As September arrives, the air starts to shift. Honeyed Walnut is a colour that feels like transition itself. Part of summer, part of autumn, part natural and part luxurious. In the kitchen, it can bring a richness that grounds the room, but it’s never overbearing. Instead, it has a quiet elegance – one that works equally well in a pared-back contemporary space or a more traditional, character-filled home.
The Glow of Honeyed Walnut
Few materials can rival walnut when it comes to warmth. Its natural grain, shifting from golden brown to deeper chocolate tones, is alive with movement. And under the right lighting, walnut transforms – brushed brass pendants or discreet LEDs can bring out a honeyed sheen, making it feel luminous.
What makes walnut even more special is how it comes alive when paired with the right finishes. Brushed gold or brass trims accentuate its natural warmth, while matte black handles give it a crisp, modern edge. Worktops, too, can change the mood: a pale-veined quartz or Dekton brightens walnut cabinetry, while darker stone deepens the richness for a cocooning feel.
Pairing with Other Colours
Honeyed Walnut is endlessly versatile. You can let it shine as the star of the room, or you can use it as a backdrop for bolder tones.
● With Olive Greens: Olive cabinetry paired with walnut wall units is a natural, earthy combination that feels grounded and timeless.
● With Golden Saffron: For a richer palette, pairing walnut with saffron yellows creates a sunlit glow that feels luxurious without being overwhelming.
● With Muted Blues: Chalky blues and soft teals are beautiful against walnut, providing contrast while keeping a space light and airy.
● With Creams & Beiges: For a softer scheme, walnut cabinetry looks stunning against neutral walls, where its grain becomes the texture in the room.
This is what makes Honeyed Walnut so adaptable – it can feel rustic, modern, or even quietly glamorous, depending on the palette around it.
Flooring: Grounded in Walnut
If cabinetry isn’t where you want to introduce walnut, flooring is another wonderful option. It provides that grounding tone underfoot, a base that ties a whole scheme together.
Straight-lay planks in walnut create a clean, contemporary look – perfect for kitchens that lean modern. Engineered walnut flooring can be wonderfully durable, making it practical as well as beautiful.
For those who love pattern, herringbone walnut is a timeless choice. The zig-zag of the parquet adds depth and movement to the room, so even if you keep cabinetry simple, the floor brings richness and detail. It’s also a clever way to add pattern without introducing busier finishes elsewhere.
A walnut-toned floor also helps soften stone worktops or metal finishes – it adds that organic counterpoint, keeping a kitchen from feeling too cold or clinical.
The Flavour of Honeyed Walnut
This month’s colour doesn’t just look good – it makes you think of flavour too. Honeyed Walnut is the colour of homemade bakes cooling on the counter, of warm loaves broken open, of cakes that bring people to the kitchen like nothing else can.
Carrot and walnut cake, sticky walnut loaves, even a simple drizzle of honey over warm toast – these are the kinds of foods that feel like autumn comfort. With Bake Off returning to our screens, it only feels right to draw the parallel: kitchens aren’t just about cabinetry and colour palettes, they’re about the life that happens within them.
Walnut itself has such a rich culinary presence. It appears in virtually every classic baking book on our shelves. A slice of walnut cake, paired with a mug of tea on a September afternoon, feels as much a part of kitchen life as choosing a new worktop.
That’s the beauty of Honeyed Walnut as a colour: it emanates the feeling of food, of warmth, of gathering – which is exactly what the kitchen is all about.
Styling with Honeyed Walnut
Even small touches of walnut – a chopping board, a tray, a pepper mill – can bring that honeyed warmth into a kitchen without a full redesign. It’s a forgiving, timeless tone that complements almost anything you pair it with.
In September, you might find soup bowls stacked high on walnut shelves, olive oils on display, perhaps even a cluster of pumpkins once October arrives. Walnut’s richness allows these details to pop, so styling feels personal and effortless.
My Honeyed Walnut Favourites
As always, I like to round up my favourite interpretations of this month’s colour – shades, finishes, and one very special new addition:
● Farrow & Ball’s “London Clay”: A deep, warm brown that sits beautifully alongside walnut.
● Little Greene’s “Pompeian Ash”: A velvety, earthy tone that complements walnut’s natural grain.
● Denvers Designs Moroccan Walnut Coasters: A quirky addition to a breakfast bar, tying your walnut kitchen details together.
● And finally… Cleo, our newest team member. She’s a golden cocker spaniel with the most beautiful honey coat, so it only feels right to feature her here. Just like honeyed walnut, she brings warmth, charm, and a little glow into our days. 🐾
As the evenings draw in and kitchens become the heart of our autumn rituals, Honeyed Walnut feels perfectly in tune with the season – a colour that reminds us to slow down, savour the light, and make our homes glow.