Tropical kitchens are a very distinct touch on interior design compared to the monochromatic style. They are noted for the bold depictions of fruit, animals like flamingos, and green leaves. Most tropical themes are found in beaches, resorts, and exotic getaways. Looking for tips on how to best decorate your kitchen to match the tropical decor vibe? Here are some good tropical kitchen decor ideas to look into.
Tropical Kitchen Decor Ideas
Styling a tropical kitchen goes one of two ways. It is either the bold leafy and forestry themes or it is either the sealife perspective. The leafy theme can include fruit, trees, plants, wildlife and animals while the sea life can include water animals, corals, shells, and more.
Let’s go over a few key ways to decorate your kitchen in the tropical style.
Many of these kitchens look like they belong in Palm Beach or another tropical climate!
Start with White
Many tropical kitchens start with a base of white. They install white kitchen cabinets, white kitchen islands, and maybe a few floating white shelves. From there, the designs really start to pop. You can add bright green banana leaf wallpaper and some rattan bar stools as seen here to infuse the kitchen with color!
Pink Flamingo Wallpaper
This kitchen takes the same approach starting with white and working into pink flamingo wallpaper and coral rattan side chairs. The green indoor plants further give the space an infusion of color.
Tropical Backsplash
Make your backsplash pop with a burst of green as seen here. Follow up with some smooth green pendant lights above your kitchen island.
Indoor House Plants
Indoor house plants like monstera really help to set the tropical vibe in your kitchen.
Natural Wood
Many tropical kitchens feature natural wood elements such as wood counter chairs or mango wood trays.
Tropical Color Palettes
Color selection is the backbone of the tropical kitchen scheme. The color palettes range anything from a gentle white, easing into cremes and boldening out with shouting greens, yellows, oranges, and even shades of blue. White is usually the base color as the shapes of leaves, flowers or animals come on top of it. If you cannot get the concept right, think of exotic beach houses or tiki restaurants.
Let’s Talk Tropical Lighting
After the decor and the walls are put in place, the lighting does the work of highlighting the beauty. In a tropical kitchen, the lighting should be a little subtle. These can come in form of beautiful pendant lights, a nice hover light above the sink and cooking area and some LED lights to light up the decorative segments of the kitchen. They can also be used to light up below the cabinets or shelves.
What About Tropical Furniture?
In tropical kitchens, the ideal furniture is hardwood. If you are willing to put in the money, you can acquire the most exotic kind of hardwood. The type of wood ideal is either teak, bamboo, ebony, or mahogany. The furniture is usually unpainted to show the richness of the grain and the appearance of the cross-section. The furniture gives the room an earthy tone that grounds the color splashes.
Tropical Kitchen Backsplash Ideas
Backsplashes are the perfect opportunity to bring art and expression to life. In a tropical kitchen, mosaics like the palm leaves you’d find on the beach, some coral reel life, or even the traditional banana leaf, the backsplash will be the centerpiece or the eye-candy of the walls. You can also add a plant to spice up the setup.
What About Kitchen Accessories and Decor?
Decor pieces for a tropical kitchen can go anywhere. As mentioned, there is the option to add a live plant to bring the space to life. The curtains and placemats can depict fruit or seal life in colors that either blend or complement the spaces. You can use some swatches to see what works in the space and what doesn’t.
A tropical kitchen is a great idea for anyone looking to decorate or renovate their kitchen. You can source tropical kitchen décor ideas from interior magazines, social media pages, and interior designers.
