How to choose kitchen cabinet colors

How do you choose kitchen cabinet colors?

Start with light, then finish, then door style, then a sample. This order keeps you from falling for a color that looks great online but fails in your room. Each step narrows the field. By the end you hold two or three real door samples, not a hundred pictures.

Cabinets cover more of a kitchen than any other surface. A wrong color is expensive to fix. A short, steady method protects you. The sections below walk through the method with real colors from Innovation Cabinetry, a Tampa, Florida cabinet company. The company sells through authorized dealers, so your last step is always a dealer visit.

How does light change cabinet color?

Light changes cabinet color more than any other factor. The same door looks warmer in a south room and cooler in a north room. It also shifts from morning to evening. Judge every sample in your own kitchen, at your own hours, under your own bulbs.

Sherwin-Williams, a paint maker, makes this point on its room-orientation page. It asks a question many people know well: “Have you ever seen a color you love at your neighborhood Sherwin Williams store only to find you hate it in your home?” The page says natural light is a commonly overlooked factor in color choice. The same logic applies to cabinet doors.

Paint makers also use light reflectance value, or LRV. Diamond Vogel explains it this way: “Colors with an LRV above 50 are lighter and bounce back more light than they absorb.” The scale runs from 0 (black) to 100 (white). Innovation Cabinetry does not publish LRV numbers for its cabinet colors. Use the idea as a rule of thumb. White and pale colors give back more light. Deep colors take light in.

A quick light check

1. Note which way your main window faces.
2. Note how many hours of direct sun the room gets.
3. Note your bulb color. Warm bulbs and cool bulbs change how gray and blue look.
4. Tape a door sample to the cabinet wall for a full day.
5. Look at it at 8 a.m., noon and 8 p.m.

Which color families does Innovation Cabinetry offer?

Innovation Cabinetry offers white, cream, gray, blue, green, black and wood-tone cabinets across two indoor lines. The EliteCraft line has Craftsman shaker colors and Classic raised panel colors. The Urban line has shaker, slim shaker and flat panel colors. Both lines use frameless construction.

The table at the top of this page groups the colors by family. The company does not publish families, so treat our grouping as a reading aid. For the full list and photos, see the color gallery.

White and cream

White is the widest group. In EliteCraft, you can pick Shaker White, Pearl White or Classic White. The company describes Shaker White as “Classically beautiful” and “versatile,” suited to “traditional, transitional and contemporary style homes.” Classic White pairs a clean backdrop with “exquisite detail,” because it uses a raised panel door.

In Urban, White Slim Shaker has narrow frame pieces and a bright finish. Ultra White and Bianco are flat panel whites. Ultra White has a high-gloss front. Bianco has a TFL surface finish.

For a softer white, look at Seaside Dune in EliteCraft or Slim Seaside Dune in Urban. The company calls the Urban version a “soft beige tone” that “complements a wide range of styles and finishes.”

Gray

Gray is the second large group. Storm Gray is a painted shaker in EliteCraft. We offer “cool urban elegance.” Urban has Harbor Gray in high gloss, plus Modern Gray, Concrete Gray and Stone Gray in a TFL surface finish.

Blue and green

Imperial Blue is the deep blue in EliteCraft. Our “simple lines allow the dynamic color to take center stage.” Whisper Blue Shaker is a soft, airy blue in Urban.

Green has three choices. Sage Shaker has “a soft green undertone.” Forest Green Shaker is deep and bold. Emerald is a flat panel with a matte, fingerprint-resistant lacquer finish, according to the Urban brochure.

Black and wood tones

Raven is the black option, also in a matte, fingerprint-resistant finish. Black Forest is a dark wood-grain look.

For wood tones, Urban offers Blonde Oak, Natural Oak, Umbria Elm and Bayport in flat panel. Shaker versions include Blonde Oak Shaker, Natural Oak Shaker and Blonde Oak Slim Shaker. In EliteCraft, Maduro is a raised panel door with a “nutmeg hue.”

Should you pick a painted color, a wood-grain look or a gloss finish?

Pick by how you live and how much you want the color to show. Painted fronts show a solid, even color. Wood-grain fronts add warmth and hide small marks. High-gloss fronts bounce the most light but show fingerprints more. Each finish also has its own care needs.

The company describes three finish types across the two lines:

The Urban brochure notes: “Resin based TFL is permanently heat bonded to the substrate; it will not peel or fade and has superior impact resistance.” That is a company claim, not a test we ran. It does show why TFL suits busy kitchens. For more on the material, read the TFL glossary entry.

A note on grain

Several wood-look colors carry an asterisk in the brochure: “Grain matching is not available.” Black Forest, Natural Oak, Umbria Elm, Bayport and Blonde Oak are marked this way. Grain will vary from door to door. Ask your dealer to show you more than one door from the same color.

A note on painted wood

The company’s catalog states that wood expands and contracts, and that this can create an open joint in a painted finish. It says an open joint line is not a defect. Painted shaker doors have joints where the frame meets the center panel, so you may see this over time. This is normal for painted wood in any brand.

Which door style goes with which color?

Door style changes how a color feels. A shaker door with a recessed panel gives a classic look. A flat panel door gives a modern look. A raised panel door feels formal. The same white can read as farmhouse, transitional or modern depending on the door.

For a full comparison of door styles, read the guide on shaker, slim shaker and flat panel doors. The pillar page on kitchen cabinet styles and colors gives the wider picture.

What colors work for a small or dark kitchen?

Light colors usually help a small or dark kitchen. White, soft cream and pale gray reflect more light. A flat panel door has no raised detail to cast shadows. A high-gloss front adds more bounce.

We describe our Urban High Gloss fronts as “Easy to clean” and that they reflect light, “making any room feel brighter and more roomy.” That is a company claim. It matches the basic idea behind LRV.

Light color alone will not fix a dark room. Add task lighting under wall cabinets and use bulbs that match the color you chose. If you love a dark cabinet such as Raven or Forest Green, use it on the lower cabinets only and keep the wall cabinets light.

How do countertops, floors and walls fit in?

Choose the cabinet color first, then match the others to it. Cabinets are the largest and hardest surface to change. Countertops, backsplash and walls give you more room to adjust. Take your cabinet door sample to the stone or laminate showroom and set them side by side.

A simple checklist helps:

1. Is your countertop warm (cream, gold, brown) or cool (white, gray, blue)?
2. Do your cabinets share the same warmth, or do you want contrast on purpose?
3. Does your floor already carry a strong color or grain?
4. If the floor is busy, choose a calmer cabinet color.
5. If you want a bold cabinet color, keep walls and backsplash quiet.

We found no official source with a fixed rule for these pairings, so we offer them as common design practice, not as law. Your dealer or designer can help with final choices.

How do you test a color before you order?

Request a door sample from a dealer, then test it in your kitchen for several days. The company states in its brochures: “Request a sample before placing an order.” It also says that color accuracy is not exact on a digital print or computer screen. Do not order from a photo alone.

The company adds another note you should read. It states that product names “are intended to evoke the color and style of the material only and are not intended to indicate or describe the materials used in cabinetry manufacturing.” A color called Natural Oak is a look, not a promise of solid oak.

A sample test plan

1. Get at least two door samples in different colors.
2. Place each one against the countertop and floor.
3. View them in morning, midday and evening light.
4. View them under your night lighting.
5. Stand back across the room and look from the doorway.
6. Ask a second person to pick a favorite without your input.
7. Choose the one you still like after three days.

Where do you buy these colors?

Innovation Cabinetry sells through authorized dealers, not directly to homeowners. A dealer can show you samples, help with layout and place the order. We distribute products “nationwide through a network of contractors, builders, and design professionals” and that it will match you with a professional in your area. Use the find a dealer form to start.

Warranty terms differ by line. The EliteCraft and Urban lines carry a 10-year limited warranty, according to their brochures. Ask your dealer for the written terms before you order. You can also read the warranty page.

Next step

Browse the color gallery and pick two or three favorites. Then find a dealer near you to see real door samples and ask about stock.