Green Done Right
Green is a wonderful color for kitchens—vibrant yet cool, denoting healthiness and calm at the same time. And it’s easy to find inspiration for the right shade; just look around. It could come from a celery stalk, a jadeite plate, a lime, an asparagus spear, a bunch of sage, a slice of cucumber, or even the skin of a Granny Smith apple. But first, take a look at our gallery to see how the projects of others, similarly inspired, came out.
Shown: Modern, pared down cabinets in equally modern hues of fresh lime and soft spruce. See more details on this vintage kitchen.
Jade Meets Lime
Hand-glazed tile in jade and a wash of lime on the island’s base burnish the honey-hued cabinetry and copper vent.
Bright Green
The bright hopeful green of early spring’s freshly unfurled leaves juices up this kitchen.
See affordable ideas on how to upgrade a kitchen.
Cool Green
Palest mint gives this kitchen a cool and bright 1950s vibe. The green tint echoes the stained glass in the back door.
Check out the before-and-after story on this kitchen’s design.
Echoes of Color
A deep-green stone counter and a runner the pick up the sage hue of the cabinetry.
Mix of Greens
Several shades of green on cabinetry, backsplash, and light fixtures keeps the mood serene, while the beadboard-clad island and lower cabinets sport a harmonious butter hue.
Architect John Tittmann has used a similar approach to achieve the look of a farmhouse kitchen stocked with furniture pieces, applying soft colors to highlight distinct cabinet sections — pale yellow to define the cooktop area, and beadboard panels with a vintage green to distinguish the fridge unit, with accent tiles to marry the colors throughout the room.
Homeowner Tip: Marilyn Thompson, of Chatham, Mass., used a similar strategy in her own green kitchen: “To unify the space, I chose several shades of green, using the palest on the cabinets and the darkest to ground the floor pattern, coordinating it with the kids’ stools.”
Get the details on this kitchen’s island.
Green-Red Connection
Red, green’s complementary color, adds oomph to this kitchen in the form of candy apple-colored cabinetry.
To keep a red-and-green complementary scheme from skewing too Christmasy, kitchen designer Carlie Korinek recommends choosing soft, muted tones. Wood finishes on the island, ceiling, and floor can warm up the overall palette even more, tempering the bold pairing.
Read more about this DIY bungalow kitchen redo.
Pretty Leaf Green
Leaf green wainscoting paired with Arts and Crafts-style wallpaper rings true to this early 20th century-style kitchen.
Check out the background on this Kentucky kitchen’s renovation.
Pine Green
An island coated with a wash of pine green contrasts with the light creamy hue on the wall.
Learn more about this open-plan kitchen.
A Green Highlight
One accent wall in hazy sage brings this white kitchen into focus.
See more of this kitchen redo.
Tree-Inspired Hue
Take inspiration from a tree: Start with a backsplash in wood tones and top it with leaf-hued paint. Here, warm yellow green defines the vaulted ceiling above multi-hued tiles.
Design Detail: Interior designer Gideon Mendelson has used a similar leaf-green-on-the-ceiling strategy, covering a kitchen ceiling with custom-painted canvas in a green-and-white scheme to draw the eye upward and around the room. Wallpaper can achieve the same effect for a simpler DIY installation.
Read about how this kitchen’s design came to be.
Fresh Green
Paint as fresh as a new blade of grass brightens this otherwise rather tamely colored cooking space.
Check out more details on the color combinations used in this kitchen.
When Haleigh and Grant DeRocher bought their duplex in Ranchester, Wyoming, the kitchen’s dark wood cabinets needed a personality boost. Haleigh found a gallon of discounted green paint on the home center’s “oops” shelf, decided it was the perfect color to transform the cabinets, and gave them a single coat. She then removed a couple of doors to display cookbooks and dishes—proof that a fresh green doesn’t require a major renovation to make a big impact.
Pro Tip: Brian Yahn of Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, says: “Paint allows you to put your personal stamp on cabinetry.” His clients often request a custom hue—or two—pairing apple green with mustard yellow or pistachio green with taupe gray for unexpected impact.
Pale Green
The muted floor-to-ceiling pale green of this Colonial-style kitchen gets a kick from cabinets painted an unexpected deep violet-blue.
Learn more about the colors used in this kitchen.
Perfect Lime Green
Shades of lime, both peel and pulp, freshen up a classic galley kitchen.
Read about this 2010 Reader Remodel winner in the “Best Kitchen Redo” category.
How They Did It: With Sandy’s sketches and a stack of This Old House magazines in hand for how-tos, Steve handcrafted all the cabinets from birch in the couple’s basement — a labor-intensive approach that earned them the 2010 Reader Remodel “Best Kitchen Redo” title and a $1,000 prize.
Behind the Remodel: Homeowners Steve and Sandy Miller of Grass Valley, California, created this colorful custom kitchen on a tight budget through sheer sweat equity. Sandy sketched the plans for the new space, and Steve built all the birch cabinets by hand in the basement. Sandy then painted them a grassy green to play off the new, butter-hued butcher-block counters. Before the redo, dark wood cabinets and overloaded open shelves made the galley dated and dysfunctional; afterward, colorful cabinetry and space-saving storage created a cheery and efficient space, with an embossed-metal backsplash adding vintage charm.
Monochromatic Look
Monochromatic cabinetry reflects off a stamped-tin backsplash that echoes the patterned ceiling.
Check out details on this 2010 Reader Remodel winner.
Mint Green
Minty fresh cabinetry and trim matches the clean lines of this decidedly modern kitchen.
Read about this kitchen’s transformation.
Aqua Green
A sea glass-colored tile backsplash keeps the feeling aquatic when paired with robin’s egg-blue cabinetry.
See more on this kitchen’s color scheme.
Green for Warmth
Caramel colored tile-work and light fixtures add warmth to celadon cabinetry.
Read the before-and-after story of this kitchen’s design.
Fern Green
Touches of fern green highlight a beautiful arched window and doorway.
Check out more info on this kitchen’s practical design.
Bold Green
Painting the island green instead of white like the rest of the kitchen gives it the vibe of vintage cabinetry. A wood countertop is a natural choice.
Pro Tip: Kitchen designer Carrie Deane Corcoran advises: “Combining different finish materials and countertop heights on the island helps to establish separate zones for working and eating and also softens its overall look.” Mixing materials like butcher block, marble, and stained wood on one island is a smart way to break up a bold color statement.
Color Strategy: Interior designer Gideon Mendelson recommends not letting a vibrant green island be a solo act. In one TOH-featured kitchen, he covered the ceiling with custom-painted canvas in a matching green-and-white scheme so the eye travels around the room rather than fixating on a single element. Echoing the island’s hue on another surface—whether ceiling, backsplash tile, or open shelving—ties the whole space together.
Get more background on this TOH TV project.
