Elements of Surprise: Unexpected Dollops of Kitchen Colour
Tune in to your tastes and add your favourite hues to cheer up the hub of your home
Your kitchen needn’t be flamboyant or make a wild statement to be interesting. Colour is the key to giving a beautiful but perhaps a little bland kitchen some personality all its own. A splash of unexpected colour here and there will not only affect how your kitchen looks, but also how you feel when you’re in it. Think through what you’d like your kitchen to do for you in terms of mood, and add colour accordingly. Cheerful? Creative? Peaceful? Jazzed up? Use these ideas for inspiration and don’t worry – adding colour need not require a total overhaul.
Whether it’s igloo blue, fire-engine red, or the palest of golds, most people react strongly to one or two particular colours. Cornflower blue is my colour, for instance, but whenever I see emerald green I think of a friend of mine – it’s simply her colour. Whatever your colour is, would bringing it into your kitchen make for a more pleasurable cooking zone?
Make coloured appliances work in your kitchen
Make coloured appliances work in your kitchen
Window coverings with wow
Whether for privacy or to keep the sun out of your eyes, roller blinds and Roman blinds can be one useful kitchen addition. But why, oh why, must they be neutral and blend in when they can bring so much life and colour? Imagine the surprise of friends and family members hanging out in this kitchen when you pull down the shade.
Whether for privacy or to keep the sun out of your eyes, roller blinds and Roman blinds can be one useful kitchen addition. But why, oh why, must they be neutral and blend in when they can bring so much life and colour? Imagine the surprise of friends and family members hanging out in this kitchen when you pull down the shade.
Along with colour, kitchen blinds can add personality in spades. Go a little nuts when you’re shopping around for fabric. If you love it, that’s the one to choose.
Talk about the goodness of fresh greens! This kitchen brings the garden inside with the help of that verdant blind, and tops it off with green stools and plenty of pot plants to make it lush and lovely.
Browse more white kitchen photos
Browse more white kitchen photos
Stools … your way
In ultra-modern kitchens, a dash of bright colour can be welcome alongside all those sleek surfaces and a subtle colour palette. The stools in this kitchen are all the more eye-catching because they don’t match, and their curves provide some pleasing contrast in a kitchen of straight lines and 90-degree angles.
In ultra-modern kitchens, a dash of bright colour can be welcome alongside all those sleek surfaces and a subtle colour palette. The stools in this kitchen are all the more eye-catching because they don’t match, and their curves provide some pleasing contrast in a kitchen of straight lines and 90-degree angles.
If bright colours aren’t your thing, there’s no shame in keeping them out of the kitchen. Earthy tones can make a heart sing and ground you, which may be just what you need of a morning if your days tend to be filled with rushing about, decision making and chatter.
Fantastic floors
Floors are often overlooked as having potential for positive change. Do you dare try this at your house?
10 patterns to paint on your floor
Floors are often overlooked as having potential for positive change. Do you dare try this at your house?
10 patterns to paint on your floor
If floor paint is out of the question, a rug can turn even the humblest of kitchens into a rare beauty. Just be prepared to wash it regularly or to send it to the dry cleaners. So worth it.
Talking-point tiles
Benchtop-to-ceiling tiles are becoming more common, and the larger area gives you the chance to really go to town with colour. Hunt down some tiles that make you swoon, and watch your kitchen turn into a space you’re proud of.
Benchtop-to-ceiling tiles are becoming more common, and the larger area gives you the chance to really go to town with colour. Hunt down some tiles that make you swoon, and watch your kitchen turn into a space you’re proud of.
Black kitchens may have stolen our hearts, but there’s no reason you can’t bring in a little colour. This mosaic splashback also sparkles in the light.
Cupboard surprise
This kitchen features random splashes of colour, but only when you open some of the cabinets. How fun!
This kitchen features random splashes of colour, but only when you open some of the cabinets. How fun!
Wallpaper can be any colour, or have any pattern or personality you want it to – show it off through glass doors, or make it appear and disappear at will with solid ones.
Where to hang wallpaper in the kitchen
Where to hang wallpaper in the kitchen
Designed to dazzle
Custom shelving is another option. Removing your upper cabinets and replacing them with a set-up like this adds colour and character galore, and can pair seamlessly with kitchens of all kinds.
Custom shelving is another option. Removing your upper cabinets and replacing them with a set-up like this adds colour and character galore, and can pair seamlessly with kitchens of all kinds.
Renovators with colour on their minds, take note. Green has been injected in clever ways throughout this kitchen, and in the living room’s custom cabinetry reflected in the mirrored splashback. That’s a whole lot of green, but in this house it works. The owners wanted their home to connect to the vibrant green space outdoors – an understandable priority in the inner city. And yes, the front door is also green.
Awe-inspiring artwork
I feel cooler just looking at this artwork. In a beachy kitchen in the middle of summer, an artwork like this is the next best thing to taking a refreshing dip. Again, it’s all about adding colour to influence how you want to feel.
I feel cooler just looking at this artwork. In a beachy kitchen in the middle of summer, an artwork like this is the next best thing to taking a refreshing dip. Again, it’s all about adding colour to influence how you want to feel.
The expression ‘different strokes for different folks’ is never more apt than in relation to the wide-ranging tastes in art. If you find a piece you love, the kitchen could be the perfect spot to display it.
Just a splash
It’s often the little things that please us most. Opening a drawer to reveal a set of rainbow-coloured knives can bring a mini joy-boost that might just set the tone for your whole day.
It’s often the little things that please us most. Opening a drawer to reveal a set of rainbow-coloured knives can bring a mini joy-boost that might just set the tone for your whole day.
And definitely make it a habit to display bright tea towels in good condition rather than reaching for the colourless ragged ones out of habit – they can be put to another use.
YOUR SAY
How have you injected colour into your kitchen? Share your ideas in the Comments.
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Browse more kitchen design ideas
YOUR SAY
How have you injected colour into your kitchen? Share your ideas in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more kitchen design ideas
Guess what people will comment on when they first see this kitchen? The stove and the wallpaper, of course. A jolt of colour in a mostly white kitchen can make it feel fresh and somehow jollier. Appliances are often the easiest way to do this, and the colours available are ever-growing.