Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Earth Tones in the Kitchen

Earth Tones in the Kitchen

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These days it’s fairly common to see kitchens decked out in bright, cheery colors, or entirely in white and stainless steel for an airy, modern feel. But we also like the look of earth tones in the kitchen, chocolate browns and caramel beiges and vegetable greens, accented with brights and whites to keep them from feeling drab. Here are some kitchens with delicious earthy colors for your perusal…

FIRST ROW

Backsplash tile is a great place to bring in earthy browns and greens; the jewel-like sheen of the tile updates the color choice. Mixing wood textures and finishes for your cabinets and countertops can also be an interesting way to adorn your kitchen in earthy colors, especially when the grain and character of the wood is emphasized.

SECOND ROW

We also like brown with a preppy twist—in a bamboo-print fabric curtain, for example, or striped with candy pink. Rusty orange tile looks retro and fun in an older kitchen. If you want to go lighter, sage green and buttery yellow, mixed with rough-cut blond wood, has a serene organic feel. And lastly, if you like the idea of earth tones in the kitchen but aren’t ready for a big renovation, throw in an accent, like pillows or a blanket on adjacent seating.

Photos: De Lisle, Philpotts & Staub Interiors; Living Etc; Domino; Design*Sponge

Comments (7)

I love the avocado tiled kitchen although I realize that color isn't for everyone. It would look great in a split-level suburban ranch house. Almost kitschy, but cool.

posted by madsarah on March 30th 2009 at 8:25pm
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That second-to-last picture? Thanks, AT for providing me with an awesome color scheme for my next apartment. My couch is the exact same color as those greenish/gray chairs and it's impossible to find a good paint color to go with it.

That last one is great, too, not only because of the colors, but because it looks like something I could actually afford to live in -- love the IKEA sofa, too. This post does a great job of showing a variety of different rooms, not just the gorgeous, pre-war, tons of molding everywhere, with a $50K kitchen and an assortment of Eames chairs.

posted by twitteringbirdie on March 30th 2009 at 8:33pm
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I'm not feeling it. Earth tones just feel too dated for me.

posted by webherring on March 30th 2009 at 10:16pm
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Nice to see some earth tones over the pastels.

posted by ChrisGal on March 31st 2009 at 7:43am
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Backsplash in main (first) photo is gorgeous!

posted by david @ justveggingout.com on March 31st 2009 at 9:55am
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the last one is great! it's the only one i really like, though.

posted by abigailbelle on March 31st 2009 at 11:10am
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I really like that chocolate-striped wallpaper. It adds a chic factor to the relatively ordinary kitchen cabinets and emphasizes the height of the room.

posted by heather77 on March 31st 2009 at 11:17am
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