Kitchen Clarity Adventures in Kitchen and Bath Design

I’ve been frying my brain all weekend working on grant applications for my favorite non-profit organization, so I can barely string two words together right now. But it hasn’t escaped my notice that Spring has been springing energetically outside my window, with pairs of birds and squirrels and blossoms everywhere. Seems as good an excuse as any to share some colorful kitchens – orange is a color you don’t often see done nicely in a kitchen, but I have hunted high and low for a few examples today .  First, just look at the blue and orange accents in this lovely Massachusetts kitchen photographed by James Salomon – aren’t they perfect against the soft neutrals and creamy whites?

Blue and orange complement each other - photo James Salomon

A vibrant orange accent wall defines this kitchen on a small island off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean – very tropical:

Bold color for a tropical kitchen

This looks like a very red red-orange to me, in a busy Scandinavian kitchen photographed by Pia Ulin. Close enough! I think those are post-it notes decorating that light fixture, obviously carefully chosen to match the pink flowers on the table – or the other way around?

Scandinavian style with bright accents - photo Pia Ulin

This kitchen by Richard Farrell, via the NKBA design competiton, has a yummy rich burnt caramel tone on the walls – I think I can call that a shade of orange, don’t you?

Burnt caramel counts as orange for me today

And of course, there’s the lovely soft orange paneling this illustration of Carl Larsson’s simple Arts and Crafts kitchen – just toasty:

Orange paneling provides the backdrop - Carl Larsson

Orange can’t help being a happy color – this is just what I needed to get me into the right mood to face the week. I hope it works for you, too. Happy Monday!

Related Posts:

• A quick fix of color
• Playful color
• A softer, gentler, orange
• Orange kitchens – do you dare?
• Blue mood in the kitchen