5 Fresh Ways to Include the Colors of the Year in Your Kitchen

Every year, color experts and forecasters roam the globe, scouring the latest trends in fashion, art, and technology, taking notes from current events, looking deeply at lifestyles and cultures, and going back to nature. They pull threads, explore commonalities, and find a color that conveys a worldwide message. That’s the hope anyway! Top manufacturers from Sherwin-Williams and Behr to Krylon and Benjamin Moore announce their Colors of the Year to eager designers and style-savvy homeowners. 

2023 brings a wide spectrum of hues and shades, from the bold to the blank. While it’s fun to see which colors earned the honor, it is even more useful to understand how to use them in your own home. 

How to Include the Colors of the Year In Your Kitchen 

1. Know Where Not to Include Colors of the Year

Trends come and go, but the kitchen’s status at the most used (and often most loved) room in the house is one constant that remains. We want this space to reflect our personalities and style, and we know that these may evolve over time. After all, one year’s Aqua Blast, Rubber Ducky, True Red, or Radiant Orchid (yes, all past colors of the year) dream becomes next year’s dated disaster. To give yourself room to adapt to new trends, it is often advisable to stay away from incorporating the color of the year into a major kitchen focal point, such as the countertops, large appliances, cabinets, and backsplashes.  

This way, when a new hue supplants Raspberry Blush (Benjamin Moore’s bold and unapologetic pick for 2023), for example, you aren’t left blushing at your “adventurous” choice of cabinetry or the aggressive island that harkens back to the red dining room craze of the early 2000s. Should your tastes and preferences change – and likely they will – you will not be stuck with key design elements that no longer suit you and that are difficult and/or expensive to replace, refinish, or repaint..

2… Or Disregard This Advice!

You may not want to play it safe. And, since this is your kitchen, you can completely ignore the well-intentioned tip above. If your heart desires a backsplash that features Krylon’s Color of the Year, Spanish Moss, or cabinets in Sherwin-Williams’ Redend Point (a blend of blush and beige) by all means: go boldly. Color can be a wonderful way to add visual interest to your space. Just make sure that you select tones and shades you love and that resonate with you, rather than ones that happen to be trendy this year. 

3. Choose Accessories That Exude Color

If you want a more neutral palette for your countertops, cabinets, floors, etc., you can easily and effectively include the colors of the year via great accessories. Take Raspberry Blush, for example. Andrea Magno, Benjamin Moore’s color marketing and development director, says, “I think there’s definitely a wow factor. We’ve become so accustomed to these grays and blues and neutrals. But we just kept coming back to the color again and again and finding different things that we really loved about it.” It stands out, but, by Magno’s own admission, it can be an “intimidating” color to incorporate.  

Taking smaller steps can create confidence when it comes to adding bold tones to your design. Try incorporating the color in accessories, such as: 

• Artwork  
• Table linens, hand towels, and other textiles 
• Utensil holders, soap dispensers, plant containers, etc. 
• Cabinet and drawer hardware 
• Pots, jars, crockery, and other decorative (and functional) pieces 
• Fresh flowers and plants  
• An accent wall 
• Chairs or barstools

4. Infuse Your Design with Complementary Colors 

Most paint brands also select color families or complimentary shades to their Color of the Year. Sherwin-Williams, for example, chose Redend Point, a warm tone that “can make any space feel safe, calming, and grounded yet still energized.” As compliments, they recommend Kestrel White, Canyon Clay, and Polite White. Choosing a primary color and complementary color keeps a room from feeling flat and “same.” It lends the space greater depth and life. So, you may choose Redend Point for your walls with a deeper Canyon Clay showing up in artwork and fabrics and perhaps some Polite White elements as interesting accents.

5. Make Room for Your Personality 

Behr’s pick for the 2023 Color of the Year was, perhaps surprisingly, remarkably neutral. Blank Canvas is a creamy, warm shade of white that goes with virtually any and everything. Says Erika Woelfel, vice president of color and creative services, “Blank Canvas effortlessly offers a clean and inviting blank slate that allows individuality and creativity to flow freely. This white easily harmonizes with a wide range of tones, including neutrals, earth tones, and pastels for a charming and cozy appeal.” 

Including colors like Blank Canvas in your kitchen empowers you to do just that…to  give yourself the space and freedom to be fully and unapologetically you.  

Living In Color  

Do you love the audacity of Raspberry Blush? Feel calmed by the serenity of Redend Point? Want the versatility of Blank Canvas? How will you incorporate them into your home? 

If you need suggestions, inspiration, and an experienced eye to help you design the kitchen of your dreams, contact the ACo team.