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Current paint color to compliment cream cabinets & black granite

My kitchen really needs an update but I'm not a very, very tight budget. The kitchen was the rage in the late 90's/early 2000's...cream cabinets, beige walls and black granite. You've all seen it!

I have A LOT of cabinets and can't afford to have them professionally painted. They were all installed in 2009 and are in great shape, but they're cream. They are manufactured (not real wood) and very smooth, so DIY painting is out of the question. They'd need to be professionally sprayed.

I've tried just about every swatch against them trying to find a grey or greige that would compliment the cream but maybe my eyes are missing a good combo. Really beige greiges look good, but they're still too beige.

Any ideas? Are there any greys that go well with cream? Or even whites? My house is a ranch with low ceiling, low light so I'd like to brighten it. The beige it has now is too dark.

The adjoining room is brown and I'd like to update that paint, too. Would love some ideas! Especially is you know the paint brand and color name!



Comments (28)

  • Elaine Doremus Resumes Written
    4 years ago

    Cotton White SW7104

  • salonva
    4 years ago

    It is a very nice kitchen. Nothing wrong with your light fixtures but would you consider changing them? I think changing them could really do a major refresh.

    Heidi Tamberen Matthewman thanked salonva
  • HU-941211185
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I agree change the light fixtures. If its it's not budget friendly consider refreshing with silver colour fabric paint (if fabric) stencil a geometric pattern. the round knobs with chrome long and sleek. If not in budget spray paint them with a silver or chrome colour paint. Repeat same colour on the morrow frame replace the art work with contemporary prints with black cream and silver some blue green and red Paint the walls a lighter shade a warm off white. The curtain panel change to a multi colour to compliment / pick up colours in the artwork. Or select one solid colour from the art work for the panels. Get some clay pottery red / green with a green plant for counter top pop of colour!

  • AC LB
    4 years ago

    I love your kitchen! It’s timeless. If you want to refresh it, you could paint the room a different color, but I love it as is!

  • PRO
    Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
    4 years ago

    Your kitchen is very nice and most homeowners would be perfectly happy with it.

    That being said, change is always a good thing! And painting the walls is a great way to change the look of a room without spending boatloads of money.

    It's going to be difficult to find a gray color that works with cream colored cabinets. How about a toned-down green, meaning a grayed-down green? I'd pick a color that has a good amount of contrast to your cabinets, since if you go too light the cream color will fight with it. Try Ben Moore Saybrook Sage, Sag Harbor Gray, Providence Olive, or Bennington Gray. All the Historical Colors in B Moore's collection can read a bit green (and disregard the names!). In any case, you need to try the colors out in your space with your light, and compare the look during the day and evening, under natural and artificial light. Colors can vary greatly depending on the light source.

    Good luck with your choice!

  • User
    4 years ago

    I really like your kitchen as it is & if I had a bit of a budget, I would personally just pick new light fixtures and call it a day. Good luck!

  • mnmamax3
    4 years ago

    Do you have an inspiration picture of what you are hoping to achieve? I think a really beige grey would look nice or even a shade of apple green lighter than your chairs. I might also consider changing out not just your light fixtures but your bulbs. Something right around 3000K should give you a nice white glow that will brighten things as well. Pretty kitchen!!

  • mnmamax3
    4 years ago

    And by apple green, I mean what Diana said above... something saturated but still light with red and/or black added to keep it from being obnoxious!

  • thinkdesignlive
    4 years ago

    Super cheap refresh would be light linen shade swap out for all light fixtures. New cream walls to match cabinets! It will look current and fresh.

  • Sara
    4 years ago

    We have cabinets in BM Mascarpone, which is a creamy white, and our trim is that color throughout front of house. It works well with the BM light pewter in the kitchen-a pale grey-and the BM revere pewter in the living room-a darker greige. I think we’ll paint the dining room Wythe Blue which is a pretty blue green. All worth checking out.

  • CassidyZ
    4 years ago

    Just commenting to say I think your kitchen is lovely

  • decoenthusiaste
    4 years ago

    Gray is on the way out, IMO. What color would work in your adjacent living area? They'll both need to be the same, don't you think? Bring home some sample chips and when you find what you like in both rooms, get sample pots and large white poster board so you can spend a few days experimenting with how they look in different light. Paint the sample color in the middle of the boards and leave a wide white boarder all around so your current wall color doesn't distort the paint sample. Move them around on all walls, in all light and at all times of day and weather conditions to see what works best 24/7.

  • Heidi Tamberen Matthewman
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    You all are so helpful & great ideas!

    OMG! I LOVE the greens! Funny thing, I have dark sage green sofas in the connecting living area! I think cream walls would go well in there and combat the low natural light situation. I guess I've been fighting the cream instead of going with it.

    Yes, I love the copper, too. I've always been a fan of it. You all think copper would go well with the green, black, cream combo? I suppose copper has red undertones so that'd compliment green walls? I just didn't imagine copper on cream.

    I'm probably going to have to sell this house in a year or two so I want to stick with safe colors that will show well to buyers. I'm in a pretty trendy area, so I suppose whatever is current would go over well even if it isn't neutral.

    I was planning on changing the light fixtures to glass with Edison bulbs. Is this trend on its way out? I love it but don't want to need to update them in a couple years when I sell. I think I just fell in love with the copper pendant idea, though. Decisions, decisions!



  • thinkdesignlive
    4 years ago

    If you're selling in a year I think cream walls will be the best bet. And just swapping out the shades to a light linen would be less $ than all new fixtures. I also love a good green but that's a risky move for resale.

  • athomeeileen
    4 years ago

    Your kitchen is great. Paint all the brown walls cream and switch out those black shades to linen.

  • Holly Stockley
    4 years ago

    Well, House Beautiful claims green is the "new neutral." :-) But I might ask a realtor in your area before I committed.


    I agree if you're putting this house on the market that soon, changing out shades on the lights would probably do the trick.


    Although copper and green ARE a classic:






  • cpartist
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Pick either a soft green or a soft blue/gray. Gray will not work. Either will work if you're selling. You don't need to do linen or cream on the walls to sell. Sometimes a neutral color will actually make the house sing more and a soft blue/gray or a soft green can do that. (In fact the house I sold in 2010 during the recession had shades of green on the walls and that's what the new owners loved. The condo I sold in 2016 had a green bedroom and that's the one room color she loved the most.)

    Your light fixtures are fine. In fact they're timeless. Don't change them

  • suzyq53
    4 years ago

    Dunn Edwards Crisp Mulin might work.



    Heidi Tamberen Matthewman thanked suzyq53
  • hollybar
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Green and a warm white/cream in the adjoining space could both lighten and update the spaces for re-sale. Diana has given you great suggestions on shade, I'd add BM Tea Light & BM Sage Tint as ones to consider. And as ever, after you've narrowed down your choice....https://samplize.com/ 

  • chispa
    4 years ago

    You can also try BM Grant Beige. A greenish-beige that will go well with your cream cabinets, white trim and your wood floors.

  • PRO
    Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
    4 years ago

    I think whites is the best solution. You can also go with light blue/gray or sea salt




    Heidi Tamberen Matthewman thanked Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
  • thinkdesignlive
    4 years ago

    Celery don’t you think white will make the cabinets look dingy? If the walls are cream to match the cabinets it will make them look more streamlined IMO. Maybe just me. I still feel for resale it’s the best course.

    Heidi Tamberen Matthewman thanked thinkdesignlive
  • PRO
    Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
    4 years ago

    Yes, you are right. I was thinking of the same. You have to try sample first next to cream.

  • PRO
    Kitchen Tune-up Zeeland, Sales & Design
    4 years ago

    As long as you don't do a neon green but a nice muted green, it will absolutely not hurt resale. There were many good examples posted and it will look amazing with linen or copper.

  • cpartist
    4 years ago

    I think a soft green will be your best choice.

  • Heidi Tamberen Matthewman
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    I'm going to try light, muted green samples. If I do copper light fixtures and knobs, will they clash with all the stainlees steel appliances and silver faucet? I really love copper, but can't afford changing all the other metals in the room.