Alanna Hale
If you’ve resolved to change up the look of your kitchen this year, painting your cabinets a new color is an excellent (and relatively low-lift) way to freshen things up. Choosing just the right shade, however, can be challenging. Perhaps you’re looking to deviate from a classic, all-white look, but 2022’s maximalist kitchen trend isn’t quite your taste either. Enter blue kitchen cabinets, one of the most versatile and time-tested ways to give your cooking space some serious star power.
There’s no doubt that the color has been having a moment: Benjamin Moore named a soothing shade called Aegean Teal its 2021 Color of the Year; the year before, Pantone named Classic Blue as its everywhere shade. But unlike other “it” colors (here’s looking at you, Digital Lavender), blue has long been viewed as a classic, and with a veritable rainbow of tints and shades out there, it’s a hue that can be amped up or down to suit your style (for all of you midnight snackers out there, blue also has the benefit of being an appetite suppressant). “Blue can really be a neutral,” insists Jessica Davis, founder of the Atlanta- and South Orange, New Jersey–based firm Atelier Davis. “Think of it like a pair of jeans.”
In one of Davis’s recent projects—the restoration of a classic Joseph Eichler house in California with architect Gustave Carlson—the design team and client were drawn to Farrow & Ball’s steely Hague Blue in the kitchen. But depending on your unique lighting conditions and space, you might opt to go for an electric Yves Klein–inspired blue, a barely there periwinkle, or (the best of two color trends, in our opinion), a rich blue-green. To complete your blue kitchen, Davis advises accentuating the kitchen cabinets with blue surfaces, whether it’s flecks in terrazzo flooring or veins in a marble countertop. From there, she will contrast “the coolness of blue with warmer colors like a yellow oven or the warmth of walnut.”
See below for 25 fabulous azure kitchen cabinet ideas—inspiration is bound to strike like a bolt from the blue.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
1
Allez Les Bleus
Jean-Louis Deniot incorporated the whimsy of Tintin into his vacation home off the coast of France. No space is as charming as his kitchen, with its custom blue cabinets—accented in neat, cream trim to play up the windows—and old-timey checkerboard floor.
2
Blue Island
Designer Jessica Davis and architect Gustave Carlson breathed new life into a classic California home first designed by Joseph Eichler in the 1970s. Their intervention included fun jolts of color, including the bright blue island and cabinets in the kitchen.
3
Deep Blue-Green
If you’re on the fence about painting your cabinets blue or green, why not combine them? Budding design firm Perifio painted their own kitchen cabinets a deep teal from C2 Paint, a shade that helps draw in the green of the surrounding countryside.
4
Blue with Industrial Accents
The beauty of blue cabinets is that the hue also complements a surprising spectrum of materials, from timber to terrazzo, the material of choice here in a sleek vacation home designed by architect Blaze Makoid and interior designer Joe Nahem.
5
Classic Duck Egg
Duck-egg blue is a total classic when it comes to kitchen cabinetry, and this is one of the most elegant examples out there. Here, in a Washington, D.C., residence, designer Zoe Feldman opted for Farrow & Ball’s Card Room Green, a shade inspired by Victorian homes.
6
Splashes of Azure
Not ready to embrace an all-blue kitchen? Try it in smaller doses, like in this happy Portuguese cooking space designed by Jacques Grange. In lieu of entirely blue cabinets, Grange deployed it just on the outer edges.
7
Sky Blue in the Sky
It’s only fitting that a home in the clouds would have equally vertiginous cabinetry. This Richard Mishaan–designed apartment, in Herzog & de Meuron’s Jenga-like 56 Leonard skyscraper in New York City, includes floor-to-ceiling blue cabinetry in a shade that matches the blue of the sky and the Hudson River far below.
8
A Whisper of Blue
If you have stainless steel appliances, a pale blue with gray undertones is the route for you. Here, designer Alison Palevsky picked a barely there blue shade (one that makes appearances throughout this sprawling California home) to contrast with the Viking stove and hanging pot rack.
9
True Blue Cabinets
OK, this technically isn’t a kitchen—it’s actually a bar area in a Hamptons home—but there are plenty of lessons to be learned here, courtesy of designer Poonam Khanna. She incorporated floor-to-ceiling vibrant blue cabinets (in Philipsburg Blue by Benjamin Moore) and leaned into their Crayola brightness with a set of sunny yellow chairs.
10
Bright and Light Cabinets
You don’t necessarily have to have all-white-everything in a kitchen to create a space that feels fresh and airy. Case in point: For this kitchen in a Hamptons home, designer Daun Curry chose the faintest of sky blues for the cabinets and a soft, pale gray marble for the island and backsplashes. It’s a bright idea to us!
11
The Deepest, Glossiest Blue
Conversely, if you are intrigued by black kitchen cabinets but aren’t quite ready to move to the dark side, navy can be a chic intermediary. In this David Netto–designed kitchen, high-gloss cabinets and a poppy orange tile exude plenty of drama.
12
Blue Paint, Black Tile
In a Canadian lake house, the kitchen is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Van Deusen Blue, the pendant lights are by Urban Electric Co., the backsplash is in Saltillo Tile, and the counters are Caesarstone in London Grey.
13
Blue Vintage Range Kitchen
In Designer Brian J. McCarthy’s New York City apartment, an all-white kitchen makes use of a few blue elements: A stove and hood by La Cornue, and the wide swaths of pale blue stripes on the floor.
14
Blue Kitchen Chandelier
The homeowners kept the original tile backsplash and flooring in the kitchen of this Loire Valley home. English mahogany chairs and a stylish chandelier, which was found at a flea market, give the space a lived-in feel.
15
Blue and Red Kitchen
The kitchen in fabric expert John Robshaw’s Connecticut country house is a study in fearless color choices. The walls are painted in Rose Quartz and the cabinetry in Starry Night, both by Benjamin Moore, creating a bold but impressive palette.
16
Subtle Blue Kitchen
This 17th-century English estate isn’t afraid of colorful decor. The subtle blue kitchen island is by Plain English, the mahogany table is Victorian, the curtains are of a Bennison Fabrics stripe, and the walls are painted in Tablecloth by Paint & Paper Library.
17
Light Blue Kitchen
Hand-painted glassware and collections of china become the focal point in the small kitchen of a Connecticut house designed by Lou Marotta. The cupboard’s light blue backing draws the eye directly to the statement items.
18
Blue Island Kitchen
A blue kitchen island echoes the blue detailing in flooring by Granada Tile in this Hollywood Hills home. The vintage pendants are from Obsolete, the BassamFellows stools are from Design Within Reach, and the sink is by Shaws with fittings by Jaclo. The countertops are Carrara marble.
19
Blue Cabinetry Kitchen
The kitchen of this Hamptons home features custom-made cabinets and an island painted in Benjamin Moore's Majestic Blue. The French bistro chairs are by Beaufurn and the brass pendants are by Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort.
20
Rich Blue Kitchen
In this room designed by Miles Redd, a lacquered finish adds a rich dimension to the space, painted floor-to-ceiling in Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue.
21
Deep Blue Cabinets
In this 1960s ranch house in Los Angeles, the kitchen stools by Hollywood at Home have cushions covered in a blue fabric by Peter Dunham Textiles, the custom-made cabinetry is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe, the wall is stained walnut.
22
Red and Blue Kitchen
Red makes the perfect sibling to cool blue in this New York City kitchen designed by Thom Filicia. The range and hood are by Viking, the light fixtures are custom-made, the stools are from Lars Bolander, and the floor is paved in slate tile.
23
Teal Blue Kitchen Finishes
In Steven Gambrel’s Chicago apartment, the sink fittings in the butler’s pantry are by Kallista, the counter is in Indigo Green marble, and the antique mirror is from Olde Good Things; the cabinetry was painted in a custom high-gloss lacquer matched to Pantone’s Mallard Green.
24
Icy Blue Kitchen
Icy blue pairs well with classic black and white, and there is no better proof of that than this Arts and Crafts home in Beverly Hills, designed by Madeline Stuart. The cabinetry is custom-made and the pendant lights are circa-1935. The kitchen counters are quartzite, and the flooring is Marmoleum.
25
Blue Kitchen Floorboards
In the kitchen of designer Ken Fulk’s Victorian cottage, the custom-made cabinetry is painted in Tanner’s Brown and the walls are in Cream, both by Farrow & Ball; the countertops are butcher block, and the Wedgewood stove is antique.
Anna Fixsen
Deputy Digital Editor
Anna Fixsen, Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, focuses on how to share the best of the design world through in-depth reportage and online storytelling.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
