The Entry of Colour

April 4, 2023

Anurag Yadav

The colour chart in kitchens is getting bolder even as trends of subtlety come face to face with the assertiveness of the new age

If the white grey tiled kitchen is buried in remote history, the loud and in-the-face kitchen with all its gadgetry still does not find a place in the upper echelons of the design world. In a world of modular and off-the -conveyor -belt routine, fully bespoke kitchens are at the top of the line since they play generously and in extremely individual yet designer ways, with the effect of colours.

Bespoke implies random shapes, finishes, colours, carcass sizes or materials. However, the high calibre of designer inputs keeps them sane, sorted, totally unique, and artistic with hand finishing on cabinetry, executed according to customer specifications.

This is not to say that the ‘regular’ kitchen brands have been slow to catch the trend of colours impacting kitchen design and appearance. The hues of the new kitchen of the times are more individual and colourful than they were ever before in history. A trendy combination of white and wood is doing the rounds. A Scandinavian company has brought out a range of cabinets that present a wooden look but reveal pure white glamour when the wooden doors are opened to reveal the interiors.

The hues of the new kitchen of the times are more individual and colourful than ever before. Photo Courtesy: GA design

Whether in a high-gloss or ultra-trendy matt finish, at least European preferences for grey as a popular base colour in all areas of kitchen design is catching the fancy of consumers. The so-called dullness of grey is smartly being offset by flaming colours in backsplashes and sinks. At the Cologne show, some companies showed elegant, matt grey and mud tones, as well as integrated, highly individual tabletops in vintage-look solid wood.

A well-known company, almost a century or more old, has developed a colourful range of ceramic sink units, in shades reminiscent of the four seasons, which bring out individual accents: Green Emerald for spring, Yellow Sunrise for summer, Red Coral for autumn and Blue Midnight for winter.

From dark walnut wood tones around a sunny yellow ceramic sink to wood and concrete, the range of colours is going through the roof. Planners, wholesalers and interior specialists are ever ready to experiment by not being bound by old-school limitations of set design parameters.

From dark walnut wood tones around a sunny yellow ceramic sink to wood and concrete, the range of colours is going through the roof. Photo Courtesy: Villeroy & Boch

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The elegance of the now common open plan living room with the open kitchen comes from the feeling of light and space that joins the two areas. The subtle distinction between the two areas comes through the judicious use of colour and not physical barriers to define the spaces.

While flaming reds are still few and far between, oranges and deep greens and yellows, even pinks are making bold statements. The colours are getting stronger in the kitchen in keeping with the trend of assertiveness all around. Time will tell if the boldness will stay.

[The article was first published in the April-June 2017 issue of Kitchen Ideas.]