Cover story: Lightening up in the kitchen

While avocado and harvest gold appliances are nowhere to be found in most kitchens in 2012, some classic color trends, such as a black-and-white kitchen, are unlikely to ever fade from popularity. In addition to classic color schemes, homeowners and interior designers are looking for ways to wash their kitchens in light and color that are both neutral and innovative.

Nadia Subaran, senior designer and co-owner of Aidan Design in Bethesda, said, Some customers come in with a color palette in mind or are focused on a particular selection, such as hardwood flooring to connect with other floors in the home. Other customers want a specific tile or cabinet color to establish the theme for their kitchen.

People still love the classic white, black and beige palette, but they are adding a more contemporary flair with colors like gray, mushroom, oyster and slate.

Homeowners today are remodeling their older kitchens to open them up to the family room, to the outdoors or both, said Patricia Tetro, a principal and owner of Bowa in McLean.

Everyone wants their kitchen to be light and open, so were seeing more people wanting white cabinets instead of dark woods, Ms. Tetro said. Our customers are looking for clean lines, with fewer details on the cabinets. Sometimes in a larger kitchen well still see a more elaborate center island, but in general people are less formal now and they want to keep their kitchen in line with the furniture in other rooms.

When choosing a color palette for a kitchen, consumers need to be aware of the variations in color created by natural light versus artificial light.

If a kitchen doesnt have a lot of windows and doesnt have under-cabinet lighting, its better to choose a lighter backsplash, said David Benson, part-owner and vice president of sales for Architectural Ceramics in Rockville. A kitchen with a lot of natural light offers more options.

Eve Fay, a colorist with Farrow & Ball, a paint and wallpaper manufacturer in the District, said lighting is important for safety in the kitchen as well as aesthetics.

Natural light is great, but if you have a darker space, you need to bring in additional lighting and lighter paint colors, Ms. Fay said. You should also eliminate the lines of contrast between where colors begin and end. For instance, in a small, dark space, you should paint everything the same color, from the trim to the walls to the ceiling.

Not only does natural light influence color choice, but so do other colors within a room. In the kitchen, the appliances, flooring, walls, counters, cabinets and backsplash must be considered together.

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Cover story: Lightening up in the kitchen