Why This Kitchen Counter Design Isn't The Best For Small Spaces

When it comes time to renovate your kitchen, you have a lot of decisions ahead of you, and it's important to make the right ones. One choice that can have more of an effect than you might think is the color scheme. Different colors can have sometimes dramatically different effects and make your kitchen feel certain ways. If you have a small kitchen, for example, then you may want to avoid using dark-colored countertops.

While there are plenty of great design hacks for small kitchens from celebs like Martha Stewart, dark or black countertops aren't often one of them. It can make your already-limited space feel even smaller by absorbing more light than paler hues, which plays with your perception of the room. That can in turn make it feel smaller even if the actual amount of space doesn't change. It's not that much of an issue in larger kitchens, but if you're already short on square footage, the last thing you want to do is make it feel like there's even less.

That's not to say that dark countertops can't work in a small kitchen. You just need to use them carefully. If you still want to move forward with a dark surface, the most important counterpoint is the lighting. Task lighting does a great job of illuminating your kitchen workspaces, and since it can also be very unobtrusive, it can go a long way towards making your small kitchen feel bigger, even with dark countertops. Also, play with patterns and shapes. Don't use solid dark colors, but look for something with light streaks, and try rounded edges and corners to create less of a contrast.

Making a small kitchen feel smaller isn't the only problem with dark surfaces. If a lot of light hits them, they can show stains and marks more easily, including fingerprints, dust, and water marks. This can especially be a big mistake on kitchen islands and other work surfaces, where you're likely to accumulate many such imperfections. It's especially true of glossy finishes, so if you want dark surfaces for your kitchen, consider matte ones instead.

Your countertops are also only one part of your kitchen. You have to consider the rest, and if you're not careful, those countertops can clash and enhance the shrinking effect even more. Dark countertops work best with light colors in other areas to provide contrast and prevent the space from feeling too small or heavy, so you might end up shoehorning yourself into using white paint for your kitchen cabinets when you wanted to use another color. Consider how the kitchen as a whole will look when picking out countertop colors.

If you live in a warm area, your kitchen gets a lot of natural light, or both, dark countertops can be more than just an aesthetic issue. Dark colors retain heat more, which can raise the temperature of the kitchen and make your air conditioning work harder. Even if it's just a little, it's something you want to avoid for the sake of your AC bill.