Kitchen Colour Trends: How To Choose Colours That Last
Where kitchen colour is heading in Sydney, and a simple way to choose a palette you will still love.
Colour is the decision homeowners worry about most, and the one most likely to date a kitchen if it is placed in the wrong spot. The good news is that a few simple rules take most of the risk out of it.
Kitchen colours that last start with a calm base of warm neutrals on the largest surfaces, then add stronger colour where it is easy to change, such as an island, open shelving, paint or hardware. Test every shortlisted colour in your own kitchen, morning and night, before committing.
Kitchen & Home Renovations Co. (KAHR Co.) helps Sydney homeowners choose cabinetry, benchtop and splashback colours every week in our Taren Point showroom. This page is our evergreen guide to kitchen colour. We update it as tastes shift, and link out to our yearly colour and trend reports so you can see what is new.
Key Takeaways
- Put the safest colour on the biggest, most expensive surfaces: perimeter cabinetry and benchtops.
- Use stronger colour on the island, a feature wall or open shelving, where it is cheaper to change.
- Warm neutrals, soft whites, timber tones and muted greens are the colours we see lasting longest in Sydney kitchens.
- Kitchen colours shift with light, so test samples in your own kitchen in the morning and again at night.
- Choose the benchtop first, then match cabinetry and splashback to it, because benchtop colours have the fewest options.
Test Colour Where It Will Live
The single most useful thing you can do is test colour in your own kitchen. A sample chip under showroom lights tells you very little about how a colour will look next to your floor, under your downlights, with your view outside the window.
Paint a sample board or an existing door in each shortlisted colour and place it where the new cabinetry will sit. Look at it in morning light, then again at night with the lights on. Warm whites can turn yellow, greys can turn blue, and greens can shift dramatically between the two.
Our guide to choosing a kitchen cabinet colour walks through this step by step.
Choose The Benchtop First, Then Everything Else
Paint comes in thousands of colours. Benchtops come in dozens. So start with the surface that has the fewest options and build the rest of the palette around it.
- Benchtop. Pick the stone or porcelain you love first. Look at the undertone: warm (cream, beige, gold veining) or cool (grey, blue-white).
- Cabinetry. Match the undertone. Warm benchtops sit best with warm whites, timbers and earthy colours.
- Splashback. Either match the benchtop for a calm, seamless look or contrast it for a feature. See our splashback options.
- Hardware and tapware. Brushed brass and nickel lean warm; black and chrome lean cool.
A kitchen palette rarely fails because of one bad colour. It fails because the undertones fight each other.
Where To Put Bold Colour So It Lasts
If you love a strong colour, you do not have to give it up. Put it where it can be changed without starting again.
- The island. A green, navy or charcoal island in front of pale perimeter cabinetry is one of the most reliable two-tone looks.
- Lower cabinets only. Darker lowers with lighter uppers keep the room bright and ground the space, as in this Cronulla kitchen.
- Walls and shelving. Paint is the cheapest colour you will ever change.
- Doors you can replace. New cabinet doors let you update colour years later without touching the benchtop.
The Kitchen Colours We See Lasting
Kitchen colour has moved steadily away from cool, stark white and grey towards warmer, softer palettes. The colours we see homeowners choosing, and staying happy with, include:
- Warm whites and creams rather than bright blue-whites.
- Greige, mushroom and putty tones that sit between beige and grey.
- Timber and timber-look finishes, especially lighter oaks.
- Muted greens, from sage to olive, that read as natural rather than loud.
- Deep accents such as charcoal or navy, used on one element.
For each year's detail, see our kitchen colour trends report and kitchen design trends guide.
Colour That Suits The Home
The longest-lasting palettes respond to the house itself. In this Little Bay apartment, a green tiled splashback and a warm timber island suit the building's character, while the white cabinetry keeps the small space bright.
Coastal homes in the Sutherland Shire often suit sandy neutrals and timber. Federation and Californian bungalow homes in the Inner West can carry deeper, heritage-inspired greens and blues. A 1970s brick home in the St George area often comes alive with warm whites against its existing brick and timber.
Start with what the house gives you, and colour choices get much easier.
Kitchen Colour FAQs
What kitchen colour lasts the longest?
Warm whites, soft creams, greige and natural timber tones last the longest because they work with most benchtops, floors and styles. Use stronger colours on an island or walls, where they are easier to change.
Should I choose my benchtop or cabinet colour first?
Choose the benchtop first. There are far fewer benchtop colours than paint colours, so it is easier to match cabinetry, splashback and hardware to the benchtop than the other way around.
Are green kitchens a fad?
Muted greens such as sage and olive have stayed popular because they read as natural colours. To keep the risk low, use green on the island, lower cabinets or walls rather than every surface.
Why does my kitchen colour look different at night?
Artificial light is warmer or cooler than daylight and changes how colour reads. Test samples in your own kitchen in the morning and again at night with your lights on before you commit.
Can I change my kitchen colour without a full renovation?
Yes. New cabinet doors, a new splashback or a new benchtop can change a kitchen's colour scheme for less than replacing the whole kitchen.
See Your Colours Together, In Your Home
Book a free in-home design consultation and we will bring benchtop and door samples to see in your own light, and help you build a palette that suits your home. We work across the Sutherland Shire, the St George area, the Eastern Suburbs, the Inner West, the Lower North Shore, Canterbury-Bankstown and the Liverpool area.