5 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Gray Kitchen Cabinets

If you’ve been shopping for kitchen cabinets, you’ve probably noticed that gray is the cabinet color of the decade! The popularity of gray kitchen cabinets has certainly soared these last 5 years or so, and now it’s a color that designers happily suggest when working on kitchens of all sizes.

With a variety of different hues and tones, choosing the perfect gray cabinets can be tricky. While kitchen remodel contracts can certainly make suggestions based on their experiences, here are a few additional tips that could help you choose the right shade (and the right complementary elements) for your kitchen.

Dark or light? Choose your shade carefully!

Choosing the wrong hue or shade of gray can really affect the look of your space. That’s why you’ll want to keep a few suggestions in mind as you view your options for gray kitchen cabinets.

If your room is small, it’s best to avoid a really dark gray. Just as you probably wouldn’t choose black or even a dark cherry for your small space, you shouldn’t choose a very deep gray either. Deep hues absorb the light, so your room will look both darker and smaller if you go with dark gray. On the other hand, pale colors reflect the light and let it bounce back into the room. That’s why you often see white or off-white cabinets in a small kitchen.

In a large kitchen, dark gray is ideal. These warm shades can make a cavernous room more cozy but, of course, you can add a little brightness with the right countertops and wall colors.

Warm or cool hues?

Not all grays are created equal. As you go through color possibilities with your kitchen remodel contractors, you’ll notice that shades of gray have different undertones. These undertones derive from the three “basic” colors – red, yellow, and blue. Grays with a red undertone, for example, tend to be sort of like putty in color while bluish grays are more like steel. Grays with yellow undertones tend to have a brighter appearance. Place them beside one another and notice the difference or ask for samples you can bring home to see how each looks in your room.

Painted or stained?

Now you need to decide whether you want your gray kitchen cabinets painted or stained. What’s the difference? Well, painted cabinets are opaque while stained cabinets have a more translucent appearance that allows just a little bit of wood grain to come through. So, it really comes down to personal preference and what you think best matches the rest of your elements, like your floors and countertops.

Consider two tones

If you can’t decide between dark or light and painted or stained, do a little mixing and matching. It’s perfectly okay to, for instance, use dark cabinets for the base and lighter gray kitchen cabinets for the upper portion. Gray is a very neutral color so most of them will pair well with each other. You can also mix them with totally different colors like white or even certain wood grains. Play around with contrasts to design a space that’s interesting to the eye!

Countertops matter

You can literally pair any color countertop with your gray cabinets. Again, it depends on what kind of vibe you’re hoping to portray. For a farmhouse kitchen, you might go with butcherblock. For something much more contemporary, you could choose red, turquoise, or even orange. For drama, black countertops with some flecks of gold are always a good bet. Or go monochromatic with slate or concrete. Be sure to have some samples on hand so you can see how the cabinets and countertop look together before you take the plunge.

Sold on gray kitchen cabinets? Want to see some samples or photos of gray kitchens we’ve completed in the past? As the top kitchen remodel contractors in Southern California, we have plenty of testimonials from satisfied customers who love their new gray cabinets. To hear more about this option or to speak to one of our professionals about any of our products or services, visit us at www.mrcabinetcare.com.