I recently realized, after many conversations with interior designers while researching kitchen ideas for H&G, that I designed my kitchen the wrong way around. Typically, everyone starts with a cabinetry style or color and then builds the rest of the scheme. I, however, started with the cooker.
An olive green range cooker to be precise. It was secondhand from Facebook Marketplace and was one of the first purchases we made on our slow renovating journey. I then chose a layout, kitchen cabinet color, kitchen wall color, and even flooring to sit just right alongside my colorful stove.
So it got me thinking, what do interior designers make of a color pop cooker? Is this an expert-approved way to style a range cooker? Here, they (and I) make a case for colorful appliances in kitchen design. Personally I think it's going to really take off...
I always knew I wanted a range cooker in this house. Our kitchen has low ceilings at one end, like a typical country kitchen, and I knew it would benefit from a traditional English kitchen vibe that is centered around a large stove.
Because I managed to source a range in a statement green hue, I knew that the rest of the kitchen was going to need to sit back a little and let it take center stage.
'There’s something so exciting about adding a pop of color in an unexpected way or place. In the kitchen, I love doing this with the range cooker,' says Ashley Ferguson of Ashley Ferguson Interiors. 'Go bold and choose a color that might make cooking (and cleaning) in your kitchen a little more thrilling.'
And if the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the range cooker is certainly the heart of the kitchen. 'If the range cooker is a focal point and a key feature you’re passionate about, start with it and design the kitchen around it,' suggests Erika Jayne Chaudhuri, of Erika Jayne Design + Build. 'This approach ensures that the cooker complements the kitchen perfectly and allows you to highlight it as a centerpiece.'
'Whether you choose the cabinetry or cooker color first is down to personal choice,' says Kathryn Lowe, head of marketing at AGA – whose cookers come in 17 colorways.
'Often a potential AGA owner will have had a color in mind for a while, so will build a kitchen around the cooker. Neutral colors such as black, pewter, white, and linen have long been popular choices, but blues and greens are also much-loved shades. The latest AGA shade Raspberry [seen above] is proving to be a real hit too.'
'The biggest consideration is whether or not you want to go for a bold statement through a pop of vivid color or want a cooker color choice that blends seamlessly with the walls and cabinetry,' says Kathryn. 'If you have a neutral feel overall then going for a bold cooker shade will ensure there’s a focal point to the room. Equally, if you are considering deep wine-red cabinetry, for example, then choosing a linen or cream-colored cooker will give you a stylish traditional feel.'
'Colorful ranges are a fantastic way to infuse a vibrant pop of color into your kitchen, instantly transforming the space with a bit of unexpected interest,' says renowned interior designer Marie Flanigan who designed the white kitchen above. She added a sky blue traditional-looking range cooker to really lift the scheme – something I was keen to do in my own neutral kitchen.
'These bespoke appliances not only add a unique and personalized touch but also elevate the overall aesthetic, making your kitchen feel incredibly high-end,' explains Marie. 'Further, our team often incorporates colorful ranges to create a striking focal point in the kitchen, while still blending with the home’s overall aesthetic.'
Colorful Range Cooker Ideas
1. Let it pop against neutrals
'The key to using color effectively in a kitchen is to do so in a sea of neutrals,' advises designer Bethany Adams. 'It's too much to cook dinner every night in a circus tent!'
'If you go for a yellow or red range, consider white or beige cabinetry. A light blue cooker would pop against navy cabinets, and green would look fabulous with a soft gray,' she suggests. And that was all the encouragement I needed.
In my kitchen planning process, I chose neutral cabinets that are color-matched to Farrow & Ball's Shaded White. I then built the scheme up with a rustic terracotta floor tile, warm and slightly buttery walls in New White, and a statement pantry cupboard painted in Etruscan Red. It's colorful and earthy while still remaining a totally neutral kitchen.
Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport, says: 'Pops of color can come in many different guises and can be subtle in nature, especially when set against a backdrop of more neutral tones.'
'Here racing-green has been used to bring to life an AGA which is nestled against cream cabinets and really makes the cooker ‘pop’, becoming an instant feature of the kitchen,' he explains. 'To tie into the rest of the kitchen, the same shade of green shade as the AGA has been used for the kitchen island to create a harmonious space.'
2. Choose a vibrant hue and dark cabinets
To really lean into a color pop, try a vivid hue like orange or yellow for something truly unexpected. Neutrals could look a little washed-out here, so the best antidote to looking too sickly sweet is to go dark and moody with your cabinetry, like in this Neptune kitchen, seen above.
'The Rayburn Ranger retro cooker comes in a range of bold colors, such as marmalade and sunshine, and while these shades can look great with white cabinetry, they’re also fabulous with dark gray as well as bolder shades,' suggests AGA's Kathryn Lowe. 'If you choose a bold cooker, it works well to tie in the scheme by adding accessories or even tiles with a similar colorway.'
'If my client selects a color for the range I will integrate that color again via fabric, art, or tiles,' agrees interior designer Gray Walker. 'Pops of color in a kitchen can always be achieved with paint, wallcoverings, appliances, rugs and art.'
3. Color match to your cabinetry
Alternatively, if you want to steer clear of the 'typical' appliance colors of black, white, or stainless steel – have you ever considered getting your range cooker made bespoke to color-match your cabinetry?
In this kitchen seen above by deVOL Kitchens, the cabinets were painted in the brand's own hue 'Bakehouse Green' while the AGA, which was inherited from the previous owners, was re-enamelled to match the deVOL shade perfectly.
All big purchases in your kitchen, from cabinetry to cookers, need to be something you could see yourself loving and living with.
'Overall, because a range cooker will be with you for a very long time it makes most sense to choose a shade you’re absolutely in love with. It will make you smile every time you use it,' adds Kathryn.
So if you're a color lover, whether that be bright and bold or subtle and earthy, maybe a colorful range cooker might be just be cherry-on-top your kitchen design is searching for? Designers seem to have deemed it a good idea, and so have I.
