Choosing your kitchen countertops is one of the most crucial decisions in any kitchen remodel. Not only do you need to consider durability, price and function – but the look is equally important. Countertops can make or break an entire remodel.
Follow these tips below to choose the right countertop color for your kitchen.
Before you get into choosing a specific color, it helps to review the color wheel. The color wheel is a cheat sheet for knowing which colors go together, and which will create an unintended visual clash.
There are three primary ways to choose colors that go together:
In most cases, your countertops are going to be neutral.
There is a huge variety of countertop colors to choose from, but there are some popular colors that most homeowners select:
These are all neutral colors, but not all of these colors will match every space. Even narrowing it down to gray, black, white or brown leaves a lot of choice. To narrow in on a specific color, you need to consider additional factors.
Countertops are a key element in any kitchen’s color palette, so it is important to look at your kitchen as a whole when choosing colors instead of each individual element. When choosing a kitchen countertop, you will want to keep in mind other prominent colors in the area, like walls, cabinets and appliances. It is also important to consider the coloring of nearby rooms if your kitchen has an open design.
Match Colors
Choosing a matching color – for example, white countertops with white cabinets and white walls – will create a modern, minimalist look. All white will make your kitchen appear larger and more open. All black creates a stark, modern look. And matching bright colors create a bold space.
If you want a monochromatic look without the space feeling dull, you can choose countertops in the same color as other areas of your kitchen but use texture to add in some variety. For example, if your cabinets are white and your walls are light blue, choosing marbled white countertops with blue veining are a great way to still keep the space matching but also pull in more color.
Contrast Colors
Choosing a contrasting color – for example, dark countertops with white cabinets – adds visual interest without feeling chaotic. This is a fantastic way to create a space that looks thoughtful without coming off as too try-hard. You can use the color wheel to simply pick opposite colors for your counters and cabinets for endless combinations.
Another key factor for choosing a countertop color is to consider the future. If you ever want to update your kitchen again in the future, it is a lot easier to change the color of your walls and cabinets than it is to change your countertop color. For that reason, when you choose a color it is important to keep that potential change in mind. Choosing a bold countertop color that matches your current walls may not leave you with enough flexibility to change your walls in the future.
No matter how much planning you do, often the best way to figure out if a color combination will work is to see it in person. Get any countertop samples you can, with photos being a decent alternative if none are available. Hold countertop samples horizontally and cabinet samples vertically for the best preview of how the light will hit them.
While countertops are important for the overall look and feel of your kitchen, updating the countertops as part of a whole kitchen or main level remodel ensures a cohesive design.
Interested in remodeling your own kitchen? Our award-winning team is ready to meet you virtually to share our innovative Discovery-Design-Build process. We would be honored to work with you and hope you might consider joining our hundreds of satisfied clients.
New Spaces is a design-build home remodeler located in Burnsville and Edina and serving the wider Twin Cities metro area. Our collaborative, design-first remodeling process ensures that you have complete control of your remodel and are informed every step of the way.
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