How to pick the best paint colors for white kitchen cabinets.
So you’ve decided to paint your kitchen cabinets white. I applaud that decision! But how do you know which is the right white when you’re standing in the paint aisle, overwhelmed by choices?
Chances are, your kitchen cabinets cover the most territory of any other cabinets in your house. So you want to get it right when you decide to paint them.
White seems like a simple concept, right? I mean, it’s the absence of color. Just white. Easy peasy.
But it’s not really. It’s not easy and that’s because it’s not truly the absence of color.
Get ready for a little color theory, comin’ at ya.
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How to pick the perfect white for kitchen cabinets
Every shade of white has a little undertone of other colors in it, and that’s where it gets tricky. The trick is to be intentional about what color direction you’re going in, and make sure that undertone of color coordinates with the other colors in your kitchen.
Let me show you what I mean with three whites that I’ve used in my house:
Toque has a neutral gray cast, Dover is a little more yellow, and the custom color has a very slight reddish brown tone.
Of course on their own, they each just look white (unless you’re viewing them against the actual white of a computer screen, which is an optics question for another day). But if you put the wrong one along side something with a different undertone, you’ll get a an effect you may not like.
Most of the time, when people are painting their existing kitchen cabinets, there will already be other colors in the home that they are trying to work with. (Some people may find themselves starting from scratch and I’ll cover that in a minute.)
Quick Color Theory Primer
When you coordinate with other colors, it’s important to know a little color theory. This is way oversimplifying, but basically, opposite colors create interest, energy, and sometimes a little dissonance. And similar colors create balance and calm, and sometimes can feel a little safe or boring.
Personally I like a room that feels cohesive and relaxing (similar colors) rather than energetic and conflicting (contrasting colors). So I would pick similar colors to go together.
How does this apply to white?
When you know the colors of your space, and the effect you’re going for (contrast or similarity) then you can figure out which white has the right undertones for you. So that you don’t have to go look up a color wheel, let me give you a quick list of which colors go with which.
Contrasting colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. They are:
- Red and green
- Purple and yellow
- Blue and orange
Similar colors are paired next to each other on the color wheel. These are:
- Red and orange
- Orange and yellow
- Yellow and green
- Green and blue
- Blue and purple
- Purple and red
Colors can also be grouped around the concept of warmth. The colors that are considered “warm” are red, orange, and yellow. This would include browns and grays with these colors as an undertone. The “cool” colors are blue, green, and purple.
So if you have a kitchen with primarily warm colors, and you want the cabinets to blend in and coordinate, you’d pick a white with yellowish or warm brown undertones. If your existing colors are more on the cool side, you’d want a white with a tiny bit of blue or cool gray undertone.
A note about color emotions
Colors have feelings too! Ok, maybe that’s not true, but they can definitely give you feelings. If you pick a white with a blue undertone, it may feel cold and a little depressing. Yellow will feel brighter, sunnier and happier, but may not be the actual color you want. And brown/taupe will feel calmer and more grounded.
If you are decorating a new home, or have decided to completely remodel your kitchen, then you get to choose colors for everything, not just the cabinets! So now what?
First decide whether you want a feeling of energy and brightness, or calm and relaxing, or a modern feeling of clean and sterile. That will help you decide which white you want, as well as other background and accent colors.
Bright and Energetic
If you’re going for a crisp white with a bit of a zing to it, try a slightly blue undertone.
Calm and Relaxing
For a more cozy feel to your kitchen, try a tiny bit of warm brown in your white.
Modern and Clean
When you want a modern look you might need just a bit of yellow undertone.
When you want a color-less white
Having said all that about color theory, I do have a few whites that are mostly colorless that I recommend if you just want a clean bright white for your cabinets. My personal favorite is Valspar’s Swiss Coffee and I use it all throughout my house on trim, as well as some of my cabinets and furniture.
Other decorator friends of mine swear by Benjamin Moore Decorator White and Sherwin Williams Pure White.
If you’re looking for a true white specifically made for cabinet painting, then I highly recommend DecoArt Satin Enamels Pure White. When I painted my own kitchen cabinets, I used a custom mix of the pure white and a tiny bit of Sable for a soft warm undertone. You can read more about it in this kitchen cabinet painting post.
Test your color in your space
Never make a final decision about color while you’re standing at the paint counter at the hardware store!
You always want to try out the color(s) you’re considering at home to see how they react to the light from the windows and light fixtures, as well as how it feels along with the other colors in the room.
You can test colors by taping up samples, painting samples right on the cabinets or wall, or using removable sample pages that you can get from some paint manufacturers like Sherwin Williams, or through a sample company like Samplize.
I recommend putting samples in different spots on the wall: in shadow, in bright light, and right up against any trim or other paint colors that are already in place.
Color blind?
If you feel that you are not very good at seeing the undertones in neutral colors like white or gray, don’t worry. You are not alone!
You can usually get good advice from the people working the counter at the paint store. (I’ve had good experience with knowledgeable people at Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, not so much at the hardware stores.)
Or ask a friend whose home you admire. They might be able to see things you can’t. If all else fails, pick a more neutral white like I described above.
Don’t be intimidated by all the choices. The great thing about white is it can be easily painted over if you try one and don’t like it. (I’ve been known to redo a project or two in my day.) Think of that first white as a primer coat. 😉
Besides, if you’re repainting horrible old cabinets, any white you pick will probably be better than where you’re starting! So get out there and put some paint on a paintbrush. But before you do that, check out my comprehensive cabinet painting post.