What’s the Best Cabinet Color for My Countertops?

Finding the best paint color for your kitchen cabinets can be difficult because your paint color has to coordinate with your countertops.  Painting kitchen cabinets can be tedious and time-consuming so you really want to get the right color the first time. To help you find that perfect cabinet color, we’re highlighting four of our favorite kitchen cabinet colors and countertop combos that are sure to enhance your kitchen space.

Best Cabinet Color for Orange Countertops – Natural Linen SW 9109

 

If you have orange or red countertops then you know how difficult it can be to find a suitable color for the cabinets.  These kinds of countertops are pretty unique so it can even be difficult to find examples online which can be extremely frustrating.  With warmer, orangey-red countertops we would typically recommend pulling a secondary color out of the countertop itself.  In this example, we have a countertop that has an orange base with flecks of cream and gray-green in it so we chose to tone down the orange by focusing on the cream color by pairing the countertops with Natural Linen from Sherwin Williams. 

 

Pairing your orange or red countertop with a neutral that’s slightly warm can help to complement the countertops and draw attention away from them.  We much prefer a creamier color like Natural Linen than something like a stark white.  Oftentimes, we see clients do white as an “easy” option but with warmer countertops, we really recommend sticking with warmer colors.  Another great option for warmer countertops like this is to pair it with a gray-green like Jogging Path SW 7638 or Link Gray SW 6200.  Green is a complementary color to red so this color combination can work really well together.  Just make sure your green isn’t too saturated or vibrant; a good dose of gray will help keep things classy and sophisticated.

 

Best Cabinet Color for Black Countertops – Taupe Tone SW 7633

 

Bet you thought we’d recommend white, huh?  Well, white can be a great simple option for black countertops but we’re not here to make sure your house looks like everyone else’s.  Taupe Tone is a fantastic neutral from Sherwin Williams that brings a dynamic element to a kitchen with black countertops. You’ll notice that the black countertops featured here have a decent amount of dimension; they aren’t just flat black.  We were inspired by this to push the boundaries and go for something that wasn’t quite as expected.  This taupe color brings out some of the warmth within the countertop itself and will feel more inviting than a standard white cabinet.  

 

Keep in mind, kitchen cabinets often make up a large portion of what’s visible within a kitchen so you can pair these cabinets with a neutral wall color for a modern and welcoming space.  If taupe isn’t your thing then you can absolutely look at black countertops similarly to white countertops.  They aren’t quite as versatile but there are a lot of colors that can pair well with black countertops.  For a great tip on making your kitchen feel bigger, be sure to check out our best paint color for white countertops!

 

Best Cabinet Color for Gray-Brown Countertops – Urbane Bronze SW 

 

Seems like we can hardly write an article without featuring Urbane Bronze somewhere on it.  That’s okay though because this color is absolutely stunning and it’s sure to be a talking point for guests.  Black or darker kitchens saw an increase in popularity over the last year and we love the dramatic vibe they give.  This is a very cool, modern take on a kitchen remodel and it pairs wonderfully with this interesting gray-brown countertop.  

 

Urbane Bronze is a great unique color that has gray and brown undertones.  This results in an almost matte-looking finish that can appear to change colors throughout the day. We love a really dynamic color like this and think it’s such a fun approach to pairing with this countertop color.

 

Best Cabinet Color for White Countertops – Naval 6244

 

Sherwin Williams’ Naval is a fantastic color for both exterior and interior projects.  It’s traditional, classic, and slightly inspired by New England. If you have primarily white countertops like the image above then it can be really fun to create some nice contrast.  Naval is deep and rich and we love the hint of gray which helps it feel grounded and grown-up. This is a very deep color so we often recommend that clients go for a two-toned cabinet scheme with Naval on the bottom and a classic white cabinet on top.  We really love a white cabinet color like Alabaster SW 7008 or Greek Villa SW 7551 to keep things sharp and crisp.  White cabinets on top also help a room feel like the ceilings are higher which can help if you want your kitchen to feel bigger.

 

With all that being said, white countertops are incredibly versatile so this is a great opportunity to play around depending on your personal taste.  Grays, greens, blues, blacks, and pretty much every color in between can work with white countertops. In these kinds of situations, where options are fairly limitless, we often recommend that you consider your backsplash, accessories, appliances, and personal taste to determine what color would be best for your cabinets.

 

Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets

We hope this helped but we know there are a ton of countertop styles and colors out there so we hope you stick with us for part two of this series.  It is always wise to get some samples to try your colors out and we particularly love companies like Color Shop and Samplize for projects like these because their peel and stick samples won’t add texture to your cabinet doors.  If you do go for a traditional paint sample we do recommend that you use a test board for painting your samples rather than applying directly to the cabinets themselves.