Colour to paint a dark kitchen?

[bananamonkey]

The kitchen is desperately in need of a repaint, it’s a galley kitchen although quite wide but it’s North Facing with only a small window in the west side and the ceiling is low compared to the rest of the house. It feels cold and dark.

The kitchen itself is white with “oak” worktops and brass handles, current wall colour is pale blue which feels cold? Would very pale pink work?

A light warm pink or off white sounds OK. Perhaps obvious but can you improve the lighting in the room at all?

Yes we’ve already replaced the single bulb with LED spots, maybe we could do some strips under the cupboards. DH thinks I’m being harsh because I hate the room and it’s not actually that bad, maybe he’s right.

I was just looking at Blossom White and Jasmine Shimmer on the Dulux website, will order these testers I think. Got a bit carried away looking at the Melon Sorbet but remembered we have brown floor tiles and it would look hideous.

Dulux “soft stone” can be nice (or look grubby!) depending on the light. Or be brave and go for a bright LOUD pink (Little Greene “Leather” is really energetic and cheerful, but is definitely not fashionable nor subtle!).

To my eyes, yellows always look a bit 1970’s with wood /brown!

Definitely strip LED under the worktops, as it's a lower down light it seems to make the room a lot lighter. Ours is more west-southwest facing so should be bright but for the fact there is a conservatory beyond which makes it dark. We did ours last year just a paint job as we can't afford new cupboards and they're a perfectly good if dark oak - might paint the doors cream or replace the doors with lighter wood this year - and now have Frosted Dawn in the light reflective 'light & space' Dulux range now, used to be Jasmine white which I think is predecessor of Jasmine Shimmer perhaps? Anyhow new paint always improves things but this is a LOT brighter, and I've added a red glass splashback, some red framed photos and pictures and other red accessories to match the red Rayburn, so it looks bright and cheery now. as opposed to dark and dull - and brown-y grey tiles with deep reddish brown grout that clashed with the cupboard doors. Yuk. Now just plain white tiles with white grout (boring but looks clean and bright). (In mitigation previous people did the kitchen we just have painted it since)

I’d love to go super bright but we’re going to move in a couple of years so best to stay slightly neutral I guess. No definitely not yellow, the rest of downstairs is a really yellowy cream (even the woodwork 🤮), it’s slowly being replaced but the kitchen needs doing more urgently.

Will definitely look at the under cupboard lights. Sounds lovely @Ariela!

My sitting room is also northfacing and can get quite 'dark' during winter - painted the walls a pale blush pink and it's much warmer. You could also try yellow which I have in my windowless hall way.

Sorry just read your update re yellow. Mine isn't a creamy yellow but pale lemon.

I’m going to be a bit radical here - I think you need a warm colour. Not a wishy washy pale nothing of a colour.

So I’m suggesting Pink Ground by Farrow and Ball. I’ve used it in a bedroom with a deep chocolate carpet and white furniture and it’s great. Calamine is a slightly stronger pink. Pink makes any room feel warmer. Peignoir also works well but is slightly greyer. It’s still warm though.

Can you fit in down lighters? Under cupboard lights would help too.

I agree, sounds like you need a warm colour. What about something like Dulux Soft Peach or another sort of light terracotta colour? We went with yellow for ours which you've ruled out but we also got a nice tester called Coastal Glow which is a cream but it comes in a light reflecting version. We got the light reflecting paint in a different colour for our bathroom and it does perk it up.

I think the right pink would work.

I’m also going to suggest embracing the dark. Go for a deep, dark wall colour and add some under counter lighting. That way the dark feels intentional and cosy.

Thanks all, I’m swaying towards a warm blushy pink, just got to sell it to DH

My North facing kitchen is bubble gum pink, with Antique white units. It does have an end wall of window, so quite a lot of natural light.

Under cupboard lights with warm white rather than cool white bulbs will make a huge difference here.

And F and B Calamine would look lovely on the walls