If you’ve been updating—or thinking about updating—your kitchen, you have a lot of design decisions to make. Will you have trendy open-shelving, or more traditional closed cabinets? Will you paint those cabinets to add a pop of color? Or will your countertops be more the center of attention? Will you splurge on granite or marble? Or choose a less expensive material—and which one?
With modern open floor plans making the kitchen more a part of the rest of the house than ever before, you might also have debated about wall colors. What goes with the rest of your home and your style? Do you want to go with a popular cobalt blue? A neutral color? Or will you think about the moods that different colors can evoke, and choose a warm or cheerful color?
But here’s something you might not have thought about: your kitchen ceiling. Or, if you have, you’ve probably noted that you’ll need some matte white paint—after all, it’s common to paint a ceiling neutral white, and many people don’t consider other options. But summer kitchen trends this year have drawn attention to this blank slate for design ideas, and more and more homeowners are painting their kitchen ceilings to add another element of style to their space.
Sounds interesting? This article will discuss this trend and some ideas for how to use it to complement your space.
Why would I paint the ceiling? Won’t it look overwhelming?
While in many rooms it’s traditional to paint the ceiling white—a different color than the walls—making use of your “fifth wall” on the ceiling can help you give any room a completely different look and feel.
If you have low ceilings in your kitchen, or would like to make the room look larger and higher, painting the walls, molding, and ceiling all the same color can actually increase the appearance of size. But be warned—when painting the ceiling, everything depends on the color of the paint. Painting the whole room a dark or jewel tone—or painting the ceiling a contrasting dark color—might give you the opposite effect, and make the room seem smaller and more intimate.
So if you have very high ceilings, and the kitchen sometimes looked large and unwelcoming, a darker color on the ceiling might give the room a calm, warm feeling. But for those with lower ceilings, a lighter color might make the room look larger and more cheerful.
What colors would work well on a kitchen ceiling?
While we’ve established that darker colors usually work better with larger rooms, and lighter colors with smaller or lower ones, the dark or light colors that work best might depend on what else is in your space and what kind of mood you’d like your kitchen to have.
The right shade of gray—lighter for smaller rooms, darker for larger—can achieve a neutral effect without being too overwhelming, and can go with a wide variety of countertop and cabinet colors. The right shade of blue can also work wonders—dark can make a room feel warm and welcoming, and light can make a room feel lighter, airier, crisp, and open. Colors like yellow and green can also work. Yellow may make a room feel bright and cheerful, and green can call up images of nature and energy.
No matter what, when choosing a color, take the other colors in your kitchen into account—your countertops, cabinets, floor, backsplash, decorations, and sink. Choosing something that goes with the rest of the kitchen will help your ceiling tie the rest of the room together and draw the eye upwards in a good way—not in a jolting and disorienting way.
I have granite countertops with natural patterning—can a painted ceiling still look good?
Yes! Many natural stone countertops can look good when paired with colors besides white. Light beige or brown colors that complement the major colors of the stone may work for your space, as might shades of gray.
The same goes for whatever colors accent your granite—if you see flecks of green or blue in the stone, using lighter shades of these colors in the rest of the kitchen—especially on one of the other large horizontal surfaces, your ceiling—can make your countertops shine.
My countertops don’t look good, no matter what I do to the rest of the kitchen. What can I try?
If your stone countertops are looking scuffed and worn, you might not want to highlight them by painting the kitchen. Or, if you have Corian or solid surface countertops that are showing their age, you might not be sure what colors to pair with them. Any damage and wear can make the most lovingly cared-for kitchen look tired and dirty—whether scratches and burns on your countertops, rust or cracks in your sink, or chips in your tile.
But replacing your countertops isn’t the only option. You can instead have your countertops, sink, or tile reglazed. During this process, The Tub Pros will repair any damaged areas and then a new, semi-gloss topcoat applied. It’s easy to care for, only takes a few hours to apply, and gets your kitchen back to looking great for a fraction of the cost.
And if the color of your countertops is posing a problem? Faux granite countertops might be an option for you. This topcoat gives you the look of stone, and is available in multiple colors to suit your style.
Where can I find counter and sink reglazing near me?
If you’re looking for countertop or sink refinishing in Memphis and surrounding areas you will love The Tub Pros. We can get your kitchen looking fixed up, clean, and up-to-date in just a few hours.
And if you need help with bathroom projects? We also refinish and repair damage to tubs, showers, and tile. Are you ready to get started on a project, give The Tub Pros a call at 901-871-8827, or use our convenient online form. We’re here to help!
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