Cabinets are 60 to 70 percent of what you see in a kitchen, so their colour is the kitchen. The good news is that the trend has moved away from stark white towards warmer, softer colours that hide fingerprints and age well. Here are the colours that keep showing up in the kitchens we photograph, with notes on what they pair with.

Budget range$80 for paint to $6,000 for refacing
Time neededOne weekend to two weeks
Skill levelIntermediate for painting
Best forAny kitchen with solid doors

How to test a cabinet colour before you commit

Paint one door, or a large sample board, and hang it on a cabinet for three days. Look at it at 8 am, midday and 9 pm under your actual lights. Cabinet colours shift more than wall colours because of the shadows under the counters and the reflections off the worktop. Never choose from a chip.

1. Warm white with an oak island

Kitchen with warm white cabinets and a natural oak island
Warm white on the perimeter, natural oak on the island. The pairing that replaced all-white.

Not bright white. A white with a drop of yellow or red in it, paired with natural wood somewhere in the room. It reads clean without the showroom coldness of pure white, and it works with every worktop.

2. Sage green lowers, white uppers

Kitchen with sage green lower cabinets and white upper cabinets
Two-tone: colour where the fingerprints are, white where the light needs to bounce.

Two-tone kitchens put the colour low, where marks show most, and keep the uppers light so the room does not close in. Sage is the most forgiving green: it reads as neutral from across the room.

3. Deep navy with brass hardware

Kitchen with dark navy cabinets, brass handles and a white countertop
Navy is the new black: just as dramatic, far more forgiving of dust and scuffs.

Navy works in kitchens with good daylight. Pair it with a light worktop and brass or aged bronze handles. Keep the walls white or the room becomes a cave.

4. Natural oak, no paint at all

Kitchen with flat-front natural oak cabinets and a stone countertop
Flat-front oak doors in a matte finish. Warm, modern and impossible to date.

Wood cabinets came back once the orange-toned finishes went away. Look for pale, matte oak or ash with the grain running vertically. It pairs with white, grey or green stone and never needs repainting.

5. Clay and terracotta tones

Kitchen with terracotta coloured cabinets and cream walls
Warm clay cabinets against cream walls. Earthy without being rustic.

A muted terracotta or clay pink is softer than it sounds. It works with cream walls, wood floors and a pale worktop, and it makes cool-toned stainless appliances look intentional.

6. Charcoal with a wood worktop

Kitchen with charcoal grey cabinets and a butcher block wooden countertop
Charcoal is black without the harsh edges; the wood worktop keeps it warm.

If you want a dark kitchen but navy feels too colourful, charcoal is the answer. A wooden worktop or open oak shelves stop it from feeling cold.

7. Greige for kitchens with little daylight

Kitchen with warm greige cabinets in a room with a small window
Greige (grey plus beige) stays warm in low light where pure grey turns blue.

North-facing or windowless kitchens need warmth. Greige gives you a neutral that does not go cold. Pair it with white walls and warm bulbs under the cabinets.

8. Black lowers in a bright room

Bright kitchen with black lower cabinets, white walls and a large window
Black only on the base units, in a room with a big window. Anywhere else it is too much.

Black lowers ground a room with lots of glass and white. It only works with strong daylight and white or very light uppers. Matte black hides marks better than gloss.

9. Soft blue-grey for a coastal feel

Kitchen with pale blue grey cabinets and white subway tile
Blue-grey with white tile: fresh without being a theme.

A blue with plenty of grey in it reads as neutral, especially with white tile and pale wood. Avoid saturated blues, which date fast.

10. Cream, for warmth without colour

Traditional kitchen with cream painted cabinets and a stone floor
Cream suits period kitchens and anything with a stone floor.

Cream is warmer than warm white and works in older houses where bright white looks out of place. Pair it with a darker worktop so it does not wash out.

11. Forest green in a large kitchen

Large kitchen with dark forest green cabinets and a marble island
Deep green needs space and light. Give it both and it is the most luxurious colour on this list.

Reserve forest green for big kitchens with good windows. It pairs with marble, brass and oak. In a small kitchen use it only on the island.

12. Mixing painted and wood on the same run

Kitchen with white painted uppers and wood lower cabinets
Wood lowers, painted uppers. The reverse of the usual two-tone and it hides more wear.

Wood on the base units hides knocks and scuffs better than paint. Painted uppers keep the room light. It is the most practical combination for a family kitchen.

Colour pairing cheat sheet

Cabinet colour Worktop Hardware Wall colour
Warm white Anything Brass or nickel Same warm white
Sage green White quartz, oak Brass, unlacquered Off-white
Navy White or pale grey Brass White
Natural oak Pale stone, white Black or none White
Charcoal Wood, white Black Warm white
Greige White, light grey Nickel White

Painting your cabinets: what actually matters

  1. Remove the doors and hardware. Painting doors in place always shows.
  2. Degrease with sugar soap. Kitchen grease is why cabinet paint peels.
  3. Sand lightly, then prime with a bonding primer, especially on laminate.
  4. Use a cabinet-specific paint or a water-based enamel. Wall emulsion will chip within a month.
  5. Two thin coats with a small foam roller, 24 hours between coats, and leave the doors off for three days to cure.

Frequently asked questions about kitchen cabinet colours

What is the most popular kitchen cabinet colour right now?

Warm white on the perimeter with a wood or green island. Pure white has fallen out of favour because it looks cold and shows every mark.

Should upper and lower cabinets be different colours?

It is a good option in small or dark kitchens: colour low, light high. In a large bright kitchen a single colour looks calmer.

Which cabinet colour hides dirt best?

Mid-tone colours with a matte finish: sage, greige, natural oak. White and black both show marks, white in the corners and black in the fingerprints.

Can I paint laminate cabinets?

Yes, with a bonding primer and a hard-wearing enamel. Skip the primer and the paint will peel at the edges within weeks.