Modern Kitchen Colour Schemes

If you’re thinking about overhauling your cooking space with new contemporary units and designer appliances, you’ll need a modern kitchen colour scheme to make the most of your upgraded cooking space. 

Finding the perfect balance for a contemporary kitchen can be difficult, especially if you’ve chosen stripped-back cabinetry and fixtures with simple details. You’ll want to pick a sympathetic palette that blends harmoniously with these design choices, rather than distract from it. 

Many people assume that modern colour schemes are all about bold shades and daring decor choices. While dark grey and emerald green can work wonderfully in a minimalist kitchen, there’s always a place for neutral palettes in a contemporary cooking space. 

Baby blues, mint green and low-key yellows can all make a fine addition to any modern colour scheme. Need some pointers to put together a dream palette? We’ve got you covered. 

If you’re keen to experiment with a pink palette in the kitchen, a combination of off-white and mauve will always work nicely. Start with a classic true snow white like Swansong. Incredibly elegant, this pink paint shade makes a superb alternative to flat emulsions and whitewashed walls. 

Now you’re ready to introduce some pink. Ballet Slipper is a potential option, with this dusty mauve exuding elegance. However, it’s still somewhat muted, meaning you can be quite generous when applying it. It works perfectly alongside whites and neutrals, but can also enhance the contemporary aesthetics of a high-gloss countertop and pared-back kitchen units.

You’ll need to think creatively when selecting a scheme for a compact contemporary kitchen. Neutrals are your best friend if natural light is limited, but this doesn’t mean you’re restricted to off-whites exclusively. A shaded white like Hill Figure is a stunning option for kitchen walls, with a subtle shade tint adding organic depth and character. 

You can now add some warmth to your colour scheme. Rather than go with a brilliant bold shade that you can only use for a feature wall, try a more mellow alternative like Desert Squall. This understated spiced red will bring warmth to your kitchen palette, without overwhelming a cooking space with small dimensions. 

Grey is always a great choice for a modern colour scheme. It’s also a superb pick for kitchens. A light-veiled grey like Scramble Crossing will work well alongside all-white cabinets, while its understated warmth means you won’t have to worry about the space feeling cool and sterile. 

Now you can bring some more dynamic colour into the mix. Forgotten Garden is something to think about, with this saturated take on billiard green a more daring alternative to subtle sages and muted botanical hues. 

If you’re in the market for a moodier kitchen colour scheme, you should think about experimenting with different shades of grey. A lighter hue like Arctic Cotton is a good starting point, with this delicate shade enriched with purple dashes. 

Next, you can bring something daring as an accent colour. A nocturnal grey-infused aqua-green like Night Watch will make a magnificent addition to your kitchen interior. Use it to create a dramatic feature wall or try a two-tone effect. You can even bring in some emerald shades to accentuate it with your kitchen accessories. 

In narrow cooking spaces with low ceilings, subtle shades tend to work best. However, a neutral kitchen can still look beautiful. A charming veiled white is a fine choice for kitchen walls, with subtle red dashes adding warmth. 

If you’d rather create harmonious balance rather than contrast, use a neutral ginger-infused beige like Brown Sand. With its woody qualities, this organic neutral can be used as generously as you want. You can even use it as your primary colour and turn to veiled white for painting mouldings and other room trims.

Blue palettes shouldn’t be reserved for bedrooms. From pale blue to intense indigo, this calming colour family can also be used to enhance a contemporary kitchen. However, to avoid leaving your cooking space feeling cold and lifeless, it’s best to balance any blue out with a warmer hue. A pale taupe like Singing Sand is a good choice, with its pink tint bringing much-needed warmth. 

Now you’ve taken care of that, you can start playing around with blue tones. A dark navy like Midnight Sapphire is a magnificent choice. With more than a dash of black, it’s one of the darkest blues in our range and is perfect for creating a jaw-dropping feature wall.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Colour Scheme for Your Kitchen

While you should always go for a colour you love, you need to think about more than a few design factors when assembling the perfect palette for a kitchen. First, consider how much natural light your kitchen receives. A south-facing orientation is ideal for kitchens, with these spaces receiving ample natural light during the day. This means you’re not limited when choosing colours for your kitchen. Do you have a north-facing kitchen? Your space will still receive natural light, but significantly less of it than in with orientations. As such, traditionally cool colours like blue and grey should be used sparingly. 

The size and shape of your room is also significant. A narrow kitchen with a low ceiling won’t usually suit dark colours and intense shades, especially if there’s little natural light. Try and avoid richer colours if possible and opt for more muted tones instead. Were you thinking of using dark blue as a backsplash colour? Consider using baby blue instead. 

In a bigger kitchen, you can experiment with more of the colour wheel. While you can still use classic white or a soft neutral paint colour, using too many of these hues can leave your kitchen looking sparse. You may love nothing more than a neutral shade and want to be generous with them, but it’s always a good idea to balance them out with darker shades or paint colours with warm undertones. 

Finally, consider what materials you’re using in your kitchen. Have you invested in new cabinetry and open shelving? If these are already finished in darker shades, use these hues as your starting point when choosing a wall colour. Intense grey cabinets with colour-matched walls can leave a kitchen feeling flat, so try using a slightly lighter shade instead. You’ll add depth to your decor and unlock the aesthetic benefits of tonal decorating. 

Is your kitchen packed with natural materials? Hardwood counters are a popular choice in contemporary kitchens, with this material often coming in organic hues with their own colour character. In a larger kitchen, there will be a lot of counter space, so the impact of it on your colour scheme is considerable. Take this into account when perfecting your palette. 

Don’t forget about flooring either. Dark wood flooring is effective at making a large space feel more intimate and tied together, but it can cause a problem if used alongside dark colours on your kitchen walls. If you’ve installed a light wood floor, you have more options. However, opting for a wall colour that’s a close match for your flooring can leave a kitchen feeling flat and washed out.