The color gray undeservedly evokes negative emotions in many people and is associated with boredom and despondency. In fact, this is an excellent base shade that helps all the tones of the palette to fully reveal themselves.
Gray is often used by designers as a base color; it is ideal for decorating any room in the house, including the kitchen. All shades of gray look noble and stylish, they never go out of fashion, and due to their neutrality, they cannot quickly become boring, unlike bright tones.
Kitchen in gray and white tones
White, like gray, is recognized as a classic color. It is an ideal option for furnishing a kitchen. White goes well with any shade of gray - from the lightest to the darkest.
Very often small kitchens are decorated in light gray and white tones, as they visually become more spacious. In addition, this combination of shades is perfect for furnishing a kitchen located on the south side. In such an interior, designers advise using natural wood and stone.
It is advisable to give preference to matte rather than glossy surfaces and classic interiors. Gray and white tones are suitable for furnishing kitchens in Provence, Mediterranean, shabby chic, and rustic styles.
In a classic interior, such a kitchen will look great with wood floors in natural light shades, as well as traditional white furniture, gray stone countertops and gray appliances.
Material selection
Compared to other rooms, kitchens have their own specifics. Kitchen curtains are exposed to moisture, heat and grease, so the material must be resistant to kitchen odors and regular cleaning. Most suitable fabrics:
- Linen, cotton. Natural textiles that do not emit harmful substances, do not accumulate static electricity and look beautiful in the interior. But linen fabrics quickly become dirty, shrink from regular washing, and fade in the sun;
- Lycra, nylon, microfiber. Synthetic fabrics with different textures and shiny surfaces. Such curtains do not wrinkle, do not shrink after washing, and have an intense shade that does not fade in the sun. They retain their original appearance longer than natural ones, but have a high fire hazard, almost do not allow air to pass through and quickly absorb kitchen odors. They do not tolerate high temperatures, so care must be taken when ironing and washing;
- Bamboo, viscose, acetate, modal. Artificial textiles that do not cause allergies and do not shrink due to frequent washing. Such curtains fade in the sun and quickly absorb aromas from cooking. Their structure does not withstand exposure to chemicals, so the use of bleach is prohibited.
Kitchen curtains are often made from mixed textiles. The most popular of them are tulle, transparent materials - veil, organza, chiffon and curtains, dense ones - jacquard, satin, brocade.
Airy tulle combined with brocade curtains
Kitchen in gray and beige tones
This combination of shades is suitable for furnishing a kitchen in almost any style, but designers advise diluting it with white. Shades of beige can be very different - coffee with milk, powdery, baked milk, cappuccino, pale pink.
When arranging a kitchen in similar colors, you should not make bright splashes and use rich, deep colors. Let the room remain bright and elegant, conducive to harmony and tranquility.
Kitchen furniture and textiles can be made in beige tones. The walls and dining table and chairs should be light gray. For flooring, it is recommended to use gray porcelain stoneware or wood in natural beige shades.
Kitchen in gray and black tones
This shade option is recommended to be used when arranging a kitchen in a modern style - it can be minimalism, hi-tech or loft. Gray color in this case must necessarily be the main one, that is, the base color. In black, you can make the lower glossy facades of the kitchen unit, choose black household appliances.
Countertops made of natural or artificial stone can also be black. The apron should be decorated in black and gray tones using mosaic or tempered glass. Gray walls decorated with plaster will go perfectly with a black and white ceramic floor made in the form of a chessboard.
Kitchen in red and gray tones
Red-gray shades are ideal for creating modern styles such as minimalism and hi-tech. Kitchen facades can be made in red; it is advisable to make them glossy. A gray stone countertop, as well as a gray and white kitchen apron, will fit perfectly into this interior.
As for household appliances, preference should be given to models in metallic color. The floor in such a kitchen can be self-leveling or ceramic, in color - white or gray. It is recommended to make the walls, dining table and chairs gray.
It is important to remember that you should refrain from using decorative elements when creating modern interior styles. Instead of curtains, it is recommended to install light blinds in white or gray. You can also decorate a kitchen in a retro style in red and gray tones; a refrigerator stylized in the 60s, made in red, will look great in such a room.
Advantages and disadvantages
Opponents of the use of gray colors in the interior argue that their shades have a negative effect on the psyche, are too gloomy and cold, and visually reduce the space. But such solutions are rarely used.
There are many more arguments in favor of gray pigment.
- This color is universal, it is neither warm nor cold;
- emphasizes and highlights the texture of furniture and the shape of other interior items;
- does not bother you, does not cause negative thoughts or aggression;
- practical for use in the kitchen, does not fade;
- harmonizes with natural decor, panels and still lifes;
- differs in a variety of tones.
Stylish rich gray shades are practical, do not get boring for a long time, and are suitable for interior decoration, including the kitchen space.
Kitchen in gray and yellow tones
This combination of shades is recommended for use when creating a kitchen interior in a high-tech style. Sunny yellow shades harmonize and go well with all tones of gray, in addition, they perfectly enliven even the most boring room.
Most often, kitchens located on the cold north side are decorated in similar colors. You can make the glossy upper or lower facades of the set yellow, it is also worth installing a yellow chandelier over the dining table, and arranging the kitchen apron in gray and yellow tones.
Gray color can be present in the interior in several shades at once, from the lightest to the darkest. You can dilute the bright yellow-gray palette a little with white paints (for example, install a white dining table with chairs, make the work area white using stone countertops).
Kitchen in gray-green tones
This combination of shades can be used to decorate a modern kitchen interior. A lush green palette can be present in the form of emerald, grass and marsh shades. As for the gray color, it can be a smoky tone or metallic. In such a kitchen, surfaces should be glossy.
It is important to remember that green is necessary for placing accents, and gray will act as the main color. You can dilute the gray-green palette with rich black, but its quantity should be limited. If the kitchen is spacious and bright enough, you can install a large ceramic pot with a tall green plant in one of its corners.
Advantages and disadvantages of gray
Advantages:
- does not attract attention, therefore it is excellent as a base color, on which accent colors play brighter;
- non-staining, muffles imperfections, hides dust, stains, fingerprints;
- practical, resistant to fading;
- a wide range of shades of gray allows it to be used in projects of any size and shape, visually changing the space;
- a neutral shade of gray is used in color therapy as a relaxing, calming shade.
The interior of a gray kitchen creates a feeling of calm due to the predominance of muted tones
Disadvantages :
- water streaks are clearly visible on the gray;
- the color is associated with stone, cloudy skies, and in autumn bad weather it evokes a feeling of cold;
- in dominance it looks conservative and boring.
The disadvantages of gray can always be turned into its advantages. It will add coolness to the heat or aesthetics to rough shapes.
Gray color is also quite suitable for a small kitchen, if you introduce suitable accessories into the interior
Kitchen in taupe tones
This option is not particularly popular, but with the correct use of gray and brown tones, the kitchen can look very original and stylish. The lightest shades of brown are often combined with rich gray: beige, cappuccino, coffee with milk.
The color of strong coffee or chocolate in combination with smoky shades looks somewhat specific, but they can be combined quite well. To make the kitchen interior look more harmonious and luxurious, designers advise diluting it with small splashes of golden color or a pearlescent metallic shade.
Such tones will add a touch of glamor to the overall interior of the kitchen and make the room more expensive. Like any other rich shade, brown should not dominate or overwhelm. It would be wiser to use it in the form of ornaments, decorative elements and accessories. The kitchen floor can also be light brown.
Kitchen in gray and pink tones
This combination of shades is rarely used, although it looks very harmonious. A kitchen in gray and pink tones always looks glamorous and catchy. If you want to make the interior more elegant and calm, it is recommended to use pale smoky shades of pink.
A room in this color scheme can be decorated in a variety of styles: Provence, high-tech, shabby chic, retro. The main thing is to choose the right materials and appropriate furniture.
A set with glossy surfaces and pink lower facades, complemented by a gray kitchen apron, will look great in a modern interior. When arranging a kitchen in the shabby chic and Provence style, it is recommended to use a light gray kitchen set made of solid wood, a white table with chairs, and white walls. The apron should be made of ceramics or mosaics in gray and pink tones. Textiles and decorative elements should be pink.
Textiles and decor
A gray kitchen does not have to be consistent in one tone. It can be diluted with extravagant flashy decor or original textiles. For more conservative interior designs, products made of wood, stone, glass, and clay are ideal. This can be not only catchy decorations, but also dishes. You can also hang an original panel in a new, but already popular food art.
For a more daring interior, textiles with rich splashes of bright colors (pillows with geometric patterns), handmade products and decorative plants of unusual shapes (for example, Japanese moss or Crassula) are perfect. Do not forget that the kitchen should be functional and practical. Any elements of textiles and decor must delicately complement the atmosphere and space, but not clutter it with their abundance.
Kitchen in gray and purple tones
Gray color goes well with purple. This combination will be ideal when arranging a high-tech kitchen. The surfaces of the set should be glossy, made in a rich eggplant shade. A light gray palette will help soften this deep color a little.
Household appliances in such a kitchen should be the most modern, made in metallic color. For flooring, designers recommend using gray porcelain stoneware or light brown laminate. You can dilute the gray-violet color scheme with white.
Kitchen in light gray tones
This decision to decorate the kitchen deserves admiration, since such a choice indicates the good taste of the owners of the home. A kitchen in light gray tones looks very elegant, sophisticated and at the same time modern. It is very important to use only high-quality natural materials when arranging a room - natural wood, ceramics, stone.
You should avoid using color accents, since a light gray kitchen looks very decent and does not need additional decorating techniques. In this range it is quite possible to create both modern and classic interior styles.
Floor decoration
For a modern gray kitchen, a variety of flooring options are suitable. When choosing, be sure to take into account not only the budget and style of renovation, but also the features of the use of the room. The flooring material must meet the following requirements:
- resistance to moisture;
- tolerance to chemical treatment;
- wear resistance.
Taking into account the characteristics, most often the choice falls on stone, tile, linoleum or self-leveling floor. Laminate and parquet are considered less popular. The worst solution is carpet.
Regardless of the choice, any of the materials can be found in gray or a variation that optimally matches the desired shade of graphite.
Kitchen in dark gray tones
When choosing this option for kitchen design, you should understand that the room should be quite spacious and well lit. To prevent the interior from looking too gloomy, it is recommended to dilute it a little with splashes of light gray and white shades.
However, the dominant color should still be deep gray. The ideal style to use this color combination is loft. In such a kitchen, a modern set with dark gray glossy surfaces will look very impressive.
It is recommended to use rough gray plaster for wall finishing. The floor can be dark gray, made of porcelain stoneware, or rough wooden planks. Household appliances should be chosen in metallic color.
Great attention must be paid to lighting - it is advisable to equip a large panoramic window, organize spot lighting throughout the room, and place a metal chandelier in the industrial style in the center.
What styles of curtains for the kitchen are there?
Despite their small size, modern kitchens provide ample space for experimentation. Here you can use any curtains: short transparent curtains made of light fabrics, stylish roller blinds in cool tones or ordinary discreet blinds. The main thing is that they do not interfere with the work process and have a simple design and a minimum of decor.
Classic style
An indispensable companion of the classic style is a cozy atmosphere and elegance of forms. If you want to choose curtains for a kitchen decorated in the style of classicism, you should pay attention to discreet curtains without unnecessary variegation. In small spaces, elegant short curtains or beautiful thread designs are appropriate. Two-layer combinations of simple thin curtains with elegant draperies made of organza or tulle will fit perfectly into the interior.
For large rooms in which the kitchen and living room create a studio, curtains can be complemented with lambrequins. Moreover, in a classic kitchen, lambrequins can have the most complex styles. After all, they do not reduce the functionality of the room, and it looks luxurious and elegant.
East style
Depending on the chosen interior - Japanese, Chinese or Moroccan, kitchen curtains can have very different designs. For example, they come from organza, which is weightless and allows maximum light into the room. Lush curtains made of shiny fabrics, decorated with various oriental elements: hieroglyphs, exotic patterns, exquisite patterns, fringe, would look appropriate in an oriental interior.
You can safely choose multi-level curtains embroidered with gold for your kitchen, or modern photo curtains with bright patterns, intricate arabesques or floral motifs. Another interesting option for window decoration is an organza veil with embroidery.
Provence
A kitchen window decorated in Provence style should be light and discreet. Simple drapery, pleasant light shades, lack of excessive pretentiousness and pomp - this is what is characteristic of this style, filled with light, simplicity and freedom. Slightly translucent fabrics with small flowers are ideal for curtains. Complement them with ties, drawstrings and loops - you'll get the perfect style.
A short “cafe” style curtain will look good on the window. It is important that the cornice also looks as simple as possible. It should not stand out, otherwise the entire impression of the design of the window opening will be lost.
Minimalism
The minimalist design of curtains does not tolerate lush draperies, flashy accessories, fringe and tassels. To properly emphasize the minimalist style in the kitchen, you should choose the most simple, strict and discreet models that would not interfere with the penetration of a large amount of sunlight. The ideal option is roller blinds with a light translucent texture, fabric blinds, Japanese or Roman designs made of translucent fabric.
The color scheme in this style is not very diverse. Typically, curtains are chosen in pastel colors, as well as white, gray or brown shades. Another requirement for kitchen curtains is plainness, complete absence of patterns, prints or any decorations. Moreover, the cornice should also be as simple as possible - an inconspicuous wooden plank or aluminum profile.
High tech
The original modern high-tech style stands out for its practicality. It is characterized by chrome surfaces, metallic gloss, gray and white shades. The window in the kitchen can be left without a curtain at all, or you can choose a smooth fabric for it in light, cool tones, combined with chrome parts.
To decorate the kitchen opening, it is also possible to choose curtains with graphic images of mechanisms or photo printing of the same theme. As accessories, you can use rivets or eyelets made of metal or other material that imitates it.
Kitchen in gray with bright shades
The advantage of gray is its versatility. This means that any kitchen decorated in these tones can easily be jazzed up with a few bright pops of color. At the same time, you can choose a rich tone at your discretion - it can be red, purple, green, orange, blue, yellow.
However, gray must be the main color. Bright accents in such a kitchen can be present in the form of decorative elements, lower or upper facades of the furniture, textiles, dishes, and kitchen utensils.
How to choose the right curtains for the kitchen
The question of choosing curtains for a kitchen window worries many women.
After all, it is necessary to choose curtains for the kitchen that, in addition to their aesthetic function, would also carry a practical load. With the help of canvases chosen correctly in color and texture, you can enlarge or extend a window, simulate a small kitchen space, visually changing its size. To ensure that the choice of curtain fabric and style is made correctly, you should:
Taking these points into account, you can successfully choose curtains that will make your kitchen interior beautiful and organic.
Arranging a small kitchen in gray tones
If the kitchen space is small, you can visually enlarge it with the help of well-chosen shades. Gray color will cope with this task perfectly, but designers advise using its lightest versions.
If you need to “raise” a ceiling that is too low, you should use gray wallpaper with vertical stripes. You can “expand” a narrow and cramped room using a geometric pattern in the form of horizontal stripes.
If the walls are light gray, the set should be chosen about 1-2 shades darker. The floor in such a room may be darker, almost black. To fill a small kitchen with light, you should actively use glass and glossy surfaces.
It is also necessary to ensure that enough sunlight penetrates into the room, so the use of heavy curtains should be abandoned, replacing them with light blinds of light gray color.
The finishing touch to the kitchen interior will be a small white corner table. To save space, instead of a dining table, it is recommended to use a bar counter with metal legs.
Calculating the width and length of curtains for the kitchen
When choosing window curtains, it is important not only to decide on their color and style, but also on the size of the canvas. After all, curtains that are correctly selected in length and width can highlight all the advantages of a room or correct its shortcomings. At the same time, too long, wide or short canvases will ruin even a perfectly designed interior. Therefore, it is very important before going to the store to clearly determine what size curtains you will need.
To accurately determine the width of the curtain you need to:
A cornice that is 20–25 cm away from each side of the window opening is considered to be correctly installed. This will allow you to open the curtains freely and allow maximum daylight into the room.
Curtains look more beautiful on the window if they do not hang as a flat piece of fabric, but are effectively draped with folds. The fluffiness factor depends on the texture of the material and its density. The thinner and more airy the material chosen, the greater the number of folds that can be formed on it:
It should also be taken into account that the drawn curtains should overlap each other. Therefore, it is worth adding another 5–7 cm on each side.
The formula for determining the width of a window curtain will be as follows:
Length of the cornice / number of curtains x per gathering factor + 5 cm for overlap. Do not forget that when sewing you should add another 2-3 cm for the side processing of the fabric.
According to the interior style and the choice of the hostess, the length of the curtain can be:
To determine the length of the curtain, you need to measure the distance from the curtain rod to the selected level. In addition, it should be taken into account that its upper edge is processed, and when washed, natural fabrics reduce their size. So flax “sits” by 10% of its length. Therefore, in order to avoid an unpleasant situation, an allowance of 5–8 cm should be made for shrinkage and hemming.
