemplified by how they appear in standard eight-pack boxes of Crayola crayons.

Most people decorate with either complementary or harmonious colors.  Complementary colors are located at opposite ends of the color wheel.  If you were to place a point at one color and then run a straight line from that point through the center of the color wheel, that line would eventually hit the complement color.  Red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and purple are examples of complementary combinations.  Most experts suggest using complementary colors of differing values.  For example, use a light value of yellow with violet, or a light blue with red.  Otherwise, the contrast becomes too stark, and the room will appear chaotic.

Harmonious colors are located next to one another on the color wheel.  Yellow, yellow-orange, and orange appear to be in harmony with one another.  When using these colors in the same room, interior decorators commonly use like values of each color.  The overall effect is pleasing to the eye.  BACK TO TOP

Discerning Temperature through Nature's Examples
The temperature of a color refers to its warmth.  When you think of the color blue as it occurs in nature, coolness comes to mind.  The cool ocean is blue; arctic glaciers have blue tints; and at high altitudes, the blue sky is colder than the land.  Thus, blue is the coolest color.  Conversely, what comes to mind when you think of red?  Consider molten lava, burning coals, or scorching hot steel.  Hence, red is the warmest color.  When you combine red and blue, the result is purple, a neutral color that can be perceived as either warm or cool, depending on its surroundings.  When you combine blue with yellow, a warm color (the color of the sun), the result is green, which is cooler than yellow but warmer than blue.

Cool colors appear distant, and warm colors seem to move forward.  Decorators use blues, cool violets, and cool greens to add depth.  Perceived temperature is how a color looks in its surroundings.  Yellow, for example, appears warmer when situated near blue.  A yellow window frame situated along a blue wall will seem to jump out at people. 

Feng Shui home design principles indicate that warmth and coolness work in tandem like masculinity and femininity, and like the yin and the yang.  Thus, many believe the goal in selecting colors for a kitchen is finding the right balance.  When balancing temperatures, there are factors to consider other than choosing equal amounts of cool and warm colors.  For example, if a kitchen has no windows, or if a tree blocks sunlight from entering the room, then it's a good idea to lighten the kitchen with warm colors.  Oppositely, if you live in a tropical climate, have French doors leading outside, and have skylights through which the sunlight pours, cooler colors can offset the influx of light and provide psychological relief from the heat.  BACK TO TOP

Intensity Equals Purity
Of the three major components of color, intensity may be the most difficult to understand.  Think of intensity as purity.  An example of an intense yellow, for example, would be a ripe lemon.  A lemon contains no color other than yellow, nor has it been diluted with either white or black.  A lemon is yellow in its purest form.  Think again of that box of Crayola crayons.  The crayon labeled blue is the most intense blue in the entire set.  Sky blue, on the other hand, is a less intense blue, because it has been diluted with white.  It's less blue than blue, or less intense.

Most people do not decorate solely with intense colors.  When you have intense blue cabinets, screaming yellow countertops, and the greenest of green walls, you end up with a cartoon-like room.  However, intense colors can yield remarkable results when used properly.  An intense red may work in tandem with a less intense blue.  If the colors you use to decorate your kitchen have low intensities, use red roses or other small but intense decorations to add life to the room.

Professional decorators often urge people to create unifying themes throughout their homes.  Various rooms can be painted in different colors.  However, one way to make all the rooms in a house form an overall effect would be to use colors of like intensities in each room.  This way, while each room may vary in color and warmth, the common intensity will give the rooms something in common.  Different rooms may give off a different feeling, but the rooms will all feel like they are in the same home.  BACK TO TOP
 

Colors in the Kitchen: Traditional vs. Contemporary
Traditional decorators and many real estate salespeople believe that white is perfect for a kitchen.  Light colors are integral to country and traditional kitchens, although various wood finishes and accenting colors are commonplace.  Contemporary designers, however, are getting away from pure white in the kitchen.  Darker cabinets set on light walls balance the contemporary kitchen.  It's not uncommon to find patches of vibrant color amidst predominantly light-colored kitchens.

One reason for the shift towards colorful kitchens is that many people use their kitchens for more than just preparing food.  White is the color of purity and cleanliness; hence, the white kitchen gives the impression that food will be wholesome and healthy.  However, the kitchen also tends to be the place where houseguests sit and socialize.  Kitchen islands frequently feature bar seating and ambiance lights.  Many families eat dinner in their kitchens, whereas years ago most families only ate their meals in the dining room. 

Because kitchens are now living spaces rather than just cooking areas, people often want lively colors in their kitchens.  All homeowners have the freedom to decorate their kitchens with the same color schemes as other rooms.  However, many decorators will suggest either balancing values and temperatures or leaning towards warmth and lightness.  Everyone has the ability to judge the balance of colors in a room.  All you need are your own two eyes and a gut reaction.  Is the room too bright or too dark?  Does it have too much of one particular color without its complement?  Are the colors all warm or all cool?  If the answer to any of these questions is yes, try balancing the room by adding the opposite of what there is already too much of.   BACK TO TOP

| Bakers Racks | Bar Stools | Butcher Block | | Cabinet Hardware | Cabinet Organizers | Counter Tops |  | Faucets | Fireplace Tools | Ironing Boards |  Kitchen Carts| | Kitchen Furniture | Kitchen Islands | Patio Furniture and Accessories | | Pot Racks | Range Hoods | Sinks | Step Stools & Step Ladders | Bar Stools |    | Table Bases and Supports |  Wine Racks | Divisions: | Bathroom Accessories Unlimited | Kitchen Accessories Unlimited | | Cabinet Accessories Unlimited | Patio Accessories Unlimited | | About Us | Terms & Policies |

1136-1146 Stratford Avenue, Stratford, CT 06615 Tel: (203) 374-5425    Fax: (203) 373-0810 email: support@kitchensource.com © Copyright 1996-2006