Bottle Green Kitchens

The world of color may be focused on Marsala but I’m seeing sophisticated wine bottle green kitchens.

There’s a green kitchens renaissance going on but not the recycling kind.  A few years back, kitchen cabinet greens were bright and sharp with a clear appetite for food colors like lime, apple and pistachio. Then emerald green became the decorator’s darling and the greens turned blacker and bluer. But kitchens tend to lag behind decorating color trends or miss them entirely. Kitchen color most often goes to neutrals such as white, gray and wood tones as many home owners shy away from color commitments. That’s why it’s notable when a variation in a color family crops up.

I call it bottle green because for me it’s the green glass hue of wine bottles. Clearly, we are recycling in more than one way. A concept kitchen by Kohler [top] extracts the pale green glass color of Burgundy bottles. A little gray, light and leaning towards khaki. This hue is especially soothing  on upper and lower cabinets as well as the island. It marries well with cream paneling that raises the height of the ceiling. The green reappears as a strong accent on the crown molding. A natural cherry counter marries well with this hue, as does stainless steel.

A new kitchen in a 19th century French house was designed to look like it always had been there. The ancient beam spanning the kitchen was painted white to blend into the sloped ceiling, walls and white tile backsplash. Muted by the original terra cotta tile floor, this green functions like a wood tone or a gray and looks surprisingly “warm.”  Designer Franz Potisek chose black stone counters and a black range to break up the green. However, the substantial painted vent hood molding points it up. Also, thick green-painted planking finishes the top of the backsplash and provides anchor points for pretty shaded task lighting fixtures. I just love the way the task lighting was done in this kitchen with color used to support it.

A galley kitchen by Australian designer Greg Natale pushes bottle green and brightens it. Given the tight space and lack of natural light it’s a bold choice but well suited to a space with an elegant old-world white plaster ceiling with elaborate crown molding. The spirit of the ceiling is reprised in the white marble backsplash and counters which help illuminate the narrow space. Keeping the lines clean, and concealing kitchen works in the paneled wall, are smart design moves. Illuminated upper cabinets with green glass shelving add transparency, provide essential storage, and reinforce the green theme.

(Source: Kohler, Elle Decor, Greg Natale)

You might also like more muted green kitchens: Khaki Kitchen, Terra Green Kitchen

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