Popular Paint Colors for Bathroom Vanities & Kitchen Islands
When it comes to painting vanities and islands, there are SO many awesome colors to choose from! And not only that but vanities and islands offer GREAT opportunities for some serious PERSONALITY. Why? Because it’s easier to commit to something a bit different and ‘out of the box’ on a smaller scale vs a large scale project like an ENTIRE KITCHEN, which can be costly to redo in five years if you’re tired of the color (or five months if you’re like me).
And a HUGE thank you to my E-design and local clients, for sending me their ‘after’ photos – I couldn’t do this without you!
1. BEST BATHROOM VANITY OR KITCHEN ISLAND COLOR: GRAY
Definitely in the top three for vanity colors, gray is a great way to add interest to a bathroom without going over the top.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS ROYCROFT PEWTER 2848
If you like a gray that’s a bit of a chameleon, look no further than Roycroft Pewter. With its unique blend of blue and green undertones, Roycroft Pewter is a unique take on gray due to its undertones which can shift how they look depending on your PERCEPTION.
Roycroft Pewter has an LRV of 13, making it a medium-dark color. And don’t expect those undertones to sit passively as they will DEFINITELY show up to the party!
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Roycroft Pewter
LRV & Paint Colors: The Ultimate Guide You Need to Read
BENJAMIN MOORE CHELSEA GRAY HC-168
Chelsea Gray is a solid, medium-toned gray that has been a fan fave for years. And while it’s FRACTIONALLY warm (you’d hardly know it), it acts more like a standard charcoal and can sometimes pick up a SUPER vague green undertone.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray
BENJAMIN MOORE METROPOLIS CC-546
Metropolis is a beautiful medium-toned WARM gray with a subtle violet undertone. When it comes to homes built in the early 2000s, particularly those with granite countertops, Metropolis is a popular choice as it often suits the TYPE of gray found in these finishes.
See the AWESOME before and after of the above bathroom HERE
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Metropolis
BENJAMIN MOORE AMHERST GRAY HC-167
Amherst Gray is along similar lines to Chelsea Gray but is darker and the green undertone in Amherst Gray can sometimes show up just a wink more (depending on the products you partner it with and your lighting/exposure).
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray
SHERWIN WILLIAMS GAUNTLET GRAY 7019 & DOVETAIL 7018
Dovetail is a medium depth warm gray paint color and Gauntlet Gray is like the medium-dark version. They’re both beautiful warm grays with vague violet undertones (but rarely flashes green). I say this because often, the more subtle and undertone is, the more likely a color is to pick up OTHER undertones.
Sherwin Williams Dovetail
And remember, when you’re choosing the best gray paint color for your vanity, you need to pay CLOSE attention to the needs of your tiles and countertop. Find out which undertones you’re working with and coordinate your gray paint color from there! Every gray will have undertones and you’ll want to make sure that they partner up!
This next kitchen is still being completed but is a great shot of Gauntlet Gray…
The 9 Best Benjamin Moore Gray Paint Colors
FULL REVIEW OF SHERWIN WILLIAMS GAUNTLET GRAY HERE / DOVETAIL HERE
2. BEST BATHROOM VANITY OR KITCHEN ISLAND COLOR: GREEN
Whether it’s a green-blue blend, emerald-inspired or leaning into the mossy end of things, green is definitely one of today’s more popular hues!
BENJAMIN MOORE KITTY GRAY 1589
Kitty Gray is a hybrid color. This means that if you want SOME green, but don’t want things looking TOO strong, it’s a great choice. With its blend of green, blue and gray, Kitty Gray is a great way to make a statement without going over the top with color.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS EVERGREEN FOG 9130
If you’re looking for a more subtle take on green, Evergreen Fog is a medium-depth green with just the right amount of gray to calm it down without taking away the ‘green’ of it.
BENJAMIN MOORE DEEP RIVER
Deep River is very literal as it’s a VERY DEEP take on gray-green. You can expect this bad boy to flash a wink blackish in low light, but you just WAIT to see that glorious green rise up when you give it a little light!
SHERWIN WILLIAMS ISLE OF PINES 6461
Isle of Pines is a goooorgeous green with enough power to be interesting, but not so much that it heads into the primary end of things.
Click HERE or on the above image to see available packages
3. BEST BATHROOM VANITY OR KITCHEN ISLAND COLOR: GREIGE
Greige is another great choice and can sometimes work better than gray if you’re trying to transition out of the beige end of things. I say ‘sometimes’ as some bathrooms just CAN’T pull off gray or greige – it all depends on the existing finishes and what they can tolerate!
BENJAMIN MOORE KINGSPORT GRAY HC-86
Kingsport Gray is an awesome medium-toned greige paint color, planted nicely between gray and beige with an allegiance to beige/brown over gray.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray
SHERWIN WILLIAMS MEGA GREIGE 7031
Mega Greige is a POPULAR greige paint color with minimal undertone. It has a bit less depth than Kingsport Gray and isn’t as warm, but can be a gorgeous foundation color for a bathroom palette.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS KEYSTONE GRAY 7504
Keystone Gray is greige paint color that’s in the medium depths and along similar lines to Kingsport Gray – just a shift lighter and a touch grayer than Kingsport.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray
SHERWIN WILLIAMS URBANE BRONZE 7048
Urbane Bronze is a WICKED gorgeous super dark greige with undertones you just HAVE to check out!
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze
The 4 Best Gray and Greige Paint Colors for Cabinets and Vanities
Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…
- samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on the location
- they’re considerably more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
- if you keep the samples on their background, you can move them around the room
Please keep in mind that Samplize samples come in EGGSHELL finish. Cabinets are usually painted in satin or pearl finish. This slightly higher sheen can make a paint color look a bit lighter and brighter than you’d expect. If you’re at ALL concerned, you may want to go back to traditional sample pots.
Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE
4. BEST BATHROOM VANITY OR KITCHEN ISLAND COLOR: NAVY BLUE
Oooo, I love a beautiful blue vanity. It’s classic and will be more timeless than green.
BENJAMIN MOORE CITY SHADOW CSP-60
City Shadow is in BM’s Color Stories collection, meaning it’s a HUGELY versatile, chameleon-like color. In some lights, you might see it more like a blue-gray, while in other lights, you’ll see a bit of green come up!
SHERWIN WILLIAMS CYBERSPACE 7076
Oooo, I love me some Cyberspace, it’s one of my FAVE navy inspired colors. It’s a navy blue, but not overpowering in color due to its soft gray backdrop.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Cyberspace
BENJAMIN MOORE HALE NAVY HC-154 OR SHERWIN WILLIAMS NAVAL 6244
Hale Navy is a super gorgeous navy blue. Not primary colored, but not overly grayed-out either. Naval is along ‘similar’ lines, but a bit more classic and blue.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
The 12 Best Navy Blue Paint Colors for Cabinets, Islands, Front Doors & More
And for the next photo, you might be thinking, ‘Kylie MUST be in the cups today – that is definitely not a bathroom vanity or a kitchen island!’ If ‘in the cups’ includes a venti vanilla latte, then hells yeah, I have fully indulged. But really, I just want to show you another example of how beautiful Cyberspace can be in action!
See Cyberspace on another kitchen island HERE
5. BEST BATHROOM VANITY OR KITCHEN ISLAND COLOR: BLACK
Black is BACK baby. It’s strong, it’s striking, but it can ALSO collect a lot of lint, dust and fingerprints, so keep that in mind!
BENJAMIN MOORE BLACK 2132-10
Black (which can only be found in-store or online using the number above) is a striking black with no undertone to contend with.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS TRICORN BLACK 6258
Tricorn Black is a slightly softer approach compared to Benjamin Moore Black, but don’t be mistaken, it’s still black.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS IRON ORE 7069
Iron Ore is a soft black, especially compared to the above two colors. As for undertones, Iron Ore leans towards a very vague green undertone and more rarely, a flash of slate blue (like SUPER minor).
And of course…
6. BEST BATHROOM VANITY OR KITCHEN ISLAND COLOR: WHITE
If you aren’t feeling the more colorful end of things, you may find that white gives you all of the inspiration you need!
BENJAMIN MOORE WHITE DOVE OC-17
White Dove is one of my faves. It’s a warm, soft white – not as creamy as some, but not a stark, clean white either, making it a great option for the average home.
FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore White Dove
SHERWIN WILLIAMS PURE WHITE 7005
Pure White is an awesome white with just a WINK of softness to it. The main difference between Pure White and White Dove is that Pure White is LESS warm, but has a similar LRV.
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Pure White
BENJAMIN MOORE SUPER WHITE OC-152
Super White…is super white.
Super White is on the shiplap and vanity
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Super White
SHERWIN WILLIAMS HIGH REFLECTIVE WHITE 7757
High Reflective White is the WHITEST white on this page with an LRV of 93. It also has the LEAST undertone. However, just because it’s the whitest white, doesn’t mean it’s fool-proof!
FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
The 3 Best White Paint Colors for Cabinets
READ MORE
The Best White Paint Colors for Cabinets, Trims or Walls
Farrow & Ball’s 10 Best Blue Paint Colors
How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for your Cabinets
The 12 Best Navy Blue Paint Colors for Cabinets, Islands, Front Doors & More
The Best DARK Greige & Taupe Paint Colors
Still not sure which one will suit your bathroom tile & countertop the best?
Check out my Online Color Consulting packages, I’d love to help!
Chat soon,
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN JULY 2019, UPDATED IN 2022
I’m doing my walls in SW Alabaster but was thinking about my cabinets and trim in PPG Delicate White. I want a very shuttle difference .
I’n my powder room I am thinking about SW Black Magic for the vanity. Your thoughts?
Author
Hi Dianne, I’m just not familiar with the PPG brand to really put those all together, but if it were me, I wouldn’t do a different white on the trim and a different one on the cabinets, as they will only expose each others undertones – I would stay consistent and do the same for sure.
I love these colour ideas Kylie! I will contact you when I replace my cabinet doors in the kitchen.
I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see this post!!! I’m having custom cabinetry done for our master bathroom and chose BM White Dove. As I often do, I start doubting my choices after searching the web for anything on White Dove which leads me to comments about it being(or turning) too yellow or too creamy, which i didn’t want. Any insight on that? I loved it’s look when i was at the cabinet shop due to it’s softer appearance. I’m planning on using it on all the trim since the crown molding around the top of the linen closet/cabinet is the same as the cabinets. I’m doing a white subway tile shower with almond color penny tile on shower floor and Marazzi Lounge 14 in cosmopolitan color. Would you go with white dove on the walls or add a neutral color? I’m stuck at that point. The bathroom faces N/NE.
Author
Hi Lisa! Well I know that I wouldn’t put another white in the mix with White Dove, I’d keep going with that so if you want white walls, stick with White Dove. And it can be a warmer, creamier looking white, but it’s more subdued than the others (Cloud White for example). You might notice the warmth of it a bit more up against a pure white subway tile, which is why I ‘might’ consider a neutral on the walls, just to break things up a bit :).
Great Post Kylie! But none of these beautiful colors will work for me. I have a travertine floor that was put in my bathroom
in the 90’s. It has a creamy undertone that leans a bit yellow (I think!) or maybe it is pink beige. The floor has to stay because the shower is also travertine and the shower has 2 clear glass panels. My wall color looks nice and is SW Patience. The problem is the oak vanity (medium brown) and it kind of ugly. Thought I should paint it since it is still in okay condition and get new hardware. I have beautiful brushed gold Kohler faucets that are fairly new. If I paint my vanity some shade of white, will that work? Or should it be the color of my walls? I’m thinking the vanity should be white, but it has to be the right undertone because of the travertine floor. The current countertop is travertine tile but that is going to go and I’ll get quartz with new undermount sinks. I’m doing everything to update this bathroom to a more current look because we want to downsize and sell in a few years (we are empty nesters!) Thanks for any help can offer.
In general -What are the best vanity colors with beige countertop? that countertop is like bone in my throat… do I need to repeat counter color in Shower accent in mostly white the bathroom or just ignore it !
We recently painted our bathroom in SW Essential Gray and want to paint our vanity. Our cermaic tile floor is tan and tub tiles are a lighter shade of beige. Vanity top is off with with light splashes of beige. Can you recommend a color for our vanity? Thank you!
Hello, Is the green on the vanity in the picture above Isle of Pine? If not, what is the name and manufacturer? Thank you
Author
You bet it is!
Hello! What SW griege is used in the photo with the arrow print and white knobs? I don’t think it’s urban bronze. Thanks 😊
Author
Ahhh, that’s Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray 🙂