A white kitchen is timeless. With morning sun streaming in over marble countertops, a white kitchen seems both pristine and comfortable, begging you to settle in, grab a cup of coffee, and stay for a while.

With a white kitchen, you know it will never go out of style.

But sometimes you want to bring in some more personality. You want to go bold. You want color.

Don’t Be Afraid to Bring Color Into the Kitchen!

When we work with clients, we want to make sure we’re not repeating the same kitchen over and over — we design spaces that are unique to each client. Spaces that feel fresh, inviting, and, most of all, feel like home. Our trick? Incorporate texture, lighting, and color.

We love the idea of bringing color into the kitchen and, not just any color, but BOLD color. Green, turquoise, bright blue — they’re all fair game. But how do we do so in a way that still feels classic? By balancing it with streamlined hardware, sophisticated fixtures, and, yes, white cabinetry.

Here are a few of our favorite colorful kitchens and why each color works in this particular application.

Go Green to Bring a Sense of Calm

When you’re surrounded by nature, it just makes sense to bring the outside in through color. That’s why this Portland, Oregon kitchen was the perfect opportunity to go green. The client was up for something that felt modern and youthful, so we went all in with green on bottom and full height cabinetry. The color green is both bold and calming, creating a stress-free retreat to start and end your day.

We accented it with a few select white cabinets and white Quartz countertops to temper the rich hue slightly. Simple brass hardware, light wood flooring, and open shelving create a look that feels organic and inspired by nature. It’s easy being green sometimes, isn’t it?

You Can Have Your White Kitchen…And Have Bold Color, Too

The next two projects are, at their core, white kitchens. They have crisp white cabinetry, classic countertops, and subtle hardware — it’s a look that’s light and airy. They feel both fresh and timeless.

But they both also make a statement with pops of color. The color isn’t overpowering; instead, it’s restrained to a specific area where it can add a dose of personality and then echoed in smaller details throughout the kitchen.

A warm shade of blue island in a Hidden Hills kitchen is tied into the rest of the room through textile details on drapery and in the painted back of a built-in bookshelf. The use of color is intentional without being in your face. Instead of a blue kitchen, it’s a bright, white kitchen with just a touch of purposeful blue — the kind of nod to color where you might assume the client’s favorite color is this exact shade.

And, in this Westlake kitchen, we went all white on the cabinetry, the subway tile backsplash, the walls, and the countertops before bringing in a deep teal on the island, pantry, and refrigerator cabinet. The color was chosen as a nod to Hawaii — without going into pineapples or tiki torch motifs. To bring together the white kitchen with the strong use of color, we incorporated natural textures like the counter stools, bamboo shade, and butcher block island. Both the white and the teal are warmed up with these accents and it all works together as one cohesive space that hints at island living.

If You’re Dipping Your Toe Into Color, Try Navy

Lastly, if you’re just starting to dip your toes into color, go with a “neutral.” In this Westlake kitchen, we used a similar approach of limiting color to the island, however we didn’t go nearly as bright as the previous two projects.

In this design, we opted for a subdued navy accent in a white kitchen. The kitchen is white almost in entirety, with the island as the only pop of color. The navy is connected to the rest of the room through small details, like the pottery in the built-in shelving to the left of the refrigerator. The result is a kitchen that reads as timeless, even though it incorporates a decidedly modern and dark color.

Kitchen Color Trends We’re Excited to See in 2021

So, what colors are we excited to see in kitchen design in 2021? Dwell Magazine’s article, These Four Colors Will Dominate Our Homes in 2021, has us right on trend with serene blues and natural greens. But they also predict warm neutrals and dramatic black could make an appearance in the upcoming year.

We imagine this will be a year where people gravitate towards both cozy and calming colors to create an at-home retreat; one that feels like a sanctuary from all the drama of the day-to-day world. And, while white is, of course, a wonderful way to create calm, we’ll always be happy to incorporate a bit of bold color into a kitchen.