Homeowners are becoming more adventurous with kitchen colour choices, but most are still pulling back from bold decisions when it comes to the final specification. That is the headline finding from new research published by Häfele UK, the hardware and fittings supplier with a strong presence in the kitchen and joinery trade.
According to the survey, homeowners say they are "more expressive" in how they want their kitchens to look, but the majority balance individual taste against concerns about longevity and resale value. The result is a market that is warmer to colour in principle than it was three or four years ago, without yet making the full shift away from neutral schemes.
For kitchen fitters, joiners and cabinet makers, the practical reading is worth noting. Clients who arrive at a consultation with coloured mood boards or bold inspiration images may still settle on a more cautious specification once they are faced with real samples and real costs. The gap between what people say they want and what they actually sign off on is a familiar dynamic in the industry.
Häfele's research comes out of its Homes for Living study. The company supplies cabinetry fittings, handle systems, drawer hardware and lighting to the kitchen trade, so it has a particular interest in how specification decisions evolve through the customer journey.
For tradespeople pricing kitchen jobs, the trend worth watching is the increasing appetite for mixed finishes: a coloured island paired with a neutral perimeter, or a pop of colour in the cabinetry against plain worksurface. These specifications tend to require more careful hardware matching and can push up the fittings budget, so it is worth getting into the detail early in the quoting stage.
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