These Are the 3 Best Paint Colors for Kitchens With Wooden Cabinets, According to Designers Who Have Tried Them All
From warm neutrals to moody hues, these are the colors designers actually recommend in kitchens with wood cabinets
So you've committed to wooden cabinets to create a timeless feel in your kitchen, but now you are stuck deciding which colors you should pair with them.
It's one of the most common questions around wooden kitchen cabinet ideas, but the good news is, interior designers have plenty of tried-and-tested paint colors they love to pair with this natural material.
1. Classic Warm White Hues
The neutral paint color not only adds warmth to the room, but it is gently textured to add depth to the space.
If you want your kitchen to feel classic, light, and full of timeless style, you can't go wrong pairing wooden cabinets with a warm neutral hue. In this design, a warm off-white adds contrast to the dark wood cabinetry.
'I typically gravitate towards a warm neutral base when using wood cabinetry. When we have wood cabinetry bringing in natural variation, texture, and warmth, pairing it with a warm neutral like an ivory off-white creates balance in the space,' says Amy Knerr, Founder and Principal Designer at Of Place Studio.
'We used this same tone across the walls, trim, and hood in this kitchen; it really lets the beautiful wood grain and the natural stone shine and become the focal point. It also creates a continuous backdrop, which keeps the eye from breaking up the space and makes the natural materials feel more intentional and elevated.'
Consider paint shades such as Swiss Coffee OC-45 by Benjamin Moore, School House White by Farrow and Ball, and White Sesame SW 9586 by Sherwin-Williams.
2. Earthy Green Hues
The light green paint, Sage by Neptune, brightens the room while adding an authentic country cottage feel.
If it's the natural quality of wooden kitchen cabinets that appeals to you, pairing them with a beautiful shade of green is an enduring choice. They feel like a natural pairing, inspired by nature and continually transcending kitchen color trends.
There are a few different ways to bring green into a kitchen with wood cabinets, but this country cottage kitchen by Neptune is one of the most charming examples. Wooden base cabinets are complemented by walls and upper cabinets drenched in this light green hue.
It's a pairing that feels right at home in a more traditional, rustic scheme, but it works beautifully in more contemporary kitchens, too. The key is choosing the right oak finish for the style you want to achieve, and choosing a shade of green that feels cohesive. Farrow & Ball's Vert de Terre offers a calming pairing with wood, or try Benjamin Moore's Cypress Green for a muddier shade.
3. Deep, Moody Tones
Don't be afraid to lean into darker tones – the wood and black pairing in this kitchen feels truly luxurious.
Decorating with moody color palettes is becoming increasingly popular in kitchens, especially where wood cabinets are involved. There are plenty of deeper tones to try, but there's something incredibly striking about a black and wood duo.
'When opting for more drama, we'll pair a deep, earthy tone or even black [with wooden cabinets]. I love a black with a subtle, deep green or brown undertone, so it has some depth and warmth to it,' says interior designer Allison Lind.
'The most standard way is to keep the perimeter in one option and then accent with the island.' In this design, Allison embraced wooden perimeter cabinetry and painted the island black for a sense of moody drama.
If you're painting an existing kitchen island, opt for shades like Benjamin Moore's Black Forest Green HC-187 or Farrow & Ball's Off-Black No. 57. If your kitchen doesn't have an island, try IKEA's VADHOLMA Kitchen Island in Black/Oak for an instant solution.
These designer-approved colors to pair with wood cabinets prove just how versatile this natural material can be. For more inspiration, explore our gallery of wooden kitchen ideas, or for something moodier, our dark wood kitchen ideas hit the mark.
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