Kitchen colour trends: What colour should you paint your kitchen?
Posted on 23rd September 2021
It’s the big question: what colour kitchen should you go for? With SO MANY choices out there, there’s certainly no shortage of inspiration, but how the heck do you narrow it down to your perfect shade? I often get asked what my dream kitchen would look like and my answer is usually the same: I have no idea because I see so many gorgeous designs in a whole array of colours every day that I am perpetually indecisive. I get it. Nailing a kitchen paint colour for something as big as an investment as a kitchen is nail-biting stuff. And you want something you’ll like for years too, right?
Whether you go for a Shaker kitchen, handleless design or another style (take our quiz to find out which suits you best), you’ll always have to choose the colour or colours (I know, that’s a curve ball!).
But, let’s look on the very bright side. Choosing a kitchen paint colour is a rather nice problem to have. It’s the exciting part of a new kitchen once you’ve decided on what you really need in there and the layout. It’s the part where you can add your personality, solidify your interior scheme and it forms the base for many of the other choices too, such as flooring, worktops, tiles and all the finishing touches.
Yep, white is ever popular and I’d say the neutral shades are certainly having a bit of a revival. In fact, the research found that the phrase ‘white kitchen’ receives on average 84,700 searches worldwide per month! Compared to 57,800 for the number two spot – hello green.
Let’s have a look at some of these popular kitchen paint colours in action shall we – hopefully this might help narrow down your search.
1. White kitchens
For a really bright feel, take your white cabinetry up the the ceiling and paint your walls to match. This gloss kitchen has a subtle shine which will help reflect light around the room. The Porter gloss white kitchen from Second Nature is priced from £12,000.Working with Graham Robinson from Halcyon Interiors, who used Alno cabinetry, owners Roisin and Paul chose a timeless colour palette for their new kitchen and matt lacquer rather than gloss fronts. The handleless scheme combines white and grey with 12mm-slim Silestone worktops. This Schmidt white kitchen shows how handlessless units in white can be warmed up with wooden accents.
Who said blue and green should never be seen? Combining the linear detailing of a handleless door with a subtle Shaker frame, the Uform Harborne range combines traditional and contemporary. A zesty Citrus Green paired with Slate Blue enhances the modern edge. From around £10,000, available from Kitchen Stori.The Whitby by Laura Ashley Kitchen Collection from Symphony brings together classic craftsmanship with subtle detailing that radiates warmth and effortless style. From £8,500. How inviting does that look?This two-tone green kitchen was designed by Day True. Read the full storyHouse tour: A green kitchen packed with personality here. Photography: Chris Snook.Pink and green bar stools coordinate with the colours of this kitchen and add a trendy look to the space. TThe Kesseler kitchen was supplied by Summer House Interiors. Take the tour of the house here. Photography: Adam Carter.
The Modulnova Blade kitchen is design by DesignSpace London Kitchens start from £25,000.Kitchen Architecture used Bulthaup’s b3 base units in Graphite with Carrara marble worktop; the tall unit and bar are in black brown oak. Images and interior design by Roselind Wilson. Prices start from £50,000.
Featuring aged copper doors and black stained ash panels this kitchen is in collaboration with Charlie Smallbone and Devol. This Elemental kitchen starts from £30,000.
4. Blue kitchens
Choose a matt finish kitchen unit like B&Q‘s 8 units Artemisia matt midnight blue classic shaker, £1,298. The Blue shaker kitchen from Harvey Jones start from £20,000.This bespoke blue painted kitchen by Davonport is finished in Farrow & Ball Hague Blue. Photography: Darren Chung. This large and functional kitchen by McCarron & Co balances the blue island with pale grey wall units. Photography: Nick Smith.
This blue kitchen is by Fineline Interiors and uses one tone of blue throughout.
5. Grey kitchens
Benchmarx Soho gloss light grey, featuring a forest green AluSplash splashback.Mood kitchen in Fenix NTM in Bromine Grey with the Setup storage wall panel in Anthracite satin finish, from £10,000, Scavolini.This design is part of a John Lewis of Hungerford Shaker kitchen, finished in Earl Grey and Birch with a Flash Blue Honed granite worktop. From £28,000.
Charcoal units paired with white walls, worktops and the the tiled splashback create a chic scheme. Take a tour of the house here.
6. Plum kitchens
This Marlborough table island by Masterclass Kitchens is painted in Mulberry for a warm accent to the grey units elsewhere.This kitchen by Martin Moore mixes a plum shade with paler tones, allowing the purple tone to stand out as a design feature.
7. Saffron kitchens
A shade doesn’t come much happier than this and I’ve spotted many tones – from soft, classic ochre to zesty marigold. Little Greene’s Giallo 337 intelligent Matt Emulsion .A slim island painted in a warm saffron shade – Benjamin Moore’s Golden Bounty – adds sunshine to this kitchen. Note how the tiles accentuate the colour scheme. Designed by Oakley Moore. Photography: Alexander James and Patrick Williamson.
8. Yellow kitchens
This Kitchen Stori Aldana scheme is shown in colour-matched pale yellow and Dust Grey with Brilliant White mock inframe. From £8000.Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith went for bright yellow in her own kitchen. How happy is that? Kitchen by Omega Kitchens.
9. Pink kitchens
The owner of this petite kitchen wanted the cabinetry, which is from Pluck, placed along one wall only to make the small space more practical.This pink kitchen design features a terrazzo worktop by Emily Marlin. Price on application.The owner of this kitchen loves pink and wanted the shade for her country-style kitchen. Kitchen: Bell of Northampton. Photography: Rachael Smith.
10. Red kitchens
When closed, this kitchen is entirely invisible – but open the doors and the red cabinetry will draw everyone’s eye. Kitchens from Mowlem & Co start from around £30,000.Shaker & May designed this kitchen to combine a rich red painted shade with warm grey. Photography: Paul Craig.
And the least popular, according to uswitch.com? Well there’s lilac, sky blue, pale pink, bronze, champagne, magenta, cyan, pewter and cobalt. BUT, like I always say when it comes to anything kitchen renovation. If you like it, do it. You’re the one living with it after all.
So here’s the question: which kitchen paint colour will you go for? Let me know in the comments below.
