These 16 Vibrant Kitchens Will Inspire You to Go Bold with Color

While a clean, white kitchen certainly has its place in interior design, we’re thrilled that our cookspaces have become more and more colorful in recent years. The heart of the home deserves the same amount of design attention that our living rooms and powder baths get, and there’s plenty of inspiration out there to help you get inspired. 

Whether you have a modernized, industrial kitchen or a retro-chic cookspace, there are myriad ways to upgrade your color game in this important room, whether you consider yourself a minimalist, maximalist, or somewhere in between. Check out these brilliant ideas from the Apartment Therapy archives to help you create the colorful cookspace of your dreams. 

If you’re really looking to unleash your inner maximalist, check out this phenomenal kitchen in a Long Beach loft. Here, homeowner Haley Boyko turned the dishwasher into a statement piece, swathed the fridge in a rich blue, and put her colorful glassware collection on full display, thanks to open shelving.  

Not only does Bridgette Whitney’s use of color make for a memorable home—95% of her San Diego loft is filled with vintage items. Her vibrant thrifted glassware collection pairs well with all the gold seating and storage that enlivens her cookspace. 

There’s something exciting about going all-out with one specific color in a room, and this Nashville home is a perfect blueprint for doing so. Homeowner Adora’s pretty pink kitchen looks straight out of a Barbie dream house, and she painted everything herself. 

We love a retro kitchen as much as the next person, and the owners of this colorful U.K. home nail the look. Exhibit A is the funky kitchen which uses painted, retro-looking plywood cupboards from Plykea to bring some vintage vibes to the space. 

We’re guessing you won’t be surprised to learn that this adorable kitchen belongs in an illustrator’s NYC apartment. Renter Gica Tam says that the kitchen mural was her proudest DIY project in the home, as none of the wall decals online spoke to her. Tam ended up purchasing several types of colored wallpaper to create the mural of her dreams.

We’re loving this plant-filled Philadelphia home that radiates natural beauty. The owners’ kitchen complements all the plant life with gorgeous green countertops and vintage-inspired green and white tile flooring. Plus, the addition of houseplants really makes this cookspace sing. 

This 1950s New Jersey home has been given a glorious new chapter, thanks to a fresh coat of paint. Homeowner Lady Soule found the perfect retro green to swathe the countertops in, plus some retro-inspired drawer pulls for an instant kitchen upgrade. 

This light and airy U.K. home is filled with smart bursts of color and pattern while still feeling like a soothing retreat. The homeowners’ breakfast bar is a perfect balance of minimalism and maximalism as the simple addition of a colorful rug and a tiled island in a chevron pattern really ups the design ante and visual interest. 

We love how this Atlanta home showcases the design possibilities that industrial kitchens have. Cookbook author and stylist Annette Joseph softened the space with a fresh coat of energizing green paint, plenty of well-collected kitchen objects, and chic lighting. 

One of the simplest (though not always easy) ways to bring some color to your kitchen is through wallpaper. Here, this South West England home features a fresh, jungle-inspired kitchen inspired by the owners’ love of Florida. The Wallpaper Direct wallcovering brings some instant Florida flair to the British abode. 

Recipe developer and blogger Christine Han offers the ultimate backsplash inspo for lovers of color. She DIY-ed the backsplash in her Brooklyn apartment that pairs swimmingly with light green cabinetry and her colorful kitchen essentials. 

You don’t have to undergo a full reno to get the colorful kitchen of your dreams. The owner of this vibrant U.K. home made use of the existing appliances and flooring while zhushing up the space with a coat of fuschia paint, a bright yellow light fixture, and brightly colored kitchenware. 

Just as you may personalize a bedroom or living area with plenty of unique heirlooms and collected decor, the owners of this Sydney home shows how brilliantly this also works in the kitchen. The family embraced its Indian heritage and love for bohemian style here, showcasing their aesthetic by bringing in plenty of color, natural materials, and plant life for a one-of-a-kind, inviting cookspace.  

We’re loving this stunning kitchen in a century-old Long Island home for its artful use of color. While orange and blue isn’t the most common color pairing, vintage obsessive Kate Pearce found the chic bar stools and cobalt blue range worked well when used with other neutral colors. Such an unlikely pairing actually makes the room feel ultra-sophisticated, and the black-and-white backsplash adds to the elegance. 

This stunning kitchen really packs a design punch thanks to homeowner and designer Carissa’s affinity for all things eclectic. She remodeled the area in this Texas home herself, creating a unique hand-painted mural, using leftover terrazzo tile from the bathroom to create an island accent, and collecting all the funky trinkets and decor that really give the space its vibrant personality. 

Love to collect art? Why not let the heart of the home become your new gallery space. Let the colors from your favorite prints, paintings, and sculptures be your guide in establishing a new color palette, as shown in this lively London home in the artsy Hackney neighborhood.