Selecting the right palette for your home remodel isn’t easy. No one wants to be stuck with a shade that falls out of style after a short season. While it’s primarily a subjective decision, there might just be one color that’s nearly infallible: green.
Kendall, HDR Remodeling Designer, attended the 2024 KBIS conference where she learned that green is the new color of the year. Sharing her insight, she says, "I think with the recent rise of people being in doors we've found ourselves filling our homes with things that bring peace and remind us of nature. I guess it's no surprise that Green is becoming the next big thing! From textured tiles to cabinetry and even bathtubs - I've seen a recurring theme and green is definitely it!"
The color green has the special ability to evoke a wide range of moods and atmospheres. While some colors aren’t quite as malleable, there is a shade of green that sets the tone for every room in the home. No wonder it has become such a trendy choice in the last few months — so much so that perhaps you’re considering wall paint, tiles, cabinets, or furniture in olive, moss, sage, or chartreuse.
Working with green is also a reminder of its second meaning. Aside from simply embracing the literal color, welcoming in green practices is always a good idea, too. There are a multitude of ways you can raise the sustainability factor while remodeling your home. Implementing eco-friendly processes and this earthy shade will make for the greenest house possible.
If you’ve always had an affinity for green or have recently been enamored with what it can do for a remodel, you’re not the only one. The following 10 kitchen and bathroom remodels show how to successfully bring various tones of this color into your remodel.
1. Brighten Your Kitchen Remodel with Green Tile
White isn’t the only hue that can brighten up your cooking space. An ultra pale green can have the same effect, particularly when it’s in the form of a counter to ceiling kitchen backsplash. Follow this Berkeley kitchen remodel and opt for an entire wall or a backsplash in green fan shaped tiles. Subway and penny tiles are classics, but it’s the perfect spot to experiment with different shapes, such as scallops or elongated hexagons. Kitchens and bathrooms are also ideal spaces for installing energy-efficient fixtures, like lightbulbs and faucets, that conserve energy and water.
2. Upgrade a Shower with Malachite Hues
Green has a vast palette to choose from. Although there are a handful of more popular shades that are commonly requested for remodels, don’t be afraid to experiment with other saturated hues. As this bold bathroom remodel shows, stepping outside of your comfort zone pays off whether it’s through a statement vanity or an eye-catching shower tile. Brighter versions of green like malachite, shamrock, turquoise, and Kelly green invigorate a room without overwhelming a space. This perfectly sums up the power of green; it can be bold and energizing, but it still manages to keep this bathroom remodel grounded.
3. Opt for Deep Green Cabinetry
Breezy white kitchens have commanded the attention of design enthusiasts for quite some time (and still do), but to bring these airy cooking spaces down to earth, you can always lean on a set of hunter green or moss-colored cabinets for your kitchen remodel. They can sway modern organic, contemporary, Mediterranean, farmhouse, or Colonial, depending on the surrounding features and hardware you choose. As seen in this Oakland kitchen remodel with modern and vintage touches, gold pulls and metallic knobs and light fixtures can elevate green and create a luxurious kitchen design.
4. Parse Out a Kitchen Remodel with Bright Cabinetry
With open floor plans or large rooms that hold several purposes, it’s easy to crave zones and ways of making areas feel separate in some sense. Color is an ideal solution as these bright matte green cabinets show. If your kitchen occupies one wall or integrates seamlessly with a living or dining room, give your cabinetry the ability to stand out from the surrounding walls with a vibrant shade of green. Using color in this way is a handy solution for wet bars, entryways, and studio designs, too.
5. Design a Serene Bathroom Atmosphere with Sage
Typically, bathrooms are designed to be spaces for respite and relaxation. A fail-proof way to make your remodel emulate that energy is through sage green. This tone is one of the more relaxing shades of green and there is no shortage of ways to bring it into a primary bathroom, powder room, or guest bathroom remodel. One of the most promising options is incorporating it into shower tiles, as this sleek Alameda bathroom remodel exemplifies. Floor tiles, cabinets, vanities, and paint are other possibilities. Once your remodel is complete, you can add in small details like bath mats, towels, and soap dispensers to emphasize the color.
6. Incorporate Green Through a Statement Bookshelf
It’s easy to settle for a flat-pack bookshelf when you’re designing a living room, but avid readers will get much more joy out of a custom made, stately unit. Green is the perfect color for this purpose. A dark tone, like the one brushed onto this bookcase in this El Cerrito living room remodel, feels unique in comparison to the cookie cutter white and wood shelves out there, but it’s as comforting and laidback as a neutral. When you’re sourcing wood for crafting a set of built-in shelves, try opting for recycled or responsibly-sourced building materials to up those green credentials and help the planet.
7. Tie in a Splash of Retro Olive Green
Calling all mid-century modern fans: Nothing quite emulates the color schemes of this era like an olive or avocado green. It doesn’t require much surface area for this green to zest up a stovetop or countertop either. Taking notes from this mid-century modern kitchen remodel, a green tile backsplash is a fitting complement to a set of natural wooden open shelves — another nod to the aforementioned design period. If you’re feeling bolder, avocado green cabinets or a painted island will get this theme across, too.
8. Blend in with the Great Outdoors
Incorporating green into your living space isn’t beholden to the interior. Green can find a home right outside, too, whether it’s through a painted patio area or a cozy ADU like this. A light to medium shade of the color is hard to beat when you’re designing an outdoor space. In many locations, it helps the structure blend in nicely to its surroundings. Even without a garden or woodland backdrop nearby, green is reminiscent of nature and exudes a peaceful atmosphere.
9. Highlight Window and Door Frames
You don’t have to douse your walls with green or replace every cabinet — just a lick of green paint is all it takes to elevate a remodel. One creative way of introducing this tranquil color is through painting doorways and window frames, as seen in this Berkeley kitchen remodel. It’s not a full overhaul of the palette, but it adds just enough color to really shine and make a room feel complete. Other opportunities for a quick brushstroke of green include trim work, beadboard, and even in archways or as an accent wall. Green is a great way to draw attention to nooks and niches that are relatively well hidden or more formal spaces, like dining rooms, to make a statement — just look at the soft green wainscoting of this dining room!
10. HDR Remodeling Office
And of course, while we may be a little biased, we'd be remiss not to showcase the bold green exterior of HDR Remodeling’s very own office and design studio. After all, we embody green in our brand colors and our design and construction practices.
We design in a way that integrates the natural environment and preserves the historical essence of the home. We also design with responsibly produced and recycled building materials and incorporate water and energy efficient fixtures and appliances in our bathroom and kitchen remodels. HDR Remodeling is certified with Build it Green and uses building practices that create healthier living spaces and reduce the impact on the environment.
So if you're looking for a green remodeling firm, look no further than HDR Remodeling!