Choosing a paint color for your kitchen cabinets is a decision that will influence the tone and style of the entire space. Stark white kitchen cabinets are giving way to more earthy and organic cabinet colors in 2024 and beyond. Design of the kitchen and the look you want to achieve should determine the color you choose. This color should also reflect your personal preferences and tastes, as well as the atmosphere you hope to create in your kitchen.
There are excellent options for every aesthetic, from warm and cozy neutrals that serve as a backdrop for other architectural elements to bold, vibrant colors that stand out. Browse through these options to find a color that is just right for your space.
Paint Color Trends for Kitchen Cabinets
Experimenting with different colors and taking into account your existing decor are both necessary steps in determining the best color for your kitchen cabinets.
Green Kitchen Cabinet Colors
Green kitchen cabinets have been trending for several years, but the trend remains strong for 2024 and beyond. Many people attribute the popularity of this trend to the connection between green colors and the natural world. Green produces an organic and calming vibe in the kitchen while also looking modern and vibrant. Green is available in a wide range of hues, including light and dark, moody and bright. Shades of green also look brilliant with hardware. Both dark or light green hues make an excellent contrast with brass or silver hardware.
Consider some of the current favorite green cabinet colors, including Benjamin Moore’s October Mist for a light silvery sage or their Forest Floor, which is slightly darker and has an olive shading. One of their most popular cabinet colors is Oil Cloth, which, though it is sage, has a slight yellow leaning.
Other well-loved shades of green include Sherwin Williams’ Cascades, a rich deep green with an undertone of blue, and Portsmouth, a gorgeous green-blue with a generous portion of gray to calm the color saturation. Farrow & Ball produces a wide variety of greens that work well for cabinets, including Mizzle, a soft gray green, and Green Smoke, a calm but deep green blue.
Earthy Kitchen Cabinet Colors
Warm and earthy tones such as sand or taupe may appear to be returning to the ubiquitous shades of 1990s beige, but the updated earth tones have richer and more complex undertones. These new, earth-toned shades appear sophisticated yet approachable in today’s kitchens. Sand and taupe are also versatile in terms of complementary tones and hardware, allowing you to tailor these shades to your specific kitchen design preferences.
Some of the best loved earth tones for kitchen cabinets include shades of taupe like Farrow & Ball’s Jitney, Benjamin Moore Pashmina, and Sherwin Williams’ Fawn Brindle. Deeper shades, like chocolate brown, are also becoming trendy for kitchen cabinets. Some of the best deep brown color options are Urbane Bronze from Sherwin Williams, which has a significant presence of gray, and London Clay from Farrow & Ball, which has significant warmth.
If you want a warmer earth tone, consider a shaded pink or an elegant terracotta like Smoked Trout, which is a warm mushroom shade from Farrow & Ball with a noticeable warmth, or their slightly more obvious pink shade, Dead Salmon, which can appear as either an aged pink or brown depending on your light.
Light Neutral Kitchen Cabinet Colors
Bright white kitchens will always have a place in kitchen design, but many designers are moving away from stark white and toward warmer light neutrals like ivory, cream, and ecru. These warm light neutrals reflect light in a similar way that brighter whites do, but they have a more approachable and welcoming appearance. These also pair well with the organic and earthy greens, blues, and browns that are trending in interior design today.
There is a rich array of warm, light neutrals that look stunning on kitchen cabinetry. Some tried and true options, according to designers, are warm whites like White Dove, a clean and balanced white from Benjamin Moore, and Shoji White, a complex, earthy white from Sherwin Williams.
Light neutrals for cabinets that aren’t white include options like beige and pale gray. Popular beige colors for kitchens include Accessible Beige, a warm beige with gray undertones from Sherwin Williams, and the fresh and sophisticated Manchester Tan from Benjamin Moore. Warm grays or greiges are also still well-loved colors for kitchen cabinets. Common options in these shades include the ubiquitous Revere Pewter, a soothing and elegant greige and Boothbay Gray, a light gray with a hint of blue, both from Benjamin Moore. For a Sherwin Williams equivalent, consider Mineral Deposit, a cool gray with green undertones to warm it.
Sunny Kitchen Cabinet Colors
Designers and homeowners are becoming more daring in their use of color throughout the home. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the growing trend of using yellow paint for kitchen cabinetry. Yellow comes in a variety of shades, from creamy yellow to rich gold and ochre. Even a small amount of yellow cabinetry can brighten up a kitchen.
Pale and buttery yellow paint colors for kitchen cabinets are available from Farrow & Ball. Some of these include Farrow’s Cream, which is a light cream with a touch of black to soften the brightness of the hue, and Hay, a dusty yellow that looks lighter in bright rooms and more yellow in darker spaces.
Dark yellows can also look stunning on kitchen cabinets. Popular yellow paint options for cabinets include Vintage Gold from Sherwin Williams and India Yellow, a rich ochre, from Farrow & Ball.
Blue Kitchen Cabinet Colors
Blue kitchen cabinets remain a well-loved kitchen trend because shades of blue have a stylish but classic look that few other colors possess. Light blue cabinetry has long been prevalent, but homeowners are increasingly exploring richer and deeper shades of blue for their cabinets.
Some common light blue options that designers are always returning to are Parma Gray and Light Blue from Farrow & Ball. Parma Gray is a cool, mid tone blue, despite its name. Light Blue is lighter and more silvery, with a touch of green.
There is a wide range of gorgeous deep blue colors that you can choose from for kitchen cabinetry. Hale Navy from Benjamin Moore is deep and rich, as is Van Deusen Blue, which is a true blue that works well in historic and modern spaces. Gale Force is a lovable Sherwin Williams blue. This is a deep and moody blue with cool gray green undertones.
Dark Neutral Kitchen Cabinet Colors
People who want to create a dramatic kitchen design with minimal color should consider dark neutrals such as charcoal or black. These dark, moody hues will continue to be popular in kitchen designs in 2024, but dark neutral cabinets will always look classic. These colors have a wide range of undertones that you need to consider when choosing your perfect cabinet color. As a general rule, colors that lean toward blue or purple have a cool undertone and work well as a complement for cooler shades. Dark neutrals that have green or brown undertones pair best with warm colors.
Dark gray tones are complex, and their undertones will be more or less apparent depending on the available light. Downpipe, a rich, deep gray with blue and green undertones, is a favorite color from Farrow & Ball. This color is cool, but it is balanced enough to work well with warm color accents as well as cool ones. Peppercorn, from Sherwin Williams, is commonly used on cabinets because it is well-balanced and also works with warm and cool accents. One of the best warm, dark grays on the market is Chelsea Gray from Benjamin Moore. The brown undertones of this color mean that it works well with rich, earthy colors.
Black remains a common choice for kitchen cabinets in 2024. Tricorn Black, from Sherwin Williams, is a true and balanced black, which makes it a stand-by for kitchen designers. Railings, a more nuanced black from Farrow & Ball, has a slight blue shading, which can appear more blue or black depending on the lighting.
