Joanna Gaines' castle kitchen color scheme is the 'new way to do contemporary neutrals' in 2024

For many years we were in love with all shades of beige, cream, and magnolia – the color choices of property developers despite being the butt of many ‘discerning’ interior designer’s jokes. 

However, these days, those once-detested neutral room schemes have been brought up-to-date with a sophisticated sand, taupe, and coffee palette. A neutral kitchen is a must-have for those who adore the popular quiet luxury kitchen aesthetic. The new way to do neutrals is luxurious, distinctive, and quite frankly, anything but boring. 

If there is only one person you take neutral style inspiration from, make it Joanna Gaines, an interior designer, and star of  HGTV's Fixer Upper. Joanna Gaines's castle kitchen, her home in Waco, Texas, is a masterclass in decorating with neutrals. 

The soft serenity of neutrals, inspired by colors from the natural world, adds a gentle and soothing touch to interiors that can be layered with textures and tones to ebb and flow with the seasons. Elegant and timeless in their simplicity, a calming neutral kitchen color scheme is so much more than a social media fad, it is a forever trend that will add long-lasting, classic appeal. 

It might come as a surprise, but beige, taupe, and sand tones, are some of the most versatile shades in all of design – it instantly brightens while evoking a sense of calm and flawlessness. The beauty of a beige or cream kitchen is that it brings a certain timelessness and longevity to the design. 

Go back to basics with a cool-toned beige and it will allow the rest of the fixtures and furniture to truly sing. Alongside all the clamor of color, pattern, and shape in current interior design, there’s a quieter story of considered, understated forms and textures at their finest. 

If you're wondering how to make a small kitchen look bigger, beige is a smart color choice. Unlike white, it will feel more welcoming, and home buyers love cream kitchens, too, which is always a bonus. 

In Joanna Gaines' kitchens, beige kitchen cabinets pair wonderfully with the intrinsically warm nature of wood wall panels and the subtle veining on the marble kitchen countertops. Finally, minimal touches of greenery, artwork, and metallic accents add to the final flourish. 

'Natural textures, whether they are stone or wood or linen, can help to anchor a neutral color scheme,' says interior designer Tamsin Johnson. 'It means that the overall look doesn’t feel too contrived or uptight or overly designed. They bring a laid-back quality that always works well.'

Designing a transitional kitchen – one that embraces this old-new look – is also easy because, in the right setting, it has a quality that won’t date. So, to replicate Joanna Gaines's castle kitchen, decorate it with an enduring quiet luxury color palette and you won't go far wrong. It is comforting because it feels reassuringly familiar.

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