Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, are no strangers to being photographed while on royal duty, but their home, Bagshot Park, is notably more removed from the camera lens. However, a glimpse of the royal residence, located in Surrey, England, shows (arguably) the most important room of the home, the kitchen, where the couple's color choices reign supreme.
The Duchess of Edinburgh filmed herself baking 55 cheese and bacon scones to raise money for young people across the UK – and while we were impressed at this quantity, we admit that her white cabinet and sage green wall color pairing stole much of our attention.
While green kitchens are certainly no new 'trend,' designers say this tone (including sage, particularly) will only continue to impress. And, to ensure this color remains a failsafe, pairing it with white (or other natural) kitchen cabinets is an impactful starting point.
'Green kitchens are having something of a moment right now. Perfect for your culinary hub, it’s a fresh color with earthiness and depth that leaves you feeling nourished and full of life,' comments designer Tom Howley.
Alongside sage green, Howley says that mossy green tones pair particularly well with white features. 'Mossy hues may pack a punch, but they create a scheme with undeniable appeal when combined with burnished brass hardware and sleek white [features],' he notes. In the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's case, they have gone green via their walls while keeping their cabinets neutral. However, we can experiment with varying combinations, such as green cabinets and white countertops, as Howley suggests.
'With such a bold cabinet color choice, it makes sense to keep the countertop bright and neutral – complementing the space without detracting from the bolder palette.'
A sage green kitchen similar to Duchess of Edinburgh's.
Tom Howley founded the luxury British kitchen brand in 2004. With showrooms across the country, Tom Howley specialize in fitting beautiful, bespoke kitchen designs crafted from the finest materials.
Similarly, Matt Rotherham, the CEO of Gemini Worktops urges us to install open shelving to balance our green hue and ensure our space doesn't feel overpowered with one color.
Green is now the must-have color and has taken over from blue. Choosing a non-neutral color might sound like a bold statement, but paired with open or floating shelves (which are also strong trends for this year), it helps keep your kitchen light and bright,' he says.
'A piece of stone used as a large upstand that goes further up the wall is also a beautiful option if you go for this style of kitchen, creating a cool and contemporary feel.'
Shop H&G's green kitchen edit
Paint aside, we can tap into the green kitchen trend with these accessible buys we've handpicked below. They're the best way to flirt with the trend before investing in color, and we'd like to hope the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh would approve.
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