Red Paint Colors for a Kitchen



Gypsy Red SW 6865 in Kitchen (red-orange undertones)



I am so excited! My kids and granddaughters are moving from Dallas back to Jacksonville They are purchasing a home in the  Fruit Cove area.  My daughter-in-law Amy just e-mailed me yesterday and wants paint colors for the kitchen and her two daughters’ bedrooms. She wants red in the kitchen and blue for one bedroom and a green or pink color for the other bedroom.

I haven’t actually been in the home, yet, so I can’t give her any “definites” until I see the counter tops, flooring, cabinetry/ furniture, and paint scheme of the rest of the house as well as how much light each room gets. For the bedrooms, my daughter-in-law should also pick paint colors that will match a hue in a leading pattern in the bedding or drapery in the respective rooms.

In anticipation of this assignment, I started looking through my paint deck at some reds, pinks, blues, and greens that have worked well for me in other homes or are attractive 2011/2010 paint colors.

Today’s post will focus on a few reds  for the kitchen.  You will see different saturations of red.  The purer the color, the deeper the saturation will be.  You will also see different intensities which means how light or dark a color is. Both the saturation and intensity affect how much light will be reflected back into the room.  It will be interesting to see which colors we finally choose for each of the rooms. I hope to be able to show you “befores” and “afters”.

Since Habenero Chile happens to be one of Sherwin Williams' colors for 2011, this first kitchen features this color.



                                                                             Kitchen Painted in Habanero Chile SW7589

I do know that the kitchen cabinets in my kids' new home are not dark so I selected this stock photo from the SW Color Visualizer tool which you can use on-line to help you see what a color might look like. Their counter tops are a salt and pepper combination which will work well with the red walls.  Red is a great color to use in the kitchen because it stimulates the appetite.  Amy and Erik currently have red in their kitchen in Dallas and like it so much they want to use it again. The Habanero Chile has red-orange undertones but is a very saturated or pure color as wells as dark in intensity so it will absorb color and not reflect a lot of light  back into the room. The same is true with the Gypsy Red paint color in my leading picture for this post. It is also a 2011 Sherwin Williams featured color. Both of these colors provide a nice contrast to the light cabinets and flooring. Amy's kitchen should be light and bright to accommodate these colors.

My next color is Red Tomato, SW6607, which is also very saturated and has red-orange undertones.  It has less of a light reflective value than Habanero Chile but a beautiful color, also.  This was a Sherwin Willimas 2010 paint color and is my favorite of the reds discussed in this post. 



A  Kitchen in Red Tomato , SW 6607

 

My third choice also has red-orange undertones and is called Peppery. Out of the three colors, this has the most light reflective value, in other words, it will reflect the most light back into the room; however, it, too, is a very saturated or pure color and dark  in intensity as well.







A Kitchen Painted in Peppery, SW 6615

For a red with red undertones, this kitchen features Enticing Red SW 6600.  Can you see how much pinker this color looks as opposed to the other examples in this post?  This color is also very saturated and does not reflect a lot of light back into the  room.  I like the way this color plays up the checkered window treatment and the black accessories in the room.  However, because of the undertones in the cabinetry which appear to be orange and the countertops which appear to be yellow-orange, I believe that a red-orange undertoned red would look better.

                                                                         A Kitchen in Enticing Red SW6600

These saturated colors that I show here are dark and should be used in rooms that get a good amount of light.  Otherwise, your room will look dark.  I've used these darker reds to contrast with the light cabinets for a more dramatic look.

Let's take a look at a  less saturated , less intense or lighter  paint color with the lighter cabinets.  For this example, we'll use Gracious Rose SW6317 which has red undertones. Look how much pinker it looks.  This color does not coordinate as well with the counter tops and cabinets which appear to have yellow-orange and orange undertones respectively.

A Kitchen  in Gracious Rose SW 6317

Lastly, let's look at a red that is less saturated and less intense but has red-orange undertones next to the light cabinets and countertop.  In this kitchen, we use Mellow Coral, SW 6324. You can see that the color seems a bit bland. I really believe a  darker more saturated  color is needed to accent the cabinets. With these light yellow-orange undertoned cabinets, it's better to use a red with red-orange undertones than straight red undertones.  Because of the light floors and cabinets, the wall color needs to provide a little more contrast.

Kitchen in Mellow Coral SW6324

Before you rush out and buy one of these colors to paint your kitchen, you should think about the following:

Does the color complement  or provide a nice contrast to your exisitng cabinetry, furnishings, counter tops,appliances  and flooring?

Does the color allow enough light into the room?

If there is any fabric in the room, does the color coordinate with the colors in the fabric? 

Does the color require a primer?  Many times darker colors do require a primer so the color is solid.

Does the color flow with the other colors which are in the adjoining rooms?

Hiring a paint color consultant can help you ensure that all of these details are addressed so the correct color is selected.  If you need help choosing a paint color for your kitchen, contact me  .  I am a certified Color With No Regrets paint color consultant trained in identifying paint color undertones which coordinate.

Have you painted your kitchen recently?  Have any pictures you would like to share with us?  Drop me an e-mail and attach your pictures. Have any comments on any of these paint colors in this article?   Post them here.

~ Colors must fit together as pieces in a puzzle or cogs in a wheel. ~  Hans Hofman