blue cabinetry
Of course, navy doesn’t necessarily have to be the focal point in your kitchen. In this kitchen from Watson & Co, I’d argue that it acts as a base color that allows the beautiful backsplash tile and light fixture to stand out. If the cabinets were white, these details wouldn’t be as noticeable due to the lack of color contrast between the elements.
Or consider using navy on the island cabinets only. Keep the darker hues lower to the ground and lighter colors higher for a palette that’s grounded and balanced. If you worry a navy-and-white palette might veer too cool, take a tip from this beautiful kitchen by Fontile Kitchen & Bath and inject plenty of warm wood finishes into the space.
A friend recently suggested to me that navy is the new avocado green, in that everyone is putting the color in their kitchens and it will eventually look dated. I don’t think navy will age as quickly, or as badly, as avocado green because it’s a classic neutral color. I compare it to denim jeans — sure, every so often stonewashed or acid-washed denim becomes trendy, but dark denim blue never really goes out of style. In fact, after white, wood and gray, blue is often the top color that homeowners choose for their cabinets.
Similarly, here the deep navy cabinet color contrasts with the luxe countertops and backsplash, allowing them to take center stage. I find that white marble finishes tend to get lost when everything around them is also white. If you’re going to invest thousands of dollars in beautiful marble, you might as well have it command the spotlight.
Q