If you love a sleek, modern interior, I’m sure you must have painted your kitchen walls gray! Gray walls add visual depth to the space, taking the whole decor up a notch! But your kitchen interior isn’t complete if it doesn’t have the right complementary cabinets!
Since cabinets take up a huge space in the kitchen, the color you choose for them can make or break the entire look! To help you, I’ve explored my favorite interior color palettes and gathered 13 stunning cabinet colors that can never go wrong in a gray kitchen!
13 Trendiest Kitchen Cabinet Color Ideas to Complement Gray Walls
1. Domineering Black Kitchen Cabinets
Black color, without any doubt, is an eye-catching and eccentric choice for kitchen cabinets. Being versatile, it blends with many paint finishes, from matte to high-gloss. A black cabinet contrasts light, repose gray walls but adds boldness and sophistication that makes kitchen cabinets dynamic.
If you have a wooden cabinet, pick warmer shades of black like ‘Ebony Field’ by Valspar and finish it with enamel to create a transitional ambiance. On the other hand, a cooler, high-gloss shade of black on steel or PVC cabinets will look sleek and modern!
However, black is a dark color and might look melancholic with dark gray walls. Hence, experts recommend using the shade only if you have adequate light on your kitchen wall.
2. Novel White Cabinets
A white kitchen cabinet is a popular choice to make your gray kitchen look more spacious, bright, and modern. It accents gray walls softly but oozes an uncluttered industrial look that unites the tones of the wall treatments, the appliances, and the cabinets.
Generally, neutral whites like ‘White Ice’ by Benjamin Moore look eclectic with semi-gloss dark gray walls and similar floors, whereas warmer whites cater to a farmhouse look with light agreeable gray walls and rustic bronze hardware.
However, a white cabinet is prone to staining, and hence, it requires thorough cleaning frequently. Thus, our experts suggest you use a waterproof oil-based finish with the paint or go with a standard, wipeable laminate like ‘Alabaster’ from Wilsonart.
3. A Soothing Greige Kitchen Cabinet Color
Greige and gray hues go hand in hand and look cohesive together. A warmer, acrylic-based greige like ‘Perfect Greige’ from Sherwin Williams has the power to revive the coziness within your kitchen cabinets and blend effortlessly with your gray walls, making the kitchen look minimal and modern.
But since greige is a light, neutral color, it looks the best with a matte finish on lighter oak cabinets, allowing the wood to expose its grain in a balanced way. Finally, pair greige paint with gray floors and similar dark brown hardware for a cohesive, modern look of shaker cabinets.
4. Monochrome Dark Gray Kitchen Cabinets
Dark gray cabinets look gorgeously homogenous with dark or medium gray walls but add more depth and dimension to light gray. Dark gray color designs modern and minimal kitchens and oozes sophistication with a subtle contrast. However, you can create an eclectic style using bright accent color hardware like red or yellow with this one.
Generally, a dark gray enamel paint looks refined and polished, but textured laminates like ‘Carbon EV’ by Wilsonart give you a superior look that stands out from the walls. However, dark gray cabinets might look more somber with dark gray walls and hence, limit their use with light gray walls.
5. A Verdant Brown Colored Kitchen Cabinet
Brown or a similar beige color curates an understated, chic but rustic, farmhouse-style aesthetic with gray walls and is a quick tool to add warmth and appeal to the otherwise bland color. Moreover, brown cabinets will evoke a luxurious feeling when paired with dark gray walls and look more elegant and balanced with lighter grays.
If you have a wood or PVC cabinet, a dark brown paint like ‘Brown Velvet’ by Valspar will offer a planar, uniform industrial finish. However, if you want more texture, you can choose deep brown, walnut-like laminates like ‘Cafelle’ by Wilsonart. Alternatively, a transparent stain on your oak or hickory cabinets will ensure a trendy, rich look on a budget.
6. Vibrant Red Color Kitchen Cabinets
Red and gray have been a flawless combination for ages and are a great choice if you love a color blast in your kitchen while adding a warm, energetic vibe to your gray walls. Red cabinets add a dramatic flair and look gorgeous with almost all shades of gray walls!
If you have steel or aluminum cabinets, then use a high-gloss, bright cherry red like ‘Real red’ by Sherwin Williams for a modern and electric vibe to your space. Alternatively, you can achieve a warm, retro look with a deep red or maroon shade laminate like Holly Berry from Wilsonart.
7. A Lively Yellow Kitchen Cabinet Color
Yellow is a warm and bright cabinet color that gives the countryside vibes with dark gray walls. It makes the kitchen look cheery, dynamic, and playful with the perfect pop of color. A pastel yellow looks eclectic with dark gray, whereas a golden hue takes on a Mediterranean design.
Yellow latex paint will help you bring a sunny, shiny look to your steel cabinets. On the other hand, if you have wood cabinets, a rustic yellow laminate like ‘Maroochy Brooch’ will add a lovely, textured look to your space. Finally, since yellow is a vibrant color, use muted silver hardware to unite the walls, appliances, and cabinets.
8. Rustic Burnt Orange Cabinets
Burnt orange cabinets invite vividness and dynamism to your kitchen with a vibrant but balanced farmhouse aesthetic. Burnt orange looks rustic and adds a perfect pop of color to the gray walls making the kitchens look bright and modern.
If you want a natural, rustic look with your wooden cabinets, choose subdued laminate colors like ‘Natural Pear’ by Wilsonart that contrast warm gray walls in a subtle way. Alternatively, you can use the natural grains of wood to your benefit and use stained cabinets themselves.
Finally, if you choose an orangish-brown stain with richer maple, hickory, or mahogany wood, complete it with luxurious golden hardware for a country-style kitchen.
9. Organic Sage Green Kitchen Cabinetry
Sage green color cabinets exude a natural aura that brings a calm, tranquil, and refreshing feeling to your cabinetry. It not only makes your cabinets bright but pairs well with all shades of gray, especially a warmer mindful gray.
If you have steel cabinets and appliances in your kitchen, a brighter sage green will help you achieve a modern, cohesive look, especially with black hardware. On the contrary, darker and warmer shades of Sage green like ‘Misted Green’ by Benjamin Moore offer a traditional look and go well with similar brass hardware.
10. Flashy Dark Green Kitchen Cabinets
Dark green cabinets are an exquisite choice for warm, light gray walls with a traditional but lavish kitchen design. Green helps steal the limelight and serves as a great accent color for your kitchen island. A dark green paint like Benjamin Moore’s ‘Hunter Green’ looks luxurious when completed with a high-gloss paint and polyurethane coating.
Warmer dark greens like olive and emerald green complement warmer and neutral grays and go well with brass and golden hardware, whereas cold emerald greens contrast gray walls and look elegant with silver hardware. Finally, use similar color appliances and faucets for a unified look.
11. Regal Navy Blue Cabinets
Add a luxurious and stately, Baroque-style navy blue color to your kitchen cabinets and complement your gray walls with royalty. Navy has a striking accent yet looks seamless and balanced with light grays and designs a traditional kitchen with golden or bronze hardware and metallic appliances.
If you have tinted glass or steel cabinets, then a brighter navy blue with a semi-gloss, enamel finish is your best bet. However, if you want to revamp your existing wooden cabinets with a navy color, pick dark navy laminates like ‘Navy Legacy’ by Wilsonart for a smooth, homogenous finish.
Alternatively, pick a grayish-blue like ‘Kensington’ by Benjamin Moore for the industrial look of shaker cabinets with light gray walls.
12. A Peppy Turquoise Blue Kitchen Cabinet Color
Bring a playful vibe to your gray kitchen walls by introducing lively turquoise color kitchen cabinets that are a good-to-go option for nautical, bohemian, and contemporary kitchen styles. Turquoise paint complements the tones of cold gray walls and adds brightness and visual depth to the kitchen.
Turquoise is a bold industrial color and looks even more refreshing with glossy finishes, a black backsplash, stainless steel hardware, and similar appliances that anchor its look. Valspar’s oil-based enamel ‘Bayside’ paint is a go-to option for this shade.
13. Charismatic Mauve Color Cabinets
Mauve paint offers a comfy, playful ambiance and yet looks regal simultaneously. The vivid color pops out against warm light gray walls and evokes a light-hearted bohemian vibe into your kitchen space. However, mauve is versatile as a cabinet color and curates different styles based on the chosen hardware.
For example, silver cabinet hardware modernizes a warmer mauve like ‘Deepest Mauve’ by Sherwin Williams and looks industrial, whereas golden hardware takes on a traditional attire with cool, deep mauve. Overall, mauve is a great accent color to boost the visual appeal of gray walls and harmonize your kitchen in a balanced way.
As a bonus, mauve is a maintenance-free color, and you won’t have to worry about cleaning it often!
Should I Use Light Or Dark-Colored Kitchen Cabinets With Your Gray Walls?
The tone of your cabinet color largely depends on the size of your kitchen. If you have light gray walls and your kitchen is big enough, you can make it look cozier and composed using dark-colored cabinets.
On the other hand, if your kitchen is comparatively cramped and has dark gray walls, it’s advisable to go with light-colored cabinets for a more spacious ambiance.
Tips For Selecting Cabinet Colors With Gray Walls
- Balance your color with your wall treatments, appliances, and walls. For example, if you already have a warm gray wall treatment, it’s safe to go with warmer cabinet colors like yellow and orange to create visual harmony.
- Consider the lighting of your room. Darker colors like brown and mauve might feel more cramped in a poorly lit kitchen.
- Consider using stained cabinets with richer woods like walnut to preserve their natural look with gray walls.
- When painting the cabinets, use matte oil-based finishes with wood and high-gloss finishes with metallic materials like steel and aluminum.
In your modern kitchen with gray walls, the cabinets will balance the look and set the trend, effortlessly anchoring other kitchen elements. So, once you finalize the decor style you want in your cooking space, pick the right cabinet color from this list, and you’re done!
But what if you have gray floors, too? In that case, my trendy list of best cabinet colors to go with gray floors will help you find your best pick!
