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We’re already green with envy. Aluminum Trim Strips
It’s no secret that green has been trending in a major way lately. Not only does the leafy shade conjure the sensation of being outdoors after two years cooped up at home, it also is a versatile (and welcome) alternative to traditional colors like white and gray. Don’t believe us? Paint color juggernauts Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams named tints of green as last year’s hottest hues. Interior designers have gone particularly wild for green kitchen cabinets—and it’s easy to see why, given the freshness the color evokes.
“I love using green in kitchen cabinetry because it is vibrant in a way that belongs with much of the produce we bring into our kitchens,” says San Francisco–based designer Noz Nozawa, who cites Benjamin Moore’s Herb Garden as a favorite hue. “You could take inspiration from deep zucchini greens to rich blue-green lacinato kale to the bright electricity of limes, and any of these hues would pair beautifully with wood cabinets, many countertops, and whatever meal you’re preparing!”
Green is also mercifully easy to match with your existing finishes and fixtures, and a verdant coat on your cabinets is a surefire way to create a look that’s both trend forward and classic. But, says Nozawa, “if you’re a little nervous about going green and are dreaming up a bright hue, starting with your island is a great way to contain the color. If your perfect green is deeper or more muted, [you could paint] your whole kitchen!” To kick-start some kitchen design inspiration, we’ve rounded up our favorite green kitchen cabinetry looks, from the softest of celeries to look-at-me emerald lacquer.
This deep green island and its matching cabinets (painted in Behr’s Russian Olive) set the scene in what our writer called the most “romantic eat-in kitchens south of 14th Street.” Homeowner and designer Augusta Hoffman tells us: “I’m still pushing myself to expand my colors! But it’s true, I do love green. I think of it almost as a neutral.” May the color-shy take note!
Just outside this Woodstock, New York, kitchen designed by White Webb are acres of “forever wild” forest. The designers wanted to bring nature’s magic into the cooking space too, so they created a luminous green mosaic backsplash and added a lacquered island to match. Its shiny texture reflects light and all of those woodsy views.
When Nozawa first set eyes upon the kitchen in this recent Bay Area project, the entire space was painted in a dusty shade of blue. “As a result the space was dark and heavy feeling,” she tells us. The solution? To douse the space in white and paint the central island a fresh shade of green. And, in her view, you can never have too much of a good thing: “I’m working on a kitchen right now where all the bottom cabinets (and the island) are oak wood, and the upper cabinets will be a rich emerald green—but our countertops will be a very colorful green marble!”
This look may not be for the faint of heart, but it certainly suits the energy designer Leah Ring wanted to foster in her California desert retreat. Here in the kitchen, she painted the cabinets and island in a zippy shade of acid green—her favorite color—and selected floor tile and blue accents to take the look over the top. “It’s great for creative work,” she tells us. “But it’s so fun, it can be hard to concentrate.”
Jewelry-box textures and colors inspired ELLE DECOR A-List Titan Kelly Wearstler when she was designing a New York City pad for actor Cameron Diaz. And what better jewel than emerald for the kitchen? Here, the color got a Midas touch thanks to brass trim and a matching backsplash.
This English kitchen may be in one of the most charming country houses we’ve ever seen, but owner and Toast CEO Suzie de Rohan Willner looked to the space’s continental cousins for inspo: “I wanted a very practical kitchen that suited the house but also reminded me of France,” she told us. And that resulted in the vivid green cabinets, painted in Farrow & Ball’s ultra-fresh Emerald.
This kitchen, designed by Tom Scheerer for a client on New York’s tony Upper East Side, proves that you don’t have to choose between a classic all-white kitchen or a trendy green one. Here, Scheerer incorporated a custom island painted in a bright pea green, a tint that’s picked up in the John Derian decoupaged trays on the wall and in the charming botanical wallpaper above the cabinets.
ELLE DECOR A-List designer Fabrizio Casiraghi doused this Paris apartment in a layer of glossy green lacquer. Follow suit by coating your kitchen cabinets in a high-shine finish.
This New York City brownstone features a predominantly all-white palette, but local design firm 2Michaels introduced color into the scheme with these dusty-green painted cabinetry (in Benjamin Moore’s Vintage Vogue, in case you were wondering). “It’s a warm and inviting atmosphere,” firm co-founder Joan Michaels told.
What makes this elegant Paris apartment extra striking? The green kitchen cabinets, of course! Designer Lorenzo Castillo painted the surfaces in Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green and papered the walls in a complementary covering of his own design. A sky-blue ceiling lends the look an alfresco feel.
Brother-sister design duo Ramin and Pamela Shamshiri chose Farrow & Ball’s earthy Dyrehaven green for this laid-back kitchen in Southern California. White shiplap walls and pale timber floors keep the look organic and effortless.
A shocking shade of poison ivy green has been making the rounds lately, and we love this take on the trend, courtesy of David Netto. He tempered the lime cabinets above with stainless steel and blue-gray cabinets below.
Pale jade green cabinetry accentuates the airy feel of this effortless Texas bungalow designed by architect Paul Lamb. Bonus: the tint echoes a subtle green palette that can be found throughout the home, including the tile that clads the exterior.
If acid green isn’t quite your style, consider a deeper, moodier shade, like this deep green in the Hudson, New York, home belonging to the founders of Perifio.
Fashion designer Chris Benz coated his kitchen in the palest of greens, a move that feels fresh and timeless. Here and in the rest of the house, he opted for Farrow & Ball’s Teresa’s Green.
If you’re not ready to commit, paint a single zone of your kitchen in green. We love this scheme from Los Angeles firm LAUN. Instead of sticking with a single material, the firm specified stone and brass alongside the sleek lacquered storage volume.
In Martyn Lawrence Bullard's glamorous West Hollywood kitchen, varied shades of green add visual interest to everything from the cabinetry to the custom stools and Moroccan tile from Zellij Gallery.
An elegant, understated shade of green boosts this Connecticut kitchen’s style factor. Design by Rachel Reider Interiors.
In this kitchen by Maureen Stevens Design, mint green cabinets create an attractive contrast to the brass hardware and Moroccan handmade tiles.
A soft green island, thanks to Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace, offers a sense of balance to the pops of crisp white in this kitchen design scheme.
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. Prior to joining the staff, she has held positions at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record magazines. elledecor.com
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