Jonathan Francis
Navy blue is fast becoming one of the most popular colour choices when it comes to modern kitchen design. Our navy kitchen ideas to help guide your design journey, because with bold colour it's essential to get the balance right. Used cleverly, darker shades of blue give a side of sophistication and drama to the space. Navy is the perfect shade to set a striking, sophisticated balance for a living room and an open-plan kitchen (opens in new tab) and dining area. Using the same colour to decorate both helps to make the spaces feel united, identifying a personality for the most sociable areas of the home. For a kitchen where style is the essence, opt for gold handles and fixtures to really add the wow factor.
With an already dark cabinet colour you may not want to welcome any more of a moody atmosphere due to bad lighting. If you can't decide between a blue or a grey kitchen (opens in new tab), why not go for a shade somewhere in the middle? The streamlined navy blue cabinetry against just one wall draws the eye and injects life into the area, making a strong statement. To keep the look balanced when using darker colours on the cabinetry, the general design rule is to add in lighter surfaces.
Melissa Klink, Head of Design at Harvey Jones, (opens in new tab)advises, ‘Light worktops and/or flooring will balance the overall look and will make the space feel brighter and more lively. Running an L-shape of units under a window will help to welcome natural light onto the corner, to prevent the dark colour from feeling too dramatic or claustrophobic.
If painting all cabinetry blue is a little daunting, why not go for one focal piece, such as a dresser or kitchen island. Using white surfaces to frame the navy stops the bold colour from overpowering the space – especially great if you're looking for small kitchen ideas (opens in new tab). From worktops to flooring; shelving to accessories, wooden materials can go a long way to bring out a warmth within a navy kitchen. Standard veneer units are transformed with a rich shade of navy giving the space depth and style. The glamorous chandelier (which is not a classic kitchen piece) makes the perfect finishing statement. When opting for pattern choose just one or two neutrals, such as soft taupe or linen to work alongside.
A quick coat of paint on a wall is the simplest and most cost effective way to add the tasteful shade to your cream or white kitchen (opens in new tab) for super chic results. Thanks to its striking richness, it acts as a beautiful backdrop for neutral cabinets, helping to add depth to the overall scheme. As this kitchen pantry shows, a splash of pastel pink offers a warming shade to enhance the blue.
If you're looking to use a dominant navy blue on the cabinets but fear it proving too overpowering, we suggest opting for the colour on the low level cabinetry.
The wall-mounted cabinets work perfectly well in a complimentary soft grey, as Homebase demonstrate above with their new Classic Shaker-style kitchen (opens in new tab). Both shades manage to emulate effortless cool, making them easy to live with but uber stylish.
For more traditional kitchen tastes, Shaker units become accentuated and high-end when painted in classic navy blue. Here, navy blue cabinetry gives this Shaker-style, open-plan kitchen a super stylish and refined look. Natural finishes such as parquet flooring and smooth wooden stools lend a warm lived-in feel while a crisp white backdrop keeps the room light, fresh and airy. If coloured kitchen cabinets is a step too far for your tastes, stick to working with a limited sliver of this striking shade of blue. A navy blue border around the edge of a white or cream kitchen (opens in new tab) goes a long way to lift the colour scheme without overwhelming the look. Flood the kitchen with a hint of blue by framing the windows in the same rich navy tones.
Navy blue walls pair beautifully with all the tones most favoured in the kitchen – warm woods, sophisticated greys and crisp white. The fresh contrast of French navy, cream and sage green is perfect for a contemporary country kitchen (opens in new tab).
Mix in warmer elements, such as wooden flooring and worktops, to support the rustic country aesthetic. However, by pairing it with simply navy cabinets and a neutral counter top they don't take over the room but work with it to create a fun space. Painting the units yourself is a great way to transform the space on a budget, allowing you to tailor the look to suit your tastes. Enhance the impact with red accents for a retro kitchen (opens in new tab) look or pare it down with shades of grey or biscuit.
This beautiful kitchen island idea (opens in new tab) stands out against the bright white. A trio of copper pendant lights is right-on-trend and adds a dash of shine to this scheme.
Choosing contrasting shades helps define zones in a large open-plan kitchen-diner.
For modern kitchen fans, navy blue can really pack a punch when used with clean-lined gloss cabinetry.
Navy lends itself perfectly as a sharp and sophisticated accent shade, taking on a different tone depending on the colour combination. Splashes of pastel pink on walls works wonderfully within a navy kitchen, as the pantry cupboard above demonstrates.
White will also work to make the space feel light and airy, even when contrasted with a darker kitchen colour. Navy and white together allows you to create a kitchen of two contrasting tones, without it taking on a monochrome scheme.
‘For a smart, uniformed look, I'd recommend opting for a matte finish and pairing with light worktops and with silver accents to help the shade stand out,' says Olivia Anderson, Trends Forecaster at B&Q (opens in new tab).
From real parquet flooring to realistic wood-look laminate, the tones underfoot will help to add a warming quality to the scheme.
‘When it comes to choosing the materials and colours that go with a dark kitchen, consider the mood and overall look you want to achieve,’ advises Melissa Klink, Head of Design at Harvey Jones. ‘Generally, when paired with dark cabinetry, light worktops and/or flooring will balance the overall look and will make the space feel brighter and more lively.
No matter which scheme you want to achieve, we always suggest adding a few lighter touches in your kitchen to bring a little brightness and make sure the room doesn’t look too gloomy.’
