Modern kitchens are often associated with neutral colors and strict design, but current design trends have debunked this stereotype time and time again. While clean lines and efficient navigation remain a priority, pops of color or even fully colorful kitchens have established themselves as viable and popular solutions.
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If your kitchen doesn’t get a lot of natural light or you feel like it lacks color, yellow kitchen cabinets are a great way to help you with this. Being a warm color, yellow creates a cozy atmosphere and adds brightness to the space. It is even believed to make you feel happy. As a place where you spend some of the most important time of the day while cooking or gathering with a family for a meal, your kitchen would greatly benefit from acquiring these qualities.
When remodeling their kitchen, a lot of people hesitate to incorporate yellow kitchen decor because it seems to be more challenging to coordinate with other design elements. But in fact, it’s much easier to balance yellow kitchen accessories and furniture with the rest of the space. So, if you’re looking for ways to add some sunshine to your kitchen or wonder what appliances will go well with your yellow kitchen cabinets, take a look at our favorite yellow kitchen ideas below.
1. Add Black Accents
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Recreate that 70s vibe by adding black accents to your yellow kitchen. From island stools to appliances or even a black accent wall, this combination will give your kitchen a trendy, contemporary look.
2. Go For Yellow Base Cabinets
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If you think you might overdo the yellow effect, skip the upper cabinets. Instead, pair your bright lemon yellow base cabinets with white tile backsplash or paint to open up the space visually and fill it with light.
3. Think Yellow Kitchen Walls
You might be fully happy with your existing kitchen cabinets but still want to incorporate yellow in your kitchen. A great solution is painting the walls. Whether you decide to have mustard yellow walls in the entire space or just go for a warm curry yellow accent wall, the results will be stunning.
4. Try Yellow Kitchen Tiles
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Use a yellow subway tile backsplash to add a pop of yellow to your kitchen and create a cozy background for your furniture and appliances. You can either cover the classical backsplash area or extend the tiles both horizontally and vertically.
5. Sprinkle in Yellow Kitchen Decor Accents
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If you’re still hesitant about making yellow the primary color of your kitchen, you can start small by adding yellow kitchen decor accents like chair pillows, planters, and small utensils. You don’t have to stick to one shade of yellow here. Play with hues and shapes to create depth and visual interest.
6. Pair Your Yellow Kitchen Cabinets With Neutrals
A great way to make your yellow kitchen cabinets stand out without making them feel too much is to pair them with neutrals. Think wooden countertops, chairs, or window trims.
7. Complement Yellow Kitchen Cabinets With a Yellow Fridge
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Vintage fridges are back! And to make things even more interesting, they now come in every color possible. A yellow vintage fridge will make a great addition to any kitchen, from industrial to countryside.
8. Draw Attention to a Yellow Kitchen Island
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If you need a central focal point in your kitchen, a yellow kitchen island is a great solution. Go for a contrasting white or neutral wooden countertop for maximum effect. Add more wood and yellow accents with chairs and cushions.
9. Enrich Your Style With Pops of Yellow
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If you have an industrial-style kitchen with clean lines and strict aesthetics, you can still add sunshine and warmth to it with modern yellow kitchen cabinets or other pops of color. It will elevate the overall design. Plus, yellow looks really great against a brick wall!
10. Paint Your Cabinet Interiors Yellow
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Put that yellow kitchen paint to work and transform the interior of your cabinets into a sudden rush of sunshine. The effect will double if the exterior of your cabinets is a contrasting neutral shade.
11. Revive Mid-Century Modern Yellow Kitchen Cabinets
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Mid-century aesthetics were definitely big on color. If you want to bring back the whimsy magic of the era to your cooking space, consider combining yellow with an orange glossy finish for surfaces. Add some white details, like trimming, for a bit of breathing room.
12. Experiment With Double-Color Cabinets
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You can add depth and visual interest to your space if you have your cabinets painted in two colors. You can either choose two shades of the same palette, like cheerful canary yellow cabinet doors with light buttery trims or go for contrasting colors on the inside and outside.
13. Tone It Down With Muted Yellow
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Don’t forget that yellow comes in a variety of hues. If you prefer to create a calmer atmosphere but would still like to add sunshine to your kitchen, opt for warm amber or pastel cream. Brass fixtures and dark surfaces will add to the visual warmth.
14. Add Complementary Colors
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If you make yellow the primary color in your kitchen, it doesn’t mean all other colors have to go. From sage green to every shade of gray to blush pink and deep maroon, there are endless possibilities for a harmonious contemporary kitchen.
15. Make Yellow the Focal Point
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Yellow kitchen curtains or a statement lamp won’t go unnoticed. Just like yellow kitchen cabinets, they will help brighten up the space and make it even more inviting.
Is a Yellow Kitchen a Good Idea?
Apart from being an interesting visual choice, incorporating yellow into your kitchen also gives you several other benefits.
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- It adds warmth and makes your kitchen brighter. This is especially important if your kitchen doesn’t get enough sunlight.
- While it is almost as light as a white kitchen, yellow can make your kitchen feel sunny and less strict.
- In the psychology of colors, yellow is deemed to energize and bring you happiness.
- You can choose from an entire spectrum of different hues to find your perfect shade of yellow. You can also pair yellow with a whole range of colors and textures to create a cohesive look.
So, Should You Go for Yellow Kitchen Cabinets?
Often, when planning a kitchen renovation and considering yellow cabinetry, you might be unsure whether it will work with the overall style of your kitchen. The trick here is to choose the correct hue. Go for bold yellow for your cabinets and walls in a modern or industrial-style kitchen. Choose softer pastel tones for a rustic feel in a country kitchen.
Before You Start Renovating (FAQ)
If you’re getting ready to install some yellow kitchen cabinets in your kitchen, here are a couple of additional things you may find useful in the process.
Should Kitchen Cabinets and Floor Be the Same Color?
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Instead of matching the floor with the cabinets, design experts advise contrasting them. This helps them not to blend in together and look flat. If you select a contrasting color for the floor, your cabinetry will stand out, creating visual depth.
What Color Goes Bad With Yellow?
While any choice of color is a matter of taste, there are some common mistakes it’s better to avoid if you want your kitchen to look cohesive. Most interior designers suggest not using yellow paint with green and purple. While the first combination looks cheap and unprofessional, the second one may even create an optical illusion, which is something you don’t need in a space like a kitchen, where you spend a lot of your time.
What Color Goes With Yellow Kitchen Cabinets?
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If you’re not sure what colors go well with your yellow cabinetry, use the color wheel as a reference. You can opt for complementary or analogous schemes or even try a monochromatic look. White would be another error-proof choice. Add steel and wood textures and a couple of leafy plants to complete that timeless look.