Should You Paint Your Cabinets White? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Should you REALLY paint your kitchen cabinets white? We’ll see!

Choosing the right white for your kitchen cabinets can be tricky. But what can be even harder is figuring out if your kitchen will even look good with white cabinets.

Why?

Because it’s not just about what you want; it’s about what your kitchen needs, and kitchens can be pretty finicky. And to be honest…

Many kitchen cabinets were designed to suit wood cabinets, not painted ones. 

I have MANY Online Color Consulting clients who are desperate for a white kitchen, either a brand-new one or by painting their existing cabinets their favorite shade of white.

However, they don’t always have the finishes to SUPPORT a white kitchen.

• Maybe they have a particular beige tile flooring from the 2000s or black kitchen appliances that they don’t plan on changing.
• Perhaps the rest of their home has wood trim and doors or other finishes that won’t suit a fresher look in the kitchen.
• Their countertop and backsplash combo don’t suit white cabinets.

Whatever it is, I often have to tell them that white would not be their kitchen’s best friend. And nothing breaks bad news better than a glass of wine and a slightly manic Ginger, right?

It’s important to consider…

a) If your kitchen and home can visually support white cabinets, and if it CAN, then…

b) Choose the white that suits the rest of your finishes and furnishings, not just the white that suits your cute lil’ fancy.

Some kitchens look their best with non-white cabinets! 

You must choose a white cabinet color that suits your FINISHES, not just your personal tastes. 

1. DOES WHITE SUIT YOUR KITCHEN? IF SO, WHICH TYPE?

This is a big one (that’s what she said). Figuring out if you really SHOULD paint your cabinets white isn’t straightforward. As you read through this blog post, you’ll come across some considerations, along with…

• Does white go with your backsplash and countertop, or does it contrast too much? If none of your finishes contain an actual white, this could be the case.
• What color are your appliances? White appliances are cold white; GE White appliances are an off-white/gray, not white. As for black appliances, they create a high-contrast palette with white cabinets that not everyone loves.
• Do you have exposed hinges? Wood cabinets disguise exposed hinges, whereas white cabinets highlight them (which can date a kitchen).
• Are your cabinets all hanging evenly? It won’t be as obvious when you have wood cabinets, but once they’re painted white, any quirky cabinets will be exposed!

From there, it’s about figuring out which type of white suits your finishes.

In the ideal world, the surfaces in your kitchen are all well-coordinated and will suit a particular white (and if they don’t, as mentioned above, you may have a bigger project in the near future). For this question, look at your backsplash first and figure out which type of white it caters to.

Does your backsplash contain a clean, crisp white or a warm white/off-white/cream?

Because this backsplash and countertop are soft, warm whites, it makes sense to have a soft, warm white cabinet color.

CLEAN WHITE BACKSPLASH

If you have a relatively simple, bright white in your backsplash, sometimes found in marble or subway tile, you’ll want to look at simple, true white paint colors for your cabinets—ones with little to no color/tint. You’ll want the whites to flow so that they are the same type of white—one can’t be warmer/brighter/cooler than the other.

Order 4-8 of the most popular white paint colors and compare them.

Does one seem a bit more yellow than your backsplash? Is another too bright or too drab? Are there any that BLEND with your backsplash? PERFECT.

WARM WHITE, OFF-WHITE, OR CREAM BACKSPLASH

If you have an off-white or warm white in your backsplash, either as a solid color or a mixed tile (travertine tends to have an off-white beige), then you can TRY some warm white paint colors for your cabinets. It’s also important that the undertones of your various whites suit each other’s warmth.

• If the white or off-white in your backsplash is warm with a touch of yellow, your cabinet’s white should follow suit.
• If the color in your backsplash is warm with a touch of orange or red (beige), there’s a good chance it’s off-white, not white. White might not be the best choice, in which case, sample colors in the warm off-white range or the off-white beige world (great whites with orange/pink undertones don’t exist, and no white-beiges exist).

Again, if your kitchen is well-coordinated, the color that works with your backsplash should also work with your countertop, flooring, and lastly, your wall color.

While many try to squeeze this next early 2000s granite countertop into a white palette, it will only date the look of the countertop. Instead, a soft off-white cabinet color is a MUCH better approach (as shown)…

Are Off-White or Light Depth Painted Cabinets the Best For YOUR Kitchen?

Are you not quite sure which type of white you have in your countertop? Read The 5 Types of White Paint Colors (but finish this first).

BACKSPLASHES & COUNTERTOPS WITH NO WHITE IN THEM

If neither your countertops nor backsplash is white or off-white, what do they have going on?

• What color family are they in? Blue, green, etc.?
• Are they warm or cool?
• Shades of gray, brown, or a bit more colorful?
• Do you see any UNDERTONES?

You need to consider these things before choosing your cabinet’s best white. If you have NO idea how to choose your best white, you know where to find me.

2. WHAT’S YOUR TRIM COLOR & DOES IT MATTER?

Many of my clients hope to keep their current trim color when painting their cabinets (the less painting, the better, am I right?). However, it can be a hot mess once you start mixing whites, and I’m a huge believer (understatement) in having whites consistent in a room. This means that ‘ideally’, you’ll paint your cabinets the same white as your trim.

1. See whether your existing trim color is the best color for your cabinets (in my experience, 50% of the time it’s not). Assuming the trim color suits the countertop and backsplash, it should also work for the cabinets. This is the ideal situation.
2. However, I’ve found that little attention is given to trim, and it’s often the wrong color for the room and its finishes. In this case, you may want to choose your new cabinet color and then paint the trim this color as well.

Why does matching your cabinets & trims matter?

Your trim and cabinets should be the SAME white because one white can easily make another white look dingy/yellow/green/cool/etc…in comparison. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you’re even remotely sensitive to these things, it’s friggin’ horrendous.

White Walls, Trims, Doors & Ceilings – Do They REALLY Need to Be the Same?

Click HERE to see available packages 

3. DO YOU HAVE A WHOLE LOTTA WOOD FINISHES AROUND?

White cabinets can be tricky if you have a home with a lot of wood trim/doors/built-ins. You don’t want the kitchen to be the only white thing in the area; it needs something else (other than the ceiling) to support it visually—something like trim, home decor, and furniture pieces.

Pulling off an off-white/cream kitchen with wood trim is slightly easier, but a ‘white’ kitchen might not make sense on a large scale.

The Best Paint Colors to Go With Red-Stained Woods

If your home has a lot of wood, you’ll have to work hard to make a white kitchen feel like home!

If you stand in the rooms attached to your kitchen, would they all flow if your cabinets were white? Do you have enough white in your other rooms (i.e., trim, built-ins, decor) to support a white kitchen?

The Best Paint Colors to Go With Wood Trim

4. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR APPLIANCES?

While you’d think appliances would be at the top of your mind when creating a kitchen color palette, it’s amazing how often they’re ignored.

WHITE APPLIANCES & WHITE CABINETS

White appliances are cold, stark white. The most popular white paint colors for cabinets are warm whites, as they suit more countertops. However, placing a warm white next to ‘appliance white’ can make your cabinets look a bit yellow or creamy in comparison.

Nothing makes me twitchier than white appliances with the wrong white cabinet color. But it’s not all about me; if you’re okay with this difference, fill your little white patent leather boots, but I often lean toward non-white cabinets with white appliances, especially GE Cafe White—I wrote an entire blog post on it!

The Best Colors & Countertops With White Appliances

BLACK APPLIANCES & WHITE CABINETS

Black appliances can handle white cabinets, so long as you have a dark or black countertop to transition your finishes.

How to Design Around Black Kitchen Appliances

The Best Paint Colors with GE Matte Black Appliances

These black appliances are reasonably low-contrast with the cherry red wood cabinets. If these cabinets are painted white, the black appliances will be in high contrast and become focal points.

Ideas to Update Your 2000 Kitchen

STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES & WHITE CABINETS

Hands-down, stainless steel appliances are your best choice if you want to paint your cabinets white.

ON A SIDE NOTE, CONSIDER YOUR EXTERIOR (STRANGE BUT TRUE)

If you stand outside and walk in, would a white kitchen feel weird compared to your exterior? Maybe you could consider a warm white, but not a cool/crisp white. This is often the case with exteriors with earth tones or warmer colors than grays and cool tones. And again, window color can play a big part.

This is the exterior of our new home. Does it look like a ‘white kitchen’ kinda house to you? HECK no.

Don’t worry; this fugly exterior has changed drastically since this photo was taken. 

5. ARE YOU RESPONDING TO PEER PRESSURE OR TRENDS?

I have many Online Paint Color clients who hire me to help choose their cabinet color…but they aren’t even sure they want to paint their wood cabinets.

Whether it’s pressure from magazines, Instagram, friends, or family, they’re painting their cabinets because they think they should.’

Sure, if you’re thinking of selling and your wood cabinets are holding your home back, paint can be a great idea. But if you’re living in your home and love your wood cabinets, you can do whatever you want! Friends often have well-intentioned advice, but this is based on opinion, not fact. If you want an unbiased opinion, you know who to talk to.

Besides, many other updates can be done without touching those cabinets with a lick of paint.

So, before you start painting, think about whether you REALLY want to.

Phew, we did it. Now, if you’re ready to slap some white paint on those cabinets, here are the blog posts you’ll need…

READ MORE

The 4 Best Sherwin Williams White Paint Colors

Wood Cabinet Update Ideas

Benjamin Moore 8 Best White Paint Colors

The Pros & Cons of Off-White & Light-Depth Painted Cabinets

Benjamin Moore 3 Best Warm White Paint Colors

NEED HELP?

Check out my Online Color Consulting services. 

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2018, UPDATED IN 2025