Colour Coded

ColourCoded

OUR FAVOURITE KITCHENS FOR A UNIQUE AND COLOUR-FILLED HOME

From leafy greens to bold blues, peachy coral, and even a luscious lilac, the lively shades

used in these bright and breezy kitchens are sure to inspire a colourful makeover in your own home...

MY BLUE HEAVEN

Owned by an art dealer and collector, it seems very appropriate that the kitchen of this austerely lovely urban abode should feature a wall of built-in cupboards painted in a shade resembling Yves Klein blue. The colour offsets the cast concrete structure beautifully, complementing the mid-century furniture and the contemporary and tribal African art the owner has been collecting for more than 20 years.

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The kitchen is open plan to the dining room, and leads out an open courtyard space. The vintage runner provides a touch of complementary colour, as do the artworks, while the industrial lights date from the late 1930s and originally hung in an old German warehouse.

JUST PEACHY

This open-plan mountainside home is filled with natural light year round, so the bold decision to go with a pale coral shade for the kitchen walls, combined with plenty of dark, rich iroko wood, has paid off handsomely. The result is a warm and genuinely inviting space. The skylight window inserted above the open shelves means the play of light on the wall – and the items displayed on the shelves – changes throughout the day.

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For a similar paint colour, try Terracotta Teas or Lovely Papaya, both by Dulux (dulux.com). The kitchen joinery was custom-made by Kitch Inc (kitchinc.co.za), and the concrete countertops are by Stoneform Concrete Studios (stoneform. co.za).

OLIVE GARDEN

In a real old grande dame of a house, this ground-floor kitchen leads out onto the garden and a covered patio, as well as an adjacent casual dining space and sitting area. The traditional-style fitted joinery is painted a beautiful deep green colour reminiscent of park benches and leafy trees, and is smartly complemented by vintage light fixtures and patterned encaustic floor tiles that add to the room’s old-school appeal.

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The cabinetry is painted in Garden Seat by Plascon (plascon.com), the cooker is by Bertazzoni (universal.bertazzoni.com), and the white glass light fitting is from Gilles de Moyencourt Haute-Antiques (instagram.com/haute_antiques/).

PARTY CENTRAL

The all-white island and cabinetry in this family kitchen have been designed to fade into the background, focussing one's attention on the plethora of colourful artworks and objects on display. What’s more, by night the lighting can be switched to a colourful 'disco' mode, transforming the kitchen from a domestic hub into a strobe- and colour-filled party zone at the flick of a switch. 'I love the notion that we are having a regular family dinner, but have disco lights turned on too. It’s all about being playful,' says the homeowner.

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A series of eye-catching photographic prints by homeowner Kirsten Goss’s (kirstengoss. com) husband, Clive Will (clivewill.com), as well as objects and artworks collected from artists, craftspeople, and markets across Africa are showcased here and throughout the home.

IN THE PINK

'I am naturally drawn to colour,' says the interior designer and owner of this petite yet perfectly-formed family home. From the bright blue and green ikat wallpaper in the guest cloakroom to the fuchsia pink seen in the open-plan dining and kitchen space, joyfully vibrant shades meet the eye throughout the house. Asked where her affinity for colour comes from, she simply says, 'Colour makes me feel happy and brings interiors to life.'

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Homeowner and interior designer Kim Stephen (kimstephen.com) decided on a chic monochrome 'backdrop' in the open-plan kitchen and dining area of her home. Onto this, she layered subtle texture – as seen in the dining chairs, from Sika Design (sika-design.com) – and eye-catching colour accents such as the bright pink rug from Gonsenhausers Fine Rugs (finerugs.co.za).

TRUE BLUE

Renowned for her penchant for bright colours, an interior designer took the use of bold shades – and combinations thereof – to the next level in her own family home. First off, she painted all the walls of the dining room, kitchen, and lounge in a vibrant forest green (inspired by the colour of a ceramic beer mug she’d found in an antique store!) and then splashed dashing blue on the kitchen cabinetry. 'Once I start, I can’t stop,' she smiles. 'White just looks blah.'

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The kitchen was all white before interior designer Sarah Ord (sarahord.com) put her colour sense to work here. The walls are painted in Hunters Prairie (G4-C1-1) by Plascon (plascon.com), and the cupboards in Granite Falls (B4-C1-2), by the same manufacturer. The artwork of a seated lady viewed from behind is a Picasso print on chipboard, unearthed at Cape Town’s Milnerton Market (milnertonfleamarket.co.za).