8 Easy Ways to Add Color to Your Modern Farmhouse Kitchen

Modern farmhouse kitchens are rustic and relaxing. Image: Todd Glowka Builder, inc

Modern farmhouse style is a huge influence on kitchens right now. HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” propelled this warm and welcoming look into our kitchens in a big way. To achieve this style, it’s important to start with the must-have elements before bringing in your own creative touches. Once you nail the basics of modern farmhouse style, you can personalize it with your own color palette. Below, we outline eight easy tips for adding your own colorful accents while keeping a relaxed and rustic vibe.

Modern farmhouse style must-haves

• Rustic architectural features like open beams, wood floors and unfinished mantels are the most recognizable elements of the modern farmhouse design.
• White or light neutral colors are the most common palette.
• Furniture is often artisan-created or designed with a craftsmen-like appearance.
• Lighting should be the most modern element of the room, using lustrous metals.

Customize your farmhouse kitchen with colorful cabinets. Image: Rockwood Cabinetry

1. Start with colorful cabinets

White- and wood-toned cabinets are still wildly popular, but more colorful options like gray and navy blue are storming the scene. These colors can anchor your modern farmhouse kitchen. Two-toned cabinetry, usually white over gray or navy blue, creates interest in a kitchen that lacks architectural features.

Glass-front cabinets give a peek of color in your farmhouse kitchen. Image: Cheryl Scrymgeour Interior Design

2. Glass cabinet doors reveal a pop of color

A clever way to add color your kitchen is by painting the inside of your kitchen cabinets, allowing the color to peek out from glass doors. You can also use this pop of color in the back of shelving or bookcases. Muted neutrals and pastel colors are a natural fit for rustic decorating, especially inside cabinets and shelves.

Add interest to your kitchen with a cement tile backsplash. Image: Arrowtown Construction

3. Add color with a tile backsplash

The most popular tile backsplash colors for modern farmhouse kitchens are white or gray. Historically, subway tiles and chevron patterns — usually in neutral colors — have dominated backsplash design. After years of white and neutral kitchens, cement backslash and floor tiles with colorful patterns are a growing trend that puts color back into kitchens.

It’s okay to mix metal fixtures in your modern farmhouse kitchen. Image: John Thayer Cabinetry

4. Mix your metal fixtures

Satin brass, copper and bronze fixtures are not only welcome in a modern farmhouse kitchen, but mixing and matching them creates a custom look without adding a lot of color. Your kitchen faucet is the most prominent metal feature at eye level, so choose one that fits in with your backsplash and counters. Lighting is also a good place to mix and match metals, as it’s crucial to the entire kitchen design.

Pastel wall color softens a farmhouse kitchen. Image: ROM Architecture

5. Move beyond white walls

Painted white walls are a mainstay of modern farmhouse kitchen decorating. Light neutral walls show off the rustic wood features and highlight architectural elements. Simple neutral walls may not be your thing — that’s where today’s muted pastel paint colors come in. You can still show off the rustic features of your kitchen with a soft pastel wall color. Choose your wall color after you’ve chosen your cabinet, tile and countertops. With so many paint color choices, it’s easier to choose the right color later than to try matching larger items to existing walls.

Open shelving is great for adding colorful accents to your kitchen. Image: Fox Signature Home -Kim Lindsey Photography

6. Add colorful dishes on open shelving

Chunky and rustic shelving is true to the modern farmhouse style. Unvarnished wood shelves are the most style-specific choice, but if you like a less cluttered look, you can paint your shelves the color of your walls. Dishes and bowls in your favorite colors placed on shelves bring color to your kitchen with very little effort. Open shelving also gives you a place for accessories without cluttering your countertops.

Large wall art and clocks are must-haves for a farmhouse kitchen. Image: Lydia Uzell Interior Design

7. Choose wall art for your kitchen

With dozens of other decisions at play, artwork for the kitchen is easily overlooked. Whether you choose an iconic large clock or a sign, your wall art is an easy way to add color to your neutral walls. The secret to using artwork in modern farmhouse decorating is scale. Large wall art gives your kitchen charm and vintage character. Keep your wall art palette simple with two or three colors; busy patterns and bright colors can distract from the simplicity of your design.

Your ceiling is an unexpected surface for adding color to your kitchen. Image: Cotner Building Company

8. Consider an unexpected accent color on your ceiling

There is a fifth wall in your kitchen — the ceiling. Yes, you can bring color into the room by using your ceiling as an accent wall. If there is a color you would love to include but you want to keep your walls neutral, your ceiling may be the solution. It’s a brave decorating move, and we recommend sampling paint colors thoroughly before deciding on your perfect color. Muted pastels and neutrals can soften up a stark white kitchen without darkening the room.

Creating a modern farmhouse kitchen may seem intimidating, but it’s all about nailing the basics and adding your own personal touch of color. Will you be implementing this popular look into your kitchen? Let us know in the comments.

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