The versatility of the colour green is one of the many reasons it remains a key kitchen colour trend. From earthy olives hues to fresh, minty greens and gem-like teals, we delve into the ELLE Decoration archive to discover the many ways to transform the heart of the home with some green energy.
Bold and graphic Berlin kitchen
This colourful home in Berlin was created by interior designer Fabian Freytag, who’s clients discovered his colourful designs via Instagram. ‘The owners gave me carte blanche to the point of handing me the keys to their house only to return a year later after a trip around the world. Their only request was to have colour on all floors and in all rooms’.
This refreshing kitchen is painted in two complementary tones of green using Farrow & Ball’s vibrant ‘Green Ground’ and ‘Saxon Green’ – just a slice of brass above the Gaggenau hob adds a pop of glamour.
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Earthy tones taken from nature in this country kitchen in Denmark
The family country home in Denmark of Dinesen was reimagined by architects Mentze Ottenstein who turned this traditional home into a showroom and guesthouse. Set within 60 acres of forest and meadow near the 127-year-old brand’s headquarters, unsurprisingly it’s forest hues that underpin the colour palette. The original cabinets and back wall of the kitchen are painted in a classic Danish ‘Kitchen Green’ from Linolie & Pigment, which showcases elegantly the marble-topped breakfast table and chairs, custom-designed and built in Dinesen oak. ‘We see ourselves more as gardeners, nurturing and pruning with a lot of care,’ comments Alexander Vedel Ottenstein of the design process.
A glossy open-plan kitchen transformation in London
The greatest challenge in this project for interior designer Tatjana von Stein was the transformation of the kitchen. For the client, a passionate cook, it was essential that the design created a large and inviting space for entertaining. ‘This certainly was going to be the beating heart of their home,’ explains Tatijana. The space needed to be flexible for daily family life, but also to accommodate up to 20 people around a dining table. Tatjana elevated the look using Verde Guatemala marble flooring paired with sumptuous deep green lacquered cabinetry.
Ice cream hues in this Paris apartment kitchen
Living ‘above the shop’ can have its advantages, as Pierre Frey, communications director of the family firm of the same name discovered when moving into an apartment on the top floor of the company’s headquarters in central Paris. After living there for 10 years an update was needed. Collaborating with architect Eleonora Santucci, Pierre undertook a makeover of the apartment, which emerged as a valuable showcase for Pierre Frey’s fabrics and furniture. The kitchen was a crucial element – the pistachio-green cupboards and bespoke island complemented by pale marble worktops that highlight the ‘Dune’ stools upholstered in ‘La Sorgue’ jacquard from Pierre Frey.
Showstopping marble centrepiece in this Hertfordshire home
The brief for this Hertfordshire home was that every element had to be ‘fun, dynamic and unique’. It’s the kind of demand an interior designer dreams of. ‘They just wanted to go for it!’ says Tiffany Duggan of Studio Duggan, who designed the interior.
With an emphasis on entertaining, she seized the opportunity to create bespoke pieces to match the scale of the space. Nowhere is this more evident than in the kitchen, where an impressive island, crafted from an enormous piece of Verde Guatemala marble, acts as a dynamic centrepiece. The black and unlacquered brass cabinets by 202 Design are the ideal backdrop to showcase this bespoke piece.
Colour drenching adds drama to the kitchen in this Milan apartment
A two-storey apartment at the top of a block designed by studio BBPR, famous for its groundbreaking post-war designs in Milan and a stones-throw from the famous ‘La Scala’ opera house, was the scene for a complete reinvention by architect Luciano Giorgi. Inspiration for the distinctive interior palette was taken from the building’s exterior. For the kitchen, walls were drenched in a jewel-like glossy green enamel with ‘USO Boob’ lights by Flos protruding from the ceiling, all in matching green. The intense colour acts as a counterpoint to the space-age bespoke stainless steel bar and cabinets.
Spring-fresh design in an industrial London home
Husband and wife team Charles Mador of Mador Architects and Designer’s Guild founder Patricia Guild joined forces to transform this former car workshop into a vibrant, spacious and unique living space inspired by nature.
‘People say you can’t really use colour in industrial spaces. Well, we have,’ says Patricia. After reconfiguring the unusual downstairs layout, the kitchen was defined within the open-plan space with a combination of well-honed hues of green. The natural hues soften the materials – a combination of stainless steel and concrete (a nod to the building’s industrial roots).
Layered sophistication for the kitchen in this London abode
A blend of salvaged finds and sophistication fill the kitchen in this Notting Hill townhouse, designed by Maria Speake, co-founder of interior design, architecture and salvage firm Retrouvius. The clients were keen for an interior that reflected a modern but ‘grown up’ aesthetic, and the kitchen epitomises this with the modern Boffi units in a burnished gold, pre-loved 1970s Czech pendant lights and Dirk Vander Kooij-designed ‘chubby’ plastic bar stools, all perfectly set against a backdrop of elegant green walls painted in ‘Moss’ by Francesca’s Paints.
A touch of ‘California Soul’ in this Cotswold interior
The aesthetic of this home is akin to a mid-century Californian one, but it can be found in the heart of the English Cotswolds. A former granary, the inspiraton for the interior design comes from the local cabinetmaker who originally renovated it before selling to the current owners. ‘The whole thing felt a little LA, so we definitely leaned into that,’ says Scott Maddux, co-founder of Maddux Creative, who was brought in to orchestrate the redesign. As a counterpoint to the 1970s-inspired palette of pinks, burnt orange and brown hues elsewhere in the home, the teal kitchen island and cupboards are a bold statement.
Renaissance architecture for modern living in Lyon
This apartment in Lyon, abandoned for more than a decade and dating back to the 15th century, has been gifted a newly open-plan layout with the kitchen as the star.
‘The client wanted a home that was uncluttered but, importantly, didn’t look empty,’ says architect Andoni Briones of Razavi Architects. ‘That’s why we added colour. It makes the space feel like it’s inhabited, meaning there is no onus on him to fill it with anything that’s not essential.’ The bespoke green Valchromat kitchen units have a graphic uncluttered appeal.
