I had two questions recently, received through my Instagram Subscriber Q&A’s, from two people asking if they should paint their kitchen cabinets.

The answer to one is no. The other is yes.

If you are asking that question yourself, then scroll down and see why. Maybe one of these scenarios would relate to you and your kitchen.

Should I paint these warm wood kitchen cabinets?

This homeowner had just installed beautiful new quartzite counters and a backsplash and was considering going with a light gray or white paint on these cabinets.

Let’s face it, this cabinet color is not exactly a first choice for people remodeling their kitchen these days.

This homeowner wants to know if she should paint her kitchen cabinets. carlaaston.com

Beautiful quartzite slab countertops in this partially remodeled kitchen.

I told her no, don’t paint them.

Why? Because of these reasons.

They are in good condition and are a nice full overlay style.
The two wood colors in this room, the cabinets and the floor do contrast significantly enough so that they don’t look like they were a near miss for not matching. See this blogpost for more on this reasoning.
I tried to envision this kitchen with white or light gray cabinets and it just would look like every other white kitchen out there on the internet. I mean, I’ve done kitchens like that. But in those cases, the cabinets were not good and we were trying to cover up what they had. They also had darker floors and their whole kitchens were dark overall.
I like the richness this wood tone brings to this kitchen. The pairing of the beautiful quartzite with this warm wood color is a perfect fit, IMO. The counters are subtle and the splash sort of blends into those so it is a good mix here. If they had used some kind of dramatic veined countertop or a dark colored splash, I likely might have had a different opinion. Then those elements would have stood out as the contrast and I would have recommended not having so many contrasting elements in the space.

When I replied my answer she was relieved. She really didn’t want to paint them but just thought she should go with the flow of what everyone else was doing.

That reminded me so much of this person who was ready to paint her brick fireplace because someone told her to and she thought that was on trend. She was also relieved when I told her to keep the brick as is.

Should I paint these dark wood kitchen cabinets?

Here’s a kitchen where they just put down this new wood floor (it might be LVT, not sure) and gotten new granite countertops. Now they were wondering what to do about the cabinets.

They had stained these cabinets dark like this as previously they had been a lighter, warmer wood before. I’m guessing they might have had tile floors before, so wood cabinets would then make more sense.

Should these kitchen cabinets be painted?

Yes. Paint those cabinets.

Why? Because of these reasons…

Here, I feel the wood floor and the cabinets are competing with each other. The cabinets are a warmer, richer look, but they make the floors look dull and gray. The floor would look great if paired with painted cabinets.
The cabinet style is a little dated with raised panels and exposed hinges. If they were painted they could get new hinges, so that they are more concealed. That would really upgrade the look of the cabinets here.
The countertop is warm and kind of blends in with all the brown wood. They could look richer and stand out as a design feature if the cabinets were painted a color that would enhance them. Right now it is just a brown, muddy look and nothing really looks new.
I’d go with a warm greige color on these cabinets, a tone slightly darker than the walls. Greige is a super popular color and it would work so well with the new floors and the counters. It would then look much more design-forward and on trend than it does now. I would also look at some new cabinet hardware that is a bit more transitional in style and maybe a dark bronze finsh.

Here are some nice greige tones to try out.

I used SW Intellectual Gray on this cabinetry.

Greige cabinetry, SW Intellectual Gray | Carla Aston, Designer

It is always best to evaluate based on your gut reaction and then get some experienced advice you think you can trust. Also, keep in mind the kind of interior or look you really want for yourself in your home.

Of course, you can always contact me for design advice with my Designed in a Click service, an email only design consultation. :-)

This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.

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