5 Kitchen Paint Colors That Pair Best With Light Wood

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Did any of your family have light-toned, wood cabinets when you were growing up? Maybe you have something similar in your home now, but you're struggling to find a paint color that looks right. Wood can have warm, cool, or neutral undertones that can make certain paint hues clash. If your cabinets are white, you can choose almost any shade you'd like, but when your cabinets and other features have an undertone, selecting paint becomes complex.

The shade you choose for your walls can either complement those undertones or create contrast. Lighting, including natural light, influences how paint colors look throughout the day, too․ Colors may also look different on your walls than they do in the store․

Whatever look you want to achieve in your kitchen, cheerful or subdued, many options exist․ Whether you want cozy paint colors for a cottagecore feel or something bolder, the following five options can help you decide on the perfect hue․

Teal

Add teal to your kitchen design․ Teal-blue hues look good next to many other colors․ Recommended pairing options with teal include wood furnishings with warm tones, according to a guide from Benjamin Moore․ Both darker and lighter shades of teal can create inviting kitchen spaces․

You don't need to paint all the walls teal to add the color to a room․ You could paint a complete accent wall that showcases your cabinets and cookware․ Other lighter colors used alongside teal can help make a dark kitchen brighter․

Greige

If you're deciding between gray and beige, consider greige, a color that blends both. Greige works well with light wood cabinets because it complements the wood grain. Greige with golden undertones can highlight warmer woods, while greige with stronger gray undertones pairs well with cooler woods.

Greige is an excellent option for a calming kitchen with less color․ You can incorporate other colorful features into a greige kitchen design or keep the palette mostly neutral․ Try samples on your cabinets to test colors before selecting a greige shade․

Terra Cotta

Terracotta can bring to mind images of red-orange flower pots․ Terracotta colors work well with light-colored woods that have yellow undertones․ These colors can complement the wood and add a rustic touch to your kitchen․ Lighter terracotta colors are subtler and more earthy than deeper terracotta colors․

If you like traditional country-style kitchens, consider terracotta. Other Tuscan kitchen design ideas may also appeal to you. White accents can keep a kitchen with terracotta walls from feeling too dark, while touches of green balance the warm color.

Ochre Yellow

Ochre yellow is a good choice for people who want to use yellow in the kitchen but worry that it will be too bright․ This shade works well with light-colored wood that has warm undertones․ The ochre yellow and warm wood tones complement each other rather than clash․

Ochre brings an old, rustic feel to the room․ Pairing it with pale-colored cabinets and trim helps balance the look․ A deeper mustard color would also provide more contrast․ Test wall paint colors by holding them up next to your cabinets before painting․

Whites

White is a common kitchen color and comes in many shades with undertones of red, yellow, blue, and green․ Lighter creams can complement yellow wood tones․ Pure whites can complement gray wood tones․ Selecting the right shade of white for your kitchen can help you achieve a put-together space․

For a sophisticated appearance, choose Alabaster and other warm whites․ Choose kitchen paint colors based on their undertones for the best look․ Choose colors that you like and make your kitchen feel like an extension of the rest of your home․