Known for its calming properties, blue isn’t just one of the most popular colours in interior design: it’s a popular colour overall. Commonly associated with tranquillity and stability, it’s known to lower body temperature and pulse rate and comes in a wide range of shades from indigo to sky blue and every hue in between- so when things heat up in the kitchen, why not keep your cool with a calming shade of blue?

There’s plenty of ways to add colour to your kitchen – and not all of them involve repainting the walls. Tiling, painted kitchen furniture and cabinetry and even temporary adhesive wallpapers can all be used to give your kitchen a fresh new look. Up ahead: ten blue kitchen ideas for your home to bring some serenity into your kitchen.

1. Bright and Bold

Bold, block colour looks fabulous on cabinets – especially when contrasted with neutral hues and a variety of textural elements, as pictured here. A smooth finish on the painted cabinets helps to bring out the vibrancy of the colour, while the use of natural wood and textured fabrics creates added visual interest.

Given the right balance of hues, primary colour can be used to great effect, adding an element of fun. Pairing brights such as these with neutral shades (like the grey seen here) keeps the overall look sophisticated and balanced.

2. In The Navy

Typically, darker colours tend to be viewed as somewhat drab, but when contrasted against bright white cabinetry and polished wood, the result is anything but sombre – in fact, darker shades (as seen in this navy kitchen) can add richness and depth to spaces, creating drama and contrast.

The general advice in interior design is never to use darker colours in small rooms (as lighter tones are meant to reflect light, creating a sense of spaciousness) – but even in a small kitchen, rich colour also has the ability to reflect light (albeit in subtler ways) – and using it can actually disguise the edges of the space, which in some cases can help to make rooms appear larger.

3. Shake Things Up

Another classic in kitchen decor is shaker style. The classic shaker kitchen retains a sense of rustic charm.

Metallics work wonderfully with all shades of blue (particularly darker hues). Traditionally, shaker kitchens tended to be plain in colour and usually featured plain wooden knobs on the doors. 

4. Real Teal

Not to be mistaken for turquoise, teal is a darker, richer shade of blue-green that tends to work really well when paired with colours such as soft pink, mustard yellow or (as seen here), bright shades of white.

Rather than keep surfaces the same texture all the way through, pairing smooth, handleless cabinets with a textured, mottled backsplash contrasted with the shiny black gloss on the countertops. You can choose to paint your backsplash – or, if you are looking for a short-term change, stick-on vinyl wallpaper also comes in a wide variety of shades and colours.

5. Contrast And Colour

Much like our example of the teal backsplash (as seen previously), you don’t have to commit to using grout, either: stick-on tiling can look remarkably convincing, whether used across the whole room or – as in this example here – used to accent a smaller area of the room.

Here, the blue contrasts beautifully with the neutral cabinets. The result is a great combination of accent colour and understated, subtle shades.

6. Metallic Accents

Deep navy works well with all shades of metal from gold to silver and everything in between – but as blue is directly opposite orange on the colour wheel (making them a “complimentary colour combination”), it works especially well with copper.

Warmer than silver and less overtly glam than gold, copper is a lovely addition to any kitchen and a nod to the traditional use of copper cookware. 

7. Classic Duckegg

This near-neutral shade is a kitchen design favourite, creating a soft look. Duckegg coloured cabinets have been used in this open kitchen, offset by silver fittings.

Adding a few licks of paint to the cupboards and drawers can give kitchens an instant makeover, freshening up the room and adding a little cheerful brightness to the space. As well as other neutrals such as taupe, white and grey, duck egg blue also works remarkably well with bolder shades such as cherry red or even golden shades of mustard yellow.

For more blue kitchen ideas, why not visit our showroom today? Situated just north of Manchester, our kitchens Bury specialists are here to help you decide on the design and layout of your kitchen – in addition to any gadgets you might wish to add.