White kitchen design has long been a top choice for interior designers and homeowners. While the look will always be chic and timeless, you may find yourself longing to add character to a monotone color palette. Here are ways to integrate color into a white kitchen.

Revitalize Your Cabinets

Updating cabinets goes a long way toward freshening up a kitchen. If you're not ready for a full remodel, painting cabinets or the island creates a bold look. If you have glass-front doors, painting the cabinet interior creates a dramatic background for kitchenware and special collectibles.

If you are planning a remodel, the possibilities are wider. Talk to a designer about cabinet styles and finishes. Depending on how much color you want, change the all-white kitchen for another neutral or wood tone, or go for a bold cabinet color. If full color feels like too much, add color to just the island cabinetry, or just the upper cabinets while leaving the base cabinets white. We dig into cabinet finishes in our cabinet finishes guide.

Install Colorful Countertops

Unlike natural materials like granite and marble, quartz countertops are manufactured and come in a wide array of colors. Plastic laminate, tile, and glass countertops offer even more color options. We compare countertop materials in our countertops guide.

Add a Decorative Backsplash

A tile or glass backsplash is another way to add color while keeping the bright vibe that makes white kitchens popular.

Colorful Appliances

Anyone who remembers avocado-green ovens and refrigerators from the 70s may be apprehensive to add colored appliances. The retro style has been revisited in a modern way, and many manufacturers now offer appliances in colorful finishes. We don't sell appliances; KAM Appliances locally is a good resource.

Hang Floating Shelves

Floating shelves are perfect for displaying vibrant accessories: bright dishes and cookware, decorative knick-knacks, colorful cookbooks. If open shelving isn't for you, glass-front cabinets are another option.

Don't Shy Away From Wood and Natural Tones

Color doesn't necessarily mean blue or red. Natural wood and a more neutral palette can create just as much drama as a pink stove. Natural wood and wood stains offer striking, timeless color. Natural wood flooring, butcher-block countertops, or a wood accent on a sliding barn door all bring an organic look to a white kitchen.

Decorate With Art

Spruce up the kitchen with bold artwork. Etsy and local thrift stores can be good sources for pieces that enhance the look.

Choose Colorful Seating

Lose the matching kitchen chairs or barstools in favor of something more interesting. Visit local thrift stores and garage sales to find vintage chairs that add drama. Or breathe new life into existing chairs and barstools by painting them different shades of one color, or replacing the upholstery or cushions with a simple pattern that has a dash of color.

Vibrant Accessories

Well-placed accessories add character. Invest in a bold window treatment to vividly change the feel. The look becomes more dramatic when paired sparingly with a few other accessories of the same color. Pick an accent color and use it across cookware on display, dish towels, and small appliances.

Talk through color with a designer

If you have a white kitchen and want to talk through how to add color, we'd love to talk.

Schedule a showroom visit at our 5,000 square foot showroom in Norwell. No pressure, just a real conversation about your home.

Transitions Kitchens, Baths & Remodeling
433 Washington St, Norwell, MA
(781) 871-0881