Many people associate "cool" colors -- blue, white and gray -- with mental clarity and calm. Yet, these colors indoors can have a negative effect on the mind because they refelct nature's winter outdoor color palette too much. Cool colors also appear drab indoors when the outdoor light isn't as bright as in summer.
If your kitchen's color scheme relies heavily on cool colors, it can actually seem to feel colder temperature-wise once winter sets in and creates an uninviting, physically and emotionally tiring, and even depressing, atmosphere.
Warm Colors
On the other hand, people often associate "warm" colors -- red, yellow and orange -- with mental and physical stimulation and comfort. Warm colors can have a positive effect on the mind in winter because they reflect the brightness and warmth people desire after dealing with the wintry outdoors. Warm colors also continue to appear bright under indoor lighting as outdoor light fades.
A kitchen designed with warm colors can make a room feel warmer temperature-wise during a long winter, and creates an inviting, energetic atmosphere.
Cabinet Options
Cabinets are often the first thing people notice in kitchens besides appliances. Since total cabinet replacement is expensive and time-consuming, many homeowners and apartment-dwellers warm up their kitchen cabinets by refacing them. Refacing veneer is durable yet inexpensive and easily installed within three to five business days.
With refacing, you have literally hundreds of warm color options available based on various stains, glazes and wood grain patterns. The most common wood types associated with warmth are fruitwoods (cherry, pear and apple), mahogany, beech and oak. Colors can be predominately warm or a shade of neutral brown with warm highlights.
If you prefer wood to laminate, consider red refacing options like Cherry Harvest with a Caramel Glaze, Cherry with a Natural Glaze or Bamboo. For more golden or yellow warmth, consider Harvest Gold on Maple and Maple with a Nutmeg Stain. In laminates, consider light Hard Rock Maple, Dark Wild Apple and Cherry Pear.
If you want darker cabinets with touches of warmth, consider Red Oak Honey Pewter and Cherry Cordovan on Cherry in wood and Chestnut and Chocolate Pear in laminate. Keep in mind that if you go darker with cabinet doors, you must add brighter touches of the same warm color highlights elsewhere -- appliances, lighting fixtures and decor -- to help make the highlights more noticeable.
