Small kitchens do best with light walls that reflect light and step back from the eye. The four wall colors here have an LRV between 67 and 74, and two deep shades are kept for one accent wall, trim or a ceiling. Every color was measured from a public-domain painting.
Quick answer
Use one light color, such as the green-tinted #C2E7DF, on all the walls. Keep the deep olive #675831 or the dark green #253625 for a single piece, door or wall.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Wall colors
#C2E7DFLRV 74
Airy Mint Green
The lightest wall color here at LRV 74, so it bounces the most light around a small kitchen. Its green undertone is fresh and soft. Measured from "Flower Girl in Holland" by George Hitchcock, 1887.
At LRV 69 it reads light, and its warm yellow undertone suits kitchens with wood cabinets or a dim window. Use it on the walls or as a curtain or runner color. Measured from "Landscape" by Jean Charles Cazin, c. 1895.
A very light blue with an LRV of 68, crisp next to white appliances and stainless steel. Best in a kitchen that gets decent daylight. Measured from "Bordighera" by Claude Monet, 1884.
Light at LRV 67, with a warm yellow undertone that adds a little more color than the sand. Use it on walls in a north-facing kitchen, or on a small bold piece such as a chair. Measured from "Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin)" by Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, 1879.
At LRV 10 it reads deep and absorbs light, so keep it to furniture, one accent wall or a door. Its warm yellow undertone sits well with wood. Measured from the same Degas portrait, "Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin)," 1879.
With an LRV of 3 it is very dark, so use it only on trim, a single door or a small accent wall. Against light walls it gives a clear edge. Measured from "Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret" by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1823–26.
Sherwin-Williams SW 2847 Roycroft Bottle Green
Similar
How the lighter colors change with the light
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
Color
Neutral daylight
North light
South light
Evening lamps
Airy Mint Green
Pale Warm Sand
Cool Mist Blue
Soft Straw Yellow
Try these colors in a room
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is Flower Girl in Holland.
How do you choose a wall color for a small kitchen?
Start with LRV. The four wall colors here sit between 67 and 74, so they read light and send light back into the room. In a small kitchen that helps the walls step back and keeps the space from feeling closed in.
Then choose an undertone. The green-tinted #C2E7DF is the lightest and the airiest. The cool blue #C1DCDF looks crisp beside stainless steel and white appliances. The two warm yellow shades, #E7D6BC at LRV 69 and #DFD6B3 at LRV 67, suit kitchens with wood cabinets or warm flooring.
Pick one wall color and carry it across every wall. Splitting a small kitchen into several colors makes it feel smaller. Save the deep shades for one spot only.
What goes with these colors: trim, ceiling and floors?
Keep trim and ceiling simple. A ceiling in the wall color, or in something very close to it, blurs the line where wall meets ceiling, and that helps a low room. Window and door trim can match the wall too.
For one strong note, use a deep color. The very dark green #253625 works on a door, a window frame or a single wall away from the stove and sink. The deep olive #675831 suits a piece of furniture such as a cart, a small table or a hutch.
A mid-brown wood tone like #8B6B4A sits well with the warm yellow walls and with the green one. Use #E7D6BC for curtains or a runner, and #DFD6B3 for a bold piece such as a chair. Keep the floor a mid tone so the walls remain the lightest surface in the room.
How do these colors look in the light of a small kitchen?
LRV is measured under standard conditions. Your kitchen adds its own light, and that changes how a color reads.
In a kitchen with little daylight, every color looks a bit deeper and cooler. The warm yellows, #E7D6BC and #DFD6B3, help there. In a bright, sunny kitchen, the green and blue walls stay fresh, while the yellows can look stronger than on the chip.
Bulbs matter too. Warm bulbs push walls toward yellow, and cool bulbs make the blue look grayer. Check the color under the bulbs you use in the evening.
The deep colors, at LRV 10 and 3, take in light instead of returning it. Keep them to small areas, ideally near a window or under good task lighting.
How do you test sample colors in a small kitchen?
Paint a sample at least two feet square, or use a large sample board. Put it on two walls: one near the window and one in the darkest corner. Look at it in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening with the lights on.
Hold the sample next to your cabinets, countertop, backsplash and floor. Undertones show up beside other materials. Compare two or three colors at a time, not six, so the differences stay clear.
The paint matches on this page are the closest ones measured to each painting color. Some are near-identical and some only close. Screens also change color, so confirm with a real sample from the brand before you buy full cans.
FAQ
What is the best paint color for a small kitchen?
A light color with a high LRV. The four wall colors here range from LRV 67 to 74. Choose the undertone that suits your cabinets, floor and light.
What LRV should small kitchen walls have?
Above about 60 reads light and bounces light, which helps a small room. The wall colors on this page all clear that mark.
Can I use a dark color in a small kitchen?
Yes, in a small amount. Colors at LRV 10 or 3 work on one accent wall, a door, trim or a piece of furniture. Keep the other walls light.
What is a good small kitchen color palette?
Try #C2E7DF on the walls, #675831 on one piece of furniture, #8B6B4A for wood, #E7D6BC for textiles and #DFD6B3 for one bold piece. Keep the walls one color.
Should the ceiling and trim match the walls?
Often, yes. Matching or very close shades blur the edges of a small kitchen and make it feel less boxed in. A deep trim color is an option for a single door or window.
Save these colors
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
From Flower Girl in Holland, George Hitchcock
