Make It Pop
Neutrals are nice, but color helps you rise and shine, especially if you're the type who stumbles into the kitchen in the morning with only one eye open.
Once you've decided to incorporate color, the next question is where. Colorful cabinets and countertops make big statements, but they're expensive and many people are afraid they'll get boring after a while. If you're sure you love the color and plan to live in the house quite a while, go for it. If you're less sure, you may want to add color through less expensive, less permanent elements, like paint, furnishings, and accessories. All these kitchens use color to great advantage.
Once you've decided to incorporate color, the next question is where. Colorful cabinets and countertops make big statements, but they're expensive and many people are afraid they'll get boring after a while. If you're sure you love the color and plan to live in the house quite a while, go for it. If you're less sure, you may want to add color through less expensive, less permanent elements, like paint, furnishings, and accessories. All these kitchens use color to great advantage.
Vibrant orange cabinets define the space in this open kitchen. I like using one strong color against a neutral palette like this. It creates a visual focus.
If you're not careful, vibrant color can overwhelm a space. Here, the designer limited the deep blue to the lower cabinets of the main work area and a modified surround for the ovens. The effect is striking but balanced within the room, which is nice.
Subtle color can be effective, too. The nearly translucent color of this backsplash adds interest to the white-and-stainless-steel palette of this kitchen.
Paint is the easiest, least expensive way to add color. Here, deep blue inside the breakfront creates depth of field against the room's lemon yellow walls. Using a strategy like this lets you refresh the room anytime you get the urge. A couple of quick coats of paint inside the breakfront would change the entire outlook.
Yellow pendant lights sparkle against the white walls and cabinets of this kitchen. Using small touches of color like this makes the room seem lively without a huge investment.
Colorful utensils and dishes sparkle in the natural light of this deep greenhouse window. In neutral settings, accessories like these let you add dashes of color without undertaking a big project.
Do you remember the old joke: What's black and white and read all over? It's the newspaper, of course. And this stunning kitchen. The bar stools pop against the background and small touches of red throughout the room help make them part of the whole. When you use large contrasting pieces like this, small help balance them.
The color scheme of this kitchen and the living room beyond is set by paint on the exposed framing. It's elegant. It's inexpensive. It's easy to change. What's not to like about this simple idea? Not every kitchen has this kind of dramatic architecture, but the idea could be adapted to include door and window frames.