The Charm of Butter-Yellow Kitchens
Behind the Scheme
Behind the Scheme
Welcome to Behind the Scheme, where I take you inside the mood, method, and magic behind my design process and show you a beautiful room concept that follows holistic design practices.
Think of this series as a peek behind the curtain — where every choice has a story, and every space is crafted to feel like home.
If there is one trend I’m loving right now, it’s butter-yellow kitchens. There’s just something about this colour palette that makes me want to learn how to bake sourdough and have friends over for tea.
So, I thought I’d play around with this palette by building an entire kitchen design around this shade of yellow to explore why it feels so comforting, familiar, and joyful.
01 | Setting the tone
I’m sure you’ve noticed how trends are veering away from the minimalist, contemporary stylings of the 2010s, in favour of more traditional styles. Styles like ‘cottagecore’, ‘coastal grandmother’, and ‘English country’ are all over social media, with vintage pieces, colourful wallpaper, and home comforts as central themes.
The return of colour to the world of fashion and design is a much-needed reset from years of millennial grey, all white, and high-contrast, industrial-leaning interiors. The use of butter-yellow on cabinetry – a fairly permanent design choice – is a strong departure from the ‘neutral palette with a pop of colour’ style that we’re used to. And I am thrilled about it.
We’ll get into the nuances of developing this colour palette in the next section, but colour is a primary driver in the overall feel of this room. I wanted to stray away from the glossy perfection of the kitchens we used to design and lean into the idea of beauty in imperfection. To support this overall theme, I’ve chosen natural elements, used colour for contrast instead of finishes (i.e., hardware, tile, lighting), and incorporated handmade items to achieve a whimsical yet grounded feel.
02 | Playing with colour
When I’m playing with colour, I start with the common attributes associated with a colour before I explore my own interpretations.
For example, colour theory tells us that yellow, a primary colour, is associated with optimism, happiness, and high energy. If I do a quick body scan with this definition in mind, I’m able to discern, “Does this interpretation feel true to me?” In this case, yellow does bring to mind happiness and optimism, which is why I think it’s such a great option for kitchens. They’re the heart of the home, especially in Nova Scotia, where the kitchen is the primary place where people gather during celebrations.
Now to dive a little deeper. When I think of butter-yellow, my understanding of the colour softens. Instead of the energising nature of primary yellow, butter-yellow feels grounded, soft, and inviting, and my mind immediately thinks of a more traditional application of the colour.
If I continue to follow this train of thought, to see what else my mind and body connect to the softness of this shade of yellow, I’m reminded of my Grandma’s home. My Grandma Myrna has always decorated her home in pale yellow with blue and white decorations, fabrics, and artwork. So if butter-yellow is my starting point, and I’m trying to create an inviting, whimsical and grounded space, taking cues from the comfort of my Grandma’s home is a wonderful next step in building out a palette that really works for me.
I also mentioned above that I wanted to bring in some contrast and interest with colour over finishes in designing this kitchen. In the 2010s, when everything was neutral, we used glossy countertops, matte black hardware, and contemporary lighting to add contrast and depth of texture to our spaces. With this design, I wanted a more harmonious, soft feeling with the overall material choices. I also wanted to challenge myself to add another colour to round out the pale yellow and blue colour palette. Since yellow and blue are primary colours, something in the red family felt fun to play with, and I settled on a terracotta shade as the accent.
03 | Inspiring the senses
If there is any room in the home that plays with each of the five senses equally, it’s the kitchen.
You get to play with creating a beautiful feast for the eyes with the overall design; feel the soft textures in seat cushions, tea towels, rugs, and curtains; listen to music on a radio or speaker while cooking or eating; fill your home with scents from baking or cooking; and enjoy the taste of all of your hard work.
What’s also interesting about yellow is that it’s also said to be an appetite stimulant like the colour red. That’s why a lot of restaurants, especially fast food companies, use yellow and red together in their branding.
I want you to imagine you’re walking into this butter-yellow kitchen for the first time. You take a look around at the pretty painted cabinets, the beautiful blue and white tiled backsplash, and walk across the terracotta tiles to sit at a worn-in kitchen table. Even just writing this down, my mind imagines that the room probably smells like homemade cinnamon buns and fresh herbs.
By starting with a colour palette and imagining the overall feeling I want to experience in this kitchen, my mind is already able to fill in the blanks of the sensory experience that would round out the design of this room. If this were your friend’s kitchen and you popped over for a quick coffee, you wouldn’t be surprised to leave with a bundle of fresh herbs or a basket of tomatoes from their garden.
The process of designing a holistic home uses our senses, emotions, colour preferences, embodiment practices, and lifestyle as intentional building blocks to create an authentic, well-designed home.
Coming soon: a full “Shop the Scheme” section with links to key pieces and lookalikes—so you can bring this cottage kitchen and other schemes to life in your own home.
04 | Bringing the outside in
The beauty of designing a fictional room like this is that I get to decide which way the room faces, how the light dances across surfaces, and imagine that there are huge windows and French doors that lead out to the potager garden and stone courtyard of my dreams.
It doesn’t take much to imagine that a kitchen like this is built for a client who appreciates the work and reward of growing fresh vegetables and flowers in their backyard. They probably keep the windows open as long as the temperature is above 10 degrees Celsius, letting fresh air flow through the space day and night. They would appreciate hardwearing terracotta floors because of the natural texture and the way the stones warm up in the sun during the day, and cool down at night.
This kitchen thrives on seasonality. In the summer, scents from the garden flow in from the open windows, the fridge is stocked with fresh produce, and homegrown flowers grace the kitchen table. In the winter, a warm stew bubbles away in a copper pot on the gas stove, while candles and small lamps are dotted around the room to keep the shadows of winter nights at bay.
There is romance to be found in the unique experience of each season when we design a room with nature in mind.
05 | Finishing with joyful details
The details in this room are grounded in the feelings and sensory experience we established in the beginning stages of designing this kitchen.
From the textural experience of the terracotta brick floor to the hand-painted Delft-inspired blue and white tiles of the kitchen backsplash, every element ties back to the ‘whimsical but grounded’ goal we developed in the first section of this blog post.
To add to the whimsy, I had fun looking for accessories that would add to the scheme. An unlaquered brass pot rail with stunning copper pots? Whimsical as heck. A fluted apron-front sink with an unlaquered brass bridge faucet? Slightly trendy, but could also look stunning in the working kitchen at Downton Abbey. Blue and white striped fabric for roman shades? Exactly what my Grandma would choose. A neutral runner rug that can be easily washed? Practical, soft, and lets the terracotta floors sing. Cabbage ware dishes mixed in with blue and white florals, and cherry-red gingham plates? My cottagecore dreams just came true.
Need I go on? If I were truly designing this kitchen for a client, this would be the part of the process where we’re texting each other daily with pictures of weird spoons, tiny art pieces, and beautiful mismatched mugs that we found while thrifting or shopping at little markets. I’d probably also be at home dreaming about bringing over a bushel of white double click cosmos from my garden to style in an antique crock for the centre of the kitchen table at the end of the installation process.
Bringing it all together
Each decision in creating this fictional scheme started with one point of inspiration: the trendy butter-yellow cabinets that everyone is talking about. And yet, the final design, while definitely on trend, is soulful and grounded in choices that remind me of my Grandma, connect with the changing seasons, encourage my love of thrifting, and tell a story.
Whether this is a design I would personally use in my home (which I totally would, btw – I’m actually currently renovating my childhood dollhouse and this is exactly the vibe I’m going for in the kitchen) or a design I pulled together for a client, I hope this explains how my design process weaves inspiration, self-discovery, and a holistic lens together. From the colour palette to the sensory experience, each decision is made with intention and care.
If you were to look at this sample board all on its own, you might just see a charming butter-yellow country kitchen design. But it’s going deeper than an overall aesthetic that takes a room from something that looks beautiful to something deeply instinctual and nourishing.
With all of the design and decorating options out in the world today, creating a beautiful and cohesive scheme is the simple part. The greater challenge lies in creating honest, meaningful spaces that tell your story.
If you’re curious about how to tune in to your inner knowing so you can create a home full of soul, I’m giving away my entire design process for free (yes, free!) through my newsletter. My guidebook, Secrets to a Soulful Home, takes you through exercises, prompts, and templates to help you design a space that’s rooted in your truth.
I hope it helps you discover your truest and most beautiful self.
Need support transforming your home into your personal sanctuary?
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