4 Stylish New Kitchens With a Contrasting Island Color
See how pros use a different color for a kitchen island than for surrounding cabinets to create depth and interest
The majority of homeowners either add an island or upgrade an existing one during a kitchen remodel. And nearly half of homeowners choose an island color that contrasts with the main cabinets, according to the latest Houzz research. This two-tone effect adds style, creates a focal point and helps break up large expanses of cabinets. Pros share how it’s done with details on four kitchens whose islands beautifully contrast with the perimeter cabinets.
2. In the Navy
Designer: Alena Zoghi of Eskan Developers; Zoghi’s husband, Kaveh, was the general contractor
Location: San Clemente, California
Size: 167 square feet (16 square meters); 9 feet, 10 inches by 17 feet
Homeowners’ request. Update a dark and dated kitchen and create a light, modern, coastal look and feel, including an island around which family can gather. “We talked about using white, navy, some light grays but also wood accents and brass to warm up the space,” designer Alena Zoghi says. “The kitchen isn’t large and needed extra storage, so double-stacking the kitchen cabinets was something that we instantly agreed on.”
Cabinet finishes. “White and navy is just such a classic combination,” Zoghi says. “The colors just feel breezy and coastal. The kitchen space wasn’t big, so bright white felt like a great color choice for the wall cabinets, and adding the blue island added that pop of color that we were looking for.” (The navy color is a close match to Salty Dog by Sherwin-Williams.)
Other special features. Marble tile backsplash in a herringbone pattern. Marble-look quartz countertops. “They have the look of marble without the upkeep,” Zoghi says.
“Usually the stove is the focal point of the kitchen, but in this case, when you walk in, you see the sink and the window first,” Zoghi says. “So to make it a little more interesting, we added three custom white oak floating shelves on each side of the window that our clients could decorate with their favorite kitchen items.”
The flooring is wood-look luxury vinyl planks. “The couple has three dogs, so right away hardwood flooring was out of the question,” Zoghi says. “The clients wanted something durable, easy to clean and low-VOCs. It’s not easy to find luxury vinyl that has just the right warmth and consistency of a white oak. The clients and myself just fell in love with Doma’s Seatown Vibes in Caramel — with the name Seatown Vibes we knew it was meant to be.”
Designer tip. “Invest in good handles and knobs,” Zoghi says. “Handles and knobs are the jewelry of the kitchen. They also get a lot of use. So good-quality, sturdy, beautiful handles and knobs are a good investment. We used Emtek satin brass pulls and knobs and they just tied the whole kitchen look together.”
Pendant lights: Rockland in satin brass, Sea Gull Lighting; wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
Shop for bar and counter stools
Designer: Alena Zoghi of Eskan Developers; Zoghi’s husband, Kaveh, was the general contractor
Location: San Clemente, California
Size: 167 square feet (16 square meters); 9 feet, 10 inches by 17 feet
Homeowners’ request. Update a dark and dated kitchen and create a light, modern, coastal look and feel, including an island around which family can gather. “We talked about using white, navy, some light grays but also wood accents and brass to warm up the space,” designer Alena Zoghi says. “The kitchen isn’t large and needed extra storage, so double-stacking the kitchen cabinets was something that we instantly agreed on.”
Cabinet finishes. “White and navy is just such a classic combination,” Zoghi says. “The colors just feel breezy and coastal. The kitchen space wasn’t big, so bright white felt like a great color choice for the wall cabinets, and adding the blue island added that pop of color that we were looking for.” (The navy color is a close match to Salty Dog by Sherwin-Williams.)
Other special features. Marble tile backsplash in a herringbone pattern. Marble-look quartz countertops. “They have the look of marble without the upkeep,” Zoghi says.
“Usually the stove is the focal point of the kitchen, but in this case, when you walk in, you see the sink and the window first,” Zoghi says. “So to make it a little more interesting, we added three custom white oak floating shelves on each side of the window that our clients could decorate with their favorite kitchen items.”
The flooring is wood-look luxury vinyl planks. “The couple has three dogs, so right away hardwood flooring was out of the question,” Zoghi says. “The clients wanted something durable, easy to clean and low-VOCs. It’s not easy to find luxury vinyl that has just the right warmth and consistency of a white oak. The clients and myself just fell in love with Doma’s Seatown Vibes in Caramel — with the name Seatown Vibes we knew it was meant to be.”
Designer tip. “Invest in good handles and knobs,” Zoghi says. “Handles and knobs are the jewelry of the kitchen. They also get a lot of use. So good-quality, sturdy, beautiful handles and knobs are a good investment. We used Emtek satin brass pulls and knobs and they just tied the whole kitchen look together.”
Pendant lights: Rockland in satin brass, Sea Gull Lighting; wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
Shop for bar and counter stools
3. Under the Sea
Designer: Marie Frenkel of DreamStyle Kitchens & Baths
Location: Rye, New York
Size: 171 square feet (16 square meters); 11 by 15½ feet
Homeowners’ request. “The client wanted to open up the kitchen to the living room and dining room,” designer Marie Frenkel says. “We removed two walls and installed a header beam to achieve this goal. They also wanted wall ovens instead of a range.”
Cabinet finishes. A sea-blue island contrasts with white perimeter cabinets and picks up tones found in the Blue Sky Quartzite countertops. “Plus, with many young grandchildren around, the blue hides scratches better,” Frenkel says.
Other special features. Glass subway tile backsplash with varying tones of white and gray.
Cabinets: Oslo Narrow door style, Evoke collection in Pure White and Bay Harbor, R.D. Henry & Company; backsplash: Devotion in Rain Cloud, 2 by 6 inches, Oceanside Glass & Tile
10 Kitchen Trends to Watch in Layouts, Features and More
Designer: Marie Frenkel of DreamStyle Kitchens & Baths
Location: Rye, New York
Size: 171 square feet (16 square meters); 11 by 15½ feet
Homeowners’ request. “The client wanted to open up the kitchen to the living room and dining room,” designer Marie Frenkel says. “We removed two walls and installed a header beam to achieve this goal. They also wanted wall ovens instead of a range.”
Cabinet finishes. A sea-blue island contrasts with white perimeter cabinets and picks up tones found in the Blue Sky Quartzite countertops. “Plus, with many young grandchildren around, the blue hides scratches better,” Frenkel says.
Other special features. Glass subway tile backsplash with varying tones of white and gray.
Cabinets: Oslo Narrow door style, Evoke collection in Pure White and Bay Harbor, R.D. Henry & Company; backsplash: Devotion in Rain Cloud, 2 by 6 inches, Oceanside Glass & Tile
10 Kitchen Trends to Watch in Layouts, Features and More
4. Into the Woods
Designer: Susan Nowakowski of Zehren and Associates
General contractor: Jason Russell of Cairn Construction Group
Location: Avon, Colorado
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters); 15 by 18 feet
Homeowners’ request. This kitchen was part of a large renovation that entailed taking the home back to the studs and starting over.
Cabinet finishes. Green perimeter cabinets with plain-sawn white oak island base and other wood details.
Other special features. Soapstone countertops. “The biggest decision we made during the remodel process was to raise the kitchen ceiling 12 inches,” general contractor Jason Russell says. “We have a kids bedroom above the kitchen and we decided the cost of taking 12 inches away from the kids bedroom height was worth having a taller ceiling in the kitchen. We also decided to reframe the floor and add the bump-out at the table to gain more seating and less congestion in the kitchen.”
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Designer: Susan Nowakowski of Zehren and Associates
General contractor: Jason Russell of Cairn Construction Group
Location: Avon, Colorado
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters); 15 by 18 feet
Homeowners’ request. This kitchen was part of a large renovation that entailed taking the home back to the studs and starting over.
Cabinet finishes. Green perimeter cabinets with plain-sawn white oak island base and other wood details.
Other special features. Soapstone countertops. “The biggest decision we made during the remodel process was to raise the kitchen ceiling 12 inches,” general contractor Jason Russell says. “We have a kids bedroom above the kitchen and we decided the cost of taking 12 inches away from the kids bedroom height was worth having a taller ceiling in the kitchen. We also decided to reframe the floor and add the bump-out at the table to gain more seating and less congestion in the kitchen.”
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Designer: Amanda D’Ascanio of AKD Interiors
Cabinetmaker: Goebel Cabinetry
Builder: Buckridge Carpentry
Location: Malvern, Pennsylvania
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters); 15 by 18 feet
Homeowners’ request. “The client is a busy family of five — Mom, Dad and three kiddos,” says designer Amanda D’Ascanio. “They love to host parties with friends and have large family gatherings where extended family can come to celebrate holidays and special occasions. The design direction was modern farmhouse that balanced his more modern tastes with the more traditional elements that she gravitated to.”
D’Ascanio uses Houzz Pro software to organize projects and send invoices, as well as manage other business tasks.
Cabinet finishes. “The perimeter cabinets are a soft white, keeping the space light and bright,” D’Ascanio says. “We chose Sherwin-Williams Attitude Gray for the island color. It’s a chameleon of a color that reads more gray in the evening and has more sage-y green undertones during the day. The contrast gave the room more interest and the color lent itself to both his and her style. I also love the way it coordinates with the beautiful brick backsplash.”
Other special features. Lantern-style pendant lights. “One of my favorite special features is that we were able to accommodate not one but two dishwashers in this kitchen,” D’Ascanio says. “Having an additional dishwasher is great for easy cleanup when entertaining but also super
helpful for everyday use for this busy family.
“Another cool feature is the brick backsplash. We created a feature wall over the cooktop by installing the brick in a herringbone pattern and putting a frame around it.”
Designer tip. “Choosing custom paint colors for your cabinetry or walls can be tricky,” D’Ascanio says. “I recommend always making sure you see the color in the space at different times of day and in different light conditions before you commit.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “The homeowners fell in love with the idea of a brick backsplash,” D’Ascanio says. “The outside of their home had some brick and they wanted to bring the brick into the home as well. We found the perfect brick for the backsplash. It was a thin brick veneer from McNear. The color was Berkshire. It was perfect. It had beautiful hues of reds and pinks with just the right amount of whitewashing to give it that aged lived-in feel they were hoping for. But they had a concern. They were worried about the maintenance of a real brick backsplash. Was there another option that looked like brick but wasn’t brick?
“I searched high and low for a porcelain or ceramic brick lookalike. I found and presented a few options, but honestly none of them felt right. My gut was telling me to go back to the original real brick veneer that they originally fell in love with. They agreed. They loved the real brick for all the imperfections and personality it naturally had that a porcelain just wasn’t going to give them. In the end we decided brick will stand the test of time. It lives on the exterior of buildings getting a beating from the elements and we were not going to let a little pasta sauce scare us out of having this beautiful backsplash.”
Pendant lights: Bryant in aged iron, Hudson Valley Lighting; sink: Whitehaven, Kohler; project photos: Jon Friedrich
Find kitchen remodelers near you