6 Paint Colours That Look BEAUTIFUL with Marble
Partner Post: Get the Look of Marble Without the Cost
Whether you’re dealing with the real thing or a good impersonator, there is no doubt that marble is a popular product for bathrooms and kitchens. Why? Well, although the maintenance issues and cost leave a lot to be desired (for this budget-friendly gal anyway), the look of marble is a timeless classic that undoubtedly adds style and value to a home.
BTW – in an effort to have only my E-design clients photos on my blog, this post has minimal photos, but the info is still ROCK solid and I’ve included the links to some good Pinterest shots for you!
See this full bathroom here – IT’S GORGEOUS
Today’s most popular marble tiles and countertops are usually a mix of white, gray and black. HOWEVER, if you’ve been hangin’ with me for a while, you’ll know that all grays have subtle (or not so subtle) undertones – and the gray in marble is NO exception. The undertones most commonly found in marble are blue and purple. Once in a while, you’ll get a warm gray-greige with a wee smidge of green, but it’s not as common. Once you figure out what type of gray is in your marble, you can then look at paint colours that will coordinate – rather than clash.
If you’ve been hangin’ with me for a while, you’ll know that all grays have subtle (or not so subtle) undertones – and marble is NO exception
There are a few dozen colours that seem to work well with most marbles, and while there are many other things to consider (backsplash / LRV / exposure / flooring / personal tastes), these colours should get you headed in the right direction.
A few notes first…
- Some marbles prefer cool neutrals (gray with undertones) or cool colours (blue/green/purple)
- Marble can accommodate a variety of depths, from white and off-white up to a medium depth. Anything darker can compete with the marble and become overpowering
- There are very few beige or warm paint colours that look great with marble
1. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt SW 6204
Sea Salt is a super popular colour for ANY room (not just for marble!). Sea Salt is a lovely soft green with a gray background to calm it down. It’s also been known to flash a bit blue – without committing to it enough to stretch out of the green zone entirely.
The LRV of Sea Salt is 64, so it will be slightly brighter looking than Sidewalk Gray.
Read more: Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
While it’s not shown with marble in this bathroom, from the overall style you can see how Sea Salt is a great paint colour for this type of look.
2. Benjamin Moore Silver Lake
Silver Lake is a beautiful light-medium gray with super subtle blue undertones. Silver Lake is a cool, stormy gray leaning into a blue undertone that can just slightly favour purple, but sometimes the VERY odd green sneaks in.
The LRV of Silver Lake is 55, so it has a bit of body to it, but not so much that it will weigh a room down or add TOO much contrast with marble.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Paint Colours with LRV
3. Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC 170
This gray is totally underappreciated. Maybe it’s because of its placement in the fan deck or maybe I’m just crazy (possible), but I find that Stonington Gray is simply stunning when placed with marble countertops and tiles.
The LRV of Stonington Gray is 59, so it has some decent body to it and will only look bright and fresh in a well-lit room.
Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…
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 location
- At $5.99, they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needing for traditional paint sampling
- If you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room
4. Benjamin Moore Gray Owl OC 52
Gray Owl is a subtle, soft gray with undertones of green and blue. You’ll find this colour ‘usually’ looks gray, but can flash a touch of green or blue in the right conditions, so make sure it jibes with YOUR particular marble.
Read more: Gray Owl vs Stonington Gray – Colour Review
5. Sherwin Williams High Reflective White SW 7757
There is NOTHING wrong with going white as it can keep things bright and fresh if your marble is a bit busier!
Shown above is SW High Reflective White with a wicked cool marble hexagon and beautiful quartz countertops. If you prefer a cool cast, Extra White will give you that, but it can be a bit chilly for some marble products.
6. Benjamin Moore Decorators White CC-20
Decorators White LOOKS white, but it actually has a subtle gray cast to it with a vague blue-purple undertone (super vague) and an LRV of 84.
Check out Decorators White in this next image, it’s the sample at the very bottom.
Not sure which colour is best for you and your home?
Check out my Online Color Consulting – I’d be happy to help!
I left a comment earlier, but it disappeared. In brief, I said in my comment that I tried Gray Owl on white paper and it looks like a pale pale green, very hard to see it as a gray color or with the blue undertone. I did a color match with sherwin williams paint and I wonder if it was a bad color match. Do you think color matches work all the time? I didn’t have a paper swatch to compare the sample to the BM color.
Bad color match. Gray Owl is pretty neutral.
I LOVE your site! I have learned so much! I go on Benjamin moore’s site and compare colors online. I chose for my living room which is dark and a cool room (light brown on dark brown) (NOT my choice) I went with Gray Owl and Rockport and wow opened it up and feels not only brighter but warmer too with the subtle undertones.
I actually love all of these. I used Stonington Gray in a boy’s room with lots of navy blue, white and a touch of deep red, and it was absolutely perfect. I think it would work excellently with marble, but haven’t had a chance to try that yet.
Hi Kylie! Great article! I’ve decided to paint my kitchen and living room with Owl Gray but I’m having a hard time trying to decide on a good white trim color for Owl Gray. What are your suggestions? Thanks!
Hi April, thank you for the note! When it comes to the cool grays like Gray Owl, I’m inclined to keep things crisp and simple with a white like Super White – simple and fresh with no sneaky undertones to contend with.
I used Sea Salt on the walls of my bathroom with a marble looking quartz counter, marble mosaic band over the board and batten. It works great
I recently remodeled my kitchen and freshened up the walls with BM Owl Grey. I used BM Simply White oc-117 for the trim and it look beautiful. Simply White is a great choice especially if you have an abundance of honey maple ???? going on.
Hey, thank you for the comment! These notes really help readers to figure out what could work for them (and great choice with Simply White, it’s a beauty!)
~Kylie
Hi Kylie,
We just put in Gunstock Oak hardwood floors and now we need to paint. We were thinking a cream color with white base boards. Out fireplace is a marble ceramic tile, so I was thinking of doing a dark gray accent wall. Will that look weird with cream colored walls and white trim?
Hi Kelly, it won’t look weird at all! I have relatively ‘gunstock oak’ coloured floors with cream walls and have several more striking feature walls!
~Kylie
I have dark auburn vanity with black marble top wood floors looking for a good color to paint walls and a little backsplash tiles above vanity needing help on colors
Hi Cherie, thank you for the note! When it comes to personal questions I refer to my E-design so I can see photos of the room/lighting/tiles/etc… and give you colour ideas that might actually WORK, rather than just guessing! It’s fun and affordable and if it interests you, the link is here. https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/product-category/interior-paint-colors/
~Kylie
I’d be interested in what your choices of cream would be to with Carrara marble, and look alikes. I get how all the grays go and anything with a gray undertone. But what if the direction you need is a cream? Hope this makes sense.
Hi Laura, cream can be a tricky one with marble simply because marble is a white base product. It can sometimes have a touch of cream in it, but it’s mostly a cool tone with cool gray undertones. When you pair this with cream, they can really enhance each other, but not always in a good way. Cream is a yellow base colour – always. You can’t get cream without yellow (or you’ll have peach or pink). The cool tones can enhance that yellow REALLY easily and not necessarily ‘do’ anything for each other. You’d need a pretty darned quiet cream ‘maybe’ something like BM White Down, but if it were me I might stay away…
Thank you for this post. We just remodeled our bathroom using Statuario Marble for the shower and counter tops. We used Dunn Edwards Swiss Coffee for the cabinet color because the crown moldings were already that color. Not sure I am happy with the color of the cabinets as they do not look pure white with the marble. I will paint the walls gray. What do you think of using Stonington Gray to offset the yellow of the swiss coffee color? Or should I have my cabinets repainted?
Oooo, I’d be careful. Because Stonington is a gray with that subtle stormy blue, it will react with the yellow of the Swiss Coffee and they can enhance each other…sounds to me like you may want to reconsider painting the cabinets…
I’m redoing my masterbath and having a hard time finding a paint color to go with my cabinets and countertop. The cabinets are off-white (more on the ivory side) and the counter top is Diana Reale Marble. The mirrors have a wood frame the same color as the cabinets. I was looking at Benjamin Moore White Sand 964, Bar Harbor Beige 1032, or Frappe AF-85. I’m going for a classic look, but also a beachy light and airy look. The floors are a light tile that looks like hard wood flooring. They have an ash tone to them similar to driftwood, but with a more beige undertone.
Hi Jennifer, when it comes to personal questions, particularly when it would be helpful to see photos, I do refer to my e-design. This way I can spend some proper time with you and your room, rather than just guessing! If that interests you, the link is here… https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
What a joy to find your posts on all these beautiful cool grays. Thank you, Kylie, for all the educational information.
I bought 8 different sample colors from your various posts on grays but I love Sidewalk Gray! I had it custom to take out 1/2 of the violet and replaced with 1/2 blue., a soft light bluish/lavender. It’s so beautiful and add a modern look to my white cabinets & marble top . I am thinking of adding an accent wall. Do you have any suggestions for a complementary color (s)?
What paint colors would work on cabinets and walls in a kitchen with dark emperador marble?
Hi Valerie, thank you for the note! I do try to give as much complimentary info as I can on my blog and if that doesn’t help, it might be time for a closer look with my E-design, otherwise I’m totally guessing on your flooring/backsplash/lighting/etc… https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
I have white carrara countertops and BM white dove cabinets. I was looking at SW anonymous or a lighter shade of gray for my island. What do you suggest?
Hi Karen! When it comes to personal questions, I do refer to my E-design services, otherwise I’m totally just guessing as to your exposure/flooring/backsplash/etc… I do have an affordable E-design service though that is fun. This way I can look at your room and make suggestions that actually make sense! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
Kylie, I need help with white paint colors for cabinets in my bathroom and kitchen.
Bathroom has Rainwashed walls and Carrara marble countertops and shower. Western exposure.
Kitchen/great room has BM’s Pale Oak walls (pale greige) and White Nile quartzite countertops which are described as having a mix of warm and cool colors. Northern exposure.
Considering Pure White (or Extra White )for pop against Pale Oak walls …. maybe Sterling White for Carrara in bathroom. ??? Suggestions?
Hi Virginia, thank you for your note! I have quite a few blogs posts re: white cabinet colours, if you hop into my search section on the right hand side of my blog and type in ‘white’, you’ll see several! Otherwise, I do have a package that would suit you question, where I can actually take a look at your rooms and spend some time with them – it’s fun and affordable! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/product/cabinets-or-built-ins-paint-colour-kitchen-bath-or-built-ins/
Will agreeable gray work with a marble floor? White with gray veining that is shiny.
Hi Missy! There are quite a few types of marble, but my thoughts might for FIRST towards something like SW Repose Gray, On the Rocks or Big Chill 🙂
Hi Kylie,
We just finished tiling our master bathroom with biano carrara basket weave tile, so it’s gray and white with the black dots. My vanity is stained black and my linen cabinets are black and natural walnut. I can’t decide on a paint color, everyone is telling me to do a light gray but I’m kinda tired of grey or a softer white. For some reason I am thinking of a very light green that has no blue undertones. I might be just crazy and should just do gray…what can you advise?
Victoria
I have a brown marble walk in shower and white floor tiles that has a brown and grey vein running through it. My countertops and sinks are white quartz. What paint colors should goes best on the walls?
What color is the cabinet pictured above?:)