COLOUR EDITION KITCHEN
Dramatic hues in bold combinations bring extra spice to your kitchen design
FEATURE AMELIA THORPE
CREATIVE CONTRAST
‘Embracing the darkness of aroom can result in amagical space,’ says Helen Parker, creative director of deVOL. ‘Here, we went for dusky pink on the walls contrasted with rich, dark cupboards to create areally moody atmosphere.’ It can be useful to look at the colour wheel –adiagram of colours in the visible spectrum –to select contrasting hues, as they will always be on opposite sides of the wheel. Then consider how you might use the two colours for maximum effect: you could contrast walls with tiles and cabinets, as here, or match the splashback to the walls and use the contrast colour for units and an island. ‘A richly coloured kitchen can be the most alluring of spaces,’ says Helen.
IN THE MIX
Acombination of colours can make akitchen look less ‘fitted’, its cupboards designed to look more like individual pieces of furniture. In arecent project, interior designer Sarah Brown selected yellow for the base units paired with arich aubergine for the island. ‘The TV snug is painted in acobalt blue, which works well alongside the yellow,’ she says. The bold, joyful colours are balanced by areclaimed oak island worktop and parquet floor, bringing in asoft warmth. Acool Silestone Lyra quartz surface on the sink run brings afresh touch. ‘The overall effect is enlivening and perfect for ayoung family, who love the playful element that these colours can bring,’ says Sarah.
COLOUR DRENCH
An all-over paint scheme can be used for acocooning effect. Helen Shaw, director of marketing (international) at Benjamin Moore, recommends being bold for best results. ‘A darker shade will envelop amoody, character-filled kitchen, working beautifully in traditional schemes when paired with further jewel tones and brass accents to create arich feel,’ she says. Helen also suggests taking the same dark colour on to the ceiling. ‘This not only adds to the feeling of grandeur, but helps to create an illusion of higher ceilings, as the lines and edges are blurred,’ she explains. It will also help to make the views from the windows pop and accentuate the dramatic result.
LAYERED LOOK
‘Using bold colour on kitchen cabinetry is agreat way to bring your personality into the space, but balance is very important,’ explains Simon Temprell, interior design lead, Neptune. He recommends gathering sample
