Colorful Kitchen Islands: How to get a Look You’ll Love

If you want to add a splash of color to your kitchen, or add a little contrast to your white kitchen cabinets, we have a solution that will stand the test of time: keep your kitchen cabinets white and paint your kitchen island a contrasting color.

Painting just the island allows you to make a small-scale commitment. To get started, take color inspiration from other rooms in your house, or find a favorite painting or decorative item and base your colors on that. You can take the object or a photo of the object to your local hardware or paint store to get pro color-matching advice, and have a custom finish made for your kitchen island.

Ready to get started? Let’s begin by looking at this all-white kitchen as a visual reminder of a more traditional look.

This kitchen is beautiful, but since the island matches the cabinets, it’s missing the contrast that we’re going for here. Instead, it serves as a visual reminder of the all-white kitchen look.

Now, let these images serve as paint color inspiration, from the plain and tame to the bold and eye-catching.

This pastel blue island is a wonderful compliment to the white and gray tones used throughout the rest of the kitchen. It’s a soft look but brings in enough color to break up the space. This color combination is perfect for a coastal kitchen design, or for anyone who doesn’t want to go too bold with color.

Light, bright greens are a bold choice for a kitchen island, but they instantly bring the space to life. Taking color inspiration from nature is always a smart choice, and green has some added benefits – it’s calming and reduces stress.

To keep your kitchen neutral, but still break up the color in your space, choose a dark wood stain. Dark colors ground your space, and wood and white goes with any color combination. If you’re someone who loves to change out your accessories or displays seasonally, then this neutral kitchen color combination is a wonderful, flexible choice.

Want to choose a blue hue that works well for a traditional style kitchen? This brushed dusty blue is a winner. When you add gray tones to a color, it dampers the intensity. If you’re going for a traditional look, stick with the kitchen paint color shown above. If you’re going for the farmhouse look, you might consider a colored stain to create a brushed effect.

If you plan on tackling this as a DIY update to your existing kitchen, take special care when painting your kitchen. We like these helpful instructions from HGTV. If you want to incorporate this look into a kitchen reno, we’re here to help.