2012 Color Trends: Blues for the Kitchen and Bath

This 2012 Color Trends series is about five hot color trends projected for the year. In particular, I'll be showing you how to incorporate them into your kitchen and bath in a way that makes sense for your taste and your home.

Blue will be a strong color in 2012. Sherwin-Williams envisions indigo, water and denim tones. Benjamin Moore's color of the year is a watery blue-green. Behr and Yolo are trending aqua tones. All of these hues can work beautifully in your kitchen and baths with the most popular cabinet, flooring and countertop choices. This ideabook is designed to give you ideas and inspiration for going blue with sensible style.

Traditional blue and white kitchens feature white cabinetry against blue painted walls. This contemporary space shows how you can turn that classic combination around, creating a fresh new look.  

Backsplashes are lovely in watery blue. There are several ways to achieve the look. One is with large-format field tile, as shown here. Another is with shimmering blue mosaic tiles (typically sheet-mounted for 

easy installation). My favorite employs a solid sheet of colored glass. (It's also the easiest to maintain and the most contemporary.) If there isn't an installer in your area who can do this, or if the cost is out of reach, the large-format tile will achieve a very comparable look. 

Watery blue pairs beautifully with the black, white and stainless in this kitchen, but could also work with cinnamon spice cherry, walnut or even natural maple cabinets.

Indigo is a hot shade of blue this year, and it pairs as well with pale cabinetry as aqua and denim, albeit more dramatically. If you go this dark, you'll want as much natural light and brightness as this kitchen has.

Watery hues, indigo and denim tones relax, refine and rejuvenate your space. Click here for ideas.