What Works With Grey? Colour Theory In The Kitchen

Here at Silke, we often talk about or allude to the core idea of “design” within the kitchen, largely in how it relates to the notion of “modern” kitchen design. One area we very rarely cover, however, is the notion of Colour Theory. Grey is one such colour which requires a bit more thought than usual.

The term is probably throwing some of you through a loop, but pretty much everybody is familiar with the theory in some way. Essentially, Colour Theory is an area of artistic theory that deals with how colours relate to one another; which ones compliment each other, which ones contrast or clash, and so on and so forth. The derision you direct to someone’s pairing certain colours together on an outfit, or the feeling of exuberance you get looking at certain pieces of art? That’s colour theory in practise.

We touch on the core idea of it briefly as a bit of a prelude to the real question we’d like to ask today…

What Colours Work With Grey?

Grey is a colour you’re likely to encounter in a great number of modern kitchen designs. Largely this is down to simple practicality; a number of appliances often use Steel in their construction, and steel is naturally a (very reflective) light grey in tone. It’s come to a point where this colour (and consequently metal) are heavily associated with something being “modern”, cutting edge, or even vaguely futuristic. And in tandem, light black has come to represent the modern kitchen more then any other colour.

That isn’t to say that other colours can’t or are never paired alongside grey in a kitchen context, however. In fact, colours are frequently used to convey any number of meanings. A very common combination is a light grey tone with a Dark Red tone, which is often said to give off a very “professional” and elegant vibe. Blue tones of varying shades also work well with grey to create a sleek, cool feeling. Black is very commonly paired, as it is likewise a neutral shade that doesn’t necessarily sit at either the “warm” or “cool” end of the colour spectrum, and as a result creates an even stronger “modern” or conservative ambience.

Colour Pairings

Those are perhaps the most common colours paired with grey, although occasionally you may find more eclectic combinations. Pairing grey off with Yellow, Green, or Orange tones for example; though the subtle effects of the colours will also be at play, the resulting combo with grey will make for a very bold impression. Some might say the combination might be an acquired taste.

Certainly we’ve made our impression of what colours do and don’t work with grey pretty evident, but we like to encourage our clients to think further about this sort of thing. Whilst Colour Theory and other design and artistic theory obviously has some basis in fact, what works and what doesn’t will very likely come down to the individual. When asking yourself a question like “what colours work well with grey?”, it sometimes pays to reword it slightly; try “what colours do I think work well with grey?” instead.