How to Choose the Right Colour for Your Kitchen Cabinets
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Changing the colour of your kitchen cabinets can completely transform the room without changing its layout. The right shade can make the kitchen feel warmer, brighter, calmer, richer or more connected to the rest of your home.
However, a colour that looks beautiful online, on a colour card or in someone else’s kitchen may look completely different in your own space. Natural light, artificial lighting, worktops, flooring and surrounding colours all influence how a shade appears.
Before making your final choice, consider the kitchen as a whole rather than choosing a cabinet colour in isolation.
Begin with How You Want the Kitchen to Feel
Before looking at individual shades, think about the atmosphere you want to create.
Soft whites, warm neutrals and gentle earthy colours can create a light and relaxed kitchen. Greens can feel calm and connected to nature, while blues can bring depth and a more tailored appearance. Dark browns, deep greens, navy and rich charcoal shades can create a dramatic and luxurious finish.
There is no single correct colour for a kitchen. The best choice is one that works with the room and creates a feeling you will enjoy living with every day.
Trends can provide inspiration, but your kitchen should ultimately reflect your home and personal style.
Look at the Colours Already in the Room
Worktops, flooring, splashbacks, walls and large appliances should all be considered before selecting a cabinet colour. These surfaces may contain subtle undertones that are not immediately obvious.
A stone worktop might contain warm cream, brown or gold tones. Another may contain cooler grey, blue or green tones. Choosing a cabinet colour with a related undertone can help the kitchen feel balanced and connected.
Benjamin Moore advises considering the undertones within worktops when choosing cabinet colours. Shades that share similar undertones often create a more cohesive result.
Take time to look closely at the permanent features in your kitchen. The cabinet colour does not need to match them exactly, but it should feel comfortable beside them.
Understand Warm and Cool Undertones
Most paint colours contain undertones that influence how they appear within a room.
Warm colours may contain hints of red, yellow, orange, pink or brown. They can create a softer, more welcoming atmosphere.
Cool colours may contain hints of blue, green or violet. They can feel clean, calm and fresh.
Even white is not simply white. A warm white can feel soft and creamy, while a cool white may appear cleaner and crisper. In some lighting, a cool white can also appear grey or slightly blue.
The same applies to neutrals. A beige may lean pink, yellow or green, while a grey may reveal blue, violet, green or brown undertones once it is placed beside the worktop and flooring.
Consider the Direction of Natural Light
The direction your kitchen faces affects both the strength and temperature of its natural light.
North Facing Kitchens
North facing rooms usually receive cooler and more indirect light. This can make colours appear flatter, darker or cooler.
Warm neutrals with pink, yellow or brown undertones can help introduce warmth. You can also embrace the naturally moodier light with a deeper, richer colour rather than trying to make the room appear bright white.
South Facing Kitchens
South facing kitchens normally receive strong, warm light for much of the day. This gives you greater flexibility and can make colours appear warmer and brighter.
Cooler colours can balance the warmth, while deep or highly pigmented shades can look particularly rich in the sunlight.
East Facing Kitchens
East facing rooms receive warmer, brighter light in the morning and become cooler or darker later in the day.
Muted, earthy colours and balanced neutrals often respond well to this changing light. It is important to view samples in both the morning and evening because the colour may feel very different as the day progresses.
West Facing Kitchens
West facing rooms are generally cooler in the morning and receive warmer light during the afternoon and evening.
A shade may appear quiet earlier in the day before becoming warmer and more vibrant later. Observe your samples at the times when you use the kitchen most often.
Remember Your Artificial Lighting
Your cabinet colour will also change when the natural light fades and the kitchen lights are switched on.
Farrow & Ball explains that warmer bulbs can make colours appear warmer, while cool white bulbs may give them a cooler or bluer cast. Neutral white lighting generally provides a representation closer to natural daylight.
Under cabinet lighting, pendant lights and ceiling spotlights may each affect colour differently. This is why it is important to view samples with all the lights you normally use rather than assessing them only during the daytime.
Do Not Assume a Small Kitchen Must Be White
Pale colours can create a light and open feeling, but they are not the only option for a smaller kitchen.
A rich green, deep blue, warm brown or charcoal can give a compact room more character and create an intimate, considered atmosphere. Little Greene recommends considering deeper, pigmented shades in smaller rooms rather than automatically trying to make every space appear larger.
The size of the room matters less than how the chosen colour works with its lighting, proportions and surrounding materials.
Consider Using More Than One Cabinet Colour
Using a second colour can introduce depth and help define different areas of the kitchen.
An island can be sprayed in a contrasting colour to create a focal point. Lower cabinets can be darker than wall cabinets, helping the room feel grounded while keeping the upper section lighter. A tall bank of cabinetry can also be treated as a separate feature.
For a subtle result, choose two related shades with similar undertones. For greater contrast, pair a light neutral with a deep green, blue, brown or charcoal.
The colours should still connect with the worktops, flooring and wider room so that the contrast feels intentional.
Test Colours in Your Own Kitchen
Real samples provide a much more reliable impression than a colour viewed on a phone, computer screen or printed brochure.
We recommend observing samples from morning to evening under both natural and artificial light.
After booking your project with West London Spraying Co., you can select up to four colours to experience at home. Your painted samples are posted to you with our Home Colour Experience guide.
Place each sample beside your cabinet doors, worktops, flooring, splashback and walls. Move them around the kitchen and view them during the morning, on a cloudy day, in the evening and beneath your kitchen lighting.
Do not rush the decision based on your first impression. A colour that initially seems perfect may reveal an unwanted undertone later in the day. Another shade may become more beautiful as you see how it responds to the room.
Your final colour should be confirmed at least seven working days before your project begins.
What Colours Can You Choose From?
Our extensive palette includes more than 50,000 colour options from renowned brands including Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Dulux and Benjamin Moore.
We can also colour match RAL shades and other colours that inspire you. If you have found the perfect colour on an existing item or have a particular shade in mind, speak to us about our custom colour matching service.
This gives you the freedom to choose a colour that genuinely suits your kitchen rather than being restricted to a small standard palette.
Choose a Colour You Will Enjoy Living With
The right kitchen cabinet colour should complement the light, work with the permanent surfaces and create the atmosphere you want within your home.
Take inspiration from beautiful kitchens, but make the final decision within your own room. Testing your preferred shades throughout the day is the best way to understand how they will truly look.
West London Spraying Co. helps homeowners throughout West and South West London transform existing kitchens with carefully chosen colours and a smooth, factory quality sprayed finish.
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