4 Colors You Shouldn’t Paint Your Cabinets

When it comes time to choose a paint color for your kitchen cabinets, almost anything is fair game, right? Well, this is actually incorrect, pros say. There are actually many colors you will want to be sure to avoid in this instance or you will risk majorly regretting your decision. Here, Southern designers share four colors and color families to pass up on.

Bright White

Skip the bright white cabinets, says Corinne Back, the founder of Corinne Victoria Design in Alexandria, Virginia. This hue “can feel stark and clinical, especially in homes with historic charm,” she says. “They tend to show the most wear in the messiest room of the house.” Instead, the designer recommends going with warm off-whites, which she says will look much less sterile.

Dawn Heuer, the fonder of the Heuer Design Collective in Atlanta, Georgia, expresses similar views regarding pure white and suggests some other viable alternatives.

“If you’re looking for a timeless, practical choice, go for soft neutrals (off-white, warm grays, or greige) or deep, rich colors (navy blue, forest green) for a bold but balanced look,” she says.

Very Dark Colors

Dark colors, on the opposite end of the spectrum from bright white, aren’t a designer favorite either.

“Painting cabinets a high-gloss black or a very dark color will inevitably show fingerprints, smudges, and dust easily,” notes Elana Mendelson, the founder of Elana Designs in Potomac, Maryland. “Matte or satin finishes are better alternatives for a sharp, sleek but manageable look.”

Emma Thayer, the founder of Emma Thayer Interiors in Washington, D.C., shares some similar thoughts.

“Not only are stark black cabinets nearly impossible to keep looking clean, using the harsh color in such an expansive swath can create the wrong impact,” she says.

Thayer finds that black cabinets don’t do a great job of warming up a kitchen, and she offers a few Black cabinets are certainly a bold choice, but they can make it difficult to add warmth to the kitchen, as true black is not a color found in the other natural elements you will be incorporating. If your heart is set on black, try it in lesser used or smaller spaces like butler’s pantries. Elect for a deep charcoal or blue-black to pack a similar punch in the kitchen without backing the design into a tight corner, and incorporate matte black hardware or soapstone countertops to scratch the itch instead. 

Any Colors That Is “Too Clear or One Note”

Adam Ford, the co-founder of A.A. Ford Interiors in Knoxville, Tennessee, makes a point to forgo “any color that is too clear or one-note” when painting kitchen cabinets.

“It is best to have a bit of a muddy quality to the color for depth,” he explains. “This always looks best with the inevitable ‘stuff’ you will bring in.”

Neons

Steer clear of extra bright hues in the kitchen, comments Lauren McKay, the founder of Lauren McKay Interiors in Raleigh.

“Highlighter yellow, neon orange, electric blue, and bright pink easily clash with other colors in the space due to their intensity,” she says. “I love color, but I can’t get on board with neon tones that tend to go juvenile.”