20 Kitchen Paint Colors to Try in 2024 (2024)

There are few things worse than a drab kitchen. And (though we have no scientific proof here), we reckon that a lackluster cooking space may just lead to lackluster cooking fare. Whether your galley’s sporting unimaginative faux-wood laminate, your woodwork has lost a battle with your not-yet-declawed cat, or your cupboards are swathed in a hue you’re so over, we have great news for you. A kitchen cabinet color touch-up might be just the thing to make the most ordinary of spaces look and feel resplendent—and provide the inspiration you need to step up to your bragworthy culinary reputation.

But where to start? Knowing what colors are in vogue can help get you outside of your color comfort zone. Zillow’s latest paint color analysis found that recent and prospective home buyers would offer at least $2,500 more for a home with a midtoned cement gray or dark charcoal gray kitchen. The classic white kitchen, on the other hand, has fallen out of favor with today’s buyers, who reported they would pay $612 less for a home that has one. The report also found that bright red, mint green, and terra-cotta brown are associated with higher offer prices.

“Paint is a relatively affordable and easy change, yet it has an outsize impact on a buyer’s perception of the home,” says Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trend expert, adding that darker shades of gray not only hide imperfections, but they also signal to a buyer that a home is modern and up to date. “Buyers have been bombarded by dark gray spaces on their social media feeds and home improvement TV shows for several years now, and they perceive it to be current.”

But it’s not only dark hues that are in vogue this year, according to Pinterest’s latest analytics. In the past month, Pinterest searches for “green kitchen paint” rose by 55 percent, and “retro pink kitchens” searches went up by 40 percent. Other terms that proved popular are “eclectic kitchen decor” and “kitschy kitchen.” “We predicted a trend we’re calling Kitschens to take over in 2024,” says Pinterest’s Arianna Thomas. “It is all about quirking up your cooking areas with thrifted finds, vintage appliances, and eye-jarring pops of paint. No minimalist aesthetic is safe!”

Not sure which colors speak to you? “Start in your closet for inspiration,” advises designer Matthew Quinn in Caesarstone’s Beyond the Surface report. “How we choose to adorn ourselves often reflects the colors and materials that evoke our individuality.”

Beyond something so personal, there are a few hard and fast spatial considerations to be made. When choosing colors, consider the natural light your room gets season to season, product and furniture designer Kickie Chudikova adds in the report. “Lighting factors provide context to make a space feel more dark or cold, warm or bright—which changes with the seasons,” she explains. “Surfaces can come alive, reflecting light differently when bathed in light versus when cloaked in shadow. Simply put, the same colors can provide different experiences when paired to the natural world.”

All lighting temperatures considered, need some inspiration to fine-tune your final decision? That’s where we come in. We’ve tapped 20 of our favorite designs to share the kitchen cabinet colors that will strike it big in 2024. From goes-with-everything neutrals to bright, bold hues, think of the kitchen cabinet colors below as the equivalent of a chef’s kiss.

Leave it to an artist to be daring with color. In her colorful Roman apartment, Julie Polidoro gave the kitchen cabinets a dose of electric blue. The vivid green wall (by Crown Paints) and pop of bright blue on the floor trim are tied in via the multicolored Sicilian tile backsplash. Proof that color can be the difference between dated and discerning.

Green kitchens are all the rage at the moment, and we’re loving this understated spin on the trend. In this 1936 California house overlooking the San Francisco Bay, the cabinets are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Green Ground, a discerning “matte green with a distinctive, chalky finish that minimizes imperfections and creates a beautiful depth of color,” according to the product description. When paired with hand-antiqued marble flooring and a bold black soapstone countertop, the result is a space we would never want to leave.

Opting for a dark-hued color doesn’t have to mean committing to a cavelike cookery. Take this Cortney Bishop–designed beach house, which she affectionately named “Ebony and Ivory.” In the kitchen, an intentional treatment of charcoal gray stands out against the otherwise bright-as-white space.

Looking for something punchier? Designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s California kitchen features a vibrant green island and backsplash, both tempered by a high-top marble table and brass pendants and further complemented by matching green barstools. We’re green with envy!

Whoever said a kitchen has to feel stoic? Take notes from this dreamy space in architect Achille Salvagni’s storied Roman palazzo, which nixes harsh fluorescent lights and stainless steel appliances in place of a gentle and artistic light fixture (Salvagni’s design) that will cast a gentle glow on the creamy, almost-white cabinets.

Light and airy is a classic look, and this dreamy summer home designed by Celerie Kemble is the epitome of that old East Hampton style. The gentle teal pairs perfectly with the kitchen’s architectural details—a warm mahogany wood island, white beamed ceilings, and light oak flooring. Bon appétit!

When it comes to design, the devil’s in the details. In this artistic Houston home designed by J. Randall Powers, the kitchen is brimming with little details that amp up its verve. The lower custom cabinets are painted in a strié effect and upper cabinets in Sherwin-Williams’s Roman Column. If this wasn’t the heart of the home because of the food, it certainly will be now.

In color psychology, the color blue is considered to be an appetite suppressant as blue foods are less commonly found in nature or eaten. This serene Pacific Palisades home is doused in an airy baby blue that certainly hasn’t curbed our appetite for color.

A desaturated color in a kitchen can be the difference between tacky and sophisticated. Take, for instance, the elegant deep blue matte kitchen in this Nashville home (designed by Jason Arnold), which feels at once timeless and modern.

Designer Sam Sacks infused this three-story Victorian with color, texture, and wit—but also with bold blue paint. In the kitchen, a white brick backsplash covers much of the walls, punctuated by custom kitchen cabinets that were doused in Sacks’s favorite azure shade, Benjamin Moore’s Blue. The paint company suggests pairing this hue with cool-toned neutrals and a green-tinted shade of gray.

When ELLE DECOR editor Ingrid Abramovitch renovated her home in Brooklyn, one of her first design decisions was to douse the kitchen cabinets in Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue, a color that will repeat itself throughout the house. It’s a satisfying answer to having to choose between punchy and hip, and timeless and antiquated. Why not have both?

For an interior that is deliberately laid-back, Greek architect Lilia Melissa gave this kitchen a paint treatment that she likens to seaweed. Typical to the surrounding area’s architecture, it’s meant to age with time and the sun’s rays. “Washed-out colors look best in such strong light,” the designer explains.

A deep olive green is a designer favorite, summoning earth tones that exude soothing vibes without overpowering the space. This kitchen, featuring white-veined porcelain Caeserstone countertops, is proof that there’s more than one way to bring the outdoors in.

We’ve seen blue dialed up and dialed down, but we haven’t seen it in this easy-on-the-eyes air force blue tone, which pairs well with metallic hardware and, as seen here, with Caesarstone’s veined quartz countertops. This luxurious kitchen certainly passes the taste test.

Still aboard the neutral train? Jean Liu’s historic studio apartment might persuade even the most maximalist of decorators to jump ship (er, train?). She gave her kitchen cabinets a dose of Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath, paired with a vintage Malayer runner and a ceramic vase by Devon Liedtke.