Christina Hall's Advice On How To Make A Darkly Painted Kitchen Work

Whether you're entertaining or having family meals, a kitchen that feels inviting amplifies the atmosphere. In order to create an inviting kitchen, dark colors are usually not the shades to pick. Darker hues are prone to casting shadows and making a kitchen cold, but Christina Hall has a hack for these shades: natural light. While painting your kitchen dark and using this tactic isn't a method fit for every home, no house can go wrong with more natural light.

Keeping your kitchen windows curtain-free lets the outside environment shine ... literally. Allowing the natural light to flow in provides the brighter contrast the room needs to make the space feel warm and comforting, which is exactly how a kitchen should feel! Plus, by keeping the windows open, the outside environment serves as a decor element since your gorgeous landscape is visible at all times. The good news is that this hack is easy to copy. If your kitchen is dark but has curtains obstructing the views, remove the curtains or keep them pulled back for light to shine in.

Not only does natural light benefit your kitchen by saving energy, but it also increases the ambiance and mood. Having more light in your home has also been known to benefit your health since you're getting more vitamin D from the sunlight. Apart from the home and health benefits, boosting the natural light in your kitchen gives the room a light and airy feel. This element is crucial to keep the room balanced from the dark colors and make the space feel more homey.

Light also has the ability to reflect off certain surfaces, which, in the kitchen, can provide a gleaming effect. When the sunlight radiates off your countertops, appliances, or hardware, it creates a look that's pleasing to the eye. Having the brightness and sheen makes the space feel clean, and who doesn't love a clean kitchen? Plus, the mix of earthy hues from the outdoors blends with the dark colors of your cabinets to make the room feel more warm and cozy.

Is your kitchen windowless? No problem. Most kitchens have at least one window in the room, and if this is the same for your house, it's possible to add more. Deciding on a kitchen remodel to add more windows into the room will give the darker hues the balance they need. Knowing the amount of windows your kitchen needs depends on a few factors. Smaller kitchens may lack the appropriate location for extra windows since the lack of space may require tearing out cabinets or shifting appliances.

If your kitchen already has windows that are not reaching all the way up to the ceiling, consider stacking windows. This style adds another (likely smaller) window above your current one to bring in more natural light. Some kitchen remodels may need to reconfigure cabinetry in order to fit more windows. A stylish way to solve this issue is to opt for cabinetry that's framed between two narrow windows. Although, figuring out the best way to add more natural light to your kitchen may require speaking to a remodeling contractor for a professional opinion.