Is your kitchen in dire need of a makeover, but you worry your budget won’t allow it? Keep your cooking space and your wallet happy with a color makeover using a few cans of paint and some inspiration. Your cabinet color choices should retain their appeal for years, but selecting a hue can be challenging.
Here’s how to pick and some fantastic kitchen colors to consider.
How to Choose the Best Kitchen Cabinet Colors
You’ll find glorious cabinet stains and finishes in many different colors and tones at your local hardware store, but you may want to give your old kitchen another chance with a fresh coat of paint.
Before splashing out on the most vibrant colors you can find, reevaluate your cooking space and adjoining areas like a pantry. You can snap a few reference photos on your phone, but remember, your current color scheme probably looks a little different when digitized.
Now, ask yourself what you want to achieve with the color makeover. Do you plan to make a statement with a bright shade, or go for something subdued and peaceful? Is your kitchen usually swarming with kids making themselves PB&J sandwiches while dripping jelly all over your counters? These questions and their answers all influence your final decision, so don’t let the color charts seduce you.
These must-have cabinet color suggestions are from the Behr color chart, but you can also buy top brands like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams, as long as you choose quality.
1. Fig Green Tones
Perhaps you love the Mediterranean diet, and you’d like to decorate your kitchen around that theme. Painting your cabinets a deep fig green, which you’ll find among the grays on the color chart, is a fantastic choice. The more-gray-than-green color is versatile and easy to match. Try combining it with a sunflower-yellow backsplash for a different color dimension.
Incorporate antique finish hardware for a stylish and timeless look. As a bonus, this color won’t show minor splashes and stains, making it a kid-friendly choice.
Fig Tree — MQ6-58
2. Creamy Mushroom Shades
If you’d rather choose a neutral shade, creamy mushroom is always a winner. The natural tone pairs with lighter countertops, so it’s a perfect combination with marble or light granite. Resurface drawer faces with wicker or replace them with wicker baskets to add a natural fiber and texture that will give the cozy, earthy color more ambience.
Creamy Mushroom — PPU5-13
3. Sweet Chrysanthemum Flirt
Release your inner gypsy with chrysanthemum paint to add a natural glow that will look striking with darker counters and pearlescent trimmings. Liven up recessed cabinets with a slightly darker tone on the same palette, applied to the trim or door faces. This shade is an ideal choice if you love roses, and you can add a rose-patterned window treatment to finish the tasteful design.
Sweet Chrysanthemum — HDC-MP-10A
4. English Channel Sophistication
For a classic yet modern look, a neutral shade of blue is the perfect choice. Navy is a regal color that creates a sense of sophistication and tranquility. Since it's neutral, it will pair well with any hardware or backsplash, but it will stand out more than white or gray. Evoke the English countryside by incorporating creams and natural hues with navy, or opt for a modern feel with gold tones and clean lines.
English Channel — PPU14-19
5. Salamander-Green Lusciousness
Bringing nature into your home is a natural mood-booster. A leafy, salamander-green tone will achieve all your objectives. Apply it to your cabinets and choose a slightly lighter shade for your trim or walls to complete the look. This hue combines perfectly with granite and composite countertop materials.
Salamander — P370-6
6. Restless Sea Theme
Nautical themes are such fun, and there’s so much you can do to expand on the overall look — rope trim along doorways, baskets with shells and glass jars with different-colored sea sand. Start the ball rolling with navy-color cabinets that are as dark and brooding as the sea. Silver or gold hardware works well, or you can get creative and make rope pulls instead. Choose counters with silvery tones or a combination of white and sandstone for a natural match.
Restless Sea — PPU13-20
7. Maui Mist Magic
Clean white is an appealingly sophisticated look. However, white has many shades, and picking the perfect one can be challenging. This particular shade has a little hint of green, much like mist does, which makes it a fantastic pairing with pewter-finish hardware and stone surfaces. Add a slate backsplash and floor tiles for an elegant and timeless look without being sterile.
Maui Mist — BL-W10
8. Lavender Memory Trove
French style never goes out of fashion, and lavender’s wonderful luminescence will bathe your home in healing and light. Combine it with natural light from large, open windows to boost your mood, and you’ll create a peaceful heart in your home. White marble surfaces or stone finishes work well with this unusual “earthy” color.
Add silver or bronze hardware for a traditional feel, or upscale with polished white or black acrylic handles.
Lavender Memory — M550-2
When Paint Isn’t Enough
Of course, a fresh coat of paint isn’t a cure-all, and it may be time to update your kitchen with a full makeover. Read reviews and partner with a reputable company — saving a few hundred dollars upfront could cost you more in the long run if your chosen kitchen contractor cuts corners on their work.
Select quality materials, a durable finish in your favorite color or stain and hardware that can keep your kitchen functional for decades.
A Colorful Kitchen
The best color in your kitchen is the one that makes you happiest. However, remember to keep things practical if you have kids and pets underfoot — your goal is to create a peaceful, clean oasis, not an eyesore.
Whether you choose new cabinets or paint them, it’s an investment in the heart of your home, so make the most of it.
