kitchen remodel tips #3: style and color

Style & Color is where your kitchen dreams begin. Too often I see clients who are trying to be safe with their color and design choices, and talk about "if I sell some day."

Trends come and go, and when you sell someday the new owner will have their own ideas about colors and style. Create a kitchen that you will enjoy now. Create a kitchen that reflects your style and the colors you find pleasing and comforting.

And that is one of the trends coming out of this pandemic paradigm. People have been home more and are choosing what they like, not what they think someone else wants to see in their living space. We are seeing bolder color choices and the decline of the white kitchen. Six and eight months ago 90% of the kitchen designs I did were white. In the past six months I have seen clients choose the blues and green and wood stains they truley love.

Two tone kitchen are trending now. Some of these will look dated in the future, but smart combinations will endure. Blue base cabinets with white upper cabinets and floating shelves will endure. Green cabinets have been around since colonial times, and pairing those with a light stained upper is stunning. A stained wood base with white uppers and feature like wood custom hood will prevail. Hand marking and distressing, when done well, will not look dated if that is your style. 

Color choice is personal. Gray can work, if you are bold with your choice, but otherwise it will just blend into the late 2010s and do what wallpaper boarders did for the 80s. We are seeing a return to warm colors and natural elements. If your style is whimsical the kitchen should be too. 

When you select a pallette for your home it should flow through the whole house, transitioning from room to room. There are many style quizes online, play with a few to name your style and narrow down your focus. Collect magazine pictures, digital or old-fashioned cut-out, and create a design board. Let your choices refelct you.

I own a pre-1870s farmhouse that had an addition put on in the late 1980s. It will never look restored, and farmhouse is not my style. I lived through the 80s, but do not want my home stuck in that decade. I love warm woods (it is my element) and chose a pallette based on late 1800s white wash tints. I have bold gold curtains in my parlor, and live plants throughout my space. My studio space is a warm carmel color, and my bedroom a serene two-tone sage green.

My kitchen is a working kitchen. I like to say my kitchen style is a bit Jacque Pepin. It is a combination of dark wood and steel shelving. You can easily find the mixer, fondue pot, or tagine. I have 9 ft ceilings with 42" upper cabinets, despite its demure 150 sq ft. I use my formal dining room daily. I like my spaces separated, and do not feel comfortable in open concept homes.