How important is your color choice?

When deciding to update cabinetry choosing a finish or a color is the single most important decision you will make... besides choosing the right person to do the job, of course!  You've probably been thinking about this for a while.  Making a major change like the color of your cabinets is something that you work up to and chances are you have a few ideas about what you'd like.  Maybe you've started a Pinterest board... maybe you've screenshot kitchens that you like when browsing...maybe you have a piece of art you want to pull colors from... maybe you have a strong dislike for beige... whatever it is, chances are you have an idea of what you'd like.  The main thing I like to remind my clients is that unless you are painting to sell, you will be the one spending the most time in this room, with these cabinets, that may or may not be beige.  You have to love them.  The opinion that counts the most is yours.  

I recently had clients that are retired and have been married for quite a while.  When we met to discuss their color choices they both sat down with me and I started to ask about what they liked, what they had in mind, what their "vision" was.  The husband spoke up first and said "whatever she wants is fine with me...she spends the most time in this space and I just want her to be happy."  Brilliant man.   Unless you are lucky enough to have a husband that likes to cook, a LOT, it's most likely going to be you that spends the most time in the space and YOU have to love the color.  Not your neighbor, or best friend, or mother-in-law... 

"Oh, that's not a problem" you may be thinking.  I know I want white cabinets.  Ummmm... there are over 900 shades of white.  NINE hundred.  I'm not trying to scare you, I promise!  This is where I can help!  

When I first meet with clients that have not made a decision on a color we spend a lot of time talking about what they imagine their new space will look and feel like.  Do you want to lighten and brighten?  Do you want to create a focal point?  Do you want to contrast areas?  Do you want to create a certain vibe?  The easiest way to narrow down what you'd like is to look for inspiration pictures online or in magazines that draw your attention and are appealing.  You'll be surprised how easy it is to narrow down your choices just by looking at your inspiration pictures.  I have a program that I use to scan a picture and I can pull out and identify all of the colors in the picture.  That is usually a great starting point and from there we can get an idea of what you like and the undertones you'd like to focus on.  

Once you have a general color choice I like to narrow it down to 3 samples.  Not that you can't choose more, but 3 is a good starting place.  I make 3 sample swatches that are repositionable and allow you to move them around to different areas at different times of the day to check how the color works with the changing light.  After a few days of moving the swatches around you will be able to narrow down the one that you like the most.  This may be your ultimate choice or you may say, I think I want to go a little lighter or a little darker... From there it's just a matter of fine-tuning to choose your color crush.  I do hope you will let me help you when the time comes to recreate your space.