Trend Watch: Colour In The Kitchen

It seems a lifetime ago that we visited the KBB Birmingham exhibition to look at the latest offerings in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom industries. It was the beginning of March, and the resulting Trend Watch feature revolved around black and dark coloured kitchens. Nearly three months later, and in a world that now looks very different, we thought we’d re-visit the theme and take a look at the trend for bright, colourful kitchens to bring a bit of vibrancy to what has recently been quite a dark time for us all. For something really exciting and vibrant, why not try the Onda kitchen in Orchid, as shown above, from Rational

Going for Bold

Whilst many designers, from professionals working within kitchen studios to interior designers working independently suggest colour schemes with wide appeal and longevity, we think that a major focus colour can be a delightfully bold statement. Neutral schemes can be considered as the beiges, greys, whites, ivories and so on, as well as black and charcoal. Natural timber is another neutral. The link between these colour choices is that they can all be emphasised, brightened and given the ‘wow factor’ by the addition of a focus colour.

One particularly successful idea is to use a bright colour for the interior of some of the cabinets, an idea often used by the John Lewis of Hungerford design team. Karen Livesey, Senior Kitchen Designer, John Lewis of Hungerford, says: “A vibrant colour painted inside kitchen cabinets will give an instant brightening effect, and teamed with some spotlights or LEDs can be turned into a focal point of your new luxury kitchen. Choose striking colours such as bright greens, blues and yellows to really grab attention. If you want to show off your favourite crockery, then paint the inside of glass-fronted cabinets to create a dramatic background. The colour used here is Persian Green. Our kitchen designers are highly enthusiastic about exploring different colours and textures to create bespoke  kitchens that meet each clients’ unique style.”

Focus colours, perhaps used for tiled splashbacks, bar stools, wall paint, rugs or artworks can be switched up relatively easily, updating a kitchen aesthetic at modest cost and with little upheaval. However, if you go for a vivid shade for your kitchen cabinetry, it’s a big step and one that needs to be taken with due consideration – as well as lots of research!

Green Schemes

This Modern Shaker kitchen by Brayer Design isn’t a particularly bold shade, but because it’s impeccably paired with natural timber flooring and white/off white walls, the subtle green shade does ‘pop’ in a very appealing way. Pastel and pale shades do mix, very well indeed. For a similar look for flooring, try our Ardennes wood effect porcelain tiles – they sport a plank-like form factor and authentically replicate naturally aged timber.

Minty Fresh

Try the Milano Contour Ermine kitchen in Spearmint, from the Infinity Plus range by Wren Kitchens. This is a vivid, refreshing shade, which works well as an accent colour with white, black and grey. Other shades available include Lemon Curd, Cotton Candy and Gummy Bear! You can replicate the terrazzo-style tiling seen here with our Ofelia porcelain floor tiles – they’re listed as floor tiles but you can install them on walls so long as the substrate is strong enough to hold them!

Park Life

If the kitchen doesn’t need colouring in, why not focus on the dining area for a spot of extra colour instead? As ever, the range at Loaf doesn’t disappoint – this is the Park Up Table, available in a host of sizes and with colourful matching chairs as well. For a similar bleached-look floor, try our Atlantis White Wood Effect porcelain tiles.

Spectacular Shades

One of the newer shades from Wren Kitchens, this is the Spectrum design in Coral. What a cheerful, uplifting shade! Definitely one to be given serious consideration if you’re set on getting colour into the kitchen.

 

Cheers! Just the sight of this Boho Spice Glass Pitcher from Talking Tables is enough to make anyone want to get their sunglasses on, sun lounger out, and break out the summer cocktails! Go for it! And right, get the nibbles and snacks organised with these fabulous Cereal Bowls in Coral from John Lewis & Partners, also available in pasta bowl format.

Sweet Greens

If you want an unexpected, cheerful and jolly colour scheme (we’re trying so hard to resist referencing the Jolly Green Giant here) think about egg yolk yellow and leaf green cabinetry by Koivu. Each kitchen is made to order using Finnish birch plywood, with a layer of either FENIX or the more familiar Formica laminate.

Nearly Neutral

A little example of how bright colours work beautifully with laid back neutrals. Crockery, table, and chairs all from the latest home collections at John Lewis & Partners.

A Little Bit of Sunshine

A little bit more inspiration from those purveyors of plush kitchens, Koivu. This is somewhat at the opposite end of the kitchen shown previously, the run of green cabinets is the other side of the peninsula, beneath the wall-hung cabinets.

Luscious Lavender

Crown Imperial’s colour palette as always, includes a number of wow-factor shades; here are two of them – Lavender and Rose. The gorgeous pantry cupboard utilses Lavender with aplomb, and the slightly more subtle Rose for the floor units. We love the natural wood finish interior, which balances out the bright Lavender!

 

Realistically, you may not be designing a whole new kitchen layout in your head at the moment, but here are a few little nuggets of inspiration for colour schemes just in case they’re needed! From left; Primavera Plywood Tray in white, lilac and green by Marimekko from Amara; The stunning Everhot 100i range cooker in Aubergine, and right, a rather lovely little Reactive Glaze Leaf Dish, from John Lewis & Partners.

 

Mulberry Matters

And finally, one last joyful colour to spark some creative thoughts! This is the wonderful Ely Kitchen in Mulberry and Cafe Latte by Mereway. A great example of how colour needn’t be scary or brash, this combination works by balancing an interesting and quite unusual colour (Mulberry) with a softer neutral (Café Latte). The result is a timeless scheme that will look stylish for years. Mark Mills, Sales & Marketing Director at Mereway, says: “Introducing vibrant elements and key notes of colour are sometimes easier to live with long-term in smaller doses. Accents bringing colour into the kitchen that make it relevant are also relatively easier to update; completely refreshing the overall kitchen aesthetic.”

Will you be adding a splash of colour to your kitchen? If so then we’d love to see your pics! Tweet us @TileMountainUK, share on Facebook or tag us on Instagram!

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