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14 yellow kitchens to bring some sunshine indoors
In the grey days of midwinter, our thoughts are turning to cheerful decorating ideas that will bring in some of the sunshine we're so sorely missing right now. Painting a room yellow (or using yellow accents) is a surefire way to bring a little joy to your interiors, and although it might feel like a bold, brave statement, it can be a surprisingly easy colour to use. It combines well with simple white walls or with pale pink tones, and works beautifully with warm wooden countertops. Colour enthusiasts can go for sunny hues such as Farrow & Ball's popular ‘Babouche’ or the more mustardy ‘Muga’ by Little Greene, while those looking for something more subtle should note that warm, yellow-based neutrals such as Farrow & Ball's ‘Cord’ or ‘Hay’ are particularly stylish right now. Scroll down for our favourite ideas for yellow kitchens.
MAY WE SUGGEST: Stylish kitchen ideas from the world’s best interior designers
Mark Roper1/14In the Georgian house of Harry Carr, decorated by Christabel MacGreevy, the kitchen was originally supposed to be painted olive green but ended up painted in glossy ‘Babouche’ by Farrow & Ball. It opens onto the garden and is flooded with light.
Simon Brown2/14The existing kitchen units in this Studio Vero Notting Hill house were painted in ‘Middle Buff’ by Little Greene which offsets the colours of the Hanley Tube wall tiles by Balineum. The blue and white lino checkerboard floor is from Sinclair Till and the Roman blinds are in Open Sky from Woodnotes. A trio of Lucia Pendant lights by Hector Finch hang over the island. Three bar stools in leather and dark bronze from Rose Uniacke stand at the custom-made kitchen island which narrows towards the French doors, as do the walls of the room.
Chris Horwood3/14‘A shaker style kitchen just seemed to be the most appropriate for the history of the building,' says Anna Rhodes, who commissioned The Shaker Workshop, of her 18th-century workers' cottage in historic Greenwich. The colour is ‘Sand Yellow’ by RAL, the worktop is reclaimed iroko and the floor is a limestone from Floors of Stone.
Paul Massey4/14The deVOL kitchen at this London townhouse designed by Howark Design has been painted in the summery shade of Farrow and Ball’s ‘Babouche’. The citrus tones are also picked up in the splashback tiles by Balineum. The globe lights are by Bespoke Lights.
Paul Massey5/14If a fully yellow kitchen feels too much, take a tip from Carlos Garcia's renovation of an 18th-century house in Norfolk, and just paint one key piece in yellow. Here an island in Plain English's ‘Nicotine’ stands out against a general colour scheme of pale pink, with a dresser in a deep olive green to anchor the room.
Chris Horwood6/14Yellow and pale pink are a tried and true combination, and work beautifully in a country kitchen. In her Hertfordshire farmhouse, textile dealer Francesca Gentilli has combined Edward Bulmer's ‘Rose Tinted White’ on the walls and woodworks with kitchen cabinets painted in 'Sudbury Yellow' by Farrow & Ball.
Simon Bergström7/14The cabinets in Sebastian Bergström's tiny flat in Stockholm are also painted in ‘Sudbury Yellow’ by Farrow & Ball, which pick up on the sunlight that streams through the giant windows above the countertop.
Chris Horwood8/14A slightly mustardy yellow can look wonderful with warm tones of brown and black, as Laura Stephens has shown in this London house. The cabinets are painted in Muga by Paint and Paper Library, and make a great pairing with the black of the countertops and an island painted in Georgetown by Paint and Paper Library.
Christopher Horwood9/14This kitchen in a London house by Natasha Howard is another example of how well yellow, black and wood all work together. The kitchen units are by deVol and are painted in the brand's cheerful 'Scullery Yellow'.
Elsa Young10/14‘I wanted to introduce a sense of wonder,’ says Susan Deliss of this kitchen in a writer’s flat in Edinburgh. Having sourced the antique Dutch tiles, Susan chose Farrow & Ball’s ‘Babouche’ for the walls, which brings sunlight into the room even on the rainiest of days.
Jonathan Bond11/14‘Babouche’ is a perennially popular choice from Farrow & Ball, and here designer Katharine Paravicini has used it for the kitchen of her cottage in Wiltshire. It looks delightfully fresh and sunny with white walls and patterned plates hanging on the walls.
James McDonald12/14Gallerist Tobias Vernon’s cottage in Somerset is a study in juxtaposition, with white walls throughout providing a background for his creative arrangements of art and eclectic pieces. The tiny kitchen has units painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Dutch Orange’, contrasting with ‘Circa’ industrial rubber flooring in forest green by Polymax.
Mark Anthony Fox13/14Yellow can also be a striking choice for a contemporary kitchen, as this modern farmhouse in the Cambridgeshire countryside, designed by architect Paloma Gormley, shows. Flat panel cabinets painted in a sunny shade make an excellent foil for concrete countertops and hempcrete walls.
Joachim Wichmann14/14While we love yellow for its cheerful connotations, more muted shades can be incredibly stylish. At her Stoke Newington house, Pernille Lind has painted the kitchen in Farrow & Ball's ‘Cord’, a neutral shade with a warm yellow base.
