Orange aid

Color is an easy way of creating an instant personality for your kitchen, whether you want a calm, subdued look or something more dramatic and impactful. And with careful design, color choices can be altered as fashions and personal tastes change.

The owners of this remodeled kitchen, Bruce and Liane Whittaker, were happy to explore vibrant options, says kitchen designer Natalie Du Bois.

"The homeowners wanted to modernize their traditional house, and were willing to take the boundaries a little further to create a kitchen that was dramatic without being over the top," she says.

In the early planning stages, both green and orange were considered. An orange-red was eventually chosen, for its ability to stimulate the appetite and provide a dramatic contrast to the dark brown cabinetry and granite countertops.

"If the kitchen had been near the outdoors or close to a doorway, I might have recommended green," says Du Bois. "But as the kitchen is in the middle of the house, I felt we could use orange as an accent color, with a dark brown to ground the space, and large expanses of white to keep the space bright."

Interest was also added in other ways, such as the asymmetrical placement of the kitchen island, the use of textured materials, and the contrast of matte and gloss surfaces.

"Even though contemporary kitchens are often open plan, people can get closed in by perceived boundaries, so I made sure the island encroached onto the casual living space to blur those boundaries," says Du Bois.

White tiles and brown granite with copper flecks were selected to bring texture to the space. They provide a contrast to the smooth gloss surfaces of the lacquered cabinetry, stainless steel surfaces and glass backsplash.

"I wanted to bring an eclectic, natural feel to a space that could otherwise have felt too modern and industrial," says Du Bois.

Story by: Trendsideas