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  4. Tasteful Ways to Add Color to Your Kitchen

Tasteful Ways to Add Color to Your Kitchen

Mary Shannon Hodes, Associate Digital Editor at Southern Living
By Mary Shannon Wells Updated February 24, 2022
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Idea House Kitchen
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

The kitchen is the room where my family spends the most time, and with open floor plans at peak popularity (partially thanks to Joanna Gaines), kitchens aren't strictly reserved for cooking. Since guests and family always end up in the kitchen, you'll want it to be one of the prettiest rooms in the house. White kitchens are all the rage, and we agree, they are beautiful. But you might miss happy yellows and cool blues as you look around that all-white room. These kitchen hues are vibrant ways to brighten up your cooking space. Some of these ideas are low-cost and super easy, like throwing some new dishtowels out or displaying your colorful china pattern. Other ways to add accent colors are big-picture (and sometimes big-risk) ideas, like painting the floors or using wallpaper. Don't get stuck in a neutral rut—add some color to your kitchen! Coming home to a little color will instantly boost your mood. 

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Add Natural (Or Faux Natural) Elements

Kitchen: Simple with White
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

There's nothing prettier than a big bowl of bright green apples or yellow lemons, and it's always nice to have some greenery or flowers around. If you can't keep house plants alive for long, just go faux! But be sure to invest in a realistic faux plant (it's worth it).

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Tile the Floors

Lake House Kitchen
Credit: Photo by Nancy Nolan Design: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

It's a big project, but tile floors are so much fun, and they're easy to clean up when spills happen.

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Rug Love

Galley kitchen with blue cabinetry and white walls
Credit: Julia Lynn; Styling: Dakota Willimon

Is your white kitchen a little too stark? Throw some colorful rugs on the floor for a cozy, stylish upgrade.

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Wallpaper It

Small Space Kitchen with Blue and White Wallpaper
Credit: Laura Negri Childers

Wallpaper doesn't have to be stuck in the 80s and 90s, and you can wallpaper the whole kitchen or just one wall. If you don't have a backsplash (or cash to cough up for expensive tile), create a faux backsplash with wallpaper.

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Sit In Style

Bold Wallpaper
Credit: Annie Schlechter; Styling: Matthew Gleason

Adding a bench or window seat is a low-cost update with a big effect. If a bench won't fit your space, switch out head-of-the-table chairs for bold club chairs, use varied colors of wooden chairs, or simply switch up your seat cushions.

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No Boring Backsplashes

White kitchen with light teal backsplash
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

There are endless color, pattern, and tile-shape possibilities with backsplashes, so have fun with this element.

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Display Your Cookbooks

Dream Kitchen Design Ideas: Cookbook Shelf
Credit: Alexandra Rowley; Design: Kevin Walsh; Styling: Olga Naiman

You have countless cookbooks lying around, so make use of them in your kitchen design. Take off a few kitchen cabinets to create open shelving and create a colorful display.

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Colorful Cabinets

Idea House Kitchen
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Painting your kitchen cabinets is a bold move with bold results. You can't help but smile when you enter a kitchen with colorful cabinets.

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Chalk It Up

Meg Lonergan Houston Craftsman Kitchen
Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Barbara Schmidt

You don't have to go all out with a chalkboard door, but a small chalkboard on a bare wall is an ideal place for your little ones to add color and creativity to your kitchen. A chalkboard is also a great surface for weekly schedules and chores or a monthly calendar.

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Float On

Amie Corely Kitchenette Dining Area
Credit: Ashley Gieseking

Display colorful dishes on floating cabinets for a sleek look. Cabinets with glass doors will also showcase your bright pots and pans.

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Add Artwork

Jessica Stambaugh designed galley kitchen with apartment-size appliances and white cabinetry
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Suzonne Stirling

Whether a painting, an old map, a cool print, or a creation from a little one, a piece of art is a great way to add color.

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Paint the Ceiling

Colorful Kitchen
Credit: Photography Laurey W. Glenn / Styling Leigh Anne Montgomery

There's nowhere else to go but up! For a look that will work in any kitchen and make a small space seem larger, use a soft blue paint color.

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Appliances That Stand Out

600 Square Foot Beach Cottage White Kitchen with Teal Smeg Fridge
Credit: Joseph de Leo; Styling: Liz Strong

Colorful appliances are not something you see every day, but we'd love to see more of them. If you're a little nervous about purchasing a bright blue stove, start with smaller items like a colorful standing mixer or toaster.

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A Place for the Pup

2021 Idea House Mudroom Dog Area
Credit: Marta Xochilt Perez; Design: Sarah Bartholomew; Styling: Page Mullins

If a place for the dog bed is too much, hollow out an area on one side of the kitchen island for the dog bowls. You wouldn't want Fido to feel left out during family dinner!

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Bold Countertops

Lindsey Coral Harper Windsor, FL Makeover Green Kitchen White Cabinets
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

A sleek countertop in a bright color is modern and unexpected. This trend would be ideal for a small kitchen island.

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Beautiful Barstools

Blue and White Kitchen with Serena and Lily Barstools
Credit: Photo: Reagan Elizabeth Photography; Design: Kim Armstrong Interior Design

Swapping out the barstools is an easy way to add color. Go fabric-covered, wooden, or iron.

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Win With Windows

Kitchen island in 2017 Idea House in Newport, Rhode Island
Credit: Photo: Amy Neunsinger

Whether you add a window treatment, colorful flowers and plants in the windowsill, or replace a small window with antique stained glass, windows are an overlooked opportunity to add color.

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Inside the Cabinets

The Kitchen
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Painting inside the cabinets is less risky than painting the outside. A coat of paint that contrasts with the color of your dishes will make your china stand out.

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Don't Desert the Island

Mobile Kitchen Island
Credit: Helen Norman

If you have an island in your kitchen, it's literally the center of attention. Shouldn't it be beautiful?

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Cute Corkboard

Family Command Center: Getting Started
Credit: Photo by Laurey W. Glenn

Whether it's the kids' artwork, family pictures, event flyers, local restaurant menus, or weekly reminders, a corkboard is an inexpensive and easy way to tack up some color in the kitchen.

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Fabulous Floors

2021 Idea House Kitchen with Painted Floors
Credit: Marta Xochilt Perez; Styling: Page Mullins

We'll admit it—painting over gorgeous hardwood floors is a minor sin, but it can look incredible. This idea would be great to try if you have concrete floors, too.

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Show Off the Good China

China Cabinet with Striped Fabric
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Gorgeous china shouldn't spend its life locked away. If you don't have room for a china cabinet, hang plates or trays right on the wall or create a display with floating shelves.

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Dress Up the Dish Towels

Butcher Block Counter Top
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Elizabeth Demos

Dish towels are accessible and inexpensive. Change up the colors of your towels every now and then for a bright boost.

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Wall Color Change

White Kitchen with green walls and corner breakfast nook
Credit: Mary Britton Senseney; Styling by Dakota Willimon

This one may seem obvious, but you've probably grown used to the color on your kitchen walls. You may not realize the difference a fresh coat and color can make.

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    1 of 25 Add Natural (Or Faux Natural) Elements
    2 of 25 Tile the Floors
    3 of 25 Rug Love
    4 of 25 Wallpaper It
    5 of 25 Sit In Style
    6 of 25 No Boring Backsplashes
    7 of 25 Display Your Cookbooks
    8 of 25 Colorful Cabinets
    9 of 25 Chalk It Up
    10 of 25 Float On
    11 of 25 Add Artwork
    12 of 25 Paint the Ceiling
    13 of 25 Lighten Up
    14 of 25 Appliances That Stand Out
    15 of 25 A Place for the Pup
    16 of 25 Bold Countertops
    17 of 25 Beautiful Barstools
    18 of 25 Win With Windows
    19 of 25 Inside the Cabinets
    20 of 25 Don't Desert the Island
    21 of 25 Cute Corkboard
    22 of 25 Fabulous Floors
    23 of 25 Show Off the Good China
    24 of 25 Dress Up the Dish Towels
    25 of 25 Wall Color Change

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