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The right kitchen color can not only take your space from looking drab to looking fab, it can also affect your home’s value. In fact, homes with a charcoal gray kitchen can sell for more than $2,500 more than similar homes, according to a 2023 Zillow study. Neutrals can also help sellers fetch higher sales prices. At the same time, a white kitchen can hurt a sales price by more than $600.
Whether you’re looking for a classic or modern look, the paint color you choose for your kitchen walls can alter the energy of the space and make you feel inspired, relaxed, or even more energetic. We spoke to two home design experts who noted that white hues are still the go-to for many when it comes to kitchens.
“While we are seeing wood tones and saturated colors come back to cabinetry, white is still hot for walls,” noted Chris Van Klei, principal of Minneapolis-St. Paul-based Detail Homes. Brittany Vogel, design and sales leader at White Crane Construction agreed, adding that warmer grays and dusty naturals are also trending.
This doesn’t mean you need to shy away from bold colors. “I never want to tell people to stay away from anything. If you love it, you love it,” Van Klei said. “But I do feel that the kitchen is a place with so much ‘jewelry,’ the walls don’t need to be loud.”
Looking for some inspiration? Here are some of our favorite paint color ideas for kitchen walls.
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1. De Nimes and Railings by Farrow & Ball
Inspired by cloth used to make workwear in the French city of Nîmes, this down-to-earth blue-green is among the best kitchen colors to anchor a contemporary kitchen with surrounding surfaces of varying textures and colors.
Farrow & Ball’s De Nimes (No.299) paint on the upper half of the wall ties together the sprawling gray-streaked marble countertops and blue-black Railings (No.31) base cabinets and shelves, achieving an ultra-functional space for meal prep with a moody style.
2. Golden Straw by PPG
Yellow can be a warm color that can help bring inviting, cozy vibes to a kitchen and lighten up the room. However, if you go with yellow you may also want to think about the color of your cabinets and shelves to balance out the colors in the room.
“If you love the color yellow, muted yellows can brighten a space up, but we would push for a simple cabinet pallet, leaning towards white or cream cabinetry,” Van Klei said.
For example, PPG Paint’s Golden Straw PPG 1213-4 is a mid-tone, citrus yellow that’s bright and can help bring more light to your kitchen, yet it’s not too loud. Try it with lighter woods and white trim for a classic look.
3. Pure White by Sherwin-Williams
As timeless as colors come, this crisp white hue lends a refined air to rustic or modern kitchens. And it’s not just classic—it’s versatile, too!
Create a harmonious, high-contrast look by pairing Sherwin-Williams Pure White (SW 7005) walls with a dusty white pantry. Finish the nautical look of this contemporary kitchen with a navy-blue island lit by regal gold-plated glass pendant lights.
4. Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore
Here’s another way to achieve a striking maritime vibe look in the kitchen: Pair Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy (HC-154) with stark white subway tile. Here, Hale Navy cabinets with white tile looks crisp and elegant, like a classic suit with a white button-down blouse.
“If bold is your style, you can never go wrong with Hale Navy walls, white cabinets, and brass hardware,” Van Klei said. “It’s timeless and sophisticated.”
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5. Calm by Behr
If whites aren’t your thing but you want a neutral-ish hint of color on your kitchen walls, consider Calm (BL-W01) from Behr. While it’s in the blue color family, it’s a great option for those not ready to commit to a Hale Navy hue, but also want to steer clear of whites, greige, and beige. It pairs well with white and wood grains.
6. Stunning Sapphire by PPG
Like a Hale Navy, Stunning Sapphire (PPG1158-7) from PPG will make a big statement when paired with crisp white cabinetry. The vibrant, rich blue will bring a strong energy to your kitchen for those looking to go big and bold with their kitchen wall paint color. The color is also stunning with contrasting orange dishes, fabric place settings and countertop appliances.
7. Fashion Gray by Behr
Anything but drab, a warm gray swatch with brown undertones lends restrained elegance to traditional kitchens. In this old-world-inspired kitchen filled with conversation-starting pieces, Behr’s Fashion Gray (PPU18-15) interior walls serve as a staid backdrop for Ultra Pure White (1850) display cabinets with Leather Clutch (MQ1-62) backing, a chocolate-colored wooden island, and yesteryear wall sconces, simultaneously unifying them and allowing them to take center stage.
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8. Oyster Bay by Sherwin-Williams
If you prize the uncluttered charm of Scandinavian design but prefer to inject some color into its characteristically all-white color palette, bathe the walls in this idyllic, greenish-gray tone.
Amidst the white cabinetry, countertops, and trim in this effortlessly elegant kitchen, walls painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Oyster Bay (SW 6206) provide a whimsical and welcome escape for guests seated at the island. The hue is an ideal backdrop for the shell-colored, wall-mounted dishes, and is a great choice for anyone who is still trying to achieve a Coastal Grandmother aesthetic.
9. Clay Beige by Benjamin Moore
This off-white with brown undertones confers a sun-kissed look on stark white spaces that may otherwise skew cold and clinical. But like the best kitchen paint colors, it need not live on all four walls of the kitchen—or even directly inside the kitchen—to have maximum impact.
These homeowners splashed Benjamin Moore’s Clay Beige (OC-11) paint on a wall opposite the kitchen to draw the eye out and give the kitchen depth.
10. Treron by Farrow & Ball
Like its namesake bird known as the green pigeon, Treron (No.292) from Farrow & Ball is a dark, gray-green hue that lends a touch of the outdoors to traditional or modern kitchens. It’s a particularly complementary paint color for spaces that showcase other earth tones, such as grays, browns, and creams.
Here, Treron wall paneling is paired with off-white cabinetry and houseplants to evoke a fresh, back-to-nature-inspired interior where you can cook and wash up in tranquility.
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11. White Raisin by Sherwin-Williams
Like yellow but don’t want the room to be too yellow? Vogel recommends Sherwin-Williams White Raisin (SW 7685) because it’s part of the company’s Timeless Colors, Colormix Forecast for 2023. Plus, it’s one of those earthy-toned hues that helps bring the outside, inside—“not in a neutral way, but rather in a rich comforting way,” she says of the color.
12. Cameo White by Behr
Dimly lit kitchens instantly look brighter with Behr’s Cameo White (MQ3-32) on their walls. The white hue with ash-gray undertones is perhaps the best kitchen color for a traditional or modern space that employs other neutral tones in its palette.
Follow the lead of the designers of this classic kitchen with a gentle palette and combine Cameo White walls with Swiss Coffee (12) cabinets, light gray marble countertops, and a pastel-toned tile backsplash to achieve an airy ambiance for cooking, dining, or entertaining.
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13. Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore
While wood tones and saturated colors are making a comeback in cabinetry, Van Klei says white is still the top choice for most of his clients when it comes to kitchen wall colors.
“We have definitely seen a move to a warmer white,” he said. Van Klei noted Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee (OC-45) is a favorite. It is a softer, versatile white that looks as good on walls as it does on kitchen cabinets, as seen above.
14. Raffia Ribbon by Behr
Capture the sun-soaked ambiance of the French countryside with warm yet rustic kitchen paint colors like this particular shade of creamy brown.
To recreate the undeniable country charm in your own culinary corner, apply Behr’s Raffia Ribbon (PPU7-20) to paneled walls and combine with navy Nypd (N480-6) cabinetry and Cameo White (MQ3-32) pantry doors.
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15. Upward by Sherwin-Williams
Looking for a kitchen wall color that is a bit between blue and gray? Vogel recommends Upward (SW 6239) from Sherwin-Williams which is their color of the year for 2024 and is a lighter sky blue. As Vogel notes, Upward “helps bring the outside in.”
“It seems that new colors coming through the pipeline have a slight ‘dusty’ element to them, so not quite so saturated pigments, which makes them feel a bit more cohesive with natural elements,” Vogel explained.
16. Berry Brown by Behr
This chocolate brown hue with red undertones makes any traditional or rustic kitchen look and feel more defined, particularly those of imposing height. The red undertones can even boost appetites.
Despite the lofty beam ceiling in this kitchen, Behr’s Berry Brown (PPU24-02) walls make the space feel intimate and inviting, even cozy. The lighter Off White (73) cabinets and lustrous hardwood floors provide balance, ensuring that the darker color of the walls doesn’t overpower the space.
17. Mount Etna by Sherwin-Williams
Vogel notes that wood has made a comeback in the last decade when it comes to cabinetry and millwork. With that in mind, she likes Mount Etna (SW 7625) from Sherwin-Willliams, which is a slate gray with green tones underlying an ashy blue. Try pairing it with wood cabinets and butcher block countertops.
18. Morning Zen by Behr
Van Klei recommends pairing greens that have a gray undertone with wood cabinetry. If green speaks to you, consider Behr’s Morning Zen (S380-2). This pale gray-green is a soothing hue that will bring a calming vibe to the kitchen. It also pairs well with white, which will make the color pop even more than natural wood tones.
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19. Golden Field by PPG
Get your morning pick-me-up from this dark citrus yellow hue, one of the most effective kitchen color ideas for cheering up a space (especially when used in combination with large windows, as seen here).
In this cookery, a subway tile wall painted in PPG’s Golden Field (PPG 1107-7), white cabinets, and baby-blue drapes provide the jolt of color needed to uplift the space, while black countertops allow the kitchen to retain an air of sophistication.
20. Copper Pot by Sherwin-Williams
If warm and cozy colors speak to you, you may want to try Copper Pot (SW 7709) from Sherwin-Williams. This rusty hue is in the orange family, and Realtor.com recommends it as a great option for those looking to pair it with more muted, quieter colors such as beige and tan.
21. White on White by PPG
When the focal point of your kitchen is a natural wood surface treated with a clear coat rather than a stain, the right paint color can be the difference between a dingy, dated space and a more airy, modern aesthetic.
As seen here, pairing light wood with a pale white that has magenta undertones achieves the freshest results. Copy these homeowners and integrate PPG’s White on White (30GY 88/014) walls, counters, shelves, and island stools for a kitchen that feels more open than its actual footprint would suggest.
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22. White Dove by Benjamin Moore
While warmer whites are replacing bright whites when it comes to kitchen wall colors, Van Klei notes that homeowners will need to consider which other colors and white tones will also be in the space.
He likes Benjamin Moore’s White Dove (OC-17) as a wall color, but noted that when paired with bright white fixtures and cabinets, it has a tendency to make the space look a bit dingy. Instead, try pairing warmer whites with a colored cabinet or natural wood tones.
23. Perfect Greige by Sherwin-Williams
Vogel has noticed a trend with her clients leaning toward a lot of warmer grays opposed to cooler grays. “Our industry likes to refer to these as ‘greige,’” she said.
Greiges are a great option for homeowners who want to add a bit of color, but don’t want to go too bold. Vogel likes Perfect Greige (SW 6073) from Sherwin-Williams which is a creamy mid-tone gray with red undertones.
24. Anew Gray by Sherwin-Williams
Greige has been trending as a kitchen color idea in recent years as a richer alternative to either of its components, gray and beige. Its gold undertones add a luxe quality that’s right at home in kitchens used for entertaining in addition to cooking.
In this kitchen, Sherwin-Williams’ Anew Gray (SW 7030) walls give a regal air to this space and provide a warm contrast to the cool-colored steel appliances and white marble countertops.
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25. Mascarpone by Benjamin Moore
The color equivalent of comfort food—named after the decadent Italian cheese, no less—this creamy off-white paint color brings warmth without sacrificing brightness in a small space.
Take this dreamy kitchen and dining room setup: Benjamin Moore’s Mascarpone (AF-20) walls live alongside Simply White (OC-117) cabinets and a wooden table with wicker chairs to create a convivial, cottage-style interior.
26. Blaze by PPG
Experts agree that the color red can help increase your appetite and often helps you be more productive. If red speaks to you, try a bold, spicy or tomato red in the kitchen such as PPG’s Blaze (PPG13-16). Blaze isn’t a fire engine red as the name might imply, but a spicier, deeper red that pairs well with cream shades for cabinets and countertops.
27. Stardew Sherwin-Williams
One of the top kitchen color ideas for high-traffic zones of the home, this muted gray-blue instills a calm to cooking spaces of any aesthetic. In this contemporary kitchen, Sherwin-Williams’ Stardew (SW 9138) walls provide a soothing distraction from the more dramatic black stone countertops, tray ceiling, and oblong pendant lights, making everyday cooking a relaxing, unrushed affair.
28. Calabash Clash by PPG
Ready to push some boundaries? One of the hottest trends in kitchen colors this year, according to Realtor.com, is the use of bold, unexpected colors, especially warm greens.
PPG’s Calabash Clash (PPG 1135-6) is a deep, sage-like green that works as a warm neutral. It’s a good option for nature lovers as it can help make it feel l can help bring the outside in, and pairs well with white or light gray cabinetry.
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29. Orion Gray by Behr
Thinking about selling your home in the next couple of years? Consider a charcoal gray, such as Behr’s Orion Gray (N510-6), in the kitchen. Dark grays are a big selling point for kitchens, according to Zillow research. They also look stunning when accented with wood tones and white.
Where to Buy the Kitchen Paint Colors Featured Here
Buy Behr paint at The Home Depot
Buy Benjamin Moore paint at Ace Hardware
Buy Clare paint at Clare Paints
Buy Farrow & Ball paint at your local stockist
Buy HGTV by Sherwin-Williams paint at Lowe’s
Buy PPG paint at The Home Depot