Is A Green Kitchen A Bad Idea?
Selecting the color of your kitchen is a decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. Within many homes, kitchens function as multipurpose spaces for cooking, dining, and entertaining, to name a few. So needless to say, the color palette is quite important, as it sets the tone for your culinary space as well as the rest of your home. We're particularly interested in dissecting one hot-button hue: green.
Shades of green have been forecasted by many color trend experts to be on the rise this year (Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year is October Mist, Sherwin-Williams's is Evergreen Fog, and PPG's is Olive Sprig) and we've seen plenty of green-themed kitchens on Instagram. But will the color still be chic years from now?
Faith Blakeney via Justin Blakeney
We sought out a few kitchen design experts to weigh in on one question: Is a green kitchen a good idea? The verdict rang out loud and clear.
"Green is the color I've used the most in the kitchens I've designed," interior designer Faith Blakeney tells Hunker. "I honestly believe that no kitchen is complete without at least a little bit of green in it."
"A green kitchen is a great idea," home interior pros Jessica Fleming and Devon McKeon of Hive LA Home declare. "There's a green out there for everyone."
Meanwhile, principal designer at Apartment 48, Rayman Boozer, tells us that he's in the midst of putting a green kitchen together for a client at this very moment. "I am loving green kitchen cabinetry right now," he shares. "The right shade of green evokes nature and creates a warm and cozy feeling."
Faith Blakeney via Jessica Alexander
It's all about choosing a hue you love. "If done right, there are no cons to a green kitchen," says Blakeney. "The only thing to watch out for is to not pick a color that could make one lose their appetite!"
So why are they such big fans?
"Green inherently, as a color we see in nature, has a nurturing, fresh, and enlivening quality to it," explains Blakeney.
Faith Blakeney via Jessica Alexander
But as Blakeney has already pointed out, there are certain shades of green that are better suited for the kitchen than others, with both she and Hive LA Home plugging chartreuse among others.
"Right now, we're pretty obsessed with chartreuse and lime green. In our projects we've used hunter green, pastel, mint, avocado, teal ..." Fleming and McKeon explain. "We sometimes note the architecture of the home to jumpstart the color inspiration, then crank it up. You might think, for example, that a craftsman house would dictate darker colors but something like pistachio might perk up the whole space. Lighter hues can feel bright and fresh, darker hues are more moody and dramatic."
There are many ways to incorporate green into your kitchen, depending on how bold you want to be and how much renovation you want to take on. "If you are ready to go all in, try green cabinetry," says Blakeney. "Backsplash or floor tile [are] also beautiful way[s] to bring green into the space. If you are more hesitant, light fixtures or upholstery for seating are good way[s] to dip your toe into the world of green in the kitchen. Also, plants, plants, plants!"
Faith Blakeney via Jessica Alexander
Another important consideration is what other colors and accents will mesh the best with a green kitchen. "When I use green in a kitchen, I tend to pair it with more muted and or natural tones — wood, ivory, brass, other shades of green also work nicely," says Blakeney.
Fleming and McKeon agree. "Natural woods like butcher block are a great complement. If you think about all the other colors in a landscape, green can be thought of as a neutral. The only hard mix is red, but you might dial it over to a rust hue and it would be great."
Here's to embracing the green kitchen trend if you want to try something new.