heat up your kitchen with colour

September 4, 2012

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home — and in my home it’s a colourful one. I am currently embarking on a full kitchen renovation where introducing colour will play a large role. While ensuring the kitchen is in keeping with the colour palette of the rest of my house, (greys and blues) I’m hoping to do a few unexpected things to keep the kitchen modern and playful. Similar to many of my residential clients, my husband and I differ on the amount of colour to be used as we both have a different threshold (mine large, his smaller). But luckily, there are many options available on the market today to satiate one’s taste for colour in the kitchen, both large and small.
For colour-embracing cooks, the Viking range available at the new Appliance Canada showroom is a beautiful tool. The range and hood can be coloured in a multitude of vibrant hues including: fire engine red, cobalt blue, and goldenrod yellow. Additionally, the knobs and handles can be customized in various metal finishes. Also consider colour on the interior of your major appliances. Electrolux’s appliance interiors come in a bright blue hue that not only looks great when opened, but assists in the performance of warming and cooking. Finally, to make washing your dishes an invigorating experience, Kohler has partnered with colour guru Jonathan Adler in a line of eye-catching cast iron kitchen sinks sure to create a stunning statement.

Cabinetry is another area where colour can make a large impact. While beige and brown are beautiful classic choices, navy blue, forest green and rust orange can retain a traditional aesthetic while introducing a new colour to your palette. In a more modern kitchen, the sky’s the limit — bright and bold cabinets can be a great fit for a more modern space.
While committing to colour on a grand scale is not for everyone, there are easy ways to introduce punches of colour in smaller doses. The Bodum Bistro Toaster comes in a variety of bright hues and can be coordinated with their equally vibrant kettles, blenders and juicers. The Kitchen Aid stand mixer is another countertop appliance that comes in a variety of hues to suit your taste. Coordinating these smaller appliances with your dishtowels, serving ware or flower vases is another way to add a small punch and retailers like Bouclair make it simple to purchase accessories by organizing their merchandise by colour.

I’m approaching choosing colours for my own kitchen renovation in a similar manner to the way I assist my clients. I’m asking the questions, “will this colour make me feel great to come home to? Will the overall look enhance my quality of life?” I look forward to using colour to put my own personal stamp on my new kitchen, and create a colourful space my family will enjoy for years to come.

Lisa Canning will be appearing at the upcoming Fall Home Show sponsored by Budget Blinds on Sept. 21 & 23 at 1 p.m. www.fallhomeshow.com

Filed under: EDITORS' NOTES,FROM THE EXPERTS

Tags: appliances, colour, kitchens, kohler, Lisa Canning, trends