For 2019, we predict classic kitchens with white cabinets will still be most popular followed by trendy kitchens with jewel toned cabinets that will dominate the scene. Kitchens with dark wood toned cabinets will follow close behind.
Today we partnered with Julep Tile and Kitchens by Wedgewood in Louisville, CO to show you a collection of curated kitchen color palettes. Kirsten Sharp is the incredibly talented owner and designer for Julep Tile. She and her team create beautiful handmade tiles inspired by vintage wallpaper designs.
Classic White Kitchens
We love the look of classic white kitchen cabinets with white quartz countertops and statement backsplashes that you will love forever. Subway tile is great, but we have more options!
This classic white cabinet is paired with the Julep Tile Bloom backsplash. The pattern adds texture with a soft beige color scheme paired with a quartz countertop that mimics warm Calacatta marble. The gold veins in the quartz tie in with the beige tile color. Paint your walls Manchester Tan to pull the look together. Manchester Tan is an amazing no-fail neutral paint color that looks great with any décor.
- Cabinet: Wedgewood Raised Panel (Big Bevel) with Ogee edge profile in Melted Brie
- Backsplash Tile: Julep Tile Bloom pattern with Cream Crackle
- Countertop: Silestone Lusso Polished Quartz
- Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan HC-81
Just because we love these white cabinets, we matched them with a subtle two-toned tile backsplash reminiscent of an old-fashioned wallpaper. For simplicity, we paired it with a solid white quartz. Finish the room with Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan, the most neutral paint color in the universe.
- Cabinet: Wedgewood Raised Panel (Big Bevel) with Ogee edge profile in Melted Brie
- Backsplash Tile: Julep Tile two-color Cobham pattern with Cream body and Wheat accent
- Countertop: Caesarstone Organic White Polished Quartz
- Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan HC-81
We have one more color palette for your classic white cabinets. Add a gorgeous two-toned blue Bloom tile pattern, and a solid white quartz countertop. Complete this dramatic white kitchen with navy blue walls, painted with Benjamin Moore Hale Navy.
- Cabinet: Wedgewood Raised Panel (Big Bevel) with Ogee edge profile in Melted Brie
- Backsplash Tile: Julep Tile two-color Bloom pattern with Blue-gray body and Light Blue Watercolor Accents
- Countertop: Caesarstone Organic White Polished Quartz
- Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hale Navy HC-154
Kitchens with Jewel Toned Cabinets will Dominate
This gorgeous dark blue jewel colored Wedgewood cabinet defines the palette for a modern kitchen with Julep Tile two-color Bloom handmade tile, solid white quartz and Sherwin Williams Zircon blue-gray paint.
- Cabinet: Wedgewood Shaker Door painted SW In The Navy
- Backsplash Tile: Julep Tile two-color Bloom pattern with Blue-gray body and Light Blue Watercolor Accents
- Countertop: Caesarstone Organic White Polished Quartz
- Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Zircon SW 7887
Dark Wood Cabinets are the new Gray
This modern dark walnut slab cabinet door is paired with Julep Tile backsplash with a two-toned modern pattern reminiscent of encaustic tiles. We keep the rest of the palette simple with a white quartz countertop and Sherwin Williams Westhighland White paint color.
- Cabinet: Wedgewood Walnut Veneer Slab Door with Onyx Stain and Satin Finish
- Backsplash Tile: Julep Tile two-color Heiser pattern with Black Watercolor body and Slate Gray Accents Accents
- Countertop: Caesarstone Organic White Polished Quartz
- Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Westhighland White SW 7566
Warm Gray Rustic Kitchens
Pick a modern driftwood cabinet color and keep the rest of the finishes light and airy. This creamy white backsplash adds texture with matching white quartz. Tie it all together with BM Classic Gray paint, with the perfect green-gray undertones.
- Cabinet: Ultracraft Kitty Hawk Wired Silver Melamine from Kitchens by Wedgewood
- Backsplash Tile: Julep Tile Damask in Glossy White
- Countertop: Caesarstone Organic White Polished Quartz
- Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray OC-23
The Verdict:
We will continue to see white kitchens in 2019, but with more interesting backsplashes and beautiful color combinations. Jewel colored cabinets will be popular, paired with light counters and complementary colored backsplashes. We will see more neutral woods such as walnut and driftwood colored tones, paired with white counters and backsplashes.
Don’t forget to always test your paint colors. Our directions for how to test paint colors are here.
Online Color Consulting
If you still need help with paint colors, check out our Online Color Consulting packages or an In-Person Color Consultation in the Denver Metro area. We even offer services specific to helping you choose cabinet paint colors.
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About the Author
Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room.
Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person. I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.
Related Articles:
Our 5 Favorite Benjamin Moore White Paint Colors
Coastal Cottage Kitchen Update
12 Timeless Kitchen Finishes for a Kitchen Remodel
40 Responses
Love your blog, we are building a new home and have cloud white cupboards with a 10foot bead board island in Sherwin Williams “needlepoint navy”. Quartz is “Romano white” which is a warm white which has a blue-gray vein running through it that matches the island paint. Only other big purchase is a navy blue leather sectional. I know I want a neutral paint for our open concept…. any suggestions would be appreciated. We live by the lake and are leaning towards a modern coastal theme. Thx.
Hi Luanne, I took a look at the color palette – Needlepoint Navy and Cloud White with the MSI Romano quartz. Not sure if we are looking at the same quartz, but the Romano White quartz I got from the MSI website looked tan, and didn’t have the veining you mentioned. Also, I would need more information on the backsplash you have chosen. I’d be happy to evaluate those for you in an online package, and to give you guidance on the paint color as well as a choice for countertop and backsplash. Since I don’t have this type of a package on my website yet, please email me at
mi******@th***************.com
for more information. Have a great day!
Building a new house, cupboards, crown and all mouldingS Cloud White, ceiling cloud white flat. Kitchen/family room open with windows and doors, I want a slightly darker color for walls, leaning towards Manchester tan with sunroom in background overlooking farm fields in Saybrook sage. Six windows in this room, is safe brook sage too dark?
Hi Lynn,
Sagebrook Sage is way too dark.
Michelle
Can you tell me the color of the white cabinets? Would Benjamin Moore’s “White Dove” work? I have the BM Manchester Tan on the walls and love it. There are so many shades of white that it’s confusing. I’m looking for a timeless look and appreciate your posts on this and the timeless kitchens. Love it! Thank you!
Hi Renee,
Thank you for your lovely comments! The white cabinets are Wedgewood Melted Brie which is an off-white color. White Dove is also an off-white that could work very well, but I recommend testing first with the backsplash tile that you choose. Directions for testing colors can be found in my blog at https://thecolorconcierge.com/how-to-test-paint-colors/. BTW Manchester Tan is one of my favorite colors too!
Woo Hoo! After seeing so much gray in every shade in the marketplace, I’m glad to see folks liking BM Manchester Tan. I find the color a wonderful background that doesn’t feel cold. I have it pared with BM Simply White trim and I used BM on Swiss Coffee on the ceilings. Swiss Coffee on the ceiling is a soft color and not as stark as a typical ceiling white. I love it and it is so easy to live with.
Hi Barbara,
Thank you so much! We love Manchester Tan with Swiss Coffee too!
Michelle @ The Color Concierge
Great content and insight on what’s coming up next. Michelle thanks so much for giving us a wonderful interior for our kitchen!
Just in time! Help….. We are redoing our kitchen and I don’t want to go white. My husband wants black slate appliances so I have to work around that… Im not a grey fan or brown …. I like the look of a flat panel drawer/cabilet in a light grainy wood with plank tile floors in white/grey/beige to go with current furniture in living/ dining area.
What color walls?
Hi Michelle,
It looks as if you are on a good track! I love the look of a light wood kitchen, and I really see it as a new classic with light colored floors. For your floors, the most classic are an unstained white oak or maple, or a medium wood color. Stay away from grey floors because they are trendy, and on their way out. I would be happy to specify a color but I would need more information. You can purchase a “Color Your Room” package on our website! Happy Holidays, Michelle
I would love an expert opinion!!! We just bought a 30 year old home and are renovating the kitchen. I like warm colors but don’t want the space to seem dark. The ceiling is getting redone with a shiplap. I don’t have a white color picked out for that yet. The cabinets are an off white/egg shell like color, the quartz countertop is woodlands by ceasarstone, and the floors we are considering are a light colored tile that looks like brick. In the store the colors match well together. I’m nervous the dark countertops will make the space seem dark. The light counter tops blend into the cabinets, and the flooring has been a challenge because it meets up with Brazilian cherry. Many colors and woods don’t flow well together. Any thoughts?
Hi Nikki,
It’s hard for me to tell without seeing photos of the space. We have an “Ask a question” package in the online color consulting section of the blog for specifics. Overall, I would say that a dark counter with white cabinets and walls are a classic look. I recommend the following guidelines for picking colors for the kitchen you describe:
1) Give yourself 1 pattern for the space. The counter is really busy, so I would pick a hardwood or solid tile floor. For a classic hardwood floor pick a mid-toned brown floor or natural white oak or maple. The wood floor could be traditional hardwood, hardwood looking LVP, hardwood-look tile kitchen.
2. Since your dark chocolate colored quartz, I would agree with a creamy color. A clean crisp color would look like primer. Match the cabinet color to the walls and ceiling, but use different sheens for more dimension and contrast. For example, the shiplap ceiling could be satin, walls eggshell or flat, cabinets could be satin or semi-gloss.
We are in the process of updating our kitchen ! We are painting our brown maple cabinets white dove to brighten up the kitchen ! We are leaning towards having the island painted darker for contrast (not black but more espresso).. in your opinion Is that something you see trending out? We are looking for a timeless look if possible.. we have an ornamental giallo granite with an off white beveled subway tile that we are working around.. thanks in advance for any advice you may have 🙂
Hi Stephanie,
I think that an expresso island would look lovely and classic with your earthy Giallo countertop – I would not pick black. I believe that constrasting islands and tuxedo cabinet kitchen looks are here to stay. This is a new classic that gives us more flexibility for creativity. I see brown in the colors of the countertop. Just make sure that the brown you pick ties in well with the browns in the countertop. I like the contrast. If you picked one of the beiges it would be too monochromatic.
For an earthy countertop, I always recommend off-white or creamy whites because a clean or blue-white would be too stark and look like primer. You are on the right track, but I would also test creamier colors such as BM Marscapone and BM Swiss Coffee. Check out my blog for the article “Learn to Test Paint Colors LIke a Pro”.
For more detailed help, you can order one of our Online Color Consulting packages!
Hi Michelle, I just discovered your blog and am soaking in all your comments! I am in the process of a total home renovation. I tend to stay in the traditional side of things, but am not afraid to “get out of my box” in areas that can be changed in a few years without a lot of headaches. I have chosen a med brown hand scraped hardwood. I’m using all Benjamin Moore paint. My master is Palace Pearl, hall, foyer, and other bedrooms I used Revere Pewter. I love the Revere Pewter, but it tends to look more beige in my home, so to change things up I choose BM Metropolitan in my formal dining room. My question is what color would you suggest for my kitchen, which is seen from my den and formal dining room? I am using stark white cabinetry, thinking of a white /w grey veiny quartz or granite countertops in kitchen. My formal dining is not “formal” I had a 9ft farm table made with an espresso finish/beige upholstery chairs. Wow! I know this is lengthy, but would love you input!
Hi Lisa,
I just saw your comment. Sorry about the delay. In this case, its hard for me to make a recommendation without seeing photos of your space. I can say that the best way to find a wall or cabinet color for the kitchen is to match your floors or countertop. If you have an earthy granite, I would recommend a creamy white for your cabinets. If your countertop is a marble or clean quartz color, then a crisper white might make more sense. I could give you more details if I had more information. Please consider our online color consulting packages for a more thorough answer.
Michelle
Hi. I’m redoing my kitchen. Shaker style white inset cabinets. Extra white Sherman Williams and the island and bar cabinets are going to be steely gray (Sherman Williams). The countertops I picked are super white quartzite. Most likely will do herringbone pattern white subway tile as backsplash. What are your thoughts. Do these goband what do u think of repose gray for paint on walls? Flooring will be wood look tile…brown
Hi Jenn,
That sounds beautiful, but I would need to look at all the specific products in detail to give you a more accurate answer. This would be a perfect question for the “Ask a Question” package in our Online Color Consulting section.
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle – Love your blog!
We are in the process of renovating our kitchen and your neutral white specifications caught our eye. We will have Raised Panel cabinets painted SW Alabaster, our backsplash will be a simple subway tile (matching either the cabinet or wall paint) and the wall paint is SW Accessible Beige. We are planning to use Silestone Lusso Polished Quartz on the u-shaped kitchen & island. We currently have oak floors stained a medium brown (provincial/spice brown) in the family room adjacent to the kitchen and plan to stain the island the same warm, medium brown. Although we love the look of wood throughout the whole space… we’re worried about water damage, so have decided to install tile in the kitchen/utility/adjacent pool bath. Do you have any ideas about simple (plain) kitchen floor tiles that would look good with this neutral palette and adjacent medium wood brown wood floors? We’ve thought about travertine, but want to avoid busy/blotchy patterns? TIA!
Hi Aimee,
That sounds beautiful! Have you considered LVP instead of tile is you like wood? When I first heard about it 6 months ago, I rolled my eyes. Then I did a bunch of research and now I plan to install LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) throughout my whole first floor. I’m just getting ready to release a new blog on that. Stay tuned! If you still want a white tile, I’d be happy to do an online consultation for you. Try the “Ask a question” package. Thanks!
Michelle
It’s funny you mentioned LVP… we actually installed it upstairs in our sons’ bedrooms and continued into their bathrooms to replace outdated carpet and pinkish tile. We love the look and the water resistance! The big concern with putting LVP right next to real wood is that no matter how many samples we found and tried… none matched exactly. It just looked like we were trying to match… and they really don’t quite… so we decided to go with tile in the kitchen (or maybe cork)?
Hi Aimee,
That is definitely one of the drawbacks of LVP, that its hard to match existing hardwood floors. However, that’s the case even if you install new hardwood floors next to old ones. Usually the only way to make them look intentional is if you refinish all the floors to match the new floor. If you pick another material such as tile or cork, that works too!
Michelle
Hello Michelle I would love to have some assistant in my color of backsplash choice. I am in the process of building. We don’t have a big budget so I’m using basic cabinets the color is saddle with the dark ornamental granite. Not sure with color back splash I should use but I have chosen Kilim beige as my main house color but a accent wall in the kitchen opposite end of cabinet in the nook as svelte sage. Please help me if you can with my choices I need some guidance. Also if you feel I need to change any colors please let me know. Thank you
We are building a new house and typically our kitchens in the past had natural wood colors in the kitchen, warm cozy. Going for something outside the box for us this time… White shaker cabinets for the kitchen. A few of them have glass doors. The granite is white ornamental. Looking at shimmer silver 2×8 glass for backsplash under cabinets. And for behind the chimney stainless steel/nickel range hood selecting the Sierra Graphite Linen Glass Mosaic. The living space is beside the kitchen and will have a dark grey sectional with very contemporary chairs on each side of the fireplace with black/grey/off white pattern. Not sure what to do above the cabinets as we have 9 ft ceilings. Any suggestions? or comments on our tile choices before placing the order? I’m not a fan of white subway tiles. Really like the glass look. – Thanks! Paula
I am doing laundry room. What is the best cabinetry and wall colour with Crema Marfil floor and dark grey washer dryer.
Thanks so much
Hi Mary,
I would really need to see photos of your space to give you an accurate color. You might consider one of our online paint color packages. We don’t have a specific cabinetry color, but for now if you order an “Ask a color question” package, I would be able to help you.
Thanks,
Michelle
Good Afternoon
What paint resource did you use for the melted brie paint color on the cabinets?
Hi, the melted brie color is a proprietary color used by the cabinet company. Excellent question!
We are currently in the process of updating our kitchen we currently have a beige ceramic tile on the floor. Hubby says that we can’t change the flooring. The cabinets are white currently I have a light gray on the wall but willing to change. I’ve been searching for about two months for the right countertop. I was leaning towards quartz because I filled the granite has too much designs in it to go with the flooring. Never thought remodeling our kitchen would be so exhausting .
Hi there. Is there a paint company that has a color that approximates the Melted Brie proprietary color used by the cabinet company?
The closest color would be Benjamin Moore Cloud White, which is a darker off-white, not quite a cream color. Really lovely!
Michelle
Hi Michelle
We are renovating our kitchen. Our perimeter countertop is ceasarstone concrete charcoal gray and the island is ceasarstone Maximus. We are thinking of white for cabinets with stainless steel range hood. Do you think white is not going out style? We want something that is not trendy. What kind of backsplash will look nice with these combinations. Thanks
Hi Helen,
White Cabinets are a timeless choice, so no, they won’t be going out of style, probably ever. Your two quartz choices are beautiful. I would pick an off-white color such as SW Pure White, BM Dove White or BM Simply white. I love a subway backsplash. Believe it or not Home Depot has some beautiful choices. What I love about white glossy subway is that it sparkles in the sunshine! Use a white epoxy or polyblend grout that won’t stain. If you need more help, please feel free to purchase one of our color consultation packages.
Michelle
Photo by The Color Concierge
Cabinet: Wedgewood Raised Panel (Big Bevel) with Ogee edge profile in Melted Brie
Backsplash Tile: Julep Tile two-color Bloom pattern with Blue-gray body and Light Blue Watercolor Accents
Countertop: Caesarstone Organic White Polished Quartz
Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hale Navy HC-154
is there another paint color and silestone that would go with this combination
Hi Michelle,
Check out Silestone Desert Silver with a creamy Benjamin Moore White Dove, or Silestone Iconic White with Benjamin Moore STonington Gray. Don’t forget to test your paint colors and surfaces in the space and next to the cabinets. Good luck!
Michelle
Michelle is genius! I needed advice with my kitchen colors and she nailed it!
She selected a color I never would have considered and it’s absolutely perfect for my space. I walk into my kitchen with a smile everyday.
I couldn’t be happier, I love the colors she selected.
Thank you for this helpful advice! Last year I had the cabinets in my home refinished by a local wood refinishing company and they did a great job, but the stain I chose didn’t quite go with the walls or the decor of the room. Rather than getting the cabinets refinished again, I decided to repaint the walls in my home with Benjamin Moore’s Manchester Tan. I never would have picked this color if it weren’t for this post, but I’m so glad I did because it was the perfect color for my kitchen and I’m happy with the results!
I love the first example: (Wedgewood Raised Panel (Big Bevel) with Ogee edge profile in Melted Brie). Do you think these color combinations ares type in style in 2021? Would you call the Brie color Off-white or Cream? Also, I emailed for a quote I am interested in services! Thanks!
Hello,
I am redoing my kitchen and am using Hale Navy by colour for my island and side tall cabinets. My lower cabinets I wanted in white. Can you tell me what white pairs well with Hale Navy? I’m also thinking of a marble looking counter top and backsplash.
Thank you.