A multi-part series of kitchen color ideas and schemes for your kitchen next year…
Neutrals are not for everyone. Most of us like a little flava’ in our life. Even so, it is more about choosing how and where to introduce color, picking spots that can be easily updated, and introducing shades that mirror the color palette in the rest of your home. A change of paint color or some new tiles can give a kitchen a completely fresh look, picking up on different accents within the home. The right application of color to any kitchen will last years, even decades. The kitchen is a multi-purpose room that must be designed living and cooking.
Every room in your home, not just kitchens, are full of color opportunities. In the kitchen it comes in the form of appliances, flooring, window treatments, and cabinets.
Classic Blue Color Schemes in the Kitchen
Blue kitchen colors can work in both country and modern kitchens. Blue tones are timeless and simple to use for a layered look and can be offset with pale tones and warm neutrals. Think about incorporating rough, touch finishes, too. Schemes with intense, solid color demand texture, like raw wood, battered metal, distressed paintwork and linen to introduce a laid-back element.
Floor to Ceiling Blue
A dark teal blue kitchen with wall paneling, island and cabinetry all painted the same shade, a wooden floor and white worktops and Aga.
If you are looking for kitchen color ideas that are bold and simply adore blue, a floor-to-ceiling approach can work if your kitchen is large enough or if the natural light is good – or if you’re happy with a very cozy, enclosed finish in a smaller kitchen.
‘We love experimenting with color,’ says Keren Richter, co-founder of New York design studio White Arrow (opens in new tab), ‘be it utilizing a rich shade on vintage furniture, hand painting kitchen cabinetry, and in some instances painting the adjacent wall and ceilings to match the room’s millwork.
‘We experimented by running color from the custom Shaker cabinetry onto the adjacent beadboard, walls, hood, and hardware in our Pound Ridge kitchen. The color creates a fully immersive environment.
‘The richly pigmented Fine Paints of Europe (opens in new tab) paint on all surfaces provides a stunning backdrop for our collection of ironstone ceramics, honed Silestone countertops, and a white Aga oven.’
Limiting Blue to Base Units
Blue kitchen ideas with navy blue painted cabinetry in a white kitchen w/ wooden flooring + steel sink.
If you’ve decided on dark blue but are wondering how to make a small kitchen look bigger, you can have your cake and eat it by using the design technique above: dark colors to base units, pale units above.
In the case of this blue and white kitchen, the white is on the wall units and paneling, and the base units indulge in the darker shade.
You can still blend the blue on to other elements, like the window frame and the trim where the top of the wall meets the ceiling – doing so unites the scheme beautifully.
Cool Blue Kitchens w/ Warm Accents
Baby blue kitchen cabinets and a bright dining area with yellow chairs and wooden table.
Consider the shade carefully. In this kitchen, the blue is quite warm, and the space is given further warmth with the hints of yellow in the dining chairs.
This stylish Townhouse kitchen has been designed in our modern British style using Shaker style cabinetry for the uncomplicated elegance it creates. Painted in Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue, it complements the rest of the room scheme.
The insides of the glass fronted cabinets are also painted in the same color – this is a great small kitchen design trick as it enables your eye to flow around the space with no interruption, allowing for a streamlined look.
Hints of Blue in Kitchen Island
A baby blue kitchen island in a pale gray scheme with wooden bar stools, Silestone countertops and pale wooden flooring.
Let the pale blue and gray kitchen be a masterclass in calm coordination.
If you love a pale scheme then choose a light shade of blue. This island is painted in a color that is the same tone as the wall cabinet on the left and the walls, as Lara Hughes, kitchen designer at Neptune (opens in new tab) explains:
One of the most popular routes to take is to have a colored kitchen island, such as our Flax Blue, that works harmoniously alongside paler paints, like Snow, for example.
The slightly darker wall color grounds the look while the wooden floor and mantel add texture and warmth. The overall feel is calming and welcoming.
Dramatic Blue with Metallics
Blue kitchen ideas in a scheme with painted kitchen base cabinets, plus a white Aga and gold leaf backsplash.
One of the bonuses of blue, and why it is so popular, is that it is versatile. It looks great with metallics: these inky blue flat-fronted units look stunning against the gold leaf wall.
One of the signature design touchstones is the use of complementary colors to create maximum impact. Here, the cool dark qualities of Aubusson Blue contrast with the warm, light-reflecting Imitation Gold to give a very deliberate, bold look to this kitchen.
Chalk paint is a great way to cut down on the cost to have kitchen cabinets painted, as it can be applied directly to most surfaces so no sanding is required.
Blue + Crisp White = High-end Look
A white kitchen with navy blue kitchen cabinets and island, white Silestone countertops and pale wood flooring.
If you’re a fan of blue and white, this is a great way to use it to create that Hamptons-style, vacation home-feel.
This blue kitchen shows how well you can use blue with white without it looking cold and clinical.
Balance is key with a look like this and one should add in a few warming features like copper pendants and matching faucet. The lime-washed floorboards also add texture.
Blush Pinks Soften Blue Kitchens
Blue kitchen island and bar stools with blush pink walls, white Silestone countertops and pale gray stone flooring.
Though not a color combination that one would normally consider, blue and pink can counter-balance each other. The pink softens dark blue’s tendency to be cool-looking, while the blue makes the pink look more grown up.
The deep blue in this space is Bond Street No.219 by Mylands, and the blush is Threadneedle No.262.
The blue’s depth of tone makes it a solid choice for for kitchen island ideas where the color of this central feature is what defines the room’s scheme.
Wood Warms Blue Kitchens
Deep blue kitchen walls, a white wall and shelf and cherry worktop.
If yours is a relaxed, cottage style kitchen, a kitchen painting tip is to match a vivid blue with other colors or materials that soften it. Here, the deep cherry tones of the countertop (not Silestone) and the chalky white paint of the tongue and groove paneling, which is in Wimborne White.
Blue adds drama and manages to feel both dramatic and optimistic, and has a somewhat more uncomplicated feel to it than other strong blues.
It creates rooms that feel more upbeat than other blues. The fresh tone lends itself to rooms full of activity, as well as spaces to relax in after a long day.
Add Chrome to Blue for Contemporary Look
Blue kitchen idea that features mid-blue painted base cabinets with chrome backsplash and fittings, in a room with exposed brick walls.
Mid-blues are a versatile choice. If you favor modern kitchen ideas, opt for smooth matte units teamed with countertops (again not Silestone) and oven.
Petrol blue is the star of this industrial space. Its shade contrasts perfectly against the exposed brick wall, light flooring and all the plants. Still, it adds a warmth to a space that could look cold.
Blue Patterns with Wallpaper
Blue kitchen colors in white chevron wallpaper, pale blue cabinetry and white and yellow accents.
Wallpaper can help you link a blue kitchen with other blue rooms. This is good example of how it can work. The chevron print wallpaper complements the painted units and carries the blue across the open plan space.
In this residential project, the kitchen cupboards are painted in Mid Wedgwood Blue and are cleverly tucked into the hallway at the top of stairs between the bedroom and drawing room.
The walls are covered in the indigo colorway, which gives the space a cool, fresh finish.