“Our first house had a yellow kitchen… we promptly painted it white,” my friend shared with me the other day. And she’s certainly not alone. It’s true, the thought of my yellow kitchen ideas would be enough to make you cringe. Bright, bold, and slightly too kitsch, they’re often a blemish of bygone times; the first thing to go. But with soft shades of butter yellow making more than a subtle comeback over the last few years, could yellow kitchens be due for their own?
And it’s not just the pastel shades we saw in the ‘50s, or the mustards that made their mark in the swirls of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Interior designers are increasingly making a case for something a little bit bolder. After all, kitchens aren’t spaces we hide away anymore — they're the center of the action, so why wouldn’t you want a kitchen color to match the vibe?
Whether it's warm mustard tones, brass hardware, old-school accents of amber glass, honeyed timbers, or simply a bowl of zesty summer citrus, yellow kitchen ideas can be brave and brazen, yes, but they can also feel soothing and subtle. Below, I've selected nine designer projects that show you how.
1. Modernize a Traditional Style
Yellow kitchen cabinets make a modern splash on more traditional silhouettes.
"The clients came to us wanting an 'anything but normal', colorful kitchen," interior designer Julia Miller, creative director of Yond Interiors, explains. "Something unusual, fun, and filled with detail."
Taking her inspiration from traditional English-style kitchens — a "vibe that felt right for the age of the home" — Julia modernized the more classical elements, like the plate rack, cabinetry details, and plumbing, with "more modern and clean-lined elements like the dolomite and kitchen sconces," and, of course, the sunny yellow color palette that brings so much joy to the space.
2. Mix Different Textures of the Same Hue
Drenching a space in a bright shade like yellow feels less intimidating when you consider your entire material palette.
While people are certainly warming up to the idea of color-drenching their spaces, it's understandable why some would still be reluctant to do it with a shade as bright and bold as yellow.
The solution: rather than painting every surface in your kitchen yellow, mix in your entire material palette. I'm talking tiles, countertops, cabinetry, tapware — the whole shebang. This approach is softer and more dimensional than sticking to just painted surfaces, letting you add texture and slight variation, while still making a big statement.
In the space above, designed by Studio Bosko, a warm, mustard-yellow tiled countertop is complemented with the same tile on the backsplash, and honey-toned timber cabinetry with color-matched yellow panels. It feels warm, cohesive, and remarkably approachable, considering the bold color choice.
3. Warm Up Cooler Colors
Understanding the colors that go with yellow best helps you create a balanced scheme.
As a particularly bold and bright shade, most yellow kitchen ideas require serious commitment. "You need to know you love the color and will feel happy to live with it for decades," says Liz from Pluck Kitchens.
But to ensure you design a space that is easy to live with, balance is key, and the best way to do that is by knowing all the colors that go with yellow. In the kitchen shown above, interior designer Zoe Murphy of Stealth Design sourced blue tiles with a geometric print to balance out the yellow kitchen cabinets. "It is a cooler shade and tonally they work well together as they are a similar depth and saturation of color, which means there is a harmony," explains Liz.
4. Make an Accent Out of Your Appliances
Appliances are no longer simply functional, but offer an opportunity to make a statement in your space.
Just like the fact that a kitchen no longer needs to be a purely functional space, your choice of appliances should also consider their aesthetic potential. In fact, popular kitchen appliance brand KitchenAid has just announced their color of the year, and, you guessed it, it's a bright butter yellow.
“For this year’s color, we were driven by tapping into comfort and nostalgia, and the yellow color has the ability to transport you back in time, evoking some of the warmest memories,” explains their color, finish, and material manager, Brittni Pertijs.
And if that's not enough to prove the point, just look at the neon yellow range and hood in the kitchen shown above, by DC-based designer, Zoe Feldman, the founder and principal of Zoe Feldman Design. "This kitchen energizes classic elements with contemporary colors for a space that screams fun," Zoe adds.
Price: £699
You'll be churning up good feelings with this bright yellow stand mixer, the team at KitchenAid promise. Complete with all the specs you'd expect, this stylish appliance is one you won't want to hide away.
5. Tell a Story Through Color
A jolt of color in an unexpected setting is a brave move that always pays off.
Your kitchen cabinet color isn't the only way to introduce yellow into the space. The kitchen above, located in a restored farmhouse in Menorca, Spain, features a dazzling lemon yellow tile on the backsplash and countertops.
The bold color was selected as a "nod to the Estancia's [or ranch's] heritage," explains Atelier du Pont's co-founder and associate architect, Anne-Cécile Comar. "In fact, this particular hue has been adorning the ceiling of a room in the house for years, and we decided to revive it through these 3,000 pieces of hand-crafted tiles," she adds.
6. Incorporate More Earthy, Natural Iterations
It doesn't have to feel unnatural — there are more subtle and organic ways to incorporate yellow kitchen ideas, too.
Decorating with yellow might not be your first consideration when incorporating earth tones into your space, but it certainly exists in nature — you just have to know where to look. Case in point: the stunning marble kitchen island in the space shown above, with its swirls of soft butter yellow.
Depending on the look you want to create, there are plenty of natural stones and marbles that could be used for yellow kitchen ideas. Giallo Siena marble is bright and bold, Giallo Reale marble is a softer shade with more subtle veining, Macaubas gold quartzite is a white stone with golden-yellow veining, while Jasper yellow onyx is a translucent stone with golden amber tones that looks particularly dramatic when backlit.
7. Opt for a Softer Butter Shade
When it comes to yellow kitchen ideas, the gateway is embracing a soft butter yellow shade.
And speaking of butter yellow — not all yellow kitchen ideas need to be bright and bold. You can opt for this softer shade for your cabinetry, too. In the space shown above, interior designer Blair Moore of Moore House Design says she wanted to create a warm, nostalgic, and effortlessly lived-in feeling in the kitchen.
"The butter yellow cabinetry was a deliberate choice to soften the room and bring in a sunlit glow, even on cloudy days," she explains. "We wanted this color to enhance the inviting atmosphere but also shift beautifully with the light, especially in the afternoon when the space is bathed in a golden glow. Paired with natural wood tones and aged patina finishes, it adds warmth and depth, making the kitchen feel as though it has always been there."
8. Make Your Island the Statement
If you're going to make a bold statement like yellow, give it the spotlight it deserves.
In an otherwise light and bright room, you might be tempted by gray kitchen ideas to reduce any glare in the space and to keep things cohesive. But in this space, shown above, a daring kitchen island in a bold yellow works to enliven the entire space.
The handcrafted tambour-style kitchen was designed by Danish studio and cabinetmakers, Københavns Møbelsnedkeri, who wanted the striking curved island to take center stage in the space. And if the shape wasn't enough to achieve that, the bright color choice certainly seals the deal.
"The beautiful organic shape gives the kitchen an inviting feel, while the cabinetry is painted in a warm and welcoming honey-mustard color, which was developed especially for this space," they say of the design, which also includes a matching glossy yellow lava stone countertop by Made A Mano.
9. Do It Simply Because You Love It
Yellow is an inherently joyful color, so why not infuse happy vibes into your cooking spaces.
But the best yellow kitchen idea is simply because you love it. It's an inherently happy color, so it's the perfect shade for the heart of the home.
"My client's favorite color is yellow, so of course the kitchen cabinetry had to be yellow," says interior designer Cecelia Casagrande of Boston-based interior design studio, Casagrande Studio. After testing other yellow paint shades that felt too "mustard-y," Cecelia landed on Banana by Benjamin Moore.
"I didn't have to convince my clients — they wanted their kitchen to be sunshine and happy, and that is what we did," she says.
FAQs
Does Yellow Look Good in a Kitchen?
Immediately welcoming, yellow is the perfect choice of color for kitchens of any size, from a sprawling modern farmhouse kitchen space to a compact urban one. Whether you go for pops of color or painted cabinetry, this cheery hue will fill your kitchen with warmth.
What Color Yellow is Good for a Kitchen?
There are a host of shades of yellow to choose from when selecting the right color for your kitchen. Go bold to highlight focal features, or to add punch to a small space. If bright colors are a little out of your comfort zone, try muted tones for a hue that’s easier to live with.
Once you've been brave enough to embrace yellow kitchen ideas, you might be considering where else in your home could benefit from the sunshine shade... and these yellow living room ideas make a strong case.
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