When you’re ready to upgrade your kitchen, you’re probably thinking about kitchen cabinet paint colors, flooring, counters, and backsplash tile. But are you also considering lighting? Both natural and artificial lighting will have a huge impact on the overall aesthetic of your kitchen. Lighting will also have an impact on your design choices, particularly your cabinet paint color. Here’s what to know before you choose a cabinet paint color.

Why Lighting Impacts Kitchen Cabinet Colors So Much

When you paint your kitchen cabinets, how you see that color is greatly affected by the natural and artificial lighting in the room. When there is a lot of light in a room, a particular color appears more vibrant. When there’s less light, colors are muted or even dull because they lose their intensity. When you have a mix of both natural and artificial light, you’ll have more control over the color intensity so you can create the ambience that works best for the moment. 

What to Know About Natural Light

As the position of the sun changes throughout the day, it impacts the way your cabinet color looks. Likewise, the time of year and even the position of your home can further impact the appearance of the paint color on your kitchen cabinets.

If you have a darker room that lacks natural light, colors will appear less bright. To achieve the true cabinet paint color of the sample you selected, you’ll need to add in plenty of ambient lighting. Alternatively, you can choose a brighter hue to paint your kitchen cabinets. 

If you don’t have a lot of natural light in your kitchen, there are some ways to make the most of the light you do have. This includes:

  • Choosing a light, bright paint color for your cabinets
  • Skipping window treatments 
  • Opting for light, airy window treatments rather than heavy ones
  • Hanging mirrors to reflect light
  • Pruning shrubs or trees that are blocking sunlight from getting inside

If, on the other hand, you have a lot of natural light in your kitchen, achieving the true color is much easier.

What to Know About Artificial Light

Not all artificial light is created equal. Lightbulbs come in various wattages and there is also the color temperature to consider for the different bulb types: LED,  incandescent, and halogen. Additionally, remember that when you’re in a store picking out paint samples for your kitchen cabinets, it’s likely lit with fluorescent lighting, further impacting the appearance of each sample. So, with these many factors in mind, how can you select the cabinet paint color of your dreams?

First, it’s important to know that artificial light color is measured in Kelvins. The Kelvin scale spans from 1,000 to 10,000 Kelvins. The lower you go, the warmer the light and vice versa. So, if you want a soft lighting color for your kitchen, opt for bulbs that are between 2,000 and 3,000K. If you want lighting that is truer to daylight, choose bulbs that are 5,000 to 6,000K. 

Here are additional factors to keep in mind when you’re choosing bulbs:

  • The more incandescent lighting you have in your kitchen, the more intense warm colors will be, while cool colors will be dulled. 
  • Halogen lighting, on the other hand, tends to act more similarly to natural lighting, so whatever color is on your kitchen cabinets will look truer to life. 
  • Finally, there’s LED lighting, which comes in many different color temperatures. Depending on the bulb you select, this type of lighting can make kitchen cabinet colors appear cooler or warmer. 

How to Choose Kitchen Cabinet Colors with Lighting in Mind 

It’s easy when you turn to the experts at N-Hance®. We understand how lighting works with paint colors and can make recommendations that are a perfect fit for your unique vision while taking the lighting you have in your kitchen into account. 

There are even smart lightbulbs to consider which offer multiple settings, like those manufactured by GE and other leading brands, such as Phillips. These bulbs give you more control over the level of lighting and ambiance in your kitchen. When you’re cooking and trying to read a recipe, you can opt for a brighter light setting. When you’re entertaining or relaxing over a meal with your family, you can choose a softer, cozier glow.

Whatever the amount of lighting in your kitchen or your preferences in terms of color temperature, N-Hance is the team you can trust to help you bring it all together in a way you love. We offer many colors to choose from and can even match a color you bring to us. In the process, we will beautify your cabinets and infuse new life – and more light – into your kitchen space. 

Ready to find out more about painting your kitchen cabinets while keeping lighting in mind? Call N-Hance at (855) 642-6230 to set up a FREE consultation.