Winter Blues!

A great way to enhance your Dream Kitchen is to add a little flavor by a sprinkle of color!

Here are some suggestions for adding a little "Blue" to your Winter Kitchen project! (Credit: Jennifer Ott Design - Houzz.com October 30, 2018). Ofcourse, my favorite of these choices is Beachy Blue.....how about you?

1. Soothing Blue Sky: This color has been used to create an openness and soothing color to create the feel of sky and it's infinite beauty! Just a small touch of color allows more creativity to your kitchen space.

This stunning kitchen has an amazing connection to the great outdoors, and of course to the blue sky above!

Tip: When it comes to paint colors, what you see on a computer monitor or other screen is not necessarily what you get in reality. Before committing to a paint color, have your painter or kitchen designer create large sample swatches that you can evaluate during different times of the day to make sure the hue is right for you.

2. Vibrant tropical blue. Arguably we are also drawn to blues because we associate them with vividly blue bodies of water. This is definitely an intense blue, but because it’s used in a relatively restrained way, for the kitchen island only, it doesn’t overwhelm the room.

To get that tropical island vibe in your own home, test out a color like Atlantic Blue from Pittsburgh Paints. It packs a punch but because it calls to mind the vibrantly blue seas it can actually bring a calm and cool feeling to a kitchen. Tip: Pair a bright color such as this with white or light, cool neutrals and make sure the kitchen has good lighting so the island sparkles. Shop for painting tools on Houzz.

3. Beachy blue. Where navy is strong, solid and sophisticated, a blue such as this is soft, soothing and exudes a fun, casual vibe. If you want a kitchen that gives you the feeling of being beach-adjacent, a soft watery-blue hue on the island paired with light natural wood tones and lots of sunlight will bring that coastal coziness.

Aqua-Sphere from Sherwin-Williams is one of my go-to medium-blue paint colors. It’s a “just-right” color that isn’t too light or too dark. It also has some gray in it, making it a near-neutral, but it in no way feels sad or drab. Tip: Paint colors tend to look lighter and brighter when painted up in large expanses versus what you see on a small test swatch. If you are having a hard time picking a particular blue hue from a range of similar options, go for the one that is lower in chroma (colorfulness) and darker in value (lightness versus darkness).

See more of Jennifer's favorite Blue design colors at

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/114881823?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u9325&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery0&newsletterId=9325