Light blue kitchens are trending - here are 7 of the best ways to use it to create a serene and on-trend cooking space

You heard it here first: light blue kitchen ideas are officially the colour trend you need on your radar. Navy kitchens took centre stage a few years ago and have become a mainstay in trend-led and traditional designs, but it's time for the latest hue in blue kitchen ideas to have its moment.

Light blue has traditionally felt like an antique-inspired classic shade but with new inspiring ways to style it, it's a simple way to make your kitchen feel light and airy while also injecting a pop of colour. Kitchens are the heart of the home so making it a fun, colour-filled space is the simplest way to attract family and friends to enjoy the communal spot.

It can be pale enough to veer into neutral grey territory or primary colour-esque tones will pack more punch. Whatever your kitchen colour scheme preference, light blue will satisfy your cravings.

Light blue kitchen ideas

Whether you have a north-facing small kitchen that makes you want to bring blue skies inside or you want to make a larger kitchen feel more homely, light blue is a stylish yet classic kitchen colour scheme.

'Light blue is also incredibly soothing and calming as a colour, and in kitchens which are fast-paced and always busy as a "hub" of the home, it can really help bring a sense of peacefulness and calm to the room,' adds Sophia Ayrton-Grime, interior designer and founder of Studio Raff.

We spoke to colour experts and kitchen aficionados to figure out exactly which light blue shades work the best, and how to style them to get the most out of your space.

1. Brighten with white

If a traditional kitchen aesthetic is your end goal then light blue is an excellent choice. With an almost antique-inspired look, pastel shades will create a lived-in countryside look that will make the kitchen feel like the beating heart of your home.

'Pastel shades are the new neutrals and this light blue kitchen is both timeless but also the perfect canvas in which to layer some brighter colours,' explains Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport. Paired with classic Shaker cabinetry and brushed brass handles (choose cup handles to extend the vintage feel), your light blue kitchen will shine.

To soften the shade even further, go for light oak flooring, white quartz worktops and white wall units so your kitchen looks even brighter.

2. Make it warm and traditional

In a family home, the kitchen is likely where you do more than just cook. Functioning as a spot to socialise, dump school bags, dine and do homework, open plan kitchens deserve an inviting colour palette to enhance the many roles the room plays.

Warm and welcoming is the goal, so pair light blue cabinetry with wood worktops and unfinished open shelving. The more lived-in the better, so don't worry about imperfect woodgrains and wobbly shelves. Decorate with your choice of secondhand accessories that mean something to your family for a personal touch.

3. Go for a Mediterranean-inspired look

It's safe to say we don't see enough blue skies in the UK, so if you can replicate the look in the comfort of your own home, why wouldn't you?

Whether your kitchen gets ample sunlight or is a dark north-facing space, a sea-blue shade is guaranteed to enrich a design. The way to make this colour truly Mediterranean-inspired lies within the detail - pair with light wood and rattan accessories to transport you straight to the Mallorca coastline.

4. Pair with a dramatic dark red

One of the biggest kitchen trend colour combinations of 2024 is light blue and deep red. Rich burgundy shades have become a real jewel in kitchen designs and although it seems like a scary shade to use, the effect is a dramatic and enticing ambience.

If light blue feels a little too saccharine for your liking, a deeper red shade will add a bit of edge and signal to guests that you're in the know when it comes to kitchen colour choices.

5. Luxe up with a deep veined marble

Pastel shades, light blue included, have a natural affinity to looking super luxe next to beautifully veined stone surfaces. A dramatic deep veined marble in a darker colour to the blue cabinets will make a focal point out of the lighter palette and add an effortlessly high-end touch.

For added wow factor, continue the work surface up onto the backsplash, ending with a row of open shelving.

'A beautiful quartz will fit perfectly in a light blue kitchen, and if you're wanting to add more warmth a pale pink or plaster matched with warm white tiles against a splashback is a great feature to the room. Accents of red in your accessories, such as an upholstered soft finishing or cushions will then be a beautiful finishing touch,' adds Sophia Ayrton-Grime.

6. Go for pared-back cabinets

Light blue works well on Shaker kitchen ideas for a more classic aesthetic but if this isn't your style then don't worry - it's just as sweet in a contemporary, Scandi-inspired space.

Handleless kitchen cabinets will allow the colour to remain the focus of the design, keeping fuss to an absolute minimum. Keep visual clutter to a minimum with clean white worktops and instead add pops of other pastel hues through accessories.

7. Make blue your feature colour

Don't yet feel confident to use blue all over your kitchen design? It works just as well as a feature colour.

Kitchen island ideas are the simplest way to experiment with a more 'out-there' hue as you can stick to a neutral shade on wall cabinetry as to not overwhelm the space.

'We always try to recommend clients to go with timber- it is neutral, hard wearing, good for acoustics (over stone) and much softer and warmer underfoot,' adds Melissa Hutley, interior designer and co-founder of Hutley & Humm. We recommend going for a trolley-style kitchen island with wooden worktops and an open shelving below.

Get the look

FAQs

What is the best shade of blue for a kitchen?

Picking the perfect shade of blue can be a little bit of a minefield. The undertones of different blues will play a huge part in what works for your space so make sure you test out a swatch of the paint colour in different spots in your kitchen - this will help you to visualise how it look at different points in the day. For example, cool-toned blues are best reserved for kitchens that get more natural light, otherwise you run the risk of it making a space look dark and dreary.

Stuck on which paint shade to go for? Our interior experts gave their top picks.

'Some of our favourites include: F&B: ‘Oval Room Blue’, ‘Cooks blue’, ‘Chinese Blue’ – so many beautiful options at the moment,' recommends Melissa Hutley, interior designer and co-founder of Hutley & Humm.

Sophia Ayrton-Grime, interior designer and founder of Studio Raff, adds, 'I love Little Greene's Pearl Colour 100.'

Which shade of light blue takes your fancy?