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Five Ways to Style a Neutral Coloured Kitchen – Exclusively with Award-Winning Interiors Blogger, Geraldine Tan

Timeless, elegant and extremely versatile, a neutral kitchen will always welcome you home.

As the more reserved hue on the colour wheel, a white or grey kitchen can be the perfect canvas to add a splash of colour. Be it warm touches of natural materials or bold pops of appliances, there are many ways to elevate your kitchen and add personality.

To help style your space like a pro, Geraldine Tan, the founder of the award-winning interiors and lifestyle blog Little Big Bell, shares her ideas and inspiration by styling her Infinity J Pull Pebble matt kitchen.

Since beginning her design business in 2010, Geraldine has featured in numerous magazines, including Living etc., Glamour, The Sunday Times Home and won multiple awards. Little Big Bell also features as one of the UK’s Top 5 Interiors Blogs by Vuelio.

Take inspiration from Geraldine and discover five fabulous ways to style a neutral-coloured kitchen…

Playful Pop

Inspired by colour, this fun and retro-inspired theme aims to radiate positivity and happiness as well as add a touch of sparkle or personality to a neutral kitchen.

According to Geraldine, there is no such thing as clashing colours, but it is important to take note of the amount of colours you use. If you don’t know where to start, visualise your kitchen through a lens. Consider the foreground, background and middle ground while working your way from the bottom to the top.

Stripes, spots or swirls, a bright, colourful rug is the perfect accessory to include on your kitchen floor and acts as your palette for the rest of the room. Pick out the key colours and include them on your worktops.

Detailing is key in perfecting this style. Take something as small as your salt and pepper and decant it into colourful mills – not only will this lighten up your worksurface but your dining table too. 

Pick-out pastels for your crockery, bowls, and utensils, and display a beautiful tea towel on your cooker handles. A simple touch like this will make all the difference. For final flair, display a delicious and colourful cake that you can enjoy with family and friends while admiring your colourful new kitchen.

Scandinavian Minimalism

Minimalism effortlessly enhances the kitchen space as it blends the smooth, modern lines of Scandinavian design with elegance and a warm welcome from natural materials. It’s a timeless trend that will always remain.

Accessories such as concrete-style crockery and handcrafted vases come to mind. Include lots of natural wood such as chopping boards, bowls and spoons to add warmth and a textured look. 

Display cupboard staples – like pasta and oats – in clear glass jars with a natural bamboo lid to provide practicality while keeping on theme. For a premium twist, include luxe-looking handwash and abstract artwork.

When it comes to appliances, keep them sleek and minimal. Integrated appliances work exceptionally well in a modern space with a minimalist aesthetic. Geraldine’s black Bosch induction hob and stainless Bosch ovenare neatly integrated into her handleless J Pull cabinets to maintain a sleek design. This ensures a clean run of units while offering a neat and practical aesthetic.

Cottagecore

Cottagecore is a rustic design that’s inspired by countryside scenes, traditional crafts and natural materials. Naturally associated with traditional kitchens, it doesn’t mean it can’t work in a contemporary space too! 

It’s the opposite of modern minimalism, embracing colour, prints and vintage pieces. Its philosophy is to create a warm and inviting space with character, and the kitchen is the perfect room to add those eclectic touches!

This style makes a feature of the things you use every day, so make sure to display your favourite-coloured crockery and cookware too. It’s even better if everything doesn’t match – you want it to look like you’ve inherited a collection of mismatched pieces!

Bring fabrics to the forefront – think dainty florals, picnic checks and seaside stripes. Tea towels, rugs, crockery and dishware, are the perfect places to add this countryside style. 

Young at Heart – Kawaii Style

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Kawaii means ‘cute’ in Japanese and is a playful showcase of pretty pastel hues with a childlike quality. This trend lends itself perfectly to the kitchen and is a great way to release your inner child and have fun when styling. Banana serving bowls, ceramic figurines (like lemons and birds!); nothing is too crazy with this style!

To bring practicality to your room, include a cute rug, tea towel, and kettle and celebrate colour wherever possible. When it comes to cutlery, why choose one colour when you can have two, three or four – just mix and match!

Wall décor plays a hugely important part in achieving a Kawaii style. Include framed pictures to hang on the walls or neatly placed posters on your worktops. Sweets are an iconic motif in Kawaii, so think about picking a picture with a pretty pink cupcake or a cute phrase.

Urban Jungle

The Urban Jungle style offers a relaxed boho feel and embraces the love of nature and greenery. Its purpose is to create a jungle (the clue is in the name!) through the use of varying shades of green hues and a decorative display of plants.

Plants add a lush splash of colour and soften sharp lines as well as offer some real health benefits too. They have an instant calming effect and can purify the air. From sweet hanging kitchen plants on top of your cupboards to small yet perfectly formed prickles on countertops – there’s a plant out there to suit everyone.

Green is not the only colour that can be added to give your kitchen an Urban Jungle style. Warm wood accents from chopping boards and butcher blocks to glistening gold utensils, these hues offer the perfect touch to this style. You can even incorporate touches of cream and black to add a contemporary twist and further depth.

So, what’s your favourite style? Why not have fun with one or two different looks depending on the season and your mood! By purchasing a few themed accessories you can easily recreate these trends and change the aesthetic of your space.  

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