Had to choose between a warm and cool white palette for a kitchen remodel, and I'm still second-guessing myself

I was picking colors for a kitchen renovation in my sister's house in Austin last month, and I had to decide between a warm beige and cream palette versus a cool gray and white one. The warm side felt cozy and timeless, but the cool side made the space look bigger and more modern, which she wanted. I ended up going with the warm because I worried the cool would feel cold with her north-facing windows. Now she's saying the cabinets look too yellow in the afternoon light. Has anyone else regretted picking a warm tone over a cool one in a space with directional lighting?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_lane12d ago

Did your sister pick any of the accessories yet? I've noticed that warm tones ALWAYS look different depending on what's sitting next to them, especially with natural light changing through the day. A cool-toned countertop or a few gray accessories can pull the eye away from the yellow and make the whole thing work better. Sometimes it's not about the cabinets themselves, but what the light is bouncing off of around them.

adamcoleman12d ago

Gray accessories might pull focus but they also risk washing things out if there's not enough contrast.