Some People “Can’t” With This Cabinet Color, But There’s No Denying It’s on the Rise
For one homeowner, it’s like a vacation.
Published Oct 27, 2022 1:15 AM
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“No, I just can’t.” “The 1980s did that already.” “It reminds me of old makeup.” These were just some of the reactions we heard from readers last December when we forecast that pink kitchen cabinets would be the It color to try in 2022. We get it—cabinets coated in a muted mauve or an island swathed in a dusty rose aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But no matter where you fall on the love-hate scale, our prediction wasn’t off base. This year, we saw a slew of homes with pink kitchen cabinets, from a modern mews in London to, most recently, a designer show house in Brooklyn.
And for the people who are living with these kitchens every day, it’s nothing but joy. “I want you to go in and feel like you are on vacation” and “It’s a little moment of showing off” are two reviews we’ve heard from homeowners living with the hue. Ahead, we rounded up 12 pink kitchen cabinet ideas that are sure to make you feel some type of way.
The Fuchsia One
Megan O’Neill, senior beauty editor at Goop, credits her punchy Bushwick, Brooklyn, home to her Caribbean roots. “Color is in my blood,” she says. Specifically, Hot Lips by Benjamin Moore is running through her veins—er, kitchen. Even her husband was on board with the pick, as the shade reminded him of a 1959 candy-apple magenta Cadillac he had growing up as a kid.
The French One
When one person in the family is particularly attached to a kitchen cabinet color, you go with it. In the case of this Paris apartment, designed by architects Charlotte Fequet and Maud Tyzon, it was dad who wanted bold lower cupboards to warm up the space. “We were all surprised by the choice, but in the end he was right!” says Fequet.
The Graphic One
Latham Thomas‘s kitchen, once a narrow galley, is meant to make you feel like you’re somewhere tropical, hence the combination of bubblegum, yellow, and tangerine. By applying the colors in blocks, leaving some of the doors natural wood, the artful approach doesn’t overwhelm the senses.
The Windowless One
Turns out, a soothing shade of blush works wonders in a space with zero natural light. While London-based firm Buchanan Studio admits it took some convincing to get this project’s client (one of the designers’ dads) on board, it instantly brightened up the tiny cooking zone. In combination with the fire-engine red ceiling, the hue feels more 2028 than 1988.
The One That’s All About the Island
Sage-obsessed folks, this one is for you. The London space balances timelessness and living in the moment with a mix of green wall cabinets and a playful salmon-tinged island.
The Victorian One
You know a color is going to stick around for a while when the head of creative at Farrow & Ball swaths her very own space in it. Charlotte Cosby went with Templeton Pink, a soothing yet invigorating option, which was dreamed up with historic homes in mind. “But we started putting it in modern spaces and it looked just as good, if not better, in those,” she notes.
The Same But Different One
Kelly and Jeff Mindell’s Los Angeles kitchen actually started out in this color family, just on the bad side (the cabinetry was a drab coral and orange combo when they first bought their place). After briefly considering a moody mustard, then realizing it would clash with the tone of the wood floors, they went with a dusty pink dubbed Galveston Tan.
The Peachy One
Benjamin Moore’s Malibu Peach was a fitting choice for Emily Wassall’s Los Angeles kitchen. The fashion industry veteran and her husband are both from England, where gray skies are the norm. This nod to the now nearby beach made their move halfway around the world to California even more official.
The Laminate One
After seeing a candy-colored kitchen Space Craft Interiors & Joinery had designed for a client back in 2018, this Australian family asked for a similar treatment—this time with melamine cabinets and a sink faucet that perfectly matches the durable doors below.
The One That’s for Show
If you’re already on board with pink, go ahead and match your window treatments, walls, baseboards, and banquette fabric to your millwork like BIA Interiors did in the kitchen for this year’s Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse.
The Tonal One
Hits of burgundy in the form of table linens and exaggerated wall lighting give this pink kitchen a moody edge. Spot the sliver of dark red door trim peeking out next to the floor-to-ceiling pantry.
The Very British One
U.K.-based designer Sarah Brown tasked Plain English Kitchen with her space’s design, which involved mounting an open shelf above the range where she can display her golden-hued confit pots. Between the miniature paintings, countertop lighting, and dainty row of mugs (also blush!), this well-loved kitchen turns the trend into a classic.