Cabinet Color 101
Color is showing up more and more in kitchen inspiration. But helping a homeowner bring that color home can be a challenge. We broke it down with 6 simple ways to apply color to cabinets.
Cabinet Color 101
6 Ways to Design with Color
Big blocks of color
Using large blocks of cabinetry to showcase color makes a confident design statement. It’s bold — and with the right balance, it’s beautiful.
Best for homeowners who love a color and are ready to commit.
Big blocks of color
Using large blocks of cabinetry to showcase color makes a confident design statement. It’s bold — and with the right balance, it’s beautiful.
Best for homeowners who love a color and are ready to commit.
How to do it:
Choose
Divide
Apply
CABINETS: Thornton | Maple | Hearthstone ISLAND: Thornton | Maple | Cannon Grey
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature and a secondary supporting finish.
Divide
the kitchen into big cabinet blocks—such as the island, wall cabinets, or base cabinets.
Apply
the featured finish to one or more of these groupings & add the supporting finish to the others.
CABINETS: Dillon | Maple | Brown Sugar ISLAND: Dillon | Maple | Vanilla Smoke
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature and a secondary supporting finish.
Divide
the kitchen into big cabinet blocks—such as the island, wall cabinets, or base cabinets.
Apply
the featured finish to one or more of these groupings & add the supporting finish to the others.
CABINETS: Tavis | Maple | Muted Moss ISLAND & HOOD: Tavis | Maple | Hearthstone
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature and a secondary supporting finish.
Divide
the kitchen into big cabinet blocks—such as the island, wall cabinets, or base cabinets.
Apply
the featured finish to one or more of these groupings & add the supporting finish to the others.
CABINETS & HOOD: Bingham | Maple | Blue Tide ISLAND: Bingham | Maple | Hearthstone
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature and a secondary supporting finish.
Divide
the kitchen into big cabinet blocks—such as the island, wall cabinets, or base cabinets.
Apply
the featured finish to one or more of these groupings & add the supporting finish to the others.
Smaller,
separate blocks
Smaller, standalone blocks of color can highlight architectural features and create eye-catching focal points. This approach adds drama without dominating the space.
Best for homeowners who want a pop of color in specific areas.
Smaller,
separate blocks
Smaller, standalone blocks of color can highlight architectural features and create eye-catching focal points. This approach adds drama without dominating the space.
Best for homeowners who want a pop of color in specific areas.
How to do it:
Choose
Isolate
Apply
CABINETS: Thornton | Maple | Translucent Monument Grey ISLAND: Thornton |
Maple | Greyloft
HOOD & RECESSED WALL
CABINETS: Thornton | Maple | Hearthstone
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then 1–2 supporting finishes.
Isolate
small blocks like the hood, a hutch, a pantry, or the sink base. Separate each block by changing the depth of the cabinet, or creating space around it.
Apply
the main color to those specific focal-point pieces & add supporting finishes on the surrounding cabinetry to provide contrast.
BASE CABINETS: Dillon | Maple | Vanilla Smoke
RANGE HOOD & RECESSED CABINETS:
Dillon | Maple | Frost
ISLAND: Dillon | Maple
| Rainfall
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then 1–2 supporting finishes.
Isolate
small blocks like the hood, a hutch, a pantry, or the sink base. Separate each block by changing the depth of the cabinet, or creating space around it.
Apply
the main color to those specific focal-point pieces & add supporting finishes on the surrounding cabinetry to provide contrast.
BASE CABINETS, ISLAND & HOOD: Tavis | Maple | Muted Moss PANTRY CABINETS: Tavis | Maple | Hearthstone
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then 1–2 supporting finishes.
Isolate
small blocks like the hood, a hutch, a pantry, or the sink base. Separate each block by changing the depth of the cabinet, or creating space around it.
Apply
the main color to those specific focal-point pieces & add supporting finishes on the surrounding cabinetry to provide contrast.
WALL CABINETS: Bingham | Maple | Blue Tide BASE CABINETS: Bingham | Oak |
Baltic
ISLAND & HOOD: Bingham | Maple |
Vanilla Smoke
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then 1–2 supporting finishes.
Isolate
small blocks like the hood, a hutch, a pantry, or the sink base. Separate each block by changing the depth of the cabinet, or creating space around it.
Apply
the main color to those specific focal-point pieces & add supporting finishes on the surrounding cabinetry to provide contrast.
Accent areas
Colorful accents let homeowners add dimension and express their personality in more subtle and unique ways.
Best for homeowners who want to play with color in unexpected places.
Accent areas
Colorful accents let homeowners add dimension and express their personality in more subtle and unique ways.
Best for homeowners who want to play with color in unexpected places.
How to do it:
Choose
Identify
Apply
CABINETS: Thornton | Maple | Hearthstone RANGE HOOD: Greyloft
ISLAND &
HOOD
TRIM: Thornton | Maple | Translucent
Monument Grey
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then add 1–2 accent finishes.
Identify
accent opportunities like open shelving, a recessed alcove, decorative hood trim, or contrasting back.
Apply
accent colors to these small, architectural details to add a personalized touch without overwhelming the space.
CABINETS: Dillon | Maple | Vanilla Smoke ISLAND & HOOD TRIM: Dillon | Cherry | Baltic
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then add 1–2 accent finishes.
Identify
accent opportunities like open shelving, a recessed alcove, decorative hood trim, or contrasting back.
Apply
accent colors to these small, architectural details to add a personalized touch without overwhelming the space.
CABINETS: Tavis | Maple | Shortbread ISLAND & STOVE CABINETS: Tavis | Maple | Muted Moss HOOD: Hearthstone
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then add 1–2 accent finishes.
Identify
accent opportunities like open shelving, a recessed alcove, decorative hood trim, or contrasting back.
Apply
accent colors to these small, architectural details to add a personalized touch without overwhelming the space.
WALL CABINETS: Bingham | Maple | Blue Tide BASE CABINETS, HOOD & RECESSED ALCOVE: Bingham | Oak | Baltic ISLAND: Bingham | Maple | Vanilla Smoke
How to do it
Choose
a main color to feature, then add 1–2 accent finishes.
Identify
accent opportunities like open shelving, a recessed alcove, decorative hood trim, or contrasting back.
Apply
accent colors to these small, architectural details to add a personalized touch without overwhelming the space.
The bold color breakdown
Learn easy ways to create a balanced design with statement shades.
The bold color breakdown
Learn easy ways to create a balanced design with statement shades.
Bold Color + Textural Accent
Color Drenching
Go all in with a single bold color on cabinets, walls, and trim.
Bold Color + Light Neutral
Bold Color + Textural Accent
Pair a bold color with a monochrome accent in a contrasting texture.