What's the best paint color to go with ivory kitchen cabinets?
We have ivory kitchen cabinets and I'm trying to pick a paint color for the walls. Anyone else have ivory cabinets and/or have a suggestion? I'm repainting the first floor and every gray/griege color I try just makes the cabinets look yellow.
Help!
Answers ( 1 )
Ivory's a rough color to define - it ranges from just a hair off-white to a real pale yellow, to a light beige, and almost to a tan color. So the range of ivory goes from a really pale color to near an orange. So any color that would be a complimentary color - an opposite color would likely enhance the color yellow, make it appear stronger. That's how color works. You never see color as it is, you always see it in relation to other colors around it, and that color will enhance or minimize the appearance.
So considering that, complementary colors, the opposite color on a color wheel, creates a contrast in color that enhances both colors - so with that contrast, the colors appear stronger. Yellow color has a complementary color of purple, so the object would be to stay away from red and reddish blue hues - colors that lean from violet to blues to reds to some browns - for the most part they would make the ivory look more yellow. With such a light hue as ivory, any grey that leans toward blue or red would likely cause the ivory to look more yellow.
What would likely work best would be colors that are more closely related to the ivory - colors on the same side of the color wheel as yellow - greys that are closer to greens and green-blues would be a good choice. Or, choose a strong dominant color that is so strong it overrides any stimulation of that color yellow. Where I'd look are in the shades of green to green-blue, and to brown and yellow-grey or grey-brown shades. Now you can go darker in tone with a deeper shade, and that would minimize any leaning the ivory might do, but it might be too strong for a kitchen, so medium shades might be the best.
Also keep in mind where your natural light comes from, if it's from the south and/or west, you'll be getting a bit more yellow sunlight into the room. If it's north and/or east, the light will be more neutral in tone, more blue. So testing colors, it's best to put a patch on each wall where light comes in, and look at the colors during different hours during the day, as well as early morning and nighttime with lights on. You're bound to see many different colors, but the best choice is one that works for you in the time you most spend in that room.
Some examples below, and some info on color relationships: https://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-harmonies.htm: