Posted on July 4, 2023 by KylieMawdsley
THE 8 MOST POPULAR & TRENDY LIGHT KITCHEN CABINET PAINT COLORS
Are you not a big fan of white cabinets? Do you want to update your wood cabinets with paint but want a softer approach? Well, have I got some beautiful shades for you!
HOWEVER, before we start, you know I ALWAYS have an opinion. The difference between MY opinion and that of your sister, mother, and nosy neighbor is that mine is based on experience and knowledge (seriously, I’m NOT trying to toot my own horn; I’m just keeping it real). This means that it’s not personal. What I suggest, or mention has less to do with personal tastes and more with helping YOU find the best paint color for you and your home. Heck, you’re the one that has to live in it, and I want to make YOU happy!
The above is my lead-in to saying that while they’re TRENDY and undeniably beautiful, off-white cabinets come with some risks. And because this is a topic UNTO ITSELF, I’ll summarize it here, while giving you a link to the full blog post shortly.
Backsplash is TBA
WHY OFF-WHITE CABINETS ARE TRICKY
- they will GREATLY limit you in your paint color choice for your walls (you’ll learn why in the previously mentioned blog post)
- they’re trendy NOW, but so were cream cabinets in the early 2000s (that most of my current clients are cursing and trying to change)
That said, I totally understand if you’re not swayed and can’t wait to pick the PERFECT off-white paint color for your home. Keep in mind, I have light-depth cabinets in my OWN home, so I get it – I’m preachin’ to my own personal choir!
1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS AGREEABLE GRAY 7029
Agreeable Gray can be a gorgeous choice for kitchen cabinets. Being a light depth greige with MINOR undertones, it accommodates a wide range of countertops and backsplashes.
Agreeable Gray is also a great choice as it’s not overly warm OR cold, giving you more flexibility down the road.
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
SIMILAR PAINT COLORS TO COMPARE WITH AGREEABLE GRAY
Because you should NEVER pick a paint color without comparing it to others.
- Benjamin Moore Collingwood
- Benjamin Moore Rodeo
- Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
- Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray
- Sherwin Williams Repose Gray
Remember, even if colors have things in common, there will ALWAYS be shifts in LRV (depth), undertones, or temperature (or all three). It’s about COMPARING colors to see which key features best suit your interior finishes!
Why Agreeable Gray is The Best Light Depth Cabinet Color
2. SHERWIN WILLIAMS MODERN GRAY 7632
If you want a slightly softer approach, Modern Gray is lighter and a bit WARMER than Agreeable Gray. However, it has a VERY similar look with passive warmth and subtle undertones.
While the natural light distorts the bottom left corner of this photo, you can expect Modern Gray to look more like the top cabinets and far right.
SIMILAR PAINT COLORS TO COMPARE WITH MODERN GRAY – COMPARISON IS KEY!
- Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
- Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist
- Sherwin Williams Popular Gray
Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams Modern Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
3. SHERWIN WILLIAMS WHITE DUCK 7010
White Duck is one of the FEW exceptions to my hesitation with off-white paint colors. Sometimes, a kitchen needs the subtle softness of off-white cabinets to suit the surrounding finishes. This is OFTEN the case with some of the warmer, popular granite countertops from the early 2000s.
White Duck is like a MODERN cream paint color. While it has a yellow hue, it’s grounded by a neutral base. This base has White Duck looking CONSIDERABLY calmer than the cream cabinets of the early to mid-2000s.
SIMILAR COLORS TO COMPARE WITH WHITE DUCK
- Sherwin Williams Shoji White
- Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White
- Benjamin Moore Ballet White
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams White Duck
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
4. BENJAMIN MOORE CLASSIC GRAY OC-23
I love Classic Gray, and it’s definitely one of the more popular off-white warm gray paint colors. Just keep in mind that it can look a bit warmer than expected on kitchen cabinets (there’s a reason for this, but I won’t nerd out on you…this time).
Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
SIMILAR COLORS TO COMPARE WITH CLASSIC GRAY
- Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist
- Benjamin Moore Collingwood
- Sherwin Williams Egret White
- Sherwin Williams City Loft
BTW, there will ALWAYS be shifts in LRV (depth), undertones, or temperature (or all three). COMPARE COMPARE COMPARE!
5. BENJAMIN MOORE REVERE PEWTER HC-172
Ahhhh, here is where my weakness lays (well, here, and with Ryan Reynolds, who I’d lay with any time – just joking, Tim). Revere Pewter is a light depth warm gray paint color. With its subtle green undertone, it can be a pretty match OR complement to some of the popular white quartz countertops – INCLUDING MINE!
See our kitchen remodel HERE
That’s right; Revere Pewter is the color I chose for my cabinets. However, cabinets often look a bit lighter than you’d expect due to the finish of cabinet paint. To account for this, I darkened my cabinets approximately 25%, just to put a bit more meat on their bones. My kitchen is above, and my client’s kitchen is below; BOTH are approx. 25% darker.
See more of this gorgeous space HERE
Is Revere Pewter the BEST Choice For You & Your Cabinets?
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
SIMILAR COLORS TO COMPARE WITH REVERE PEWTER
- Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray
- Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray
- Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray
- Benjamin Moore Rodeo
6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS AESTHETIC WHITE 7035
I LOVE Aesthetic White for walls and cabinets. Again, many granite countertops and tile backsplashes don’t suit white cabinets. In these cases, a soft neutral like Aesthetic White can come in DARN HANDY.
Aesthetic White is an off-white beige. However, rather than being a traditionally warm beige, it’s like it’s been gently dipped in GRAY.
You might not see this wink of gray; compared to most previous colors, it will look warmer. HOWEVER, as far as beige/tan paint colors go, it’s pretty darn muted.
Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
SIMILAR COLORS TO COMPARE WITH AESTHETIC WHITE
Because you should NEVER pick a paint color without comparing it to others.
- Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige
- Benjamin Moore Winds Breath
7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS MODERATE WHITE 6140
While Moderate White isn’t one of the TRENDY choices, it’s often on the hit list when a home calls for off-white cabinets.
Why isn’t Moderate White as popular?
The more popular off-white cabinet colors are in the warm gray, greige, taupe, and tan families. Moderate White is a beige, so it has an ORANGE undertone. But holy heck, does it suit a lot of interior finishes!
And because I rely 100% on photos from my E-design clients, I don’t have photos of this bad boy on cabinets. But seriously, check it out; it could work for YOU!
SIMILAR COLORS TO COMPARE WITH MODERATE WHITE
- Sherwin Williams Panda White
- Sherwin Williams Divine White
- Benjamin Moore Maritime White
- Benjamin Moore Feather Down
- Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again…
Between colors, there will ALWAYS be shifts in LRV, undertones, or temperature (or all three). It’s about COMPARING colors to see which key features best suit your interior finishes!
Paint Color Review: Sherwin Williams Moderate White
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
8. SHERWIN WILLIAMS EGRET WHITE 7570
With trends leaning warmer – not just on cabinets, but on walls, I see Egret White being a pretty big hit all around. And while it can be slightly warm for some of the popular quartz countertops, it could be PERFECT for yours!
Like Moderate White, I don’t have a sample of it in action on cabinets, but here it is as a sample (far right)…
This is a kitchen that DOESN’T want white cabinets!
Egret White is a bit darker than Classic Gray, but has a similar approach: a warm gray/taupe that can lean warmer on cabinets than expected.
SIMILAR COLORS TO COMPARE WITH EGRET WHITE
There are some GORGEOUS options to compare with Egret White, all having their own take on depth, warmth, and undertones.
- Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist
- Sherwin Williams Classic Gray
- Sherwin Williams City Loft
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Egret White
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
And lastly, let’s talk about Benjamin Moore’s Creamy White.
BENJAMIN MOORE CREAMY WHITE AS A CABINET PAINT COLOR
I have nothing against Creamy White; she’s a lovely gal and is used with GREAT success in the kitchen of Studio McGee. But just as with ANY paint color, this doesn’t mean she’ll work in your home.
Creamy White is warmer than all of the above options with more saturation (chroma/color). It’s still neutral, but has more meat on its bones…very creamy bones (a slight flashback to the early 2000s in the wrong space). And it can look gorgeous, I get it, but here are only TWO situations where I would consider Creamy White…
- You’re doing pretty much EXACTLY what Shea has done. Unless you CAREFULLY COORDINATE, as Shea did, you could get some seriously clashing undertones.
- Your finishes specifically match Creamy White. MATCHING is different from coordinating. Shae coordinated warm/cool, which takes some serious skill. I’m talking about you having finishes that have Creamy White actually IN them to connect with.
Personally, I wouldn’t do Creamy White and have YET to consider it for my clients. But hey, you do you, boo. I’m just here to give you the best advice I’ve got to get you on the right path! If I were to choose a color that politely winks at cream, I’d look at Benjamin Moore Natural Cream for a SUPER muted approach.
Get your PEEL & STICK sample HERE
READ MORE
SHOULD You Paint Your Cabinets an Off-White Paint Color?
Sherwin Williams Origami White: Paint Color Review
The Best Greige Paint Color for Cabinets – Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
The Best Wall Paint Colors with Cream Cabinets
How to Update Cream Cabinets or Trim: COMMON QUESTIONS
6 Questions to Ask BEFORE You Paint Your Cabinets White
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Great information as usual! Long time reader here; I love your in-depth analysis of colour and the insight you provide – so very helpful. Just wanted to mention though – the McGee project you link uses BM Swiss Coffee OC-45 throughout (including the kitchen cabinets), not Creamy White OC-7. They do refer to it as being “a creamy white” but definitely specify using Swiss Coffee.
Author
THANK YOU! I meant to link it to the McGee family kitchen which is in Creamy White, rather than the Cove which IS Swiss Coffee! Thanks for catching this – I’m fixing it right now!
I think I have the perfect example of why off-white cabinets are tricky. We just moved into a new build. This townhome is open layout, 3 floors with loft on the 2nd, and the only spaces/rooms that have doors are the bedrooms and bathrooms. The cabinets are factory finished in a lovely off-white shade that has blue-green undertones. They coordinate beautifully with the quartz countertops which are carrara venatino. The builder chose the colors for the trim and walls and suggest that we don’t repaint the walls for a year, at which time they will come in an fix any nail pops and settling issues. The trim is bright white, the walls a creamy off white. Not only do the undertones of the walls and cabinets clash, but I’m willing to bet that they are similar LRV.
So now I realize that the whole house wall color (undertones and LRV) is going to be dictated by my kitchen cabinet color! And, if I don’t want to paint all the trim in a year (which I don’t), the wall color will be limited by that bright white as well!
I don’t even want to think about it, but have consoled myself that I will be consulting you in the Spring when we can paint again. Maybe it will make a good blog post!
Author
AHHHHH, Donna, I’m sorry to hear this! And yes, it’s the whole ‘similar LRV’ thing that can really throw things off-whack! And just saying, you COULD PAINT now and he can still fix the nail pops/settling in a year :), it will just be on a better colour!
Shea used Swiss Coffee in the Cove Remodel, which she describes as a creamy white. I only know this because I’m slightly obsessed with that specific project. It probably works because the undertones are more yellow green and pull from the more golden veining in the Calacatta marble she used for the counters and backsplash.
Author
Ahhh, I’m probably looking at the wrong project – thank you! I do love Swiss Coffee too :). Now I’m going to figure out WHICH project was Creamy White!
Author
FOUND IT! I had it mixed up with the McGee family home kitchen project – which IS Creamy White – I tagged the wrong project! Thanks for letting me know :).
Thank you for this! So much good info. Question – do you know the upper cabinet height and what size pulls were used on them in your first photo with “ Backsplash is TBA”? I love their size proportion with relation to the cabinets.
Author
I’m sorry, I don’t!!
Hi Kylie! I LOVE your blog! For our new build I’m thinking of using Aesthetic White for walls in *most* of our home paired with Pure White ceilings/trim. Our kitchen island will be walnut and I’m trying to determine if I should go with Pure White for our perimeter cabinets OR could I actually do Aesthetic White for a softer look maybe paired with Pure White on our hood vent? Off white cabinets do make me nervous but when done right, I do love. Thank you!
Author
Hey Sophia, this is ALLLL sounding good. For longevity, I do LEAN INTO Pure White cabinets, even though Aesthetic can be lovely on cabinets. I just think you’ll get more enjoyment in the longterm :).
Thank you very much for taking the time to respond! We have a very open floor plan so my other question would be, if I were to brave AW on cabinets, would you recommend I still carry it to the walls with Pure White trim/ceilings? Or at that point would another wall color fit better? Pure White on walls seems to stark for my liking. I did see a photo where the gal did Aesthetic White cabinetry and her walls were Alabaster at 75%. Thoughts on this? Thank you again, Kylie!
Sophia – I am in the same boat!! Considering AW for whole house and darker stained island, but so torn as to either Pure White for perimeter cabinets or jump in to light depth. I’m not opposed to white cabinets so I’m wondering if the flexibility of white will keep me from taking the plunge. What colors are you considering to pair with pure white and AW?
Hi Ashley! So sorry I’m just now seeing your comment. I am still undecided. Most recently I have concluded Pure White would be the “safer” choice then I came across a kitchen where someone had done AW cabinetry and I loved it. Such a hard choice! My husband prefers a little contrast on the walls so I’m almost thinking AW w/Pure White trim would be our ticket. That being said I think Pure White on the cabinetry would work well since the surrounding walls will bring the needed warmth being AW. We have a very open floor plan. Metal finishes in kitchen will be polished nickel faucet and brass pendant lights/cabinet hardware. What have you decided on?