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Need help choosing kitchen cabinet paint colors!

3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

Needing help choosing a paint color for these cabinets and the island. So far we have pinned SW Dover White and BM Swiss Coffee. We are open to everything including painting the island a different color.

I have photos of the rest of the house to help us choose. The moss green in the dining and office is SW Messenger Bag.

After choosing the color we would love advice on what color of handles and pulls we will need. Yes that curtain will be gone! We will be having this professionally painted. Thank you so much!



Just installed Formica Calacatta Cava.



Other side of the room leading into great room.



Dining Room in the front of the house.



Office in the front of the house.

Thank you for your help!

Comments (26)

  • 3 years ago

    I don't care for either of those with your floor. In the pictures the floor reads very grey and those colors both look too yellow.

  • 3 years ago

    Are you talking about the cabinet paint colors we are looking at? This is what we need help with.

  • 3 years ago

    I love your cabinets the way they are. i would add crown molding though. That said, I would warn you to fill in the wood grain before they get painted. Otherwise, the texture will be quite prominant. Unless you like that look….

    Dyan Weis thanked Lexy Smith
  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Dyan, clt3 is right about the undertones of both Swiss Coffee and Dover.




    Depending on your lighting, lots of yellow can show.

    Are the floors taupe?

    Maybe SW Alabaster?

  • 3 years ago



  • 3 years ago

    pick a warm black and paint the island. place black or dark pewter hardware on the cabinets. thats all you need to do.

    Dyan Weis thanked herbflavor
  • 3 years ago

    We would keep the cabinets plain but they were not taken care of (had to replace everything in this house including the door knobs before moving in). They are not in good shape at all and would love to start again with freshly painted cabinets. Thanks for the ideas!

  • 3 years ago



    Another pic of what we are working with!

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I usually agree with ”don’t paint the cabinets”, but in your case, with the flooring and other changes, the current oak color doesn’t work. It would look like you just gave up and quit at that point.

    I think they’d look nice in a white like Eld showed, or another that plays with your floor tones well. Get samples or paint sample boards to move around in different lights.

    Have you looked up your exact flooring to see if there might be pictures of what others have done? Just to find a direction, as everyone’s lighting and such will be different.

    Dyan Weis thanked Jilly
  • 3 years ago

    Sorry, we were posting at the same time!

    Really hoping Beth H sees this, she always has a lot of ideas and examples for this sort of dilemma.

  • 3 years ago

    I would paint the cabinets. SW Alabaster recommended by eld6161 above looks pretty for your space. If you’re keeping the green elsewhere, that color could work on the island.

  • 3 years ago

    Yes, these cabinets are junk. Would love to replace some day but right now they will do. Didn't want to invest a whole lot which is why we installed laminate. I think paint will help a lot.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    BM White Dove might be another good one to sample.

    ETA: I like herbflavor’s idea of black, too.

  • 3 years ago



    Previous owner before pic with the beautiful green countertops - lol. Doing the best we can!

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Dyan, what is the white on your trim and dining room wainscoting?

  • 3 years ago

    I will have to look.

  • 3 years ago

    We are getting them painted for 2k. For us it is worth it.

  • 3 years ago

    He is a pro. that we are friends with that we have helped out.

  • 3 years ago

    Do you like the current colors in the rest of the downstairs space - the white wainscoting, trim, black rails and door, greige walls and Moss dining room? If these are your colors then I would continue with those same colors in the kitchen. Same white on the cabinets and same greige on the walls, black hardware.


    These colors look really good with your flooring. Hopefully they work well with the new countertop as well.


    If you are seriously considering changing out the cabinets in the future you may want to give some thought to the process and costs to figure out what to do in what order so that your not spending a lot of money on temporary fixes that you can live with for a year or two.


    Kitchen renovations can be horribly expensive and may not be totally necessary. Everyone has to figure out for themselves just how to prioritize their spending.


    Buy extra flooring now while they still make it (many styles/colors get discontinued in a year or two) so that you can change things in the future and not have an issue matching the floor.


    Decide now if you will want to change the layout of the kitchen or just replace the cabinets.

    Do the cabinets need replaced or just the doors and drawer fronts?

    How long until you will be replacing?

    Do you have the original painted professionally or DIY, knowing it only needs to last a year or two?

    Do you go ahead and order doors and drawer fronts and have the boxes painted professionally to match?

    Do you have the boxes painted professionally and do the doors and drawer fronts DIY until you can buy new doors and drawer fronts.


    Renovations cost far too much to spend money without knowing where your heading and knowing that each step is moving toward the goal.


  • 3 years ago

    Spending the 2k for that job will be money well spent.

  • 3 years ago

    LOVED the previous floor!! I think what you need, if wear is your concern is to strip and re-stain. I am not so sure painting will hold up for you. But truly if you are going to all that then I would look at replacing the uppers. Get to the ceiling height and some crown. "White" kitchens looks so much better with proper uppers. As I've been beating this drum it shows here. The green counters were their favorite...colors are such a personal choice and GREEN is harder for a new owner to swallow than wood tone or white even if they want BLUE.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    With those floors and counters, I'd go with blues for the cabinets. You could even do white uppers and blue for the lowers/island. Here's a kitchen we did for clients that uses Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace for the uppers, and Hale Navy for the base cabinets:



    Redwood City Kitchen and Bath Remodel · More Info


    Redwood City Kitchen and Bath Remodel · More Info


    I also like the idea of going with gray-blues for the cabinets:



    Woodside Kitchen · More Info


    Serene Family Kitchen · More Info


    Dyan Weis thanked Sabrina Alfin Interiors
  • 3 years ago

    There are a thousand beautiful whites and beautiful colors, many of which look beautiful in someone's home. The question isn't what looked good in somebody else's home with their colors, finishes and lighting, but what will look good in your home with your color's, finishes and lighting.


    Like picking a pair of slacks or shorts to go with a top, even if the slacks are a beautiful color, they have to be beautiful with the shirt to make a beautiful outfit.

  • 3 years ago

    I think you want a cooler white, if you go with white. That said, what if you went white with your uppers (two options below) and grey/charcoal for your lowers? The idea of black is elegant, but you dont have light to spare in that space.



    Dyan Weis thanked eam44
  • 3 years ago

    Thank you for advice! Like I said before the reason we are getting this done for 2k is because we have done some work for this guy. He is a professional and does VERY good work (not that it has anything to do with my original question ).

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