Adding character to your kitchen with @av.home
Your kitchen is the heart of the home, a busy family space that is bustling with life and activity. When designing your kitchen, choose colours that add character and warmth to create an inviting setting, perfect for hosting family and friends.
Be inspired by Arthty from @av.home’s kitchen refresh, featuring our self-priming Intelligent Paints. She used a beautiful palette of Little Greene shades alongside thoughtful finishing touches to transform her new-build kitchen into a space filled with charm, personality and character…
Tell us about the colour scheme for your kitchen transformation.
“When I first revamped my kitchen in 2022, I most definitely played it safe by painting it white. Though it can be classed as a timeless option, I felt it lacked depth, so I spent just over a year wishing I had been braver with my choice of colour (or lack thereof). This year, I’ve been enjoying stepping out of my comfort zone and injecting more colour into other areas of my home, so – naturally – it was time to do the same in the kitchen.
Yellow, to me, is the epitome of joy. After a year of obstacles, grief and heartache, adding this happy colour to the heart of our home just felt right. Oak Apple is what I like to call, sunshine in a tin. It’s the most beautiful muted yellow, which adds the perfect amount of vibrancy without being overpowering.”
“I opted for a two-toned kitchen with neutral paint on the upper cabinets, as I wanted to create balance and visual interest. In a small space, painting the upper cabinets white helps to draw the eyes up, creating the illusion of height and making the space feel larger than it really is.
I wanted a warm white to complement the yellow, and Stock is exactly that. It's the perfect neutral, cream paint which instantly brought a sense of warmth to the kitchen, especially in comparison to the stark white I had previously used. I love the dimension this pairing has added. Don’t let anyone tell you all white paint is the same!”
In the process of repainting the kitchen, my husband and I also built a floating larder on an empty wall. Instead of painting it yellow to match the kitchen, I thought it would be a surprise to opt for a contrasting blue. Hidey Hole is a pale blue-green and it was love at first sample! This pop of colour beautifully complements my yellow kitchen without stealing the spotlight, and I couldn’t love it more if I tried. It truly feels like a colour palette from a nostalgic storybook kitchen, which is exactly what I had envisioned.
Arthty’s palette…
![Stock®](data:image/svg+xml;utf8, <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0" y="0" height="233px" width="201px"><rect width="201" height="233" style="fill:%23f8f4e3" /></svg>)
![Oak Apple™](data:image/svg+xml;utf8, <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0" y="0" height="233px" width="201px"><rect width="201" height="233" style="fill:%23cdc185" /></svg>)
![Hidey Hole™](data:image/svg+xml;utf8, <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0" y="0" height="233px" width="201px"><rect width="201" height="233" style="fill:%23DEEBDC" /></svg>)
What was your experience using our new self-priming Intelligent Eggshell to paint your kitchen cabinets?
“I’m a serial painter. I love changing up the colours in my home and in the process, I’ve tried several paint brands. I can confidently say that Little Greene’s upgraded Intelligent Paint range is the best I’ve ever used. It made the daunting task of painting a kitchen feel like a walk in the park.
The built-in primer cut the prep/paint time in half, and the fully washable finish is perfect for my hardworking kitchen. I found the application to be seamless, leaving a beautifully even finish regardless of whether I used a roller or brush. From the impeccable coverage to the undeniable quality, I was thoroughly impressed!”
Do you have any top tips for updating and adding character to kitchen cabinets?
“As an owner of a new build, I’ve worked hard to add character and interest to my kitchen cabinets over the past few years.
Here are a few of my top tips that are low effort but high impact:
1. Add crown moulding to the top of the cabinets. I’ve done this in my kitchen, and it has honestly made a world of difference. It’s a beautiful, decorative element that can make the cabinets feel completely elevated. They also add height, which helps draw the eyes up and create the illusion of a taller, grander room.
2. Add decorative trim on the underside of the cabinets. Identical to the crown moulding, adding a decorative trim to the underside of the cabinets is an easy, unexpected way to add dimension to an otherwise simple, straight edge. Changes like this are what make a kitchen uniquely charming and visually captivating. I’ve used scalloped trims in my kitchen, and they spark so much joy.
3. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone with paint colours. I always say, paint is not permanent. It’s the easiest element to change/undo, so life is too short to spend wondering if a brightly coloured cabinet would work in your home. Paint those samples, choose that colour and don’t look back. I can promise you, it’s absolutely worth it!
4. Hardware is jewellery for your kitchen and deserves attention. Swapping out your hardware can make such a drastic difference to the overall look and feel of your cabinets. If you don’t use power tools or don’t want to drill new holes, finding hardware to fit the existing holes makes this upgrade that much easier. You can also include a variety of hardware (i.e. knobs, pulls, latches) to create visual interest. I opted for polished brass hardware in my kitchen which has patinated over time and added an extra element of charm, helping my new build feel aged in the best way.”
Explore more kitchen inspiration to inspire your upcoming refresh, or request your free colour card to browse colours for your project.
