Design tips and tricks for creating a well-balanced kitchen
Choosing the colour scheme in your kitchen can throw up some unexpected design dilemmas. There is likely to be a lot of artificial light that can affect how colour looks, worktops might be in a semi-gloss finish making subtle shades appear more potent, and we enter tricky territory when trying to complement practical elements like your oven, sink and white goods.
There are some brilliant solutions to all of the above that we have included here, alongside some successful colour pairings, tips for using all white (and conversely all black,) as well as how to marry the colours in your countertops, cabinets, flooring and decoration.
Included too are some design tips and tricks to implement in your own home, whether you err on the side of minimalism, live in a period home, or are in the process of creating a classic farmhouse kitchen.
Read on for 20 kitchen colour ideas to steal...
Red and green fall on opposite sides of the colour wheel, which typically indicates that they make a punchy, high-impact pairing. We love the letterbox red chairs next to a really delicate and contemporary sage green.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Pluck
This kitchen uses dark wood wisely, keeping it confined t0 the cabinetry where it adds oodles of warmth and anchors all the brightness of the walls and floors.
Pictured: House Beautiful Luto Dining Set at DFS
Interior designer Kate Pearce chose her kitchen colour palette based on a pinky, Paonazzo Rose marble. 'The process started with the slabs, and I next chose the cabinets,' she says. 'I was torn between a white oak and a colour and ultimately found myself tempted by a rich blue that draws the blue tones from the Paonazzo Rose in such a harmonious way.'
Soothing, natural tones create a sense of calm in the kitchen of content creator and influencer Wendy H Gilmour (@wendyhgilmour.) 'Our palette of creams, terracotta and natural materials flows from here throughout our home,' she says.
This is a perfect example of how strong wood elements can work in a room without detracting from its overall softness.
This liquorice-coloured kitchen belonging to model and writer Charli Howard is a great example of doing black really, really well. The wash of clay-pink across the walls and up onto the ceiling feels bright and expansive, tempering for the richer tones of her cabinets, which in turn are lifted with a light-reflecting gloss finish.
Here's a masterclass in balancing traditional with modern. This kitchen is full of classic design markers – the Shaker cabinetry and ornate cornices – with a modern white and navy colour palette, clean lines and unfussy hardware.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Olive & Barr
A white palette stretches from a cool grey-toned white to a warm off-white. The latter is a great choice for classic or country kitchens – where pure white would create a modern design scheme, an off-white creates a softer and warmer environment that welcomes vintage accents and accessories.
Pictured: House Beautiful bamboo Venetian blinds at Hillarys
Cheerful apple green Shaker cabinets make a striking counterpoint to the soft limewashed walls above. The deep reddish countertop is a smart choice here, as a slick of bright white might create too harsh a dividing line through the middle of the room.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen at deVOL
If you're after black cabinets, but don't want to darken your whole room, make sure to keep them all below eye line. Black overhead cabinets can weigh down a room, whereas these glossy white tiles have the great effect of brightening and bouncing light around the kitchen.
This fabulous kitchen is a picture of warmth, with a wash of blush paint invigorated by a terrazzo-style green countertop. If you have your eye on a real feature material, let that inform the colour scheme for the rest of the room.
A traditional terrazzo pattern is very dense, but these terrazzo countertops have been modernised with a larger scale that feels more expansive and allows for a lot of bright white to show through. Turquoise usually feels quite contemporary in a home, and doubly so here on sleek handleless cabinets.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Pluck
The design lesson here is in the wonderful extension of the white marble countertops up the wall and into a shelf – it mitigates some of the heaviness and richness of the green that could become imposing if overused across both cabinets and walls.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen at deVOL
This kitchen is a masterclass in mixing materials – a heavily veined marble, a mid-toned wood and a reflective stainless steel are all working harmoniously. The key here is that they're all warm finishes – while stainless steel is naturally cool, it will reflect whatever is around it, so it can read as warm or cool depending on the setting.
The deep red backdrop in interior designer Natasha Lyon's pantry is the picture of warmth and richness, while the black and white patterned curtain introduces contrast and playfulness.
Pastels can look washed out if there isn't sufficient contrast in a room. This fabulous kitchen belongs to interior designer and House Beautiful columnist Sophie Robinson, where her botanical wallpaper from Harlequin – and if you can spot it, the sweet matching blind – provide the perfect foil to the pink Shaker cabinets below.
Cool tones are a great choice for a clean and simple kitchen. A high gloss white, with a deep blue or forest green, pairs perfectly with light, natural woods. Keep your lines clean and use accessories sparingly – this is a very easy scheme to do well, and within a tight budget.
There is a touch of retro here in the fabulous light fixtures, handleless kitchen cabinets and red woods that suit this avocado shade. A third match here would be a pale and buttery yellow – just hinted at in the dried bouquet – or a touch of sky blue.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Pluck
A flush of pastel pink could make this neutral kitchen look a little washed out. Instead, a lovely peachy salmon pink is used to really draw the eye. Antiqued brass hardware is a great choice if you find a brass and pink pairing too garish.
The addition of natural wood and ceramics is important in this contemporary kitchen, as they offset the delicate pastel shades used throughout. And if you look closely, the shelves are painted in graduated shades of pink – we love thoughtful details.
Pictured: Chalk Paint in Antoinette, Barcelona Orange, and Emperor's Silk at Annie Sloan
When using a lot of pink in a kitchen, contrast is your best friend. Dramatic blacks work wonders, so too do rich jewel tones. An emerald green – pink's favourite counterpart – is also incorporated here by way of a fabulous marble splashback.
Pictured: Original Kitchens at Harvey Jones
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