Colourful Kitchens in Period Houses

Kitchens have certainly come a long way since our house was built in 1875. Gone are the dark brown wooden open shelves and freestanding units which were more for function than style. The kitchen is still the heart of the home though, and there is more choice than ever before. My kitchen is really neutral, but there is a growing trend for adding colour to kitchens. So what do you think of colourful kitchens in period homes?

 

Victorian kitchens were pretty basic, and built for purpose rather than to look nice. Here’s the kitchen at Sewerby Hall in Bridlington. It’s pretty basic but I can imagine it being a lovely space, full of busy people!

 

 

The kitchen in my own house would have been a totally different affair. Smaller houses usually had kitchens without sinks and everything was centred around the stove. Anything “wet” would have been done in the scullery, which is the only place there would have been a sink. There would have been a few cupboards, but not many, and a scrubbed top table would have been the main work surface. In smaller cottages this room would also have doubled up as a sitting room, so there would have been chairs near the fire too. There are some examples of Victorian kitchens on my Shaker Style Kitchen Ideas Pinterest board. Thank goodness things have changed! 

 

Our kitchen is inspired (a bit) by how I imagine it would have been. We have a sink! We have a big dresser in one alcove, a freestanding pantry cupboard in the other and a stove (albeit a wood burner). Our table is the centre of the house and is where we have most meals, and our kitchen is pretty basic and functional. It works well for us though and I wouldn’t change it (unless one of the big kitchen companies fancies giving it a makeover – hint hint!). Our kitchen is, like most of the house, quite neutral though and other than the wooden worktops and wood effect LVT flooring the only real colour is from the fridge. I know not everyone is a fan of white/off white kitchens though, so if you are looking for colourful kitchen ideas, here are some for you! 

 

This beautiful kitchen from Higham Furniture features a feature island painted in a delicious berry colour. It’s a perfect contrast, and painting the island a different colour is a great way to get colour into the room without it being overpowering. 

 

This modern shaker style kitchen from Brayer Design is painted in a stunning sage green (Mylands ‘Museum 151’), bringing in colour whilst still allowing the room to feel light and airy. This colour would work well in a cottage setting too. 

 

This kitchen from Higham Furniture features classic painted units with a splash of colour from the painted green kitchen island. Perfect if you want to inject a bit of colour but not too much! 

 

Instagram is a wealth of inspiration for colourful kitchens in period homes. Here are some of my favourite Instagram accounts with colourful kitchens. 

 

Anna at @two_bears_at_no.96 has created a beautiful light and airy kitchen space with pink kitchen units and a green island unit. Go check out her account – she has the most stunning home! 

 

Lauren and Mark at Casa Old Corn  have a stunning Victorian home full of character and opted for a forest green kitchen. The units are painted in Copse Green from Second Nature Kitchens which makes a beautiful background for the marble island, and the parquet effect floor finishes the room off perfectly. 

Mandy from No. 7 Is Home on Instagram has created a beautiful home from a 18th Century farmhouse. Her utility room is one of the most stunning on Instagram and is painted in Shingle and Old Rose by Neptune. I love the mix and match units and the pink is the most perfect shade! 

Can we just take a moment to drink in this beauty from Dickie & Bert Interiors over on Instagram? The Inchyra Blue which looks green in some lights and blue in others, the parquet floor – it’s just stunning and works so well in this Victorian renovation. 

How’s this for period kitchen perfection? Amber from our.little.georgian.house has managed to create a characterful and atmospheric kitchen space, with black kitchen units adding to the drama. Original features have been retained (look at those beautiful windows!) and the whole kitchen is just incredible! 

Poppy from Dustsheets & Decor has a stunning Grade II listed flat and has just created the most stunning kitchen. The colour is to die for and the classic shaker style will never date. 

The original details are beautiful and have been incorporated into a stunning modern kitchen space. 

How about this stunning kitchen from The Pink Terrace? Natalie has shown you don’t need a humongous space to inject colour and personality and the combination of the pink and green is just perfect. 

 

All these kitchens are stunning, so please go and give the homeowners a follow on Instagram if you don’t already. A huge thank you to all of them for allowing me to share their inspirational kitchens. 

 

So what do you think about colourful kitchens in period homes? I think they’re stunning and if I could be braver with colour I’d be considering painting mine!

 

If you are planning on painting your kitchen cupboards, here is a quick tutorial on how to paint your kitchen units.