Cooking With Color: When to Use Green in the Kitchen
We tend to associate green with nature, renewal and youthfulness,
making it a fantastic color choice for a kitchen. Bright, crisp greens
such as lime or leafy green give a kitchen a fun, energetic, modern
vibe. Or add some yellow to a light green, and you have a terrific
neutral celery hue that can add a little zing to a traditional kitchen.
Of course green has a negative side too, as it also represents envy,
illness and toxicity. But stick to greens found in nature, especially
the color of foods you like to eat, and you can't go wrong with this
fresh hue in your kitchen.
by Jennifer Ott
by Jennifer Ott
When picking a green for your
kitchen, go for one that reminds you of a favorite green food. An
appetizing hue in your kitchen will make cooking and eating a more
pleasant experience. Here are some of my favorites.
Green paint picks for kitchens (clockwise from top left):
1. Pale Green Tea 080-1, from Mythic Paint
2. Fernwood Green 2145-40, from Benjamin Moore
3. Green Chantilly 17-3, from Pratt & Lambert
4. Romaine SW6730, from Sherwin-Williams
5. Ivy Vine 207-5, from Pittsburgh Paints
6. Fresh Guacamole, GLG23 from Glidden
7. Grass, from Serena & Lily
8. Alligator Alley KM3390-2, from Kelly-Moore
Green paint picks for kitchens (clockwise from top left):
1. Pale Green Tea 080-1, from Mythic Paint
2. Fernwood Green 2145-40, from Benjamin Moore
3. Green Chantilly 17-3, from Pratt & Lambert
4. Romaine SW6730, from Sherwin-Williams
5. Ivy Vine 207-5, from Pittsburgh Paints
6. Fresh Guacamole, GLG23 from Glidden
7. Grass, from Serena & Lily
8. Alligator Alley KM3390-2, from Kelly-Moore
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This kitchen illustrates my
favorite color advice: Use bold color in ways that are relatively
affordable and easy to change out, such as via wall and ceiling paint.
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I'm a big fan of wood floors,
wood-paneled ceilings and butcher block countertops, but if you add
unpainted wood cabinetry to the mix, it can be too much of a good thing.
Painting these cabinets a mellow guacamole green and a rich cranberry
red avoids wood-tone overload. This is also a great way to freshen up a
vintage kitchen that has a good layout and high-quality cabinets in need
of being refinished.
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I love electric chartreuses and
lime greens, and they are fun hues to use in a kitchen. If you are a fan
of clean, modern, uncluttered interiors, a bright green will keep your
space from appearing too sterile or dull — just know that a little of
these assertive colors goes a long way.
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This is one of my favorite
kitchens on Houzz. I love the colors and materials, the cool vintage
modern vibe, the open cabinetry and the smart use of tight space. These
very handsome greens can be used in large amounts because they are toned
down and play well together.
Here's an example of a nice
neutral gray-green that will work well with any other color you choose.
It contrasts nicely with the warm wood floor and brown-orange brick in a
fetching, soothing palette.
Another beautiful kitchen
featuring rich, rustic materials and gorgeous green cabinets. This is an
example of a kitchen that would appeal to a wide range of tastes, even
though it is colorful and has character. If you want color in your
kitchen but are worried about resale value, either use color in a way
that's easy to change out or pick colors that are tonal, such as the
green on this cabinetry. Tonal colors are those that are light in
saturation but have gray or brown mixed in. This prevents them from
appearing too pastel-like. It's color that is soft and muted but also
pleasingly rich and complex.
Now this fun aqua and leafy-green
galley kitchen is anything but soft and muted! These are intense
colors, but they work here because the kitchen appears to get a good
amount of natural light from windows, reflecting off the white floor,
countertop, walls and ceiling.
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Black and white is a classic
color combination for a kitchen, but I always root for the introduction
of a third color to bump up the fab factor. This palette is so crisp and
fresh, it would work in any style of kitchen.
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Here's another fabulous green
kitchen from the same architects. There are many shades of cream, green
and wood tones going on here, but because the colors are toned down,
they all work well together. What a charming space to cook and entertain
in.
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If you love green and are ready
to make a color commitment in your kitchen, consider one of the many
gorgeous green backsplash tiles available. Keep everything else light
and neutral and let the tile be the star of the kitchen.
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