There’s no better way to neaten up your kitchen plans with the best interior design software (opens in new tab), so you can really get visualizing what different experiments with color will look like. These programs allow you to play around with color palettes, furniture placement, and the entire layout of your room, so you’ll be moving onto the next stage of your kitchen transformation with a better idea of what you want. But before you get to designing, take some inspiration from these ideas on how to jazz up your kitchen.
Dual tones
Dual tones are set to be big throughout 2021 and are a design idea that allows for a touch of style without being overly adventurous. The dual-toned effect is created by contrasting whichever color you choose for your kitchen countertop drawers and cabinets with a secondary shade for overhead cabinets and walls. Using two contrasting shades like black for the counters and white for the overhead can create the optical illusion of a bigger kitchen, according to Magnet, and revitalize your space. You can pick up a whole range of cabinet paints at Home Depot (opens in new tab)and Lowe’s (opens in new tab), so there’s plenty of color ideas to get inventive with! It’s worth incorporating your other large appliances within a dual-toned kitchen, and this is relatively easy to do as some of the best side-by-side refrigerators (opens in new tab) are often available in a series of colors, so you can blend them perfectly with your palette. The best French door refrigerators (opens in new tab), meanwhile, are statement pieces in themselves.
Bold colors
With most of us spending more time than ever at home, you might be feeling inspired to try new, bolder colors to decorate with as opposed to safer neutral shades. Pastel colors such as light blue won’t be too overpowering in a room you spend so much time in, and, by offsetting ‘vivid colors with metallic accents for an added touch of glamour’, says Magnet, you can upgrade the look of your kitchen. Other color ideas include a deep red shade for added richness or a stylish green shade to keep up with what’s popular at the moment. According to In Decor Trends (opens in new tab), the breakaway from white cabinets has been a long time coming, with the introduction of dark colors such as navy and emerald green making waves too. So for a “dramatic and luxury feel” why not dare to try some dark shades in your kitchen, modeled above by the Room for Tuesday (opens in new tab) blog. The style and look of your kitchen countertops are also super important when it comes to adding a new color to your environment. By keeping your countertops neutral you can more effectively offset the rest of your kitchen makeover, so it’s important that your appliances seamlessly work with whatever colors you pick too. With the best electric double wall ovens (opens in new tab), or even a stylish electric cooktop (opens in new tab), you can really integrate your essentials into your wider space, and get those sought-after metallic accents too!
Small touches
If you’re feeling inspired to switch up your kitchen, but aren’t sure about embarking on a whole redesign, accessorizing with small touches is the best way to inject personality and creativity into your space. Everyone has a favorite type of flower (opens in new tab) that immediately adds a pop of color once popped into a vase, which is a five-minute fix to brighten any area of your home. Sebring (opens in new tab), a home design company, put it perfectly: “We spend most of our time in this area of the house, entertaining our friends and family, so why not put our favorite color in this space?”. The best stand mixers (opens in new tab) also make an excellent addition to kitchens not only when it comes to baking, but also as a statement piece. Available in an unimaginably wide range of colors, the look of an iconic KitchenAid (opens in new tab) mixer against more neutral-toned countertops can add a pop of personality in an instant (and make great cookies too!). Sebring predict that popular colors for 2021 will be nautical blues, bold greens and pale pinks to add a hint of femininity, so why not match your new appliance to the trends? For a more in-depth look at adding color to your home, check out our feature (opens in new tab) with advice from home Instagrammer Mel Hamblett.
