Kitchen Color Ideas

Is your kitchen lacking energy? Are all the hard, neutral surfaces fading into each other? Here are seven bright ideas for giving your kitchen a colorful new lease on life.

1. Candy-color cabinets. If investing in a full set of bright cabinets is scary, dip your toes in the water by painting just a few of your existing wood cabinets. Accent colors work well on a small stretch of upper cabinets on their own wall, on an island, or on a nonpermanent piece such as a buffet. If you have glass-front cabinets, you can also introduce an even smaller pop of color by simply painting or wallpapering the insides.
2. Walls that wow. For maximum saturation, give your walls all-over color with paint or wallpaper. For even more drama, carry the color onto the ceiling. For a low-effort, low-cost approach with big results, add color to just one accent wall using paint, wallpaper, or removable decals.
3. Splashy style. Make your backsplash a colorful centerpiece using mosaic glass tiles that incorporate all of the kitchen's colors or provide a bright accent to the room's neutrals. If tile isn't in the budget, paint the area a different color than the walls.
4. Vivid view. For unexpected drama in the kitchen, paint the window frames a bold color (go all out by doing the same for doorframes). Or keep it simple by hanging colorful window treatments instead.
5. Drama underfoot. If your kitchen has outdated hardwood floors, breathe new life into them by painting them a bright color or be a bit more subtle with a color wash. Don't want to touch the floors? Add area rugs and runners around the room for color and softness.
6. Shine the light. There are many lighting choices on the market that include pretty color components. Pendant lights made from colorful blown glass or those with decorative shades are perfect above the sink or an island.
7. Finishing touches. For those afraid of commitment, accent pieces are a smart way to introduce color without breaking the bank. Use artwork, small appliances, dinnerware, flowers, upholstered chairs, or linens to test out color combinations. Once you determine what you love, you can expand on the ideas to add larger doses of color. Or stick with the less-is-more approach and swap out items as your tastes or the seasons change.

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