CUPBOARDS FULL OF COLOUR

Going bold with kitchen cabinets

Conventional wisdom says to use neutral colours or simple wood stains for anything as permanent as kitchen cabinets. Homeowners craving a burst of colour have generally been advised to bring it in through easily changeable items like curtains or seat cushions.

But home design TV shows and blogs are changing that calculus by showing colourful, painted kitchen cabinets that look like a commitment worth making.

Lately, “the natural materials are just not satisfying people,” says designer and apartmenttherapy.com founder Maxwell Ryan. “People are loving contrast right now,” including kitchens with bold colours and stark contrasts of black and white.

Designer Brian Patrick Flynn recently filled the kitchen of HGTV’s new Urban Oasis giveaway house with bright blue cabinets and a blue island in the centre of the room. This cheerful colour fills the room with energy in a way that traditional stained-wood cabinets couldn’t.

“I think designers love painted cabinetry in kitchens because, as opposed to wood, it’s the strongest way to create a defined palette,” Flynn says.

“It’s a great way to really add tons of personality to a space that’s more about task than it is decoration.”

Here, Ryan, Flynn and Massachusetts-based designer Kristina Crestin offer advice on how to fill a kitchen with on-trend colourful cabinetry while still having a room you’ll love for years to come.

Colourful compromises: “Do you want it to be timeless and you might always love it, but might never be jazzed about it?” asks Crestin. Neutral cabinets, especially white ones, remain a safe and popular bet. But she says homeowners who are drawn to bolder colours and use them thoughtfully often end up happy.

Sometimes, the answer is putting colour on only half the cabinets.

“Since I’m a fan of going big, I can go with fire-engine red cabinets all over and never flinch,” Flynn says. “However, if a client is hesitant about that much colour in the kitchen, I’m a fan of doing the lower cabinets or just the island cabinets in a colour, then going white or grey with the others.”

Colourful lower cabinets can also look great combined with open shelving on top, Ryan says. Or paint the lower cabinets black, and then tile or paint the wall behind the upper, open shelving in a bold colour you love.

“If you can get away with less storage,” Ryan says, this open-shelf approach makes small kitchens feel larger, while the colourful wall behind the shelves adds personality without being as overpowering as a full room of colourful cabinets.

Pairing bold cabinets with natural elements like slate or stone flooring and countertops can also make this look easier to live with long-term, says Crestin.

Embracing the blues: Although black cabinets are trendy, Crestin says many homeowners fall in love with a blue kitchen.

Blue shades, especially navy, can feel “historical and timeless,” she says, but also a bit more exciting than basic wood or crisp white. A stately navy blue is a safe bet that can then be enlivened further in ways that are risk-free, like “layering on a spring green or chartreuse” through dish towels and curtains.