Thinking of going green? Here’s an expert guide to everything you need to know about using green in your kitchen – plus lots of gorgeous green inspiration…
Why choose green for a kitchen colour scheme?
Colour plays a crucial role in how a space looks and feels, and your choice of colour scheme can set the mood and atmosphere in your kitchen, and by extension your entire home.
Different colours are associated with different moods, and the colours at the blue end of the spectrum, including blues, greens and neutrals, are known to evoke a sense of calm and tranquility.
With its close associations with the natural world, green is a good colour for creating a relaxing, serene atmosphere in an otherwise busy kitchen environment. Yet the colour green also symbolises life and growth, so a vibrant green can create a fresh, energetic feel in a kitchen.
(For more about the art and science of kitchen colours, see Choosing colours for your kitchen – an expert guide.)
Ways to bring in green into the kitchen
- Cabinet doors and drawers – apart from the walls, ceiling and flooring, the obvious way to bring a substantial amount of green into a kitchen is to choose a green paint shade for your kitchen cabinet doors and drawers.
- Glazed cabinet interiors – a more subtle alternative is to go for green painted cabinet interiors with glazed doors, for a green-hued backdrop to other colours.
- Kitchen islands – a kitchen island in a bold green can add depth and interest, and create a striking focal point for the room.
- Splashbacks and appliances – tiled splashbacks, fridges and other appliances can be used for green colour pops in a kitchen, or to tie green schemes together.
- Lighting – add accent colours with green ceramic pendants (see more clever kitchen lighting ideas here).
- Plants - bring the outdoors in with houseplants to complement greens in your kitchen design.
- Crockery and accessories – green is a traditional colour for ceramics and glassware, so vintage or contemporary pieces in greens can add the finishing touches to your scheme.
What’s the best shade of green to use in a kitchen?
Green is a hugely versatile colour and comes in countless shades – from soft mint greens to vibrant emeralds, earthy sages and olives, and rich forest greens.
When choosing your kitchen colour scheme, think about the kind of atmosphere you want to create.
Pale greens are good for creating a calm, relaxing space, while vibrant mid-greens give a sense of liveliness and energy, and dark greens add depth and sophistication.
How to combine greens with other colours in a kitchen
The ‘60:30:10 rule’ is a well-established interior design guideline for creating a balanced look in a space, and is a great place to start when thinking about how to use green in your kitchen.
The idea is that you select three colours and use them in an approximate ratio of 60:30:10. So the biggest area (60%) will be in one colour: typically in a kitchen that will be the flooring, ceiling and the worktops. A second colour is used for 30% of the total kitchen – which might be the cabinets, painted walls and large appliances. And finally a third colour will be used for 10% of the space: perhaps splashbacks, tiled sections or smaller accessories in a brown or bronze.
Green is a great colour to use alongside whites and creams, so a classic use of green in a kitchen would be as the secondary colour (30%) for the cabinets, in combination with a white neutral as the primary 60% colour for the walls and ceiling.
But you can also use green as the main colour in a kitchen, for a punchy alternative to a neutral and a background to other bold colours. And you can also use different shades of green together, which creates a rich, harmonious feel.
Using green in a kitchen: ideas and inspiration
Here are four different ideas for using green…
1) Combine pale greens with neutrals for a calm, relaxing kitchen space
Pale greens are at the ‘cool’ end of the colour spectrum, and when used alongside whites and similar neutrals the effect is a serene, restful feel.
In the Dulwich kitchen above, the Shaker style cabinets are painted in Naked Kitchens’ own Misted Fen colour, which gives the traditional cabinetry a fresh, contemporary look. In this case the pale green – used with the white marble effect quartz worktops and the white walls and ceiling – is a visually interesting alternative to an all-white or all-neutral kitchen, retaining that calm, clean feel but with a softer edge.
2) Pair bold greens with strong whites for a vibrant look
Bold greens from the middle and darker ends of the spectrum can create a quite different look to pale greens when used with whites. Where soft greens and neutrals complement each other for a calm feel, vibrant greens contrast with whites and give a sense of energy.
In the two-tone Ascot kitchen (above), minimalist Ladbroke doors are painted in the striking green of our Wiveton Fern paint colour. The green contrasts with the brilliant white of the walls, creating a look that’s smart, vibrant and contemporary.
3) Mix rich greens with dark woods for a luxurious feel
Another approach for rich greens is to combine them with equally rich woody colours. Exposed timbers like walnut and oak work wonderfully with greens, creating a warm, natural feel.
They’re also good colours for a sense of luxury. The Blenheim kitchen (above) oozes luxuriousness because that deep green of our Sandringham Pine paint colour sits so well with the exposed walnut and the timber floor. The glazed herringbone tiled splashback is also in a complementary green, tying the look together.
4) Combine different shades of green for harmony, depth and interest
An alternative to using green to complement or contrast with another main colour, is to go for a tonal colour combination: that is, using two, three or more different shades of green together. When done well, tonal combinations can be stunningly effective, giving a space visual depth and a sense of harmony.
The St Giles kitchen (above) combines three different Naked Colours greens in visual layers. The glazed cabinet interiors are painted in Misted Fen, making for a subtle backdrop for the Marsh Green cabinets. And in the centre of the room, providing a focal point and a depth of colour, is the split-level kitchen island, painted in a rich Sandringham Pine that completes the look.
At Naked Kitchens we’re serious about paint colours. Our own palette of Naked Colours are inspired by the skies, coastline and countryside of North Norfolk, and we offer a bespoke colour matching service to achieve any look you want.
We also have an exceptionally efficient sprayline to ensure a durable, flawless finish. Get started on creating your dream kitchen today.
See also
Choosing colours for your kitchen - an expert guide.
The Farmhouse kitchen - what it is, and how to get the look.
Sustainable Kitchens: What makes an environmentally-friendly kitchen?
And for the ultimte green kitchen:
