Painting a kitchen is one of the best ways to make your mark as a designer and to take risks. Nowadays, a kitchen doesn’t need to conform to the traditional all-white color scheme, but you still have to be mindful of the color you choose.

While numerous attractive, unexpected hues are making their way into our kitchens, some kitchen cabinet colors may be better used in other areas of your home.

Choosing the right kitchen cabinet color can be challenging, not to mention expensive; the hues you choose are likely for the long term, so you need to pick something contemporary enough to stay in style but also timeless to avoid feeling outdated.

Before painting your kitchen cabinets, you should consider steering clear of the following hues.

Take a look!

Grays

Cold colors can easily wash out a space, draining it of warmth and soul; painting your kitchen cabinets with shades of gray can make the space feel intimidating and cold.

Alongside steel appliances, gray kitchen cabinets can leave a dull, uninspired feeling in what ought to be one of the happier rooms in the home. The best option for your kitchen cabinets would be to go for rich and cozy colors.

Bright Red

In a room where there’s always lots of clamoring, using a bright red hue can be too intense. The kitchen is a space to relax and unwind while cooking and eating, and this hue can sometimes become distracting and overwhelming.

Red hues have also been associated with evoking hunger, which isn’t what you want when you’re desperately looking for a late-night snack in the fridge!

Hot Pink and Purples

Even though experimenting with colors is part of what makes designing cool and enjoyable, some hues, like hot pinks and purples, simply won’t work on kitchen cabinets.

While you should avoid painting your kitchen cabinets hot pink, a softer, lighter pink that leans more neutral can be ideal.

Deep Browns

Deep, dark, and drab browns will often feel stale and outdated if not paired with the proper complementary colors. Deep browns on the cabinets can make a kitchen feel uninviting and unfriendly, which isn’t what you want for the heart of your home.

However, if you really feel the need to have a shade of brown in your kitchen, consider going for a lighter shade like almond brown, taupe, tan, or warm oak. These hues have a more relaxing effect instead of an overpowering one.