With all-white interiors being all the rage, a pop of colour has been long overdue — especially in the kitchen. Bright colours breathe life into the kitchen and dining space. They also provide prominence to reflective kitchen hardware, inject personality and add drama to the space.
And because you spend a good portion of time in your kitchen, it pays off to invest in its appearance and make it worth being in. If you’re in for a burst of colour in your kitchen, we’ve collected all the inspiration you need! Here are our top picks for bold-coloured kitchen ideas to liven up your interior:
Mix And Match Cabinet Colours
Credit: Kit Kemp
Who said cabinetry has to be just one colour? Go for two different cabinet colours — or even three! You can use different colours for the upper and lower cabinets or divide the kitchen into three vertical sections. You may want to tone down your bold hues if you’re using three or more colours, though. Doing so keeps the look calming yet colourful.
Notice the overhead lighting fixtures in the picture above? Another way to add colour right in front of you!
Focus On Two Tones And Keep Balance With Neutral Colours
Credit: Annie Sloan
Play around with colours and use two different hues to create visual interest. For example, you can incorporate complementary colours such as aubergine and soft pink for a bold yet elegant pop of colour. Or you can go with completely different colours such as dark blue and pale yellow for a more playful effect.
Credit: Little Greene
Colours can be added through the walls and cabinetry or any large surface area. When paired with wooden or natural materials (including the flooring or furniture), the look is kept from feeling overwhelming.
If you find the right balance, any colour scheme can work out for your kitchen — no matter how many colours you add. Leaning on whites, greys, creams, and beiges as secondary colours supports the bright primary hues and helps put together a beautiful yet balanced colour scheme.
Create Contrast With Fun Wallpaper
Credit: Our very own Interior Design Guru, Laura!
For a guaranteed pick-me-up, find some colourful wallpaper and create contrast by pairing it with a bold, complementary colour in the cabinetry.
If you're feeling brave, you can inject further colour by picking ones from the wallpaper and sprinkling it in throughout various parts of the kitchen (for example, with the furniture, decor or backsplash).
A clever way to avoid colour-overload is to keep a portion of the walls and flooring white or neutral — just like how Interior Design Guru, Laura, has done in her kitchen pictured above.
Opt For A Single Colour
Credit: Jean Stoffer Design
Want a bright but not-so-colourful kitchen? Consider opting for a single bold colour.
Whether it’s green or blue, a single-hued kitchen makes for a sleek design statement. Be sure to play around with different tones of the one colour you choose to create visual interest, though. For example, the kitchen in the image above uses different hues of green for the backsplash and cabinetry, whilst a third tone is added via the plants. Learn more about how to balance colours in our blog post on the 60-30-10 colour rule.
Go Dark
Credit: Our very own Interior Design Guru, Idil!
In for a gothic ambience? Black and grey pair together to create a moody colour palette, making your kitchen sleek and sophisticated whilst still keeping it relatively neutral.
Matte black always works wonders for kitchen cabinetry and islands. Since you don’t have any actual “colours” in the kitchen, be sure to leverage other ways of creating contrast. For example, veined marble islands and countertops create a completely different vibe than the grains in the floor — and both work excellent for black, moody kitchens!
Add Just A Splash Of Colour
Credit: Our very own Interior Design Guru, Sam!
Bold-coloured kitchens aren’t just about adding colour to every nook and cranny. You can experiment by adding just a splash of colour, too.
One fantastic way to do so is by using only coloured cabinetry, keeping everything else relatively neutral. You can pair it with a patterned backsplash to ensure your kitchen still makes a statement — even with just a little colour added.
Utilise Art To Incorporate Colour
Credit: Lumas
A super easy, inexpensive, and quick-to-change way of adding bold colours to your kitchen is through wall art. Pick large, statement pieces for bare kitchen walls. Whether these feature your favourite spices or merely a handful of cute lemons, wall art instantly jazzes up kitchens.
Be sure to put together the right composition for your pieces to make the most of them. You can learn about the best gallery wall compositions here.
Final Words
Had enough of boring neutrals? It’s time to introduce a pop of colour to your kitchen with the bold-coloured kitchen ideas discussed above. Remember, a more lively and colourful kitchen translates to happier experiences there — making your moments spent cooking and eating with loved ones all the more memorable!
Need some support with going bold in your kitchen? Just book one of our Interior Design Gurus here! They can look at your space over video chat and give you tips, ideas and guidance on how to achieve an interior that you love.