Solstice Kitchen & Bath

Top Trends for Kitchen Design Color Schemes

August 13, 2024

The kitchen tends to be the heart of the home, and many kitchens are open plan spaces that connect with or include dining areas and living spaces. This means your kitchen is much more than just a functional room where you prepare food – it is also a place to dine, relax, host parties and family events, and much more.

Take care when selecting your fixtures and materials to balance functional and style considerations. Create a space where you are not only able to store and prepare food but can also enjoy yourself. Choose a layout that offers efficient work zones and a clear flow of movement throughout your kitchen design. Select materials that are durable and easy to maintain but also create a design aesthetic that enhances your home’s style.

One key element in designing your ideal kitchen is your color scheme. You may already have a color scheme in mind, or perhaps you need help deciding. Our guide to kitchen design color schemes and some of the latest design trends will help you get started!

Find Your Color Scheme Inspiration

Start by browsing websites and social media pages, visiting design showrooms, or even taking note of ideas when visiting friends’ or neighbors’ kitchens. Bring these ideas to your kitchen design appointment to discuss with your designer as they will help guide your material choices.

Often, homeowners will start their design selections and color scheme choices with one element that inspires the rest of the design. You may have your heart set on a beautiful countertop material with a bold veining pattern. Or your choices may start with your kitchen cabinet finish and work other choices around this. Perhaps you even have your heart set on a particular backsplash color or a finish for plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware. Find the design feature that inspires you and you can work the rest of your design around this.

Maybe you don’t have one particular feature in mind as a starting point for your design selections. Don’t worry! Talk to your kitchen design expert about what you like and don’t like about your existing kitchen, about designs that you liked when browsing the web, and about the atmosphere you want to create in your kitchen. They will help guide you to find the perfect color scheme and product selections.

What Design Elements Influence Your Color Scheme

So what are the key design elements that influence your kitchen’s color scheme? There are several features in any kitchen that can affect your color scheme and how it appears in your kitchen design. These include:

  • Kitchen Cabinets: Often the first thing anyone will notice when entering your kitchen, cabinets form the foundation of your layout and take up a significant amount of space in any kitchen. Whether you want your cabinets to stand out or blend with surrounding features, they are a key element in defining your kitchen’s color scheme.
  • Countertops: In a well-designed kitchen, your countertops are clutter-free since you have plenty of storage in your cabinet design. This means that countertops are ready to use and also on display. They also cover a large and very visible surface, making them a top choice for inspiring your color scheme.
  • Backsplash: Since it sits at eye level, the backsplash is a natural attention-getter. Backsplashes are also often a great option for adding color to a neutral kitchen design.
  • Flooring: This may not be the first thing that comes to mind when choosing your kitchen’s color scheme, but flooring is essential in helping to pull together your kitchen design.
  • Metallic Features: From plumbing fixtures to cabinet hardware and even light fixtures or island barstools, metallic colors and finishes accessorize your kitchen design. You may choose a more subdued tone or go for a bold choice that stands out and influences your kitchen’s color scheme.
  • Light: While not an element of your kitchen’s color scheme, your kitchen lighting will influence how design features appear and can change the tone of the colors you select. Consider where you place light fixtures and also how much natural light you get. Where possible, bring home product samples so you can see how they look in your kitchen at different times of day.

What Are Some of the Top Color Schemes Today

Now that you know the key elements that influence your kitchen design color scheme, let’s explore some of the top color palettes.

Classic Neutrals

Traditional neutrals like white, cream, beige, gray, and greige can be anything but boring. These classic tones provide a backdrop for life in your kitchen and never go out of style. They also have a range of tones, from cool to warm shades, within their color palette, to fit any design aesthetic. You can add contrast with your countertop, backsplash, or hardware, or add pops of color with decorative accessories. Wood countertops or shelves are a beautiful accent to soft neutrals and bring warmth to any kitchen design.

Warm Earth Tones

Earth tones are an easy way to create a warm, welcoming vibe for a kitchen design. Shades of brown can be included in painted or stained cabinets, giving your kitchen a grounded feel. Red is a popular choice but with undertones of orange and brown that create a welcoming vibe, rather than bright primary shades. Balance your earth tones with countertops and backsplash in lighter colors and include plants or even an indoor herb garden for a natural vibe kitchen design.

Nature-Inspired Colors

If you are seeking a color scheme inspired by nature but want to go for something a bit brighter than browns and reds, this year’s color scheme trends deliver! Shades of green inspired by nature like olive or sage give your kitchen design an organic feel and pair well with a wide range of cabinet hardware, countertop, and tile choices.

Blue tones bring the sense of calm you might feel when visiting the ocean or your favorite lake, Darker blue shades can give a sense of gazing up at the night sky. Pair these shades with contrasting white or gray elements and add natural wood shelves to add warmth to your space.

These color choices bring balance and peace to a kitchen design, giving it a style that is grounded in nature. This is ideal if you love to spend time in your kitchen and especially if you see it as a space to relax and unwind with a cup of coffee and a good book or to chat with friends over a glass of wine.

Natural Wood Shades

Natural wood elements, particularly cabinetry, have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Stained wood, particularly in lighter stained finishes, lets the natural grain, texture, and quality of your wood take center stage. Choose high-quality wood to make the most of your stained cabinetry or wood shelves.

Natural wood tones work well in any kitchen design style, from traditional to contemporary. For kitchen cabinets, it works especially well with simple styles like Shaker or modern slab doors. This lets you focus on the quality of your wood with minimal embellishments distracting from the wood itself.

Black

Black is perhaps one of the most surprising color trends, and it has really taken off as a top color scheme for kitchen designs. It gives any kitchen a sophisticated look and can fit a design style ranging from traditional to modern. If you don’t want an all-black design that may appear too moody, consider balancing black kitchen cabinets with a contrasting white countertop and backsplash, or go for a two-tone cabinet design pairing black and white cabinets.

Two-Tone Combinations

In addition to black and white, other two-tone combinations are quite popular. This trend has been around for some time and shows no signs of diminishing in popularity.  Two-tone combinations add depth to a kitchen’s style, creating a balanced and visually appealing room. It also can be an ideal way to draw attention to one part of your kitchen design, for example with a darker finish island set against lighter perimeter cabinets.

Some two-tone designs stick to two shades of the same color family, such as two shades of gray. Others go for more contrast with two very different, but complementary colors. In kitchen cabinet designs, you could choose one color for an island and another for the perimeter, or one color for base cabinets and another for wall cabinets. If you want to achieve this look but prefer a single shade for your cabinets, go for a contrasting color for countertops and backsplash to achieve a similar effect.

Choose Your Perfect Color Scheme

When planning your kitchen design, remember this is more than just a functional space. The kitchen is the center of life in your home, so you want to choose a color scheme and design style that fits your personal tastes and enhances your home life.

From natural wood to classic white, sophisticated black, or soothing green or blue, choose a color palette that brings your ideal kitchen style to life. Then choose materials, products, and finishes that bring out your preferred color scheme and create a cohesive style for your kitchen. Ready to get started on planning your ideal kitchen? Contact our team today!