How to brighten and elevate the design of an all-white kitchen with a pop of colour!

Colour can make a kitchen space feel brighter, more inviting, and be reflective of your own personal style. If you want to welcome a large dose of colour to your kitchen space you can do this by incorporating painted cabinetry. Alternatively, you can layer colour in small touches utilising practical yet visually appealing kitchen accessories. If you want to introduce your favourite hue into the hardest-working room in your home—here’s how…

Opt for colourful cabinetry

Cabinetry typically accounts for about 60% of your kitchen’s surfaces, so installing cabinets in your favourite shade will inject an extensive pop of colour into your space. Be sure to choose a hue you’ll love for many years to come, such as your favourite shade of blue (duck egg blue is one of the classics). If you’re worried about this cabinetry colour overwhelming the kitchen, balance this out by incorporating cabinetry with plenty of open storage shelves paired back with bright white walls.

Try a colourful tile splashback

Colourful tiles add texture and personality to an otherwise blank kitchen wall. Tile also provides a durable splashback that’s easy to install and keep clean. Add just a few rows of tile below upper cabinets, or extend your backsplash up to the ceiling for a visually impactful yet highly practical kitchen wall design.

Try painting existing cabinetry

If buying coloured cabinets is out of the question, try painting existing cabinets to update your white kitchen with a pop of colour. This is a highly economical way to do a quick refresh of your kitchen design by adding a more personal element to your kitchen. For example if you have an existing bright white kitchen space, try painting the lower cabinets a eucalyptus green, and offset this soft hue with black kitchen hardware and wood tone floor.

Try a designer wallpaper

You often see wallpaper in living areas and powder rooms, but this wall treatment can actually work well in some kitchens, too. Choose a colourful pattern for your kitchen walls, backsplash, or even the ceiling if you’re feeling extra experimental. To ensure your kitchen remains easy to clean, avoid fabric or highly textured wallpapers that can’t be easily wiped clean. This retro design element can be effortlessly incorporated into a modern kitchen design to create a unique and memorable space.

Install colourful light fixtures

A quick trick for giving a white kitchen a pop of colour is by replacing basic light fixtures with colourful counterparts. A new ceiling fixture can add interest to an area of the kitchen that doesn’t usually get much attention. You can also hang pendants with brightly colored shades above an island to boost task lighting and personality in the space.

Paint just your lower kitchen cabinets

For a balanced application of colour, try the two-toned look on your kitchen cabinetry. Choose one shade for the lower cabinets and leave the upper ones white or a natural wood finish. This high-contrast look allows you to create a more modern and elevated feel in your kitchen by incorporating bold colours like black on your cabinetry without the need to paint the entire space.

Line white cabinets with colour

Update an all-white kitchen with a pop of colour by painting the interior of glass-front or open cabinetry, creating a dramatic background for dishes and collectibles. Choose a colour that will show off your kitchenware, this design strategy is ideal for open shelves too. For example a bold shade of blue is the perfect backdrop for a custom collection of white, and blue dishware.

Colourful kitchen seating

Swap out basic island stools for a more interesting seating option that provides the ideal contrast in your kitchen design. With plenty of vibrant options on the market, you can introduce colour through seats upholstered in brightly coloured printed fabrics or metal stools in a powder-coated finish. To tie the room together, pick up a few accessories in a matching hue and place these accordingly around your kitchen.

Consider more subtle kitchen colours

Deep, bright and rich jewel tones are impactful, but muted colours can be just as eye-catching in a white kitchen if you’re wanting to incorporate a more subtle pop of colour. Soft pastels, used in paint colours or on a tile backsplash, maintain the elegant feel of a white kitchen while adding subtle interest. Wood tones add texture to elevate these lighter colours and lighter greens, blues and pink shades are ideal to bring colour into an all neutral kitchen design.

Use colourful fabrics

With so many hard surfaces, kitchens don’t typically feature as many fabrics as living spaces or bedrooms. However, there are still a few opportunities where you can layer colourful fabrics in a kitchen. For example, add elegantly patterned pillows to your banquette, cover dining chairs in a fresh, fun pattern, or hang eye-catching wall art to create more interest in your space.

Creative colour combinations.

Consider adding visual contrast in unlikely ways to your kitchen space. One opportunity to do so which is often overlooked, is the ceiling in the kitchen. For example, light blue is a popular kitchen ceiling colour as it resembles the sky, is soft and calming in nature. This soft blue colour will look effortless yet striking in an all-white kitchen and a colour of this calibre won’t overwhelm the senses.

Colourful kitchens aren’t for everyone, but every kitchen can include an element of colour in a subtle to powerful manner. Adding colour to a white kitchen offers the perfect compromise between quiet and loud kitchen design. While white kitchens have a modern, crisp and clean feel—at times they can feel a tad sterile or bland if they’re not carefully considered. Adding colour in a capacity that you’re comfortable with, to your kitchen space, will enhance the visual appeal of your modern or traditional kitchen.