By Sarah Macklin 
If you’re planning on redesigning your kitchen, colour choice should be a key consideration, as it has the potential to make or break your entire design. It’s an element that adds personality and style but also dictates the feel of your space and how it will stand the test of time.
With an undeniable shift in kitchen colour trends over the past few years, bespoke kitchen designer Ben Rollings from HAUHAU gives some expert insights into the colour palettes set to define 2026 to help you create a beautifully timeless kitchen design.
Espresso browns
Moving into 2026, the lighter, golden-hued browns are being overtaken by browns with more green, red, and grey undertones, with Benjamin Moore’s 2026 Colour of the Year, Silhouette, being an espresso brown with charcoal undertones.
These shades are warmer and softer than the biscuit and caramel tones of the lighter browns of 2025, often helping to create spaces that feel authentic and reflective of traditional craftsmanship, whilst also feeling truly restorative and rich with character.
Pink neutrals
With a notable trend towards muted, natural colour palettes, neutrals with pink undertones are also growing in popularity, with dusty and blush tones often chosen for their ability to provide a touch of warmth even in rooms with cooler lighting schemes. This makes it a versatile choice that keeps your space from ever feeling impersonal or flat.
Everything grey
A design trend that seems to be on its way out now is the all-grey colour palette, with it being replaced with warmer neutrals and earthier hues of blues, greens and browns. Having said that, grey isn’t completely out, with muted shades like greige, mushroom, and taupe are still proving popular, as are sophisticated dark greys like charcoal with earthy undertones.
All-white kitchens
The white kitchen seems to simply be too impersonal and sterile for many homeowners today looking for design with more depth and authenticity. The crisp, clean aesthetic is no longer winning when paired against warmer neutral and earthier deep greens, soft taupes, and inky blues that create spaces that are much more inviting.
With Pantone releasing ‘Cloud Dancer’ as their Colour of the Year for 2026, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more white kitchens emerging.
Earthy greens
Within Lick’s 2026 Colour Edit, a list of eight curated paint shades, with one feature being the earthy Green 05, a dusky olive green with warm golden undertones that will make your space feel intimate and restorative, and all with a touch of subtle vibrancy. This ties in with the growing preference for soft, earthy greens, with their nature-inspired, calming hue feeling reassuringly timeless.
Butter-yellow accents
For a touch of warmth, many are choosing golden, sun-washed yellows to accent their kitchen designs, creating a welcoming atmosphere that feels bright, open and inviting. Grounded by gentle whites and creamy beiges, or natural materials such as stone and solid wood, incorporating a butter yellow into your space adds a glowing brush of warmth and contrast to the room without overwhelming the entire design.
Burgundy statement shades and dramatic reds
The trend toward deep, sophisticated drama is represented by dark shades of red, rich browns and burgundy.
This is reflected in Glidden’s announcement of their 2026 colour of the year as ‘Warm Mahogany’, a rich, grounded burnt-red with subtle brown undertones that feels both new and timeless, creating spaces that feel intimate and layered in authenticity. This rich drama is echoed in the deep, opulent tones of Graham & Brown’s 2026 colour of the year choice too, ‘Divine Damson’, a timeless and versatile dark burgundy berry shade inspired by the deep purples of ripe plums and figs.
These luxuriously rich tones are growing in favour due to their ability to bring a sense of warmth and depth to every design, pair beautifully with natural solid woods, and effortlessly create a finish that is both built for comfort and undeniably sophisticated.
Natural materials
With one of the most prominent kitchen trends of 2026 being the clear shift towards favouring natural materials. For example, many are choosing solid oak or walnut, with their exposed, natural grain adding character and depth to the space, with the earthy-toned, visibly textured timber replacing the once supreme white, monolithic designs of previous years.
Aligning with the growing desire to create spaces that feel more personal and reflective of their unique owner and their individual life story, mixing natural wood in various tones with patinated metals and soft, warm finishes and pairing them with natural stone creates kitchens that feel layered in authenticity and elegantly timeless.
When it comes to kitchen colours, it’s a good idea to embrace classic colours rather than trending ones. Whether you choose warm neutrals, prefer to go for earthier tones, or want to go bold with a richer, darker hue, the focus should be on choosing a palette that endures, for a kitchen that will serve you and your family for decades to come, preventing you from being left with an outdated design in just a few years.
