What can I use instead of end panels in a kitchen?

[KatyMac]

I want a bit of colour!

Things I am considering:
Waterproof MDF & painting
Marine ply & painting
Veneer
Formica veneer
Vinyl tiles - sticky ones
Sheet vinyl

Any other ideas or suggestions or hints or tips

You could use colourful end panels!

This is a serious suggestion, by the way - if you choose a kitchen range that comes in a variety of colours, you can perfectly well select end panels in a contrasting colour, including a much brighter colour which you might not necessarily have wanted for the entire kitchen. The advantage of using end panels rather than anything else is that the finish will otherwise match the kitchen.

I agree – use actual end panels in the same finish as the rest of the kitchen but a different colour. I think unless your DIY/decorative skills are high-end professional, anything else will look bodged.

Ikea don't do brighter colours

I am having to compromise on the cupboard doors and worksurfaces as I can't afford colour - so this is a tiny bit I can splurge on

Try Superfront which will do custom Ikea end panels, or lots of other companies that do doors and parts for ikea kitchens:

superfront.com/en_gb/parts/7?design=00

Not sure if they'd definitely work as an end panel but have you thought about tiles? They're sometimes used on the back of kitchen islands to great effect...

A Billy bookcase?

If it helps I found some of the DIY Kitchens range to be cheaper than IKEA and they offer a bigger variety of unit sizes. IKEA used to do yellow, and having had a quick look the do green, turquoise, blue and (dark) red. Not a huge variety but definitely colour options! Otherwise I’d go for vinyl.

Diy kitchens in a custom painted colour is nearly twice the price of a plain white ikea kitchen

Love tiles and you have solved a surface issue I was having in a different part of the kitchen - between the peninsular (where the sink is) and the lounge is an upstand (maybe 4 ft tall) and that can now be topped by so e very nice leftover tiles I have !! 😊 thanks