Bold and bright, or pretty in pastel, these colourful kitchens are a show of spectacular imagination
Photography by Alana Landsberry
In the age of millennial modern, the kitchen has become a neutral space with stainless steel appliances, white walls, and beige countertops. A neutral colour palette for a kitchen may be considered timeless, but let’s be real – who finds inspiration in a bland space?
If you’re looking to spice up your cooking space, add a pop of colour to your kitchen. Adding a bolder hue can do wonders for our mood and creativity, and there are plenty of ways to incorporate colour into your kitchen design. From retro-inspired appliances to a flick of paint on the cabinetry or a funky mosaic tiled backsplash, colour can make a statement in any shape or form. Embrace your inner design maven and don’t be afraid to take a risk.
The best colourful kitchens for chefs and entertainers alike
Grey and green create a statement in this Point Chevalier kitchen
A love for entertaining shaped the style of this soulful seafront abode in Central Auckland, and it is clear this homeowner has exquisite taste. As a mum of two growing boys, a large yet functional kitchen was the dream throughout a recent renovation. Surrounded by greenery, the lush outdoors served as inspiration for the colour palette.
Two colours were chosen for the custom-made oak kitchen cabinets: grey on one side, and forest green on the other. The hues complement the custom oak shelving and timber floorboards, which are mirrored in the sliced macrocarpa dining table, where the family regularly sits around for pancakes.
Photography by Jackie Meiring
This perfect pink kitchen is a lesson in colour-blocking
A love affair with colour has transformed this coastal home into a blushing beauty. In beachy Mangawhai, the light-filled kitchen was treated to a colour palette that dazzled in the sun. The perfectly pink kitchen originally had black cupboards and an orange-stained bench.
After the new benchtop was put in, the homeowner decided on Resene Brady Rose for the cabinetry which then continued up the wall, broken up by square cream tiles as the backsplash. The final touch was the Samsung Bespoke French Door fridge in pink, a reward for the homeowner’s hard work.
Photography by Wendy Fenwick
Looking for a cosy, relaxed vibe, this kitchen adds a personal flair
This intriguing arts and crafts home is a testament to attention to detail. While the homeowners loved the layout and the substantial quality of the home, the beige and white walls didn’t satisfy their preference for colour. Commisioning a friend and interior designer to inject colour throughout the home, the idea was to create a personal sanctuary, soothing yet interesting.
A monochrome tile floor leads from the hallway into the kitchen which is softened with denim blue cabinetry, reminiscent of the kitchen from the film Mary Poppins. Antique brass handles are the cherry on top of the quintessential British-inspired home, adding a sense of timelessness to the space.
Photography by The Virtue
This basement kitchen emphasises harmonious colour and light
Driven by a highly refined taste and a love for plants and flowers, this homeowner radically refurbished her basement apartment. Looking out to the private garden, the kitchen was to emphasise the connection with the outdoors and optimise natural light.
Bright and happily inhabited by plants of all kinds, the kitchen is more reminiscent of a conservatory rather than a culinary space. The pale pink paint is a bold surprise, working cohesively with the white quartz countertop and cork flooring. The relaxed, cosy space is perfect for entertaining.
Photography by Malcolm Menzies
A coastal cottage blends sorbet shades and vintage materials
These homeowners’ coastal cottage blends sorbet shades and vintage fabrics, for a home that’s cosy and chic. Described as an ‘ice-cream palette’, paint has been used in unexpected ways. Pistachio green and sorbet pink are paired in the open-plan kitchen with chocolatey wooden flooring. “There was a question over whether the colour [pink] was going to be too much, but it’s serene and draws your attention out to the horizon. A bright orange or yellow wouldn’t work here, it needed to be calmer.”
Photography by Mark C O’Flaherty, Georgie Rodgers
A bold colour for the heart of the home
Swimming in sun and colour, this seaside sanctuary was painted to remind the homeowners of the sky and sea, making them feel calm and happy. The kitchen cabinetry is a vibrant blue, while the doors throughout the house are teal. Many items in the home are different shades of the hue, including the ceramics standing proudly on the open shelving within the blue kitchen island.
Photography by Russell Kleyn
An open, airy and functional kitchen for a large family
Thanks to a little trial and error, this clever homeowner created a kitchen with natural textures and a palette of earthy greens that carry through the rest of the house.
“I have a Harry & Co handbag which is a beautiful mix of olive grey and green, and I used this as my colour palette across the house. The kitchen cupboards are soft green, which blends with the darker green of the outdoor room, the downstairs bathroom vanity, and our fire, which is an amazing deep forest green,” says the homeowner.
Photography by Alice Veysey
A kitchen fit for an artist and her family
When an artist purchases and renovates her childhood home, the result is a special and joyful place to live. As the residence hadn’t been touched since it was built, the husband and wife duo undertook major renovations before moving in: transforming the dining and kitchen into one large kitchen.
A soft shade of blue was chosen for the cabinetry and kitchen island, boarded with white frames and a grey benchtop, reminiscent of the colours of the popular seaside suburb in which it inhabits.
Photography by Lisa Cohen
This home makeover resulted in a functional 1970s-inspired kitchen
This kitchen makeover borrows from the past to forge a new, timeless way of living. The homeowner just can’t get enough of her kitchen. “At night we sit and stare at the tiles over a cup of tea, they always look stunning,” she says.
Starting with green cupboards, the homeowners worked with an interior designer to find another colour to marry the space together. The soft pink hue was chosen to allow the green to pop in the space, mirrored in a variety of shapes throughout the space.
Photography by Gina Fabish
This beachy, handcrafted kitchen is a calm oasis
Being a high-use area, this family-friendly kitchen was a room these homeowners were happy to invest in. Key to their vision was a solid timber benchtop partnered with ply cabinetry, with specific storage allocated to different kitchen needs. The white-painted ply cabinetry feels crisp and clean against the olive-green kitchen island.
Photography by Alice Veysey
The homeowner’s love for mid-century design shines in this sage-green kitchen
After 10 years of renting with their young family, these homeowners were impatient to get into a house that was toasty warm, designed for sunlight, and where they could give their creative instincts free rein, rather than staring at boring, all-white walls.
In the kitchen, the green is subtle, not overpowering, and wraps around the island bench. It tones with the brass tapware, which has already started to develop a beautiful patina and a warm white engineered stone benchtop.
Photography by Babiche Martens
The Art Deco house design served as inspiration for this bold, red kitchen
This family chose to downsize their kitchen, and they have no regrets, even with a bright red benchtop. “We originally wanted a stainless-steel bench but replaced it with laminate both to keep costs down and to make the kitchen look more retro and more in keeping with the house. Red appealed to us for its boldness and its links to the art and design of the late 1930s when the house was built,” says the homeowner.
Photography by Helen Bankers
Find more inspiration for your next kitchen renovation or build.
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