Actress and longtime (now former) host of “Love It or List It,” Hilary Farr has done her fair share of home renovations. Over the years, she’s garnered a fan following not just because of her entertaining on-screen interactions but also her taste in home remodeling and decor. She’s dropped lots of little nuggets on how to do up a kitchen, and she finally condensed her pointers in an interview with Apartment Therapy. When it comes to kitchen colors, Farr warns homeowners against bringing in too many, which may distract from the home’s design aesthetic. “I like bringing color in, but too much of it is going to disrupt the main design of the concept,” she explained.
In a broader sense, Farr likes to stick to simple, elegant surfaces in the kitchen that can then be overlaid with design elements through crockery, cookware, and other decorative pieces. In fact, even with kitchen hardware, Farr doesn’t like distractions and prefers simple cabinets that don’t overwhelm the kitchen’s aesthetic. The home renovator turned television host also advises caution when picking stained wood grain finishes, saying that they should be coordinated with wood finishes in other parts of the house.
Irrespective of whether you’re a fan of sedate or bright color combinations, choosing shades for a kitchen can become quite overwhelming. There’s a multitude of surfaces to think about, each with a bewildering variety of options. From painted and tiled surfaces to countertops, appliance colors, and cabinet finishes, there’s a lot to coordinate. Hilary Farr’s advice, however, offers some useful guidelines when picking a kitchen’s color scheme.
Hilary Farr’s kitchen makeovers (sometimes unsuccessfully) veer towards elegant and muted
Hilary Farr’s philosophy of clean, uncluttered kitchen decor with clever use of color is echoed in the advice she’s given to multiple homeowners in her more recent show “Tough Love with Hilary Farr.” In season 2 episode 8, “Renovation Refresh,” Farr mentions how much she likes the color blue for the kitchen. The couple in the episode finally ends up getting a sea green for their backsplash, but the results nevertheless look good. In another particularly “colorful” episode (season 2 episode 9, “Color Clash”), the couple renovating their kitchen insists on a palette of bright colors in their kitchen. While the aesthetic is very much at odds with what Farr likes, they do end up coming to a consensus and enjoying the final result once the renovation is complete. Here, too, the interior decorator host picks blue for the kitchen cabinets.
Interestingly, Farr’s own kitchen has proved to be a bit of a dilemma for her. In an Instagram post that features her standing in the kitchen of her home in Toronto, she talks about wanting to update the kitchen while acknowledging how good it still looks. As expected, the kitchen features clean lines amidst swathes of gray, dark brown, and brushed steel — a visual representation of what Farr means when she advises homeowners to keep their kitchen tones free of distractions. Ironically, in the post, the former “Love It or List It” host cannot decide whether she wants to undertake the renovation with the objective to “list” the house or to “love” it.
Picking the right color palette for your kitchen
To not get intimidated by all the options when picking a color scheme for the kitchen, start by taking inspiration from the rest of your home and how you use your kitchen. Try and pick colors that match your home’s color theme. Interestingly, your house’s orientation can also help you decide on paint colors.
If you’ve got a particular type of countertop you’d like for the kitchen island, match the rest of the room to this central feature. It’s also worth keeping in mind that depending on how you plan on using your kitchen, some light shades might get soiled faster and be difficult to maintain. Instead, gray and dark blue are great for accents and go well with bright colors as well as traditional wall colors like white and cream. Light shades on the walls are also some of the best colors to make your kitchen space feel bigger. Contrary to Hilary Farr’s advice, you can try various subtle, lightly colored wood shades and pair them with a light pastel color. Dark wood accents can be used to complement dark granite counters.
Finally, classic color combinations are called that for a reason, so don’t underestimate the power of black and white. These simple shades still give you a lot of room to play with, and the added benefit is that it then becomes easy to match the rest of your kitchen’s furnishings, appliances, and cookware with the color scheme. Green is another popular color, with a light or mint green for a summery look or a deep green paired with gold accents for a classy, high-end feel.
