Barbie mania may have waned, but our predilection for pink interiors is going nowhere fast. The kitchen, a space of warmth, entertaining and creativity, lends itself to experimenting with this uplifting palette across walls, cabinetry, fixtures and even the ceiling. These projects from the ELLE Decoration archives are proof that while pink may be pretty, it certainly doesn’t have to be saccharine.
The maximalist kitchen of Matthew Williamson
‘Whenever you say pink, people think of Barbara Cartland. They think campy and saccharine. That’s not really what I am talking about. I mean plaster pink, putty and blush.’ In 2022 design maverick Matthew Williamson approached a ‘mini reno’ of his London home with typical brio, choosing a blush (‘Lido Pink’ by Pickleson) for his kitchen, with some splashy pops of colour via a pair of cobalt pendant lights from Vinterior and a set of 1970s red Italian chairs.
The Greek home with a very sunny interior
The exterior of traditional Greek homes on the island of Kimolos must be white and sky blue. The interior of this home, however, is another story. Point Supreme Architects, known for its ability to merge tradition with a modern outlook, deftly created an interior brimming with colour – in the kitchen, a dusty pink worktop is paired with pumpkin-coloured tiles and zingy yellow cabinetry.
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Pops of pink in a London home
Petal pink trails throughout the home of broadcaster Mary Portas, from the curvaceous ‘Redondo’ chair by Patricia Urquiola in the bedroom, to the reception room cloaked in ‘Powder Pink’ by Dulux and the kitchen which features pastel pink zellige tiles from Mosaic Del Sur.
The screaming pink kitchen island
This statement-making space featured in our pick of the best kitchen design of 2024, and for good reason. The work of interior designer Jill Rooijakkers, the chunky island covered in magenta tiles is large enough to entertain while cooking up a storm. Black accents, like a mixer by Hansgrohe and composite quartz sink by Grohe, add heft to the punchy scheme.
A colour-blocked kitchen in London
For these chefs and homeowners, the kitchen had to be more than the heart of the home. Designer Rhonda Drakeford was tasked by her clients to create a kitchen that made a statement whilst functioning as a space to run cookery courses, meet clients and do plenty of entertaining. When it came to the apartment’s palette, she used grey as a canvas then liberally applied an uplifting palette of pinks, green, cobalt and buttercup to deliver maximum impact.
Pale pink cabinetry for a heritage home in Poland
Designer Katarzyna Baumiller juxtaposed the grand features (most of which she reinstated) of this Warsaw apartment with contemporary furniture, lacquered steel and a vibrant colour palette. In the kitchen, modernist touches like playful pink cabinetry and a cobalt blue pendant light by Ultralight are the perfect foil to ornate alcoves and rich parquet flooring.
A pale pink home in the countryside
The first thing homeowner Solange Azagury-Partridge did when moving into her eclectic Somerset home was paint the front door, walls and window frames pink. The revered jewellery designer doesn’t shy away from pattern or colour, and the kitchen exemplifies her magpie-like approach to decorating. Dusty pink walls and black cabinetry work to modernise this almost medieval space, whilst every piece of furniture in the space is vintage.
Old-meets-new in a rural French home
A collaboration between Studio Foltzer and architect François Muracciole, this rustic kitchen in an 18th-century former tannery on the Saint Jacques de Compostelle, a pilgrim route, seamlessly merges old and new world. The natural lime walls have been left raw, while the original floor tiles were found in another part of the building and relaid here. The blush-coloured cabinetry was supplied and fitted by a local firm while Eero Saarinen’s ‘Tulip’ table for Knoll makes an elegantly contemporary contrast with its ancient surroundings.
The London home that’s pink from top to bottom
‘I adore Primrose Hill as it’s very eclectic… the area did inform my design because of its sense of colour and uniqueness.’ From the front gate to the basement kitchen, pink reigns supreme in this north London home. Designer Colette Ward used Sanderon’s ‘Light Rose’ throughout the home, its gentle warmth changing with the light from room to room.
