When your kitchen remodel involves dark kitchen cabinets, you want to pay special attention to your overall color scheme to determine how to tie in choices for countertop, flooring, and hardware. Everything from lighting to paint color should complement the dark cabinets.
Are dark cabinets a style trend in 2021? According to the 2021 U.S.Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, homeowners are choosing wood tones (13%), gray (10%), blue (7%), and green (4%). Dark kitchen cabinets lend themselves to a range of contemporary and traditional styles and are emerging as a favorite among homeowners. The big question homeowners face is how to pull off dark kitchen cabinets without creating a room that feels overwhelming or ominous.
How to achieve the perfect dark kitchen look.
At the heart of the question: how to balance dark cabinets, the room’s most prominent feature, with other design elements like paint, lighting, countertops, backsplashes, and flooring to create an attractive and welcoming ambiance that doesn’t feel “dark.”
Here are 14 dark kitchen cabinet ideas to inspire your remodel.
The best paint color for a kitchen with dark cabinets.
When choosing other kitchen colors to surround your dark cabinets, think neutral, especially if you want your cabinets to be the star in the room.
1.These dark grey shaker cabinets are the perfect transitional style. The cabinets are a bold neutral, complemented by light blue-grey paint on the walls. This design brings in more color with the patterned floor and alternating shades of grey and white in the backsplash.
2. With these dark cabinets in beautiful sable, neutral grey walls are an ideal choice. Personality comes in with the tiered grey backsplash and light grey granite countertops.
3. Grey shaker cabinets are available in both light and dark shades of grey. Even this lighter grey functions as a dark color for kitchen cabinets. The backsplash adds personality, while the grey cabinets stand sentinel in this contemporary kitchen. With light grey walls, the dark cabinets look crisp but not overwhelming.
4. Energetic contrast is the name of the game in this kitchen with dark cabinets. The espresso shaker cabinets bring a modern flair, rounded out with white walls and a backsplash in grey and white. The bright tile floor next to the dark cabinets adds an essential layer of light to the room.
Lighting ideas for dark kitchen cabinets.
5. These dark cabinets in chocolate brown are beautifully highlighted by overhead can lighting. The under-cabinet accent lighting focuses on the kitchen work zones, and the pendant lighting serves the countertop workspace.
6. The dark cabinets in this “industrial kitchen” look are perfectly framed with light-colored bricks to allow the cabinets to pop. In a space, this large, good lighting can be a challenge. Here you see pendant lighting by the sink and over the kitchen island, an excellent solution for a room with high ceilings. The large windows bring in ample natural light to balance out the dark cabinets in this space.
7. In this ultra-modern kitchen, dark, frameless cabinets gain highlights from bright light from all angles. The modern glass pendants over the sink/countertop area bring working light for meal preparation. The can lighting gives the whole room a bright glow while the under-cabinet lighting illuminates other task areas. The stainless range hood light brings in an additional lighting element at the stove.
Countertops that “Wow” with dark cabinets.
8. Beautiful and modern, a waterfall countertop in a mix of black, grey, and white granite frames these dark cabinets perfectly. In addition, the granite pattern brings a lively feel to this kitchen’s bar area.
9. You can pair dark countertops with dark cabinets – look back to this dark grey kitchen with shaker cabinets. While the dark cabinets are the room’s focal point, the dark grey granite with a white and grey pattern adds movement and splashes of light.
10. Beautiful neutral countertops can wow when paired with dark cabinets. A cream-marble countertop with brown-veining is an accent for these traditional cabinets in sable —the icing on the cake in this kitchen.
Add personality with a backsplash.
11. This kitchen’s black cabinets pair perfectly with dark grey granite with white veining. This granite is used seamlessly for both the backsplash and countertop. The veining in the backsplash adds life to this showcase modern kitchen.
12. A backsplash of white granite with black and grey veining jazzes up these grey kitchen cabinets. The countertops and backsplash add just the right amount of movement to this sophisticated kitchen.
Perfect flooring choices for dark cabinets.
13. These cherry-red kitchen cabinets are boldly accented with black granite countertops to give the room a luxurious feel. The shine of the light wood floors reflects light around the room, brought in by the large windows.
14. The monochrome dark cabinets in this kitchen are accented with black vinyl resilient flooring. With the white walls and table, plus task lighting directly over the sink, the room has plenty of light. Frequently asked questions about dark kitchen cabinet design ideas
What is a good color for a kitchen with dark cabinets?
Neutral is the way to go when choosing paint color for walls surrounding dark cabinets. Neutral doesn’t need to be dull or boring – think bright white, light blue, light green, or a shade of light grey. Warmup brown cabinets with antique white, or bring in contrast with grey walls.
What is the best countertop color for dark cabinets?
Countertops can provide a complete contrast, like a high-energy, bright look with shaker cabinets in dark espresso or dark grey. Or create a warmer look with creamy granite with brown veining in image #10 above. To make the dark cabinets the centerpiece choose a countertop that complements all the colors in the room.
What floor color goes with dark cabinets?
Light or dark, contrast or complementary, you can choose the flooring that will be a monochrome highlight or function as an additional light source in the room. Whether you lean to bright white floors with espresso cabinets or a blonde wood flooring next to cherry cabinets, flooring can help you balance the lighting and pull the whole room together.
These dark cabinet designs are sure to impress … are you ready?
Not sure if dark cabinets are suitable for you? You can order free cabinet samples to choose the perfect color for your kitchen. Then, visit with our expert kitchen designers today to walk through all of your kitchen cabinet, countertop, and flooring choices. Your perfect kitchen awaits at Simply Kitchens.
I love that you mentioned how a dark-colored kitchen cabinet complements a backsplash of the same shade. Although I’m not really a fan of having tiles in my kitchen I would love to have some variety to the design. Maybe hand-painting a checkered pattern would also look interesting so I’ll hire a service to paint this for me.