Liking a particular color and liking that same color in a designated space are two different things. Before selecting the colors you want to paint your Chicago kitchen remodel, there are a few important things to note.

Preparing to Paint Your Chicago Kitchen Remodel

Here are some of the things you'll want to take pictures of or note as you work to select the just-right paint colors for your kitchen space.

Is it open to other living spaces? If your kitchen space is part of an open floor plan, wall and accent colors will need to take the surrounding environment into account. They don't have to match or be the same, compliments and contrasts are welcome. However, you will want to make sure that the transitions between color to color - from space to space - are pleasing to the eye.

What energy is most important here? Colors, and the shades within a color, have different energies. If you want the kitchen to have a vibrant and higher-energy space, you'll want to choose brighter shades. If you prefer that your kitchen have a more soothing or calm ambience, you'll want to work with more muted tones. Just as cabinets or countertops can have different finishes, you can also use different wall colors to define different spaces and energy-levels within the same kitchen space.

How often do you like to repaint? For some, repainting is a joy and becomes almost an annual or every-few-years event. They love the idea of creating a different look or feel with a new coat of paint. For others, painting is a dreaded chore. If you fall into the former category, you can do whatever you want because colors can always be changed if/when you tire of them.

If painting falls into the not-so-fun-chore list, we recommend going with more timeless, neutral choices so you can keep it the same as long as you want. Then, use temporary accents for splashes of preferred color.

Use existing features for inspiration. What flecks of color comprise your granite or quartz slab? When you take a close up look, you may find shades you never noticed before and these can be fun to pull out via wall or accent colors. Once you've found a few you'd like to highlight, get paint samples and hold them between the countertops and cabinets to make sure the color makes an attractive transition. This is a quick way to determine which one or two of your multiple "potential" colors will work best.

Sample and observe. Finally, paint a few decent-sized wall swatches so you can get a solid idea of how that color looks and feels, as well as how it interacts with both daytime and nighttime lighting options. You may find that you need to go a little darker or lighter than you originally thought in order to work with the available light sources.

Having a hard time choosing the just-right colors for your Chicago kitchen design? Visit us here at Kitchens & Baths Unlimited.