4 Colour Ideas for Your Kitchen

Colourful kitchens have been enjoying a renaissance, from the rustic farmhouse look to more modern sleek designs, we have been seeing more and more colour on walls, cabinets, woodwork and even ceilings! Using brighter colours on cabinets or kitchen islands is not a new trend but the combination of colours are definitely more creative and confident.

There will always be a demand for fresh, clean whitewashed kitchens but customers are choosing warmer new neutrals rather than starker whites of yesteryear. We are also seeing more bespoke designs incorporating antique pieces, incredible detailing in hardware, handles, show-stopping lighting and a wide variety of tiles.

It’s a good time to plan your dream kitchen and what better place to start than with a lick of beautiful and transformative natural paint.

New Neutrals

Why not try one of our neutrals for a warming and calming effect. These colours will react beautifully with natural light but also under artificial lights in kitchens, bringing out gorgeous tones in both instances.

New neutrals, such as our most-loved  pinks create the perfect soft hue for a calm kitchen space. ‘Jonquil‘ is our versatile plaster pink and has a wonderful tone that hovers between pink and yellow/beige. If you want to go slightly pinker then ‘Cuisse de Nymphe Emue‘ is the ultimate dusty pink. Finally, ‘Lilac Pink‘, neither lilac nor pink, is a warm beige with pink hues.

Colour of the moment ‘Clove‘ is perfect for an open kitchen space, enveloping a room with a spicy warmth. While still being a deep beige the earthy red oxide in the mix really wraps the colour round a space. We have seen it looking stunning on the walls and even wall to ceiling as well as on the joinery of a kitchen.  The perfect, new, warm neutral paint colour has become a go-to choice as we embrace more nuanced colour in our lives, all created by the depth of pigment we use in our natural paint.

Colourful Cabinets

Be colour confident and use vibrant colours on your cabinets and units. You can go for strong tones against a neutral backdrop or create a contrasting palette.

Edward spoke to Homes & Gardens about how to decorate kitchen spaces. He says: “A kitchen usually has lots of colourful elements in it. I would go with quite neutral colours for the walls and some bright colour on the cupboards. Try mixing it up with contrasting colours: as long as they work tonally you cannot go wrong. You can play it safe with colours that sit alongside one another on the colour wheel, or for striking impact, go for those on opposite sides I.e. greens to complement reds, blues to complement oranges and purples to complement yellows.”

Daisy Sims-Hildtich has used our ‘Verdigris‘ on her kitchen cabinets which brings light and makes it feel more spacious.  Daisy said: “As soon as I saw ‘Verdigris‘ on your paint chart I knew it would be perfect for the look I was hoping to achieve in my kitchen. I wanted the space to have a playful and fun feel and to be a haven away from the busy rush of London life where I could be creative and conjure up ideas for future paintings”

Simple and sleek

If you want to keep it simple, we recommend using off-white rather than a bright white. This will react better with the light and be kinder to the space. Choose a warm off-white like our ‘Spanish White‘, ‘Milk White‘ or ‘Whiting‘.

One of Edward’s favourites is ‘Spanish White’. As far back as Ancient times various pigments were described as ‘Spanish’ because this is where they were mined, processed and traded from. Edward adopted the name for this very pale warm white as it evokes what comes to mind for many of us – the whitewashed houses of the Mediterranean coast. Our natural process creates this bright white with the clarity and slight yellow ochre tone of natural chalk which responds to light in a way which synthetic paints cannot recreate.

Another of Edward’s go-to off whites is  ‘Milk White’ which he says is “a good choice for an off white that has some weight and combines all the Earth pigments in balance and has a hint of black for some greyness”. This colour is perfect for a modern, fresh kitchen space.

‘Whiting’ is another popular off white that we have seen in kitchens, hallways and bedrooms. Base preparation in the past was often done with a simple chalk and animal glue mix known as Whiting. This is the name we have adopted for this shade that reflects the slightly beige appearance of size. It is a really useful off-white shade for lighter palette schemes and also compliments the deeper off‐whites really well.

‘Fine White‘ is one of our warmer whites. Kerri Lipsitz used this in a wonderful open and light kitchen space which catches its warm hues and creates a fresh and clean backdrop for dark marble and wooden elements.

A striking effect can be achieved with an off-white kitchen and a differentiation of colour in woodwork. Using a more pigmented white or warm grey can add depth to white walls and give more structure to a white space. ‘Fine White’ makes a good counterpart to our greyer shades as it adds warmth.

All out natural colour

A bright and bold kitchen is not for the faint hearted but immediately creates a fun and happy atmosphere. Why not go bold with one of our brighter pinks like ‘Rose‘ or ‘Nicaragua‘ for that all out wow-factor!

If you are looking for something blue then make sure you use a warm blue like ‘Azurite‘ which is a real pick-me-up colour. It is  packed with pigment to give strength and depth, but with earthy warmth. ‘Vert de Mer‘is a sea blue that conveys the warmth of the Med and the greeny depth of the ocean. Our popular ‘Invisible Green‘, which is hardly invisible, is a fun and happy hue which brings joy to any space.

For a completely maximalist kitchen combine two of our punchy colours that are rich with pigment like Martin Brudnizki’s amazing ‘Dutch Orange‘ and ‘Invisible Green‘ kitchen of dreams! Sometimes colours that are so full of energy is exactly what a room needs.

Fear not, if you are still unsure about what colour to go for to create your dream kitchen our colour consultants are here to help. There are three different ways our colour consultants can help you. They can visit you in person at home or on site, you can book a virtual consultancy service to speak to us by phone or video.  We offer free colour advice online by email. Not only will we help you create your dream scheme but we will follow through with advice on choosing the right paint finish and, most importantly, the correct preparation.