Designers Say Painting Kitchens This One Common Color Is Almost Always a Mistake

Key Points

• Skip cool gray because it can make hard-surfaced kitchens feel cold and commercial.

• Choose warm white or earthy neutrals to complement wood, stone, and metal.

• Try muted green, blue-green, taupe, or near-black for lasting depth and character.

There may not be one singular "right" color to use in a kitchen . However, when we asked interior designers to share the paint color that they'd never pick for a cooking space, they all answered unanimously. The worst paint color to opt for in the kitchen, according to the pros? Cool gray.

Below, we'll share further insights as to why this color is generally a mistake, as well as what shades to consider instead.

Meet the Expert

• Blair Burton is a designer and the founder of Blair Burton Interiors.

• Brooke Mennen-Talsma is the founder of Brooke MT Interiors, a full-service interior design firm.

• Nadia Watts is the founder of Nadia Watts Interior Design, based in Denver, CO.

Common Issues with Cool Gray

Blair Burton, the founder of Blair Burton Interiors, is one designer who takes major issue with using cool gray in the kitchen. One issue she cites is the fact that kitchens need to contain an element of warmth—they're meant to feel welcoming , not sterile.

"Kitchens already contain a fair amount of inherently industrial materials: stainless-steel appliances , metal fixtures, stone and other hard surfaces," Burton says. "Add too much cool gray and you run the risk of pushing the room toward the feeling of a commercial kitchen, when for most of us the kitchen is meant to be the heart of the home."

She adds that even if you've worked hard to weave in other warm materials into your kitchen—wood, unlacquered brass, woven materials, and the like—wall paint ultimately plays the most significant role in shaping a kitchen's feel. "A cool gray can work against those materials rather than helping them come together," Burton says.

4 Colors That Almost Always Work in Kitchens

Warm Whites

While she emphasizes that it's important to consider your kitchen's architecture, materials, and light, Burton notes that warm white is generally a safe, style-forward choice for cooking spaces.

" Warm whites and other complex, nature-based neutrals are remarkably versatile, particularly when they allow beautiful wood, stone and metal to provide much of the color in the room," she says.

Rich Earth Tones and Deep, Complex Colors

If you're looking to add more zing to the kitchen, Blair has suggestions should you wish to go in a more colorful direction, too.

"Muted greens, warm browns, deep blue-greens and even near-black tones can be wonderful in a kitchen because they have enough depth to live comfortably alongside natural materials," she says. "The goal isn't necessarily to make the kitchen neutral, it's to choose a color that belongs with everything else in the room."

Warm Taupes

While she isn't a proponent of using cool grays in the kitchen, Brooke Mennen-Talsma, the founder of Brooke MT Interiors, is all for embracing warm taupes instead.

"They're timeless for a reason," she says, noting that the color "provides an opportunity to add character without competing with other materials in the room."

Mennen-Talsma finds that this shade looks great with marble and wood alike.

Blues and Greens

Designer Nadia Watts, who is also averse to cool gray kitchens, recommends turning toward blue and green paint colors instead.

"They have such longevity," Watts says. "Blue is classic and works beautifully with everything from polished nickel and marble to antique brass and warm woods, and green brings a natural freshness to a kitchen and, in the right shade, can almost behave like a neutral."

Watts adds that it's also OK to go with what she calls "in-between colors."

One example? A green with gray undertones. "Those nuanced colors respond beautifully to changing light and surrounding materials, which gives them depth and makes them much easier to live with over time," the designer says.

Read the original article on The Spruce