Tuscan

The red on this kitchen island offers a bold design statement in this color palette. “Red tones in terra cottas are actually seen often in Tuscan kitchens,” says Dawn Falcone, principal designer of Dawn Falcone Lifestyles and a Color for Your Home-certified consultant. “Even a person who is a little afraid of red can use it as a bold pop of color on their island.” Falcone also recommends adding a faux wall finish for a plaster effect to enhance the suggestion of the Italian countryside.

Greens and gold dominate this color scheme. “In Tuscany, a lot of kitchens are in farmhouses,” explains Falcone. “They bring in a lot of the outside in their colors.” A sage-green island suggests Tuscan fields, while the rich purple undertones of the Dark Walnut wall color evoke ripe eggplants.

“Tuscan homes were built with natural materials,” says Karen Williams, Principal at St. Charles of New York. The colors Williams selected for this palette feature the hues of those materials bathed in sunlight—sun-dappled stones, olive fields and wheat.

Williams brought the clay exterior of Tuscan buildings inside the kitchen with this scheme, which features red on the ceiling. A subtle gray tone—a color that might be found in a stone hearth like the one in this room--appears on the island. “By pulling these colors into the kitchen,” explains Williams, “you tie the kitchen materials in with the rest of the home.”