The Rosy Kitchen Cabinet Color That Actually Stimulates Your Appetite

Whether you're moving into a new space or revamping your long-term home, choosing how to style your kitchen cabinets can be a real challenge. Should you leave the stained wood alone or go for classic white paint? What about a daring, bold color instead? As it turns out, red is one daring color that could encourage everyone in your family to spend more time in the kitchen. Painting your kitchen cabinets red might even make it easier to convince everyone to eat their veggies and polish their plates, as shades of red are shown to increase heart rates, boost metabolism, and make us more inclined to chow down.

This bold color isn't just psychologically stimulating; red is gaining traction for its aesthetic value too. Soft and deep reds, especially, are a huge emerging color trend in interior design, and there's no better place for this appetizing hue than your kitchen cabinets. Learn more about how the rosy color is supposed to stimulate your senses and how you can capture the invigorating red cabinet trend in your home.

Picture a few fast food brands in your head, and you'll realize that many of them are red! Red is one of the most attention-grabbing colors, and the shade has been shown to energize people, increase their heart rate and blood pressure, and even make us more inclined to make impulsive decisions (like ordering extra fries). By extension, that burst of physical energy increases your metabolism, which can make you feel hungrier. It's speculated that red also stimulates us psychologically because it is a powerful signaling color in nature. People blush when embarrassed, turn red in the cheeks when angry, and some venomous animals and toxic plants are red. Red signals make us want to react, and when we're in the kitchen, a common reaction is to eat.

Of course, if you're on a strict diet, you may want to steer clear of red cabinets. Red raises your metabolism but could also make it harder to resist a little midnight snack. In this case, opt for a shade more in the arena of burgundy or pink. When red leans closer to the pink side of the spectrum, it may even decrease aggression and increase cooperation and passivity. This is why opposing football teams often paint the visitors' locker room pink!

Aside from being a scientifically fascinating cabinet color, red cabinets are endlessly versatile, adaptable, and trendy. The era of gray and white kitchen designs is phasing out, while colorful interiors are once again taking center stage. Interior designer Melanie Lissack writes on her blog, "One of the best things about this group of colours is their ability to work so well alongside muted hues and neutral tones. You may want to play it safe in the majority of the room with whites, greys, and soft greens." However, she recommends, "A rich burgundy kitchen island will completely lift the space and give it a whole other dimension" (via Melanie Lissack Interiors).  

If bright red cabinets feel a little overwhelming, remember that there are hundreds of shades of red to choose from, from brick red to dusty rose and oxblood. In fact, burgundy, raspberry, and more muted, earthy reds are having a major moment in the spotlight. Your red cabinets can be as bold or understated as you'd like, proudly surrounding the whole kitchen or quietly warming up the kitchen island. Paired with brushed gold hardware and a bright kitchen window, red cabinets are the epitome of the "bold is back" movement we're seeing in interior design.