Blue is universally beloved in houses everywhere; it works so well in a variety of shades and pairs well with virtually any color you can think of. And when you use it in a kitchen, the heart of the home, it really shines.
We love to see cook spaces drenched in the shade, but we can also appreciate when it’s artfully speckled throughout in smaller details. Whether it’s through cabinets, tile, flooring, or painted walls, blue is always a good idea in kitchens.
If you’re going through a renovation or a remodel (or even just a quick refresh), consider making blue the star hue of your kitchen.
We rounded up some stunning blue kitchens in a variety of styles to help inspire your color selection and application.
Pair Light Blue with Warm Wood
Designer Clara Jung of Banner Day Interiors coated this entire kitchen in a soft blue hue (Dix Blue by Farrow & Ball). This, along with the light quartzite counters and Fireclay backsplash tiles, contrast nicely against the warm, unpainted wood details.
Paint the Window Trim Blue
If you don’t have a ton of wall space to paint over, consider painting your window trim blue, like how designer Gina Gutierrez of Gina Rachelle Design did here in the 2022 Real Simple Home. She was able to tie the room together by also applying the color (Pitch Cobalt by Valspar) to the island. The dark navy shade manages to complement the sea foam, bluish-green backsplash.
Pick a Dark Blue Backsplash
Wood cabinets are very trendy right now—if you don’t want to paint them, go to town with blue tile! Designer Anne McDonald of Anne McDonald Design chose this cement number from Zia Tile to contrast the white oak cabinetry. She says, “Rather than going with a neutral, I wanted to push the design a bit more using a saturated colored tile. When I found the tile we used, it was the most beautiful blue. Vibrant but not too intense.” She chose a black quartz countertop (Ceaserstone Tempal), but it doesn’t feel heavy against the tile thanks to the rest of the warm-but-light details. To enhance the cozy, homey vibes of the space, she added a vintage runner.
Stick to Black and White…and Blue
If you’re concerned about going too bold with color, stick to black and white for the rest of your kitchen, like how designer Isabella Patrick of Isabella Patrick Interiors did here in this client’s space. She opted for a black and white floor tile and a marble countertop/backsplash combo with black veining that wouldn’t compete with the deep teal cabinets (Stonecutter by Benjamin Moore).
Think Beyond Your Walls
We were obsessed with the idea of blue floors the second we saw this stunning kitchen designed by Molly Rosen. The cerulean blue cement tiles (which are from Zia Tile’s Aero line) were actually a near-perfect match to the 20-year-old stove left behind from the previous owner. Molly says it’s incredibly heavy, but she made lemonade with those lemons and concepted her whole house around it! “I love monochromatic color stories, and I figured it would either look amazing or terrible, but it turned out the tile totally landed the whole look!,” she adds. Painting the kitchen walls white lightened up the room, but also lets the floor really shine.
Do Blue Trim, Cabinetry, and Tile
There’s a lot of blue in this kitchen but it doesn’t feel excessive. The trim and cabinetry in this kitchen designed by Platt were painted a navy that was customized to match the beautiful blue, old world-themed pattern in the Walker Zanger backsplash tiles, which breaks up the solid stretches of color. The brass vintage light fixture, which the client scored on one of her travels, adds more charm and warmth to the space.
Elevate Youthful Blues
We’re back to baby blue in this kitchen designed by Erin Kestenbaum and we’re not disappointed. The cabinet color, which is stock, doesn’t skew too juvenile though because of the sophisticated details incorporated throughout, like the brass lighting and hardware, delicate beige Fireclay tiles, and traditional, gold-framed art. (Decorating hack: Erin says she hung it from the tile using a Command Hook!)
Mix Up Wood and Painted Cabinets
In this kitchen designed by Alyce Lopez of The True House, you’ll see oak cabinets and blue cabinets, painted Brittania Blue by Benjamin Moore. Why limit your cabinet color to just one? Alyce says, “I love to mix color and wood to add depth and contrast. I will rarely design a kitchen with just one finish.” She also introduces another color to the kitchen with the black countertops, saying, “The concrete finish soapstone quartz countertops brought a more earthy and organic feel to the space.”
Add Blue Fluting to Some Cabinetry or an Island
Designer Abbie Naber of A Naber Design opted for colorful fluting on a section of this kitchen’s lower cabinets and it adds a ton of depth and texture, making it the focal point of the space.
Match Without Going Overboard
In this other kitchen designed by Abbie Naber of A Naber Design, the pale, sky-colored clay backsplash from Heath Ceramics is the star of this kitchen. The blue stools echo the tiles without being too matchy-matchy thanks to the darker shade.
Pair Dark Blue and Crisp White
This kitchen designed by The Brownstone Boys and lovingly hashtagged #PalomasOnPoplar is all about balance—the saturated blue cabinets (painted Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball) are contrasted by a bright quartz countertop and backsplash with faint veining and crisp white shelving from Shelfology. (We love the flaming, orange-red pop of color the Le Creuset adds!)
Combine Tile with Shiplap
Emily Henderson opted to cover most—but not all—of her kitchen walls in this stunning, denim blue tile (inspired by some of her favorite jeans!). A small, designer detail we just have to point out: We love how she wrapped the tile around the window casing. She broke up the backsplash with some white shiplap, which reinforces the farmhouse theme of her home.
Go for Dark Blue Paint with Wood Countertops
Gina Gutierrez of Gina Rachelle Design combined a stunning Calacatta marble with warm wood countertops and cabinetry and a dark-but-soft blue hue (Newbury Port by Portola Paint) in this kitchen for a sophisticated but casual vibe.
Keep It Bright and Airy
In this other kitchen designed by Gina Gutierrez of Gina Rachelle Design, all of the cabinetry is painted a deep blue (Hyde Park by Portola Paint), and the countertops are black (soapstone to be exact), and the appliances are dark. But it still feels bright and airy, thanks to the light zellige tile from Clé Tile and open shelving.
Go Halfsies
We love this twist on the backsplash if you want some color but can’t do tile—Plain English Design applied their in-house paint color Tea Caddy halfway up the vertical boarding of this kitchen, in addition to the cabinets. The brand’s design direction, Merlin Wright, says of the space, “Our painted tide-line harks back to downstairs kitchens and scullery’s where the lower half of walls was often painted in a darker color or gloss paint to hide scuff marks from busy staff.” The more you know!
