Posted on April 14, 2021 by KylieMawdsley
What paint colours look good with marble tile or countertop?
Partner Post: Get the Look of Marble Without the Cost
Whether you’re dealing with the real thing or a good impersonator, there’s 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.
See this full bathroom here – IT’S GORGEOUS
Today’s most popular marble tiles and countertops are usually a mix of white and gray. 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 found in marble is NO exception, with blue and violet being the most common. Once in a while, you’ll get a warm gray-greige with a wee smidge of green, but it’s not as common, same with beige or gold.
If you’ve been hangin’ with me for a while, you know that all grays have subtle (or not so subtle) undertones – and the gray found in marble is NO exception
Just remember, I can’t account for EVERY marble and every type of marble surface, which is why these paint colours are more ‘guiding’ colours to get you on the right path. There are also MANY other things to consider before you finalize your paint colour, such as surrounding finishes/LRV/exposure/personal tastes. Again, I can’t hit it all in one blog post (I’m good, but not THAT good) but I can sure as heck get you headed in the right direction.
A FEW QUICK NOTES
- decide whether you prefer a ‘neutral with undertones‘, ie. gray with a blue undertone OR a ‘colour with a neutral backdrop calming it down‘, ie. blue with some gray in it, meaning the blue is more DOMINANT than the gray
- marble can accommodate a variety of depths, from white and off-white up to medium-dark and sometimes even black, however too much colour can overpower some marble surfaces
- there are very few beige or warm paint colours that look great with marble
1. SHERWIN WILLIAM SEA SALT SW 6204
Sea Salt is a lovely soft green with a gray background to calm it down and is a popular paint colour for ANY room – not just for those with marble. However, it’s a bit of a ninja and is WELL-known for flashing into blue, to the point where you hardly see any green at all!
The LRV of Sea Salt is 64, so it will be slightly brighter-looking without washing out as much an off-white paint colour would.
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.
Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
OTHER GREEN-BLUE PAINT COLOURS TO COORDINATE WITH MARBLE
- Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue
- Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere
- Sherwin Williams Silver Strand
- Sherwin Williams Rainwashed
2. BENJAMIN MOORE PELICAN GRAY 1612
Pelican Gray is a light gray paint colour with subtle, but purposefully colourful undertones.
While this hexagon marble tile backsplash (above) is shown with Sherwin Williams High Reflective White, if the homeowner had wanted a gray paint colour, Pelican Gray, with its subtle blue-violet undertone would’ve been a great colour to explore. Why? The type of gray in the tile is blue-violet (same with the white quartz countertop).
Pelican Gray is a relatively flexible gray as well, not leaning hard into one undertone or the other…
The LRV of Pelican Gray is 59, 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.
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Paint Colours with LRV
‘SIMILAR’ GRAY PAINT COLOURS TO COORDINATE WITH MARBLE
- Benjamin Moore Pebble Beach
- Benjamin Moore Gray Tint
- Sherwin Williams Gray Screen
- Sherwin Williams On the Rocks
3. BENJAMIN MOORE STONINGTON GRAY HC 170
Stonington Gray is one colour that’s totally underappreciated and underused. Personally, I find that Stonington Gray is simply stunning when placed with the right marble countertops and tiles.
The LRV of Stonington Gray is 59, so it has some decent body. In a darker room, it will have a bit more visual weight and will only look bright and fresh (which is often the goal of those wanting gray walls) in a well-lit room.
SIMILAR GRAY PAINT COLOURS TO COORDINATE WITH MARBLE
- Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
- Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray
- Sherwin Williams Tinsmith
- Sherwin Williams Big Chill
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
- they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
- if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room
SAVE MONEY ON PAINT SAMPLES WITH SAMPLIZE
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.
Gray Owl vs Stonington Gray – Colour Review
SIMILAR GRAY PAINT COLOURS TO COORDINATE WITH MARBLE
- Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray
- Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice
- Sherwin Williams Big Chill
- Sherwin Williams Tinsmith
5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS HIGH REFLECTIVE WHITE SW 7757
There’s NOTHING wrong with going white as it can keep things bright and fresh if your marble is a bit busier!
Shown above is Sherwin Williams 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.
SIMILAR WHITE PAINT COLOURS TO COORDINATE WITH MARBLE
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
- Sherwin Williams Extra White
- Behr Ultra Pure White
FULL Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
The 5 WHITEST White Paint Colours
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-violet undertone (super vague) and an LRV of 84.
Check out Decorators White in this next image (it’s the sample at the very bottom).
SIMILAR WHITE PAINT COLOURS TO COORDINATE WITH MARBLE
- Benjamin Moore Super White
- Benjamin Moore Pure White
- Benjamin Moore White OC-151
- Sherwin Williams Extra White
- Sherwin Williams Ceiling Bright White
FULL Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Decorators White
And don’t be afraid of a little depth…
7. BENJAMIN MOORE TROUT GRAY 2124-20
Trout Gray isn’t for the faint of heart, but when used in the right spot, as shown on this island below, it can be a gorgeous complement to marble…
SIMILAR COLOURS THAT LOOK GOOD WITH MARBLE
- Benjamin Moore Gray 2121-10
- Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart
- Benjamin Moore Gray Shower
- Benjamin Moore Steel Wool
- Sherwin Williams Cyberspace
The 10 Best Dark Gray & Charcoal Paint Colours
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT PAINT COLOURS & MARBLE
WHAT GREIGE OR TAUPE PAINT COLOUR LOOKS BEST WITH MARBLE?
When it comes to greige or taupe paint colours and marble, it’s about choosing a neutral that CONNECTS or COMPLEMENTS a colour found in your countertop. Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist (more of a warm gray) and Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray are great places to start.
See this WHOLE project, including the painted BACKSPLASH TILE right HERE!
Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE PAINT COLOUR TO GO WITH MARBLE?
Generally speaking, Sherwin Williams High Reflective White is one of the best whites to go with marble.
WHAT’S THE BEST GRAY PAINT COLOUR TO GO WITH MARBLE?
While it can vary depending on the marble, generally speaking, Sherwin Williams On the Rocks is a great place to start, as well as Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray.
IF I HAVE MARBLE DO I HAVE TO PAINT MY WALLS OR CABINET GRAY OR WHITE?
No, some marble surfaces are friendly towards blue-green blends, blue-violet blends, as well as some darker navy blue-inspired paint colours.
IF I HAVE MARBLE TILE OR COUNTERTOPS CAN I PAINT MY WALLS CREAM, BEIGE, TAN OR YELLOW?
It can greatly depend on the marble you have, but generally speaking, most traditional marble surfaces better suit cooler colours such as gray, blue, green and violet. If you have a marble that has some creamy warmth in it or beige veining then it can be a bit easier to introduce these colours on the walls, as long as they’re more muted and toned-down.
Of course, there’s Crema Marfil marble (limestone), which falls more in line with the preferences of travertine tile and is MUCH more inclined towards the warm end of things, often suiting muted cream paint colours.
IS MARBLE TRENDY, TIMELESS OR WILL IT GO OUT OF STYLE?
There are FEW products or colours that are truly timeless – everything has its time in the limelight. HOWEVER, marble is definitely a product that has more longevity as it relates to countertops, backsplashes, shower surrounds, flooring and fireplace surrounds. Often, it’s about practising MODERATION with a product, rather than committing to it on such a large scale that it’s cost-prohibitive to update it in the future.
The Top 8 WHOLE HOME Warm Neutral Paint Colours
The 5 Best Off-White Neutral Paint Colours
There you have it! And while there are MANY more great colours out there, the above options should definitely get you started!
READ MORE
How To Get The Look of Marble WITHOUT The Price!
The 12 Best WHOLE HOME Gray & Greige Paint Colours
The 5 Best ALMOST FOOL-PROOF White Paint Colours
How to Redecorate Your Living Room Without Leaving Your Home!
Not sure which colour is best for you and your home?
Check out my Online Color Consulting – I’d be happy to help!
WRITTEN IN 2018, UPDATED IN 2021
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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
Author
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.
Author
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?
Author
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.
Author
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?
Author
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?
Author
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?
Author
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.
Author
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?:)
Which grout color was used with those hex tiles?
I’ve seen this tile go horribly wrong with most grout colors. 🙂
Author
Oh George, I wish I remembered!
I really wish I had found your site before now! I love your detailed advice. I am almost done with our primary bath remodel and made a big painting mistake this week. The entire bathroom (walls, ceiling, trim) is painted in Swiss coffee 75%. I thought I needed a warm white for this northeast facing rooms and Shea McGee painted her whole house this color so it must be great. It is reading very cream/yellow. I think because of the cool tones of the white hex tile floor and the zellige tiles in shower. The countertops are Perla Grigio marble (not in yet) but cool as well. I’m going to have them repaint the whole thing – and am leaning towards Chantilly Lace since it’s very neutral. I’m hoping it’s not too cold. I also considered SW pure white but that looks a lot darker in the sample in the room. I tried Decorators White as well but the sample swatch looked too cold. If you have any other recommendations thank you! I look forward to seeing more of your content. Thank you!
Author
Ahhh yes, good old Swiss Coffee. I’m not surprised you’re seeing what you are ;). Chantilly Lace is MUCH better for not flashing soo warm. And while SOMETIMES it can come off a wink warmer than some whiter tiles/countertops, generally it’s a GREAT CHOICE, especially if you don’t want a cold white look.