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Go ahead and go green. White Marble Decorative Stone
Looking to put the “fresh” in “kitchen refresh” this year? Try swapping your all-white color palette or dated pine panels for green kitchen cabinets. Not only do emerald-colored cupboards bring the calm of nature’s preferred neutral into your cooking space (which, face it, you might need two courses deep into that dinner party you’ve planned), but they’re also a way to feel at once timeless and trend forward.
Don’t believe us? Just ask the color trend experts. Forecasters predict that varying shades of green—from earthy olive to muted mint—will be one of the top kitchen color trends of 2024, a phenomenon that has shown no sign of stopping these past few years. Sage, in particular, was named 2024’s trendiest color, according to both 1stDibs and the paint company Graham & Brown.
Interior designers have also gone gaga for green kitchen cabinets—and it’s easy to see why. “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!”
If you’re feeling green as grass when it comes to decorating with color, never fear. Green is 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, Nozawa advises, if you’re still nervous, “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 set you off on your own emerald expedition, we’ve thumbed through our archive to find 35 exemplary cooking spaces that feature green kitchen cabinets. Whether your vibe is a pale pistachio or a ravishing pea-green lacquer, these spaces prove the grass is greener. How green, exactly, is entirely up to you!
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.
Talk about putting some spring in your step…or, in the case of this happy alcove bar designed by Gary McBournie, in your tipple! In this sprawling Beverly Hills manse, the designer (who cites orange as his favorite color) didn’t hold back when it came to exuberant green hues. Here, Benjamin Moore’s Shades of Spring coats the upper and lower cabinets, while a matching wallpaper by Peter Fasano covers the rest of the nook.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In a colorful, contemporary Houston home designed by J. Randall Powers, the kitchen's lower custom cabinets are painted green in a strié effect.
In this earthy Greek island home, the kitchen's doors, window frames and custom cabinetry are all splashed with a custom green color that is reflected in accent pieces throughout the home. The kitchen countertops are poured concrete.
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.
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.
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.
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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