The New ‘It’ Color for Kitchens
April 24, 2019
A friend recently suggested to me that navy is the new avocado green, in that everyone is putting the color in their kitchens and it will eventually look dated. I don’t think navy will age as quickly, or as badly, as avocado green because it’s a classic neutral color. I compare it to denim jeans — sure, every so often stonewashed or acid-washed denim becomes trendy, but dark denim blue never really goes out of style. In fact, after white, wood and gray, blue is often the top color that homeowners choose for their cabinets.
I’ll be the first person to insist that people decorate their kitchen in whatever color or colors they love, whether trendy or not. I think that’s the best insurance policy for avoiding a future kitchen that makes you scratch your head and say, “What was I thinking?”
Better yet, hire a kitchen designer or color consultant to help you work your favorite color or colors into your kitchen. A good designer will have lots of tips and ideas for keeping a kitchen from appearing too dated too soon, if that’s a concern of yours.
Which brings me back to navy. I like this color in a kitchen because it’s elegant, dramatic and yet a classic neutral.
If you’re a fan of navy and want to bring the color into your kitchen, consider just how navy-filled you want to go. It’s a dark color, so you might want to pair it with plenty of white, as was done in the first photo, a kitchen from Knocknock, as well as in the kitchen shown here from Eagleview Construction and Buttercup Design.
White provides a crisp contrast to the navy and also keeps the kitchen from feeling too cavelike.
Or consider using navy on the island cabinets only. Keep the darker hues lower to the ground and lighter colors higher for a palette that’s grounded and balanced. If you worry a navy-and-white palette might veer too cool, take a tip from this beautiful kitchen by Fontile Kitchen & Bath and inject plenty of warm wood finishes into the space.
I love this stunning contemporary kitchen from Boclaud Architecture with its bold navy accent wall. You could use a splash of navy on a floor-to-ceiling wall of cabinets for a similar dramatic effect.
Of course, navy doesn’t necessarily have to be the focal point in your kitchen. In this kitchen from Watson & Co, I’d argue that it acts as a base color that allows the beautiful backsplash tile and light fixture to stand out. If the cabinets were white, these details wouldn’t be as noticeable due to the lack of color contrast between the elements.
Similarly, here the deep navy cabinet color contrasts with the luxe countertops and backsplash, allowing them to take center stage. I find that white marble finishes tend to get lost when everything around them is also white. If you’re going to invest thousands of dollars in beautiful marble, you might as well have it command the spotlight.
When working with a strong color like navy, I like to bring in supporting shades that play well and don’t compete with the dominant color.
In this kitchen from Devi Dutta Architecture, the light blue backsplash adds another layer of blue, tying the palette together nicely. The warm wood floors help break up the cooler tones that dominate the space.
If you’ve decided to go big with navy in your kitchen and are curious about how to make it work in large doses, check out this handsome kitchen from Pineapple Property. Rather than feeling gloomy and cave-like, which can happen when you use a large amount of a dark hue in a room, this kitchen feels elegant and cozy.
There are enough white and warm wood elements here to counteract the navy, and the space isn’t cluttered up with too many decorative elements. Think of the powerful color as the main design flourish and keep the remaining finishes and furnishings subdued so as not to visually compete.
