A daring cabinet color can bring personality, style and charm to a kitchen. For inspiration on venturing beyond safe neutrals, see how designers used mauve, green, sapphire, teal and bright blue to create inviting, one-of-a-kind kitchens.
1. Moody in Mauve
Designer: Sarah Montgomery Interiors
Location: Chicago
Size: 169 square feet (16 square meters); 13 by 13 feet
Homeowners’ request. “The homeowner loved to bake, host and gather friends and the kitchen was one of the most important spaces in their home to them,” designer Sarah Montgomery says. “The original kitchen was the same layout but the cabinets were in bad shape. Our client’s goal was a kitchen that got them excited to be in each day, something unexpected and that spoke to their artistic eye. The client didn’t want a typical island. Instead they wanted a moveable extension table at the center, great for pulling out during dinner parties or using as a workstation.”
Cabinet color. Pale purple (Muskoka Dusk by Benjamin Moore). “Since the kitchen is part of an open concept, the design needed to be just as strong as the functionality,” Montgomery says. “As a color lover, our client loved the idea of colored cabinets and we landed on this shade of mauve. The industrial bones of the space are softened by the color, providing just the right amount of contrast. One final detail was the curved open shelving on the edge of the cabinets, softening the edge and transitioning into the living space.”