Warm Your Kitchen With Subtle Green Cabinets - The New Neutral
Green kitchen cabinets offer a stylish and inviting way to warm up your culinary space. As an emerging neutral shade, green provides a fresh alternative to stark whites and injects organic vibrancy into the heart of your home. From olive greens with an earthy allure to sages that exude luminous retro chic, the right hue can transform your kitchen into a lush, contemporary oasis.
Read on for stunning color combinations, real kitchen inspiration, and insight into pairing green cabinets with other design elements for a flawlessly pulled together look.
Why Go Green? Benefits of Green Kitchen Cabinets
Once considered bold, green has solidly entered neutral territory in recent years. Today, green kitchen cabinets offer numerous advantages for savvy homeowners and designers alike.
Subtle green shades add natural, earthy warmth to a kitchen. The right hue provides a fresh alternative to sterile whites and injects organic vibrancy into the space. Green offers variety as well, with options spanning from olive greens with mossy organic allure to sages that exude retro luminosity.
Beyond mere aesthetics, green cabinets pair consummately with natural wood, tiles, and stone. Green also complements bolder colors beautifully while still blending seamlessly with calmer hues. And color forecasts continue to predict green as a rising neutral shade, meaning green cabinetry allows you to reflect the latest trends in your home.
The Green Kitchen Cabinet Color Spectrum
Green kitchen cabinets open up seemingly endless color possibilities. From palest mint to deepest forest, the green spectrum houses a shade for every style.
Olive Green - Organic and earthy, olive green adds mossy vibrancy to a kitchen. The natural hue blends well with wood elements and warmer neutrals.
Sage Green - Sophisticated with a retro flair, luminous sage green brightens up a kitchen gorgeously. It provides a lively neutral option.
Mint Green - Crisp and clean with a fresh farmhouse vibe, minty greens embody a soothing, verdant brightness perfect for light and airy kitchens.
Choosing the Right Shade of Green
With the verdant rainbow at your fingertips, deciding on that perfect green for your kitchen cabinets can feel daunting. Here are tips for zeroing in on just the right shade.
Lighting is key. The way light hits your cabinets will impact how the color is perceived. Cool natural light can lend warmth to some green hues. Meanwhile, artificial lighting may cast colors differently than daylight. Thoroughly test cabinet samples under both conditions before selecting a final color.
Also consider undertones. Greens with cool blue undertones pair gorgeously with warm wood or brown cabinet accents. For a bright and cheery vibe, pick a green with sunny yellow undertones. Always coordinate your green cabinet shade with counters, floors, and backsplashes for a harmonious completed vision.
Soft, Organic Olive Greens
For those drawn to understated earthy elegance, olive green cabinets bring beautiful mossy vibrancy to a kitchen. The organic quality provides a soothing yet stylish backdrop. Olive greens feel right at home blending with wood cabinetry or floors for a nature-inspired aesthetic.
Some specific paint colors in this family include Behr's Fountain Moss, Benjamin Moore's Kendall Charcoal, and Sherwin-Williams' Online Olive. Go bold with darker olives like Behr's Turkish Bazaar or play up the versatility with lighter shades of sage like Benjamin Moore's Polished Nickel.
Vibrant Sage Greens
Prefer a bolder splash of retro flair? Luminous sage green cabinets will brighten up any kitchen gorgeously. The grayish-green hue glows with chic sophistication. It provides a lively neutral full of personality and flair.
For this look, consider timeless classics like Benjamin Moore's Oliva Olive. Or turn up the brightness with vibrant options like Behr's Citronelle or Sherwin-Williams' Fountain Green. The versatility of sage green allows it to at once stand out stylishly yet still act as a neutral foundation.
Calming Minty Greens
On the cooler end of the green spectrum, minty shades impart a very clean and bright farmhouse vibe. These crisp greens embody the essence of new beginnings and feel both refreshing and uplifting. They beautifully complement whites and other lighter neutrals.
Some specific minty green paint colors to consider include Behr's Pale Mint, Sherwin-Williams' Mindful Gray, and Benjamin Moore's White Opulence. For a more saturated pop of color, check out Valspar's Crisp Green Apple or Behr's Spearmint.
Green Cabinet Pairings and Combinations
Thoughtfully combining green cabinets with other kitchen elements and finishes is key to creating a polished, pulled-together space. Here are some of our favorite colorful pairings.
Wood Cabinets
Warm wood cabinetry helps accentuate the earthy organic side of green. For oak cabinets, stick to muted sage or olive greens with yellow undertones. With lighter maple and birch, go for brighter mint greens. Always test samples on the cabinets to ensure the undertones complement each other.
White and Light Neutrals
Crisp whites beautifully accentuate the vibrancy of green while enhancing feelings of energy and renewal. For fresh contrast, pair deep green lowers with bright white uppers. Or use light neutrals like almond walls to allow bolder mint cabinets to pop.
Natural Stone and Tile
Combining green cabinets with natural surfaces enhances the earthy elegance. Darker green lowers grounded by stone or wood floors exude organic flair. Contrast cool green uppers with warm travertine or marble backsplashes for bold sophistication.
Navy, Gray, Black Accents
Finally, don't be afraid to pair rich greens with even bolder contrast colors like navy, charcoal, or black. The depth of these darker accents will make pastel mint cabinets glow gently. Or use black hardware to stylishly ground deep emerald cabinetry for dramatic contrast.
Green Kitchen Inspiration
Seeing real finished kitchens using green cabinetry can provide helpful perspective and inspiration. Here we showcase a few stunning examples.
[Photo 1: Sage green cabinets with marble counters, gold hardware, and navy island]
This kitchen features Benjamin Moore's Vintage Vogue green on the lower cabinets, nicely grounded by the navy island. Designer Anne Hepfer added in luxurious marble counters and gold hardware for bold contrast. The mix exudes retro richness.
[Photo 2: Two-toned mint and white cabinets with butcher block]
Here, the duo of mint upper cabinets and clean white lowers imparts airy brightness. The light butcher block island enhances the crisp farmhouse vibe. Touches of brass hardware and accessories provide just the right accents.
[Photo 3: Olive green cabinets with wood floors and open shelving]
This kitchen uses Sherwin-Williams' Online Olive green on shaker-style cabinets for a muted earthy aesthetic. Rich wood floors ground the space while open shelving contributes an airier feel. The olive shade pairs gorgeously with both elements.
The rise of green in modern kitchens provides endless possibilities to warmly enhance your culinary space. Whether your draw is toward earthy olive shades or brighter sages and mints, green offers a stylish and inviting neutral option brimming with organic vitality. By thoughtfully coordinating your green shade with other finishes and elements, you're sure to create a kitchen that feels fresh, current and uniquely you.
As you move forward with your green kitchen plans, rely on the tips and ideas presented here to capture the perfect verdant vision. Our hope is this article provided helpful perspective and inspired you to confidently embrace green hues throughout your home. The new neutral has arrived - now go green and relish in your lush, contemporary kitchen!