3 min readThe design and functionality of your kitchen are integral to the overall language of your home. It’s possibly the most important room—it’s where the meals are prepped and guests gather, which means it’s somewhere you should feel comfortable and content. Something that can greatly affect the happiness you feel in a space? Paint color.
Interior designers have a lot to say about which paint colors look best or most expensive in a kitchen, meaning they can also weigh in on what colors do not look good in this space. Below, find the six colors that these experts think you may regret painting your kitchen, from canary yellow to stark white.
Additional copy by Meghan Shouse.
Cool Gray
For Shannon Kadwell, the kitchen and bath director at Anthony Wilder Design Build, cool gray is a shade she avoids in the kitchen. “A kitchen is meant to be the warm, welcoming heart of the home where people actually want to gather—not a sterile commercial office or a hospital corridor,” she says. It can be hard to make gray feel anything but cold and uninspiring, and it completely drains the energy right out of a room, Kadwell adds.
Black
While Sharon L. Sherman of Thyme & Place Design loves black, she recognizes that it can be a difficult shade to use in the kitchen. “I know there is an idea that black hides a multitude of sins, but in reality it shows everything,” she says. “Dust can cling to oils that settle on the cabinets from cooking, and it’s easy to ding cabinet drawers when removing heavy pots and pans.” Plus, it’s also hard to touch up. She would prefer a softly distressed finish for cabinetry if her clients want to incorporate the dark shade.
Bright Yellow
“School bus yellow is often seen as a risky option,” says Darla Bankston May, principal designer of Bankston May Associates. “In small amounts, this bold, saturated shade can make a lovely accent. But when overused, the effect changes. A kitchen painted in bright yellow quickly becomes loud, visually overwhelming, and even stressful to be in.”
Stark White
“I would not use a stark white,” cautions Kelly Neely, founder of Kelly Neely Interiors. “White kitchens are classic, but going too white can feel cold in a space that is typically the hub of the home.”
Red
“In kitchens, avoid super saturated yellows or reds,” says Marissa Stokes, founder of Marissa Stokes Interior Design. “They can feel overwhelming in a room meant to be welcoming. Kitchens really shine with softer neutrals or muted tones that let the food and life in the space take center stage.”
Lime Green
“I would not choose a color that I need to vacillate on," says Libby Baker, founder of Baker Design Co. “For example, I would never paint a kitchen lime green as it would be too overwhelming and jarring during mealtimes. Don't get me wrong. I love bold colors, and I love to use them unexpectedly, but painting a kitchen lime green would create an overstimulating experience and feel more like commercial design than home.”
