The Best Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors

If you are considering painting your kitchen cabinets you have probably spent some time on Pinterest and/or Houzz looking for kitchens similar to yours to get ideas on what color to paint your kitchen cabinets. After many years and 100's of kitchen cabinet projects under our belt we have several GO-TO paint colors that work in the following scenarios.

THE TUSCAN KITCHEN UPDATE

This is probably our most common kitchen project update. The clients have a home that was built in the early to mid 2000's when Tuscan kitchens were all the rage. The kitchen cabinets are a great quality cabinet, they just need a color update. Tuscan kitchens typically have wood tone cabinets and busy granite patterns with browns, oranges, and creams. Because the granite is so busy and bossy in the kitchen it will usually dictate the paint color. When considering a home's resale potential, we always recommend lightening up a Tuscan kitchen. A great paint color that almost always works with the above variables is Sherwin Williams 7012 Creamy. Kitchen lighting will affect how the color looks in your space so make sure you test out any color in your kitchen before painting. Don't forget to factor in your flooring when you are choosing a paint color. Creamy works great with wood flooring, travertine, terra cotta and Sausalito tiles.

Tuscan kitchen updated with Sherwin Williams Creamy.

Kitchen cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams Creamy

THE WHITE KITCHEN UPDATE

There is just something about a white kitchen. It's clean, timeless and awesome for resale. According to color expert, Maria Killim, a white kitchen will never go out of style. White kitchens are all the rage today. People are replacing the busy, bossy granite patterns of the 2000's with quartz products with white and gray veining. These kitchens need the perfect white to compliment these updates.

Here is a kitchen that we recently completed in Sherwin Williams 6385 Dover White.

Cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams Dover White.

We also love Sherwin Williams 7008 Alabaster. It has just a touch of cream and works beautifully with the Carrera Marble and gray veined quartz products we see so often in today's new and updated kitchens.

Cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams Alabaster

A color that is popular with many designers is Benjamin Moore OC-17 White Dove.

If you want yet another color expert to help you make the case for a white kitchen, check out THIS POST by Kristie Barnett- The Decorologist.

THE GRAY KITCHEN UPDATE

We've seen gray paint colors growing in popularity over the last few years. The first question I always ask during a painting consult is, "How long are you planning to be in your home?" If the answer to that question is 5 years or less, I try to steer the client to a more neutral paint color that will appeal to a wider group when trying to sell the home. If the answer is over 5 years, I work with the client to incorporate some more trendy paint colors, like gray. Typically when we see a color trend, it has about a 10 year cycle. I'd say we are probably 5 years into the gray trend so it should be a pretty safe color choice for the next few years. I wrote a post about Painting Your Cabinets Gray that features a great warm gray- Sherwin Williams 7045 Intellectual Gray.

Cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams Intellectual Gray

Another great gray paint color that our interior designers love is Sherwin Williams 7017 Dorian Gray.

Cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray

Lastly, if you want a neutral with a warm gray undertone, Sherwin Williams 7036 Accessible Beige is fantastic.

Cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige

Be advised, grays work best with black or white countertops. Grays will not work well with brown or orange granite.

Paint colors will look different in different lighting. Always check your paint color with your final lighting source. If you are updating lighting in your kitchen, wait to choose your paint color until the new lighting is installed.

Need a confidence boost and some reassurance that you are choosing the correct cabinet color? I'm available for color consultations even if we aren't painting your cabinets.