We asked James Charity, one of our kitchen specialists at MKM Stirling, to give us his thoughts on the latest colour trends in kitchens. 

 

50 shades of grey

Like most trends, whether it be fashion, style or interior design, kitchen colour trends are cyclical. Grey has been the most dominant colour over the last 10 years, so much so that new build houses have moved away from using magnolia paint and now use white to complement the grey trend throughout interior design, including the kitchen. However, after a decade of grey, people are now ready to embrace colour once again and are looking for brighter and bolder designs so that they can create a personal design statement within their home, particularly in their kitchens. This trend is being fuelled by social media with influencers and interior design experts demonstrating how to incorporate colour tastefully and creatively. 

 

A deeper shade of blue

One of the most popular colour trends recently, and one that is still prominent in kitchen design, is blue. All shades of blue are proving extremely popular, followed by green tones and then pink. Some of our braver customers are also mixing these colours and recently we have designed kitchens using a mixture of blue and pink cabinets. The next big kitchen trend on the horizon embraces the hues of terracotta orange and red. However, this is definitely a bold design choice and you need to think carefully about the tones you are incorporating as these colours can quickly overpower a space. On the flip side these are colours that can make you feel happy and energised, depending on the tone and saturation, so it all depends on the type of ambience you are hoping to create. 

 

Back to black

We are also seeing a return of black kitchens following its popularity several years ago. There does seem to be a move towards softer charcoal shades but black is still very popular and you can add warmth to an all-black scheme by adding woodgrain textures. 

 

Coppers, bronze & brass

Aside from the cabinets, taps and handles are a great way of introducing colour. Warm coppers, bronze or brass are proving to be popular choices and can add visual interest and colour to any kitchen design. Colour can also be easily incorporated into floor coverings and walls if customers are still a little wary of using coloured cabinets. A simple yet effective way to add colour to a kitchen is through a coloured splashback or by choosing bright and bold wall tiles. In fact, we very rarely keep walls white in a CAD design unless it absolutely suits the kitchen to do so. As well as offering a wide range of coloured tile options, we also keep paint sample cards to hand so clients can be brave in their paint colour decisions at the start of the design process rather than as an afterthought at the end of the process.