A. Peltier Interiors My favorite way to use red in a kitchen is with a classic white and black design and then red accents such as tea kettles, appliances, lighting and even a fabric or red chairs or bar stools. It is such a great color to work with.

Michelle W I painted all my kitchen cupboards red (much to the horror of several people) and I still love it, time for a spruce up on the walls and floor, but the red stays !

Whitehall Kitchen Studio The comment from A. Peltier Interiors reminded me of a kitchen we designed for a client who loves color. She selected white cabinetry but accented it with red glass tile for her backsplash - which looked great with her red stand mixer! It takes a certain level of confidence to make bold color commitments using materials that are of a fairly permanent nature (more so than paint, for example), but you really can't go wrong if YOU enjoy a certain color.

the_misfit I was immediately drawn to this ideabook because red is the only color I haven't used in decorating my house. (Well, that and pink.) I do wear red, but where decor is concerned, red isn't really me. BUT I have been looking for the perfect rug for my kitchen (now that I have discovered original hardwood floors, instead of the slate tile I was planning on - I had already bought small rugs for the slate!), and after an exhaustive search, I realized this was the right one: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AgGC-voIL._SY450_.jpg. It's very red! Not nearly so adventuresome as the other uses of red you've shown, but a major departure for me. I'm looking forward to its arrival!

Rock Point Cabinets Great article... Here are a couple kitchens that we have done with red in them... Design by Rochelle Lynne Design.

Jay Sifford Garden Design Great article. I love red in the kitchen too. The knobs on my Wolf range led to red KitchenAid countertop appliances which led to a Scott Upton painting in the adjacent hallway..... I wonder what's next.

ggdrive Has anyone used or seen red countertops? We are considering Cambria (quartz) in Cardigan Red in a black and white kitchen, and would love to hear from others, and see pictures if possible. Thanks

mira22 Yes, my sister put red corian countertops in her house. She has an exposed brick wall, a wolf stove, cool accessories and little other colour except for a couple of really bright paintings. It looks amazing - daring, confident, very urban...even a bit European. I like it a lot. Sorry though, don't have a photo but. I'll see if she has anything she can send me.

gharris8 Red is my favorite color and I am using it in my kitchen as an accent color. My tea kettle and other small applicances are red.

Brandi Smith Same as above. All my appliances are red or black and then I am considering painting my cabinets black to offset with stainless steel refrigerator and such. I have a black kitchen table and I recovered my chairs with 2 being a red pattern and the other 2 a black & white pattern. Red, black, and white go great together.

appytrails After painting the kitchen a mauve-y color, then gray, neither of which really worked for me, I decided to go bold! It definitely was outside my usual safe choices, but my husband and I - and everyone who has seen it - really like it. I'm so glad I got brave enough to try something I thought I'd love, but almost talked myself out of.

justme0917 We only have minor accents and small appliance with red at this time but i recently saw some retro style major appliances offered in red and I would like to add them to the remodel list. Our house was built in 1955 and I think it would be great to have appliances that look like they were from that era but are modernly efficient and practical. I love the idea of the red countertops for an island.

midmodfan We have a glossy red sliding door leading into the kitchen and red bar stools. I'm a fan of neutral basics - hardwood, white, dark gray etc. - and two eyecatching accent colors. We chose red and orange.

toocutedobs I have spicy cayenne below the white chair rail and butter cookie above in my kitchen. Paint colors from Behr I believe.

Luciana We used red glass for the splash back and red high gloss for cabinets side and island in our otherwise black and white kitchen. It looks a bit shinny, but we love it!

cofarb ggdrive: I recently saw a kitchen with red Caesarstone (quartz) countertops. The cabinets are unstained maple, craftsman style. I was amazed at how good it looked. I would have thought it would overwhelm the relatively small space, but it was great.

cofarb I've just completed renovations of my kitchen, mudroom, laundry room and dining room. I used unstained maple, very light gray (almost white) quartz counters, blue gray tile for wall and backsplash, and brought in red accents from the adjacent family room. Red door in the mudroom, red blinds in the dining room and other bits of red in the kitchen.

cofarb A couple pix of the mudroom. Painting the door red was very difficult. I scuffed it, primed it (3 coats) and finally 3 or 4 coats of the red enamel. Also, it doesn't show in the photos, but aside from the red blinds in the dining room, the blinds are blue-gray that matches the surrounding walls.

ggdrive mira22,
Thanks for the feedback. Your sister's kitchen sounds terrific.

Brandi Smith,
I agree, red black and white are great together.

Michelle W and appytrails,
Isn't it rewarding to try something risky (even if someone else might not like it, or the idea of it) and have it turn out so well!

justme0917 and midmodfan,
Have you seen the retrorenovation website? What both of you are talking about reminds me of it.

cofarb,
Thanks for the feedback and photos. I love your red door, and the red, light gray and blue gray reminds me a little of kitchen colors from the 40's that I love. I think people were feeling patriotic after the war, and did a lot of red, white and blue kitchens. Your color scheme with the gray tones is more sophisticated and current.
I originally thought we would go with a white or off white countertop and red for accents, but when I saw the Cambria Red I was surprised how much I liked it. We just picked up a sample of the Ceasarstone Red today, and are considering that now. (It's less expensive). I like it, and I still like the idea of a red countertop. I'm also glad to hear the red countertops you saw looked good in a small space, and were not overwhelming, because we have a small space too, and that was a concern of mine. I'm thinking of painting our cabinets white/off white to expand the space, but the maple looks good. We shall see.

I love red in a kitchen, I just think it is so cheerful.

Thanks to all for photos and comments. They are much appreciated.

ggdrive Jennifer Ott,
Thanks, of course, for the great article and starting this conversation.

cofarb ggdrive,

You might want to consider how the red quartz will look when it's not perfectly clean. My old, matte, light blue Formica showed every speck of dirt. My new counter is Quartz Reflection (Caesarstone). I was afraid its light color would show dirt. Instead, it's almost too good at hiding it! It's so bright and shiny, even with the new downlighting, that I'll run my hand across it and can *feel* that it's dirty when I can't *see* that it's dirty. I don't know if the red will have that miraculous characteristic. Maybe you could put some sample shmutz on your sample quartz.

ggdrive cofarb,
I just smeared blueberry yogurt on my red Ceasarstone sample, where it promptly "disappeared" into all the pattern. Interesting, and something to consider. I shall continue to experiment with other "shmutz", and see how bad it gets. Thanks.

Chookie Inthebackyard My kitchen has red accents -- there are deep reds in the Roman blind, and I found a pair of oven mitts in a similar colour range. We have deep red (almost garnet) curtains in the adjoining family room, and we wanted to pick it up in the kitchen.
The cabinetry is made of recycled 'mixed red' timbers, with Caesarstone 'Nougat' on the bench and a toning tile splashback. Paint is Dulux 'Clotted Cream' with China White trims, so it's quite neutral apart from the timbers. I'd love to get a deep red kettle, toaster, and stand mixer.
The funny thing is: I don't like reds, as a rule! I can't wear them!

bush8364 We are updating our kitchen and red is the color I picked for the walls. It's very similar to the Currant red above. I hope all goes well with the honey oak cabinets we will be installing!

Debra Kling Colour Consultant Benjamin Moore Confederate Red (which has a touch of magenta) for my Kitchen "bookcase," metallic red diner chairs, and red glass cabinet knobs are some of the red details in the kitchen in my 1920s Tudor cottage:

Amanda Haytaian Did this kitchen for my best friend who loves red! Kitchen is class white and Alder wood and red is brought in through the brick hearth, red hutch and red barstools.

Donna Frasca I think red is the perfect color to have in the kitchen - just a little touch of it.

Kuche+Cucina Nothing better than a splash of red, in the right place... Here are my contributions:

The Centric Home As a Feng Shui consultant and Interior Designer I use red in small doses in the kitchen. Traditionally kitchens = fire = red. Pops of red would be totally acceptable as too much red would be too aggressive and might make the cook crazy! Really though, if a client loves it and it works in the design, go for it! It's all about the client living with it.

Pedini Kitchens Red is one of our favorite colors...

bubblyjock @ ggdrive - there's a super kitchen design book called "Great Kitchens: Design Ideas From America's Top Chefs" which has chefs talking about what's good (and bad!) about their own domestic kitchens. My favourite is Ken Hom and his RED Formica - it's gorgeous.

I just searched Houzz for red laminate - here:

http://www.houzz.com/%22red-laminate%22

cofarb (Pix of my red rooms were posted earlier.) I live in a rural area, without access to "real life" design stores or much in the way of retail. I've found that haunting places like Marshall's and even Big Lots and WalMart can yield great finds. My red accents include a few red pots and pans from Marshall's, red dish towels and red utensil holders. If I really tire of the red at some point, I can change my kitchen accent color for about $100. (The red in my family room and dining room would be a lot more expensive, but none would require tearing anything apart.)

Layers of Color This is a kitchen we repainted for a client that was looking for a bold color palette for their existing cabinetry. We painted all the face frames, end panels and framed all the doors in silver metallic paint with a black glaze, then painted all the interiors a deep red. It really set off their beautiful granite and stainless steel backsplash. www.layersofcolor.net

marybethdamico I just completed my kitchen renovation in which I chose red vintage knobs (Anthropologie) against an acquamarine backsplash. My city kitchen also features a red kitchen cart in which red pots also play a role!

Artisan Kitchens LLC This is a lovely traditional kitchen with red on the walls and accessory items. When the sun is out it positively glows with warmth and charm.

EuroChef USA Here are some beautiful red range options from Verona and ILVE for all of you red lovers - I love red can be modern or classic and adds a vibrant pop of color.

trixylarue I love my red kitchen! Our prior house had a red countertop...which was the start of my red addiction. When we purchased an unfinished house I saw a red sink at Home Depot. The kitchen was designed around that and an old school's music cupboard turned pantry. We have the Baltic slate look laminate countertops...which show every.little.thing! The cupboards are from IKEA. All the work was done within a tight budget and by us. My daughter and I built the island. Oh and by the way, I know it looks "cluttery"...I love "my stuff" and I was getting ready for Christmas :) PS. the lights I dug out of a dumpster---a Fazoli's was being taken down! Great score for me!
at ggdrive, GO FOR IT! especially if it doesn't show anything!

JUL313 Gallery Red is such a rich vibrant color. I LOVE all kinds of reds! I love to wear it and have it in my home right down to my kitchen aid mixer!! I recently completed this 36x72 acrylic which is now available. It is called La Rioja which is a burgundy wine. The colors reflect the bold rich red and wine tones. It would pop any room. A real statement piece. http://www.JUL313.com

Casa Bella Interiors This is a terrible picture, but I painted my eat-in kitchen nook Ralph Lauren's Pomegranate and I love it. I receive many compliments, and I've had a couple people decide to paint a room or wall in their house red because they liked it so much! The rest of the kitchen and living room is the golden-brown color you see - called Applesauce Cake.

CAROLE MEYER Red is such a lively, rich color and I really like all of these examples.

Betsy Culver I painted my kitchen ceiling tomato red with butter-cream walls and love the modern aesthetic it gave my 1929 historic home in Phoenix. Enlarge photos to see the ceiling by placing mouse over picture.

ggdrive bubblyjock, thanks for the reccomendations, I'm checking them both out now!

trixylarue, thanks for sharing the photos of your great kitchen, and the words of encouragement. Sometimes I waver back and forth, so it's nice to hear yours and others enthusiastic comments

The Outdoor Room, LLC I have not as of yet utilized red in my home but have made many notes of ideas of how to incorporate red into the palette for my 1870's clapboard farmhouse. I enjoy the primitive style although my home leans a bit toward victorian and admire the interiors of older homes in Buck's County Pennsylvania where I grew up. Besides the touches of Red in cabinetry or accessories, brick can also lend the warmth of red and the benefit of a natural texture.

meighand I had old cabinets and no money, so I painted them red. Rather than hide the ugly I enhanced it.

BERTRAMS In the Kitchen, red is, as they say, "the new black". Rustic, contemporary, transitional, eclectic. It just pops. Just look at all the great French cast iron cookware at Williams Sonoma these days. We chose it as our "pop color" for our mountain hideaway, using it as the principle wow factor in the Norwegian Rosemal'ing for our cabinet doors and plan to accessorize with hints here and there (countertop stuff, rustic fireplace brooms, etc)

BERTRAMS Red accessories....

motherhuber I love red in a kitchen, We are just completing the rebuild of our farmhouse, and have painted the walls in the kitchen/keeping room (27' x 28') Benjamin Moore Caliente. It looks awesome with the frontenac stone fireplace, stained hickory floors and a mix of weathered parchment and stained cherry cabinets. The Wolf gas stove has the red knobs too.
We are using Cambria Shirebrooke quartz on the counters as it has a smattering of deep red in it.

sacapuntaslapioz Recycled glass mosaic with rustic cherry cabinets. Love the sparkle and warmth they give

isnaj We are building a house which will feature Juparana Bordeaux granite for the counters with craftsman hickory cabinets. I love spending time in a kitchen with red!!!

BERTRAMS Isnaj...

Make sure you use some black to make that gorgeous stone "pop".

Reclaimed Lumber Products Love red in the kitchen! Similar to the photo with the red barn wood paneling, here is a kitchen where we made the cabinet doors and panels from old barns that had been painted red.

The Outdoor Room, LLC Barn Red and the texture here is very rustic and beautiful!

Unique Technique Custom Painting & Faux Finishes Here are two kitchens I have done - the one has a rustic red accent wall in the breakfast nook - the other we started as an accent wall and she loved the color so we ended up doing the whole kitchen!

gharris8 I painted my dining room red and I wanted to carry it into the kitchen but I was afraid too. Not anymore!!! Seeing all the photos above has given me the encouragement to go with it!! I love red so much and the red I used in my dining room is beautiful!!!!

kisak Love a red kitchen!

Alexandra Florimonte We painted one wall Benjamin Moore's Tucson Red, but we haven't decided whether or not to continue it, or to paint a complementary color. We thought of a B M color called Truffle, which is a mushroomy color. Also have thought of a turquoise that leans into green rather than blue. Any ideas, folks?

gharris8 Alexandra, I would carry the red all the way through....just my opinion. It would nicer if it was uniform.

The Kitchen Broker We did this kitchen for a client who loves Red and wanted a colorful kitchen, Glass Red splashback wonderful red hanging lights with stools to match.

www.thekitchenbroker.com.au

Alexandra Florimonte gharris8, I worried that the red would overpower; but, I could certainly live with it - I love it!

GreenThumb Gardens We brought reds into our kitchen mostly through accessories, dishes, fabrics and small appliances. Our granite counter is A slab of Paladio, that has a burgundy red running thriugh it. We fell in love with it, and the handblown glass pendants we usd. These are the only permanent reds,but many think of it as a red kitchen. Guests love it! He only problem is that people don't want to leave the kitchen!

gharris8 Alexandra, I love red too! I decided to paint my kitchen red. See my post above. I attached a picture of my dining room that is painted red using red pepper by Duron.

sturney The paint color in our family room continues into the kitchen and we love it. Since there is only a little wall space in the kitchen, the red is just enough for a great accent. I think the color is called "leaf rust."

leesgang I love red and really enjoyed this article. Not one kitchen I didn't like! I have red accents in my kitchen and dining room and have doors leading out to the garden which has a rendered wall, painted.. red - of course!!

gharris8 Sturney, your kitchen is gorgeous. I love the red walls.

rbcola RED has always been my color. I love it. I get compliments when I wear it. I got "daring" about 20y ago when I decided to have a faux painter paint my double sided fireplace wall a dark Christmas red with smokey overtones. I loved it! It was warm! exciting! Never regreted it. 2y ago we started moved and started working on a home plan w/an architect. I was visiting an appliance website and saw a contemporary kitchen design that "blew my sox off" w/red, white and maple color cabinetry in a gigantic kitchen. I loved that design soooooo much I reached out to the designer - she very kindly responded with info on the materials. I was planning to do red and white cabinets in the Euro contemporary style. I got a lot of "whoa" expressions from others but I stood strong. My daughter is a realtor in NY and strongly encouraged me to take out the red. I thought alot about it and found a contemporary walnut/espresso stained oak cabinet that I plan to mix w/the white contemporary cabinets. One color on the wall; the other color on the island. It's more transitional - but I plan to keep the red in other areas (backsplash materials, etc.) and my Kitchen-Aid coffee grinder, etc. I'm not suggesting that people don't hold true to their loves......because honestly if I didn't find the dark stained cabinet and like it as much as the red.....I wouldn't have changed. LOVE - LOVE - RED. When we complete the home.......I'll take pictures and post. I lean contemporary, clean (not institutional though) and when I can do something with texture and color....it makes me very happy!

Adrienne Regard I did the same thing as A. Peltier. All red accent pieces. And several people commented on loving my "red" kitchen, even though not a single permanent piece (walls, cabinets, floor, ceiling, backsplash or appliances) was red itself.

James Hill Architect Red is certainly not a ho-hum whatever color. It is guaranteed to get a reaction of some sort. We used it as a way-finder to lead folks from the entry back into the new kitchen/living space facing the yard and view.

annabelleelliott I painted my kitchen red and love it. I have 9.5' ceilings and lots of large windows. I brought home several large samples and taped them to the wall. Finally chose one that picked up the same shade of red that was in a favorite painting that you can see from the kitchen. It made the kitchen feel very happy

Laurel Ennis Loved all of the except when paired with the clashing cherrywood cabinets. Ew. Poor tile choice and awful colour pairing!

ggh1 I painted my kitchen purple and use red love it. I am 69. yrs old.

Laurel Ennis Here's my red kitchen.

jagrace Our red accent wall, with framed food prints, tulip table, Oh chairs, yellow Armstrong floor tiles. We are about to renovate this kitchen.

pmv6 I looooove red in my house....it is such a warm, cheerful, vibrant colour. It is just full of life! I have an open plan setup and I have accentuated it with red...Beautiful! Unfortunately I dont have a pic to post now but will certainly do later on.

nanalinda Love Love Love my red quartz counter top. My husbands favorite color, he unfortunately has Alzheimers and we wanted something significant in our new "family forever home". Will never tire of it.

Kathy Metzler I did my kitchen in 2003. I have always loved red especially in the kitchen. My painter thought I was crazy until he saw it completed.

BERTRAMS Red accessories....

Still waiting for the dining chairs.

eagledzines Red paint should be primed with a gray primer.

gharris8 Eagledizine, why does red paint have to primed with a grey primer? This is great information!

Trena B Wonderful article! We just finished our kitchen and love the red accent wall and pendants. Such a nice pop of color with the monochrome fixtures.

BERTRAMS I believe the answer to the primer question is that white undercoating can turn the red paint, unless several coats are applied.... into a pink outcome.....

eagledzines @gharris8. The red will come out much richer red over gray primer. Over white primer it will come out pinker.

ggdrive nanalinda,

I love your quartz countertop too, as well as your pendent lighting, white cabinets, subway tiles - I love your whole kitchen. I hope your husband is able to take great pleasure in your beautiful kitchen, especially the red countertop.

trixylarue ggdrive...you are SO right...nanalinda's kitchen is beautiful! I would love to see it in person, but more pictures would be awesome! And I agree about her hubby too...hope you both are enjoying it!

gharris8 Nanalinda, I also love your red quartz countertop. I am sure your hubby is enjoying it. I wish I had a white kitchen so that I could have more red in my kitchen. I have cherry wood cabinets and I can't even think of painting over them.

michele_bronson Our kitchen is candy apple red, not a white wall in the house!

Cline Architects These cabinets are made of red Finply. It's a beautiful and fun material. You get a natural woodgrain with a bright color!

cryinglady17 @ Rock Point Cabinets love your kitchen design, I like the cabinets with red paint, thinking to paint my cabinet with red too thanks for sharing

Custom Spaces Design Red cabinetry panels also bring some pop without overhwhelming the kitchen. Our client really wanted red in her kitchen so we used red wainscot panels to create nice focal points.

oshekri We have a red marmoleum floor with white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. I love the material and the look.

ggdrive oshekri,

I love Marmoleum, and we plan on using it on our floor. If you have any pictures, would love to see your kitchen.

elishia I will always have a red kitchen!

cfaselt My red kitchen! 9 years and I still love it.

kdixon59 I recently sold my home where I had used red on one wall in the kitchen and I used red accents all around. I was nervous to paint it at first but after it was done I loved it. We used taupe on the other walls and painted the cabinets espresso which with the granite gave it a really warm feel. The kitchen was the heart of the house. I am waiting for the new house to be built and really miss my old one.

binkness My sister uses red as accents in her northern Wisconsin kitchen. Butter yellow on the walls with white cabinetry. Lots of antiques and lots of red accents.

Melissa Bancoff In our last home we used a red accent wall. We had white tongue and groove cabinets and a black counter top. Stainless steel appliances. We loved it!

Laura Cavaluzzo We did a red accent wall and echoed the color in red-leather counter stools and this seating area.

J B We totally gutted our house's kitchen upon purchase. I painted the four walls bright red from floor to ceiling. We put in white beadboard front cupboards and appliances and black counters. I plan on painting the older model, but still functional refrigerator with black chalkboard paint fo my kids' amusement.

gcanty I have been hauling this stove around for 5 years. Cannot wait until i can do the kitchen.

tuffy1952 I have red on the wall behind and underneath my open cupboards. It's been a few years now and I'm ready to change it out for another color.

preacherswife304 I'm actually getting ready to use red in my kitchen... painting my cabinets a medium color of gray, then we're going red behind all the cabinets. On the dining room walls, I've picked out a nice neutral color that I hope will tie it all together! Looking forward to the finished results! Here's a pic with the colors I want... not my actual design, just from the virtual room designer I used.

handymam My daughter has been saying she wants red in her kitchen for years. After seeing all of these examples, I see now that there are many ways to do it if one does not want to "commit" to painting something! Thanks for all the inspiration!

BERTRAMS Dining chairs finally arrived...

jacksonbeth There are so many ways you can use red. I have even seen engineered countertops or quartz countertops that have red in it. If you are looking at custom colors for your cabinets, check out Carolina Heartwood Cabinetry. They do premium paint colors and can virtually make your cabinet any color you want. http://carolinaheartwoodcabinetry.com/our-products/premium-paint/

Alexandra Florimonte We finally finished our kitchen. I thank everyone who posted helpful comments and there were a LOT of them (gharris8 and others who spent LOTS of their time helping!) It's red on three walls, but the wall that you look past into the living room is a honey color. We love it!

Alexandra Florimonte By the way, HOUZZ, I got a spam message in response to my last post; it appears that you have deleted it, however, so thanks!

handymam Alexandra, your kitchen looks great!!

Alexandra Florimonte Thanks, handymam!

jucabohe This is my kitchen, I love red and the energy that creates

Alexandra Florimonte I love this, too! The white background makes it pop!

BERTRAMS Our rustic cabin Kitchen in red tones. Historically accurate Norwegian Telemark-style Rosemal'ing by renowned folk artist Cathy Koball of Gran Meadow, Minnesota. Cabinets are made from 350 year old re-purposed TEAK from old farmhouses in Indonesia.