What Paint Colors & Countertops Go With Black Appliances

DESIGN A KITCHEN WITH BLACK APPLIANCES

While stainless steel is undoubtedly the most popular appliance finish for a kitchen, black takes a close second, and white…well, that’s a whole different topic.

Today, we’re focusing on black appliances and how to integrate them into your kitchen design without them sticking out like a sore thumb. So, whether you’re buying new appliances or trying to update your kitchen with existing ones, these tips will get you on the right track!

DO BLACK APPLIANCES LOOK GOOD WITH WHITE CABINETS?

It’s touch-and-go. Remember, just because you WANT to do something doesn’t mean your home agrees with you.

Why don’t black appliances & white cabinets always work? 

• Black appliances and white cabinets create a HIGH-CONTRAST palette. There’s a time and place for contrast, but it’s rarely between appliances and cabinets.
• This high-contrast approach makes the appliances more prominent. Unless you’ve invested in a wicked-pretty and expensive designer oven, you miiiiight not want the appliances to be your kitchen’s crowning glory.
• Contrast makes a space look smaller.

Do you want your appliances to be your kitchen’s main feature?

If so, then fill ‘yer little black boots!

These are dark stainless steel and still pretty high-contrast with the white cabinets. The darker green island and black stools help integrate the dark appliances. 

Whether black appliances and white cabinets are BFFs comes down to two things…

1. The other finishes in your kitchen (countertop/backsplash/flooring) and how well they help the black integrate (which we’ll get into shortly).

2. Perception (your personal opinion).

Perception comes down to what you think looks good—heck, it’s your home; you need to be happy!

Many people love the look of white cabinets with black appliances, reveling in the contrast and dynamic energy this palette creates. 

Personally, there are very few kitchens that I think look good with white cabinets and black appliances (without careful planning), which leads to our next topic.

The above kitchen could definitely handle black appliances thanks to the countertop.

HOW TO DESIGN OR UPDATE A KITCHEN WITH BLACK APPLIANCES

Right now, you might be thinking, ‘Darn it, I REALLY want to paint my cabinets white, but I have black appliances!’ Here are the best things you can add to or update in your kitchen, that may, or may NOT include white cabinets…

1. BLACK COUNTERTOPS (or at least VERY dark ones)

I don’t have many Color Consulting clients who’ve done white cabinets with black appliances (we usually avoid it). Still, this next kitchen could EASILY handle a black fridge, stove, and dishwasher…

Learn more about high and low contrast via this small bathroom article

Why COULD the above kitchen handle black appliances?

• black countertop
• black light fixtures
• black furnishings

All of these finishes will give your appliances some good visual support. HOWEVER, stainless steel is still the best choice for this space.

This next kitchen has a range of 1990s finishes to accommodate, along with black appliances…

Thanks to the dark painted island and darker granite countertop, it was a bit easier to use a soft off-white on the cabinets (it looks like white here as it’s not alongside a REAL white).

How to Update Your Kitchen

As shown in this next photo, medium or dark-colored countertops will give your appliances something ‘visual’ to grab onto. While it’s still a high-contrast look, it helps soften the blow.

Dark countertop? Check. Dark island? Check. Dark accents? CHECK!

2. PAINT YOUR ISLAND A DARK COLOR

Painting your island a dark paint color is another way to integrate black appliances…

You don’t necessarily need black cabinet hardware with black appliances! 

This kitchen palette includes a beautiful light-medium depth beige main cabinet color, Sherwin Williams Thunder Gray island, and a warm white paint color on the walls.

3. PAINT YOUR CABINETS A LIGHT, BUT NOT WHITE, PAINT COLOR

I know, it’s not exactly the answer many of you were hoping for, but if you don’t have dark or black countertops and can’t paint your island a dark color (or don’t have an island), non-white cabinets could be your next best choice.

Why?

Sherwin Williams Balanced Beige:  IMAGES, Info, & More

Again, it comes down to contrast. Even a soft, light-depth cabinet has a lower contrast than white cabinets.

4. CONSIDER YOUR FURNITURE & HOME DECOR

While it doesn’t always save the idea, adding black pieces to your kitchen can help integrate black appliances with white cabinets, especially if you also have white countertops and backsplash.

While this next kitchen doesn’t have black appliances, you can see how the black chairs, counter stools, faucet, home decor, and metal finishes would help integrate black appliances into the design…

I also like that the backsplash isn’t white in the kitchen area, which also helps with the transition.

WHAT CABINET COLORS (OTHER THAN WHITE) GO WITH BLACK APPLIANCES?

Now we’re getting into my wheelhouse. There’s a wide selection of paint colors that work with black appliances, including black, gray, blue, and green. And not just these, but many wood-stained cabinets can look smashing.

Again, MOST of my clients have stainless steel appliances, hence the lack of photos. However, you’ll still see some great examples.

GRAY OR GREIGE PAINTED CABINETS WITH BLACK APPLIANCES

The affordable laminate countertop in this next photo and the dark lower cabinet color could easily accommodate a completely black stove.

The dark gray of the cabinets (Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray), dark countertop, and details in the backsplash help the black appliances feel RIGHT AT home in this next kitchen…

This next kitchen has the Lamborghini of black appliances – GE Cafe Matte Black…

The Best Cabinet Colors with GE Cafe Matte Black Appliances

Cafe Matte Black is gorgeous…but it isn’t black; it’s more like a super dark gray or soft shade of black. However, the same challenges exist related to contrasting with white cabinets. The above kitchen is painted a beautiful medium-toned shade of mushroom, which is a great way to balance the space.

In this next photo, you’ll see stainless steel, but black could work, thanks to the black countertops!

Benjamin Moore Kitty Gray / The Best Dark Blue & Green Cabinet Colors

The Best Medium-Depth Greige & Taupe Paint Colors

While we don’t see any appliances in this next photo, you can see how black would look low-contrast and simple against the Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze cabinets…

Notice there are other dark elements for black appliances to tie into, including dark chairs in the backdrop and black metal pendant lights.

However, not every kitchen with black appliances can be updated. Sometimes black is just the wrong color for the design of the kitchen…

Even the black island and cabinet hardware don’t help these appliances belong.

In this case, it’s time to save those scheckles until you can afford to update what you have.

DARKER CABINET PAINT COLORS TO GO WITH BLACK APPLIANCES

When choosing the best color for your cabinets, the backsplash and countertop call the BIGGEST shots. However, you can often include black appliances in the palette with the following colors…

• Benjamin Moore Pashmina
• medium to dark green paint colors
• darker greige paint colors
• medium-toned beige, taupe, & greige paint colors
• a range of mushroom-inspired paint colors
• Sherwin Williams Dovetail or Gauntlet Gray
• Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray
• Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal

PAINT ‘COLORS’ & BLACK APPLIANCES

While there isn’t a wide range of colors (e.g., blue/green/purple) that suit black cabinets, the ones that work look pretty bangin’. With these colors, you’ll find it’s easier to get away without black countertops, as long as you bring black in somewhere else.

While the fridge in this next kitchen is stainless steel, note the black dishwasher and how it relates to the cabinets (which are awaiting hardware…).

And unlike white cabinets, which are fussier, actual colors give you a bit more flexibility as to the range you can look at, including:

• medium-depth or darker green-grays as well as darker, STRONGER shades of green
• some blue hues, although green is a more NATURAL fit with black appliances

This next kitchen has GE Cafe Matte Black and looks wicked pretty in a gorgeous, dark shade of green (Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green)…

This next kitchen can BARELY handle black appliances (and is better suited to stainless steel). The paint color is Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog. Even if we bump down one shade darker to Dried Thyme, the palette would rest a little easier.

In the above kitchen, the black hardware would definitely help black appliances feel more at home without needing a black countertop—again, it’s really only white to light-depth cabinets that need a black countertop.

PAINT COLOR IDEAS TO GO WITH BLACK APPLIANCES

• Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray – a gorgeous, darker, green-gray blend
• Benjamin Moore’s Cheating Heart – a super dark melange of black, gray, and navy blue
• a wide range of medium to dark green paint colors
• Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black or Benjamin Moore Black 2132-10
• medium to dark gray paint colors – gray IS the lighter version of black!

WOOD CABINETS WITH BLACK APPLIANCES

Unlike white cabinets, wood cabinets allow a ‘bit’ more room for black appliances as the combo isn’t as high contrast. That is, assuming your wood stain is mid-range or darker. This means you don’t necessarily NEED black countertops, as long as you integrate black somewhere in your finishes (check this out – I could do without the black range hood, but the hardware is STUNNING).

In this next kitchen, the black appliances are a great choice as they’re the lowest contrast option with the red stain on the cabinets. If the owner didn’t want to paint the cabinets, the next step would be an update of the beige countertop and backsplash, as it’s off with the cabinet color…

The oak cabinets in this next kitchen look SHARP with the black microwave. And while there’s a bit of mix and match with the stainless stove (I’d rather see the appliances ALL black), the overall look is working…

In the above situation, black hardware looks GREAT as it’s not as high-contrast on the wood cabinets as white cabinets. A great way to update the above kitchen would be to add a medium-depth taupe subway tile backsplash, pulling into the countertop colors.

WHAT WALL PAINT COLORS GO WITH BLACK APPLIANCES?

When picking a WALL paint color to suit black appliances, it’s less about your appliance and more about your countertop, backsplash, and flooring. That’s right, let your appliances be a minor part of the process, as these other finishes will be calling the shots.

In general, you might consider…

• light warm neutrals such as subtle creams and more muted, modern beiges (with warm surrounding finishes)
• subtle light depth gray, greige, and taupe paint colors (with slightly cooler surrounding finishes)

WHAT COLOR/FINISH CABINET HARDWARE GOES WITH BLACK APPLIANCES?

While you might assume black handles and knobs are the answer, they can negatively affect the balance/level of contrast and date a well-intentioned kitchen.

I usually recommend polished nickel or gold (knowing that gold isn’t as timeless), keeping black for rare occasions.

HOW DO I BRIGHTEN A KITCHEN WITH BLACK APPLIANCES?

While black can weigh a space down, there are a few ways to brighten your kitchen up…

• White or off-white cabinets offer brightness to a kitchen, as long as you’re okay with a high contrast palette. Incorporating some of the above ideas and tips can help!
• Choose a timeless backsplash tile that has a glossy sheen to it, helping to reflect light.
• Install under-cabinet lighting and improve your general lighting as much as possible (watch those KELVINS!)
• While black or dark countertops might seem counterintuitive, in partnership with black appliances, white cabinets, and a white, bright backsplash, the CONTRAST between these finishes will add energy to a kitchen!

READ MORE

The Best Cabinet Colors with GE Cafe Matte Black Appliances

3 Steps to Picking the Best White for Kitchen Cabinets

The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands, Bathroom Vanities & More

6 Budget-Friendly Ideas to Update Your Home

Looking for personalized kitchen color ideas? 

Check out my Online Decorating and Color Consulting

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, UPDATED FOR YOU IN 2024!