Forget what’s trending: how to add colour to the contemporary kitchen

Are you fed up playing it safe with colour when it comes to home décor? Well, the good news is, colour options in home décor are plentiful like never before. And while certain colours continue to trend, there’s never been an easier time to throw caution to the wind, buck trends and choose a colour to suit you, your home and your personality.

Colour is powerful when it comes to home interiors, and the colour scheme you choose for your kitchen can completely alter the ambience of the room, as much as it can anywhere else in the home. It’s easy and safe when upgrading your home with a new contemporary kitchen, to stick with white, black, grey or muted colours in cabinetry. That is understandable. Good quality, new contemporary kitchen units don’t come cheap, and you want the investment to stand the test of time.

White, black and grey contemporary kitchens have been trending for a while now. There’s no argument to be had – they do look absolutely fabulous. The problem is, they look so good, are we too scared to add a spot of colour lest the magnificent cabinetry gets overshadowed? Play it safe and sure, your brand new contemporary kitchen will still look awesome. But, where’s the personal touch? Do you want your kitchen to look like any other contemporary kitchen in so many other homes? Isn’t life too short to play it safe?

Paired well, colourful accents and décor can add interest, and a unique personal touch. 

The most important thing is to not be afraid of colour. Colour doesn’t detract; it adds. First rule – forget what colours are trending right now. That doesn’t mean you can’t opt for trending colours, but don’t be automatically drawn to them just because they are ‘in.’ Are there any colours you love or are drawn to? Be brave. Here, Dakota Murphey shares 5 fabulous colour combinations, with tips on how to add colour to your contemporary kitchen.

1. Team grey with vibrant orange accessories

A sleek grey contemporary kitchen oozes style, and gives an elegant kick to any home interior. Orange works beautifully with grey and brings real warmth to the grey kitchen, which can sometimes feel quite masculine and cold. Most contemporary kitchens veer to minimalist styles, so choose a few orange accessories wisely to keep the space feeling uncluttered. A large orange vase, an abstract piece of artwork, or orange pendant lighting can be enough. Don’t go overkill with bright orange. A little goes a long way. 

2. Fuscia pink furniture in the white, high-gloss kitchen

Bright, colourful touches bring some adventure and fun to the white high-gloss kitchen. In fact, as much as we love white contemporary kitchens, they can appear a little stark without a splash of something. Funky, modern pink chairs around a white dining table, or contemporary pink stools at the breakfast bar, bring a real sense of fun to the white contemporary kitchen. We love these pink chairs by Kartell.

3. Midnight blue décor in the bold black kitchen 

The temptation with black kitchen units is to lighten the space with paint colour on the walls. Presumably you have a large kitchen if you’ve opted for black cabinetry? In a huge kitchen space, you have a license to use darker colour schemes. Midnight blue is unexpected, dramatic and daring. It’s a colour scheme that will definitely get your kitchen to stand out from the crowd. Teamed with bronze or gold pendant lighting and dark wood floors you’ll be living everyday with a kitchen that has the feel of a decadent cocktail bar. We love Farrow and Ball’s paint in Drawing Room Blue. 

4. Subtle splashes of colour with splashbacks, tiles and feature walls

If you really can’t take the leap of faith into bold and daring with colour, subtle splashes can work equally well. Mellow yellow splashbacks in a grey kitchen, pale blue feature walls in a white kitchen, and blush pink patterned tiles team up well with with grey décor and black cabinetry. In fact, whatever colour you love, tone down the shade and add it to your kitchen in a block. Make the area for your splash of colour as big or as teeny as you like.

5. Go colour crazy with flooring

Bespoke vinyl flooring is a perfect way to make a bold and colourful statement in the contemporary kitchen. Choose geometric patterns and go crazy with colour. The bolder and brighter you go with colour, the better. It’s a sure-fire way to lift your kitchen space from ordinary to extraordinary.

However you decide to add colour in your contemporary kitchen, pick the colours you love, not necessarily the colours that are trending. You need to go with your heart on this one.