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Kitchen Colour Masterclass: How to Create a Confident Palette for Your Home

  • 20 February 2026
  • Faye Newman Design

Are you staring at what feels like 20 shades of white paint swatches, feeling completely stuck on which one to choose for your kitchen renovation? You aren’t alone. Choosing the right colour for the “hub of the home” is one of the most common things homeowners feel nervous about. If you feel like you’ve been playing it safe because you have no idea which one to choose or even how to bring a bolder choice into your home interiors, this guide is for you.

 

In the 100th episode of the Love Your Kitchen Podcast, I sat down with the “Queen of Colour,” Tash Bradley, Director of Interior Design at Lick. We stripped away the complicated rules to help you find your personal style and create a home that actually reflects who you are. Sounds exciting right?

Colour Tip 1

Just like your kitchen layout, function applies when choosing colours too!

 

Before you pick up a paintbrush, always ask yourself: how do you use this space? Taking a moment to answer this allows you to step back and observe your needs, as opposed to simply picking the most popular colour currently featuring on your home renovation Pinterest boards. For instance, here is an example of how your lifestyle might dictate your palette:

  • If you spend all day in your kitchen, you might want lighter, airy tones to keep the space feeling fresh.
  • If it’s a space you only gravitate toward at night, you can lean into moodier, classic colours to create a cosy atmosphere.
  • If you love to host and want to inject a bit of personality, add bold, energising pops of colour to keep the room feeling vibrant. Tash’s Tip: “Work out the feeling and the function first. Then the colour secrets will start to unlock.”

Colour Tip 2

Did you know the position of your kitchen can massively affect the colour?

 

The biggest mistake homeowners make is choosing a colour in a store or showroom and then being disappointed when the finished result looks different in their own home. The way we see colour is entirely dependent on light. To avoid this, you need to work out where your room is positioned. Simply open the compass app on your phone and point it at your window. Once you have found this out, follow these colour fundamentals:

  • North-Facing: You get cool, blue-grey light. To stop your room from feeling “flat,” choose colours with warm undertones (yellow, red, pink, or orange). A lot of articles say to avoid blue in these rooms, BUT this is not the case! If you love blue, you can have blue—just make sure the undertone is yellow to add warmth to the cool light entering the space.
  • South-Facing: You’re the lucky ones—you can have almost anything! However, if you are renovating a barn conversion or have lots of windows with intense sunlight, “muddier” tones with a grey undertone will help soften the glare and balance the heat of the light.
  • West-Facing: These rooms change throughout the day. West-facing rooms get that beautiful “golden hour” red light in the evening, which is perfect for yellows or warm neutrals.
  • East-Facing: You get fresh, lighter morning light. Pinks and greens are particularly well-suited for these rooms as they lean into that bright, morning glow.

Colour Tip 3

Always, Always, Always Sample!

 

Regardless of your room’s orientation, the biggest piece of advice from Faye as a kitchen designer and Tash as a colour expert is to always sample! Use peel-and-stick samples and move them around the room. Look at them in the morning light, under your evening lamps, and against your flooring. If you love the sample at 8:00 PM as much as you did at 8:00 AM, you’ve found your winner.

Ready to get colour confident?

Colour can make or break your project, and these two fundamentals are a great starting point. To become more confident with introducing colour in your home and to see more examples of these topics, watch the full episode on the Love Your Kitchen Podcast: “Kitchen Colour Masterclass: How to Create a Confident Palette for Your Home with Tash Bradley.

Let’s create the most beautiful kitchens and interiors for your home together!

 

Looking for personalised kitchen support?

 

If you are currently navigating a renovation and want to make sure your space is as functional as it is beautiful, there are two ways we can work together:

 

You can download my FREE Kitchen Guide to learn where to start and ways to save on your upcoming kitchen project.

 

Alternatively, you can book a Kitchen Discovery Call to see if I could be the right fit to help guide you through your kitchen design journey.