In the average American home, the kitchen takes up about 11% of the floor space. With the kitchen taking up so much space, it’s easy to see why you would want your kitchen to shine. How can you pick the right modern kitchen cabinet colors for your upcoming kitchen remodel?
If you’re curious about how to pick paint for your modern kitchen’s new cabinets, we’re here to help. Read on for a quick guide on what to consider for your new kitchen cabinet paint colors.
What to Consider While Picking Modern Kitchen Cabinet Colors
Before we dive into the color, how do you pick your cabinet colors? Why not pick your favorite color and start designing?
When it comes to interior design, your kitchen’s color is crucial. Here are four factors to consider before deciding on a color for your kitchen cabinets.
Upkeep
The paint you pick for your cabinets will have a direct effect on your kitchen’s upkeep. Some colors require more frequent cleaning than others.
For example, dirt and detritus will show more clearly on lighter shades of paint. A white cabinet will appear dirtier than a black cabinet.
In a brightly-colored kitchen, dirtiness is easier to see as a whole. A dark kitchen is sleek and feels cleaner unless there’s a mess around. White cabinets will need more frequent cleaning.
Of course, you should clean your cabinets regularly regardless of their color. Kitchens are the dirtiest place in the average home, so keeping them clean is always crucial!
Home Theming
Another important factor in your new kitchen cabinets is how your home is themed. Keeping to your home’s design theme is a core part of deciding your kitchen cabinet colors.
You should pick a color that will go with the theme you’ve already begun. If your home is typically bright with warm colors, a modern kitchen with black cabinets will stick out. Rather than feeling sleek, the room will feel like part of a different home.
Stick with your home’s existing themes and coloration. Doing so can make your house feel like a home instead of disjointed rooms.
Wear-and-Tear
The wear and tear of your cabinets is an important factor in the colors. Like upkeep, your cabinets becoming chipped or dirty will affect your paint job.
Think of what parts of your cabinets are often bumped, chipped, or worn down. A darker paint job can sometimes hide minimal blemishes. Conversely, a bright or patterned paint job makes these issues more clear.
Tackle any damage or wear and tear as it appears. Darker cabinets can hide these issues, but you’ll still want to handle them quickly!
Shades and Designs
Finally, you should consider more than the primary color you’re picking. Did you know there are hundreds of shades of white? Ivory, milk, cream, bone, and hundreds more could all fit your kitchen!
Think of additional shades of your preferred color. You may not want gray cabinets, but you could search for shades of gray that fit your desires.
Designs are another factor that you should think of with your paint job. Do you want to paint your cabinets one flat color, or do you prefer designs? Wood grain cabinet doors are particularly popular!
Consider the hundreds of options and combinations before you make any choices. Making mock-up drafts of the colors and combinations is a great way to help you choose.
Popular Modern Kitchen Cabinet Colors
Now that we’ve looked at some of the factors to consider, what colors are available? We’ve listed five of the most popular color categories for your new kitchen cabinets.
As a note, this list is far from exhaustive. Your modern kitchen can have any colors you’d like! It’s your design, so while these are the most popular options, don’t feel like your kitchen has to stick strictly to these shades.
White
White cabinets are arguably the most popular choice in home design. For the kitchen cabinet design, white cabinets are perfectly at home.
In the study of psychology, white is considered a color of purity and cleanliness. For your kitchen, they’ll give a pleasant sanitary feeling. Guests will feel how clean your kitchen is from the open space and the bright white cabinets.
A further benefit of white cabinets is how well they work with other design options. White is a neutral color which helps the shade blend with anything else in the kitchen. No colors clash with white so using white cabinets won’t lock you out of other options!
However, white being the brightest color also means it’s the quickest to show dirtiness. If you don’t clean white cabinets frequently then they’ll become dingy over time.
White also stains easier than other colors. Different paints and cabinet materials will affect this quality. Still, if you spill something on a white cabinet, you’ll want to clean it as soon as possible.
Some popular shades of white include:
- Cream
- Ivory
- Pure white
- Swiss Coffee
- Snow White
- Linen
- Dove
Gray
Next to white, gray cabinets are equally popular. Gray cabinets combine the benefits of white cabinets with darker colors.
Gray remains neutral, helping it blend with nearly any other color you can imagine. It doesn’t match all colors, and you’ll want to sync up your shades.
For example, cool grays are better with other cool colors. Blues, soft whites, and pale greens are good matches.
For a darker gray, contrasting with bright tones is ideal. Mustard yellows, soft teals, and brown-orange shades are great options.
Gray cabinets are darker than white, making them less susceptible to staining or dirt. They’re brighter than dark tones like black or dark blues which helps the kitchen feel homier. Overall, gray is a wonderful color for your kitchen cabinets.
Popular shades of gray include:
- Agreeable gray
- Stone gray
- Passive
- Summit
- Steele
- Morning Fog
Greens
For a more minty, natural appearance, there are many perfect shades of green. Green is one of the colors that can run from a deep, dark forest shade up to bright, refreshing tones.
Dark greens are ideal for a natural appearance in a kitchen. They invoke forest themes and are perfect for a kitchen with plants. Succulents, flowers, and other decorations are wonderful for a kitchen with green cabinets.
Bright greens give a clean appearance while keeping the forest vibes. Many shades of green invoke an energetic feeling in your kitchen. Most shades of green are dark enough to avoid looking dirty but bright enough to not feel dreary.
Some popular shades of green include:
- Mint
- Pistachio
- Sage
- Forest green
- Emerald green
- Vintage Vogue
- Caldwell green
- Calke green
Blues
From sky blues to deep navy blues, this shade is one of the best for your kitchen. Blue is a versatile color with hundreds of shades that perfectly fits your home.
Blue invokes a feeling of serenity and care for your kitchen. Deep blues can feel dreary, but the right decoration and lighting can bring their caring side out.
Likewise, bright blues can feel overwhelming. When paired with the right shades or lighting, their intensity tones down.
Deep blues are a good alternative to black or dark gray. They give a splash of color while maintaining the benefits of dark shades.
Bright blues are conversely a good alternative to whites or brighter colors. They keep the cleanliness and pop of white without the stark, sanitary sensation.
Some popular shades of blue include:
- Sky blue
- Ocean blue
- Navy blue
- Sapphire
- Turquoise
- Cobalt
Earthy Tones
Closing out our list is a collection of earthy tones. These shades are great for a darker kitchen without feeling depressed.
Earthy tones include darker shades of green, some shades of brown, and most blacks. Shades of soil, wood, bark, and similar color matches are perfect for this category.
Earthy tones give a soothing feel to the kitchen. They’re commonly patterned with wood grain or similar patterns to invoke a natural sensation.
If you prefer not to make earthy tones your main modern kitchen cabinet colors, you should keep them in mind for other projects. Accenting your kitchen with deep earthy tones is a great way to make other colors pop.
Earthy tones are especially effective with neutral tones. Shades of gray that match the earthy tones, such as morning fog, are ideal. Consider playing with color swatches until you land on something you like.
Some popular earthy tones include:
- Cocoa
- Whiskey barrel
- Oak
- Spruce
- Black and the various shades of black
- Deep grays
- Hardwood
Best Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors
Picking your modern kitchen cabinet colors is a personal choice that should reflect your home’s design theme. For a more soothing and natural sensation, consider darker shades or earthy tones. To invoke a bright, energetic atmosphere, lighter shades or neutral whites are perfect.
For more information on how to design the perfect modern kitchen, be sure to contact us!
