Colors for an Extra-Small Kitchen

Appliances

• Today's smaller homes are often built with white or off-white appliances as standard. The same is true for most new apartment construction. A shade of white is the best color in porcelain sinks, stoves and other appliances for a very small kitchen because white reflects light and keeps the kitchen as bright and airy-looking as possible. Stainless steel appliances are also a good choice if you are lucky enough to purchase or rent a home provided with them or if you can afford to upgrade to stainless steel. Sometimes older apartments or houses retain the colored sinks or other appliances that were the trend when they were built. However, if you must work with colored appliances already present in your kitchen, you can make them appear to be part of a planned color scheme by coordinating the remaining elements of the space.

Cabinets and Countertops

• In a very small kitchen, cabinets and countertops account for more surface area than walls and floors, so cabinets should be as light as possible. Pale woods with a fine grain, such as ash or alder, are good choices in a natural finish. Painting dark, knotty or damaged wood cabinets white makes them fresh and bright. However, if the kitchen floor, countertop and appliances are white, a pastel or citrus color on cabinets adds the right amount of contrast in an otherwise all-white room. Examine the countertop carefully to determine minor traces of color present in it. A shade of taupe, light blue or pale green may be found that would be ideal for your cabinets. If countertops are dark, white or very pale cabinets will help reflect light onto the countertops. If you have the option of selecting a countertop, choose one in a light to medium tone with very little visual texture or pattern.

Walls and Ceilings

• The countertop may once again provide a suggestion for color -- this time for the walls -- but ensure that both cabinets and walls are not bright, contrasting colors. Use two different shades of the same hue for walls and cabinets, or allow one surface to be a neutral tone or white. In a very small kitchen with a low ceiling, paint the walls and ceiling in the same pale hue or neutral. This technique makes the room look taller and more spacious because the eye does not quickly determine where the wall ends and the ceiling begins. If the ceiling is high and cabinets are light, a darker hue can be applied to all of the wall areas or to a focal wall at one end. The darker hue will help that wall to recede from the eye, making the kitchen appear longer.

Floors

• The floor in a small kitchen is also important to the atmosphere and color scheme. A simple tile or wood floor in a light, neutral color with very little pattern or texture is easiest to work with in a small kitchen and will not look dated in a few years. Such a floor will help reflect light and make the kitchen appear airy and cheerful. A small area rug in a color that coordinates with the rest of the kitchen helps brighten a less-than-ideal floor. If you desire to change the floor but cannot replace it, there are specialty paints and stains available at home improvement centers and hardware stores. For rental property, painting or refinishing the floor should be approved by the owner because it is not a change that is easily reversed.

Accents

• Dress the countertop with a few carefully selected small appliances or accessories that work with your color scheme. Light or bright colors and reflective surfaces work best for countertop items in a small kitchen. A small lamp provides extra task lighting. Other accents can be minimal window treatments that coordinate well with the walls or cabinets and still allow light into the room as needed. Table placemats, a fruit bowl, chair pads and upholstered stool seats are easy accents to repeat the favorite colors of your attractive little kitchen.