8 Breathtaking Stain Colours for Kitchen Cabinets
Transform raw wood for custom-looking cabinetry with a stain that fills your need for colour but lets the grain show
Jennifer Ott
31 March 2021
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's work has been featured in many print and online publications. Her recently-published book, "1000 Ideas for Color Schemes," is a beautifully illustrated and easy-to-navigate guide that takes the guesswork out of selecting the perfect color palette for your home or special event. For more information on Jennifer Ott Design, visit http://jenottdesign.com/.
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's... More
There are purists when it comes to wood cabinetry – those who believe that it should never be painted, and stained only in woodsy shades of brown – and there are those who enjoy seeing how wood can be dramatically transformed. Perhaps most of us fall somewhere in the middle.
I admire the inherent beauty of wood left unadorned, but I am also digging the many uniquely hued stained kitchen cabinets I’ve been spotting on Houzz. Staining your cabinets an unexpected colour is a terrific way to put a custom touch on your kitchen cabinetry. It’s also a great option for those who want to be able to see and appreciate the grain and texture of wood, but like to have a little fun with the colour. If custom-built and -stained cabinetry is out of your budget, and you have some experience staining wood, this could be a good DIY project. You can buy unfinished cabinets and stain them yourself or strip and refinish existing wood cabinetry. But if you have any doubts about your stripping and staining skills, it’s definitely worth hiring a pro.
Here are eight fantastic kitchens with interesting stained cabinetry, along with three eye-popping palettes featuring exotic stain colours to consider for your own kitchen.
I admire the inherent beauty of wood left unadorned, but I am also digging the many uniquely hued stained kitchen cabinets I’ve been spotting on Houzz. Staining your cabinets an unexpected colour is a terrific way to put a custom touch on your kitchen cabinetry. It’s also a great option for those who want to be able to see and appreciate the grain and texture of wood, but like to have a little fun with the colour. If custom-built and -stained cabinetry is out of your budget, and you have some experience staining wood, this could be a good DIY project. You can buy unfinished cabinets and stain them yourself or strip and refinish existing wood cabinetry. But if you have any doubts about your stripping and staining skills, it’s definitely worth hiring a pro.
Here are eight fantastic kitchens with interesting stained cabinetry, along with three eye-popping palettes featuring exotic stain colours to consider for your own kitchen.
1. Soft green
This lovely light and open space gets a custom touch with green-washed kitchen cabinets. Because the colour is soft, it looks very natural. The result is fresh, fun and unique.
Find a kitchen designer to design your kitchen
This lovely light and open space gets a custom touch with green-washed kitchen cabinets. Because the colour is soft, it looks very natural. The result is fresh, fun and unique.
Find a kitchen designer to design your kitchen
2. Warm dark grey
This is a gorgeous deep and rich hue, cooler and more grey than typical cabinet stain colours. It pairs well with the modern stainless steel accents and the beautiful marble backsplash shown here; everything comes together brilliantly in this elegant kitchen.
Here’s how to pick the right shade of grey
This is a gorgeous deep and rich hue, cooler and more grey than typical cabinet stain colours. It pairs well with the modern stainless steel accents and the beautiful marble backsplash shown here; everything comes together brilliantly in this elegant kitchen.
Here’s how to pick the right shade of grey
3. Silvery grey
A light grey stain will give your cabinets character, is unexpected and allows you to retain a soft, light, neutral look that easily works with many design styles, finishes, materials and colours. This kitchen has a lot of wood in it, but because the cabinetry colour is not a typical wood tone, there’s enough variation to keep it from appearing too woodsy.
A light grey stain will give your cabinets character, is unexpected and allows you to retain a soft, light, neutral look that easily works with many design styles, finishes, materials and colours. This kitchen has a lot of wood in it, but because the cabinetry colour is not a typical wood tone, there’s enough variation to keep it from appearing too woodsy.
4. Greyish green
Another beautiful and unique kitchen featuring dark greyish-green wall cabinets. This stain colour is a fantastic neutral that allows you to easily work in other colours, or you can keep the palette earth tone and neutral – as was done here – for a cozy and inviting feel.
Another beautiful and unique kitchen featuring dark greyish-green wall cabinets. This stain colour is a fantastic neutral that allows you to easily work in other colours, or you can keep the palette earth tone and neutral – as was done here – for a cozy and inviting feel.
5. Deep red
Red stained cabinets make a bold statement and work best in a kitchen with minimal adornment, especially if the space doesn’t get a whole lot of natural light.
Red stained cabinets make a bold statement and work best in a kitchen with minimal adornment, especially if the space doesn’t get a whole lot of natural light.
6. Greenish black
A greenish-black stain on wood that has strong linear graining is a bold choice and works well with the bright aqua island in this contemporary kitchen.
These colours complement wood details
A greenish-black stain on wood that has strong linear graining is a bold choice and works well with the bright aqua island in this contemporary kitchen.
These colours complement wood details
7. White
White stained, or whitewashed, cabinetry has been around a long time, but it’s getting a fresh look in decidedly more modern spaces, such as in this rustic modern beauty.
Depending on the species, white stained wood tends to look a bit pink, though, and if you pair it with yellowish greens, the pinkness will be more pronounced. This is because pink and yellow-green are opposite each other on the colour wheel – they offer the most contrast to each other. Inject reddish-orange hues or blue-greens instead, as was done here. The pink will be less pronounced.
Check out these dream-like white kitchens
White stained, or whitewashed, cabinetry has been around a long time, but it’s getting a fresh look in decidedly more modern spaces, such as in this rustic modern beauty.
Depending on the species, white stained wood tends to look a bit pink, though, and if you pair it with yellowish greens, the pinkness will be more pronounced. This is because pink and yellow-green are opposite each other on the colour wheel – they offer the most contrast to each other. Inject reddish-orange hues or blue-greens instead, as was done here. The pink will be less pronounced.
Check out these dream-like white kitchens
8. Ebony
We’ve seen many gorgeous black painted and stained kitchen cabinets on Houzz lately; this one is a handsome and elegant feast for the eyes.
Read more:
What’s the Best Material for Kitchen Cabinets?
Tell us:
Are you a fan of colourful stained cabinetry? Or do you think wood should be left in its natural state whenever possible? Tell us in the Comments below.
We’ve seen many gorgeous black painted and stained kitchen cabinets on Houzz lately; this one is a handsome and elegant feast for the eyes.
Read more:
What’s the Best Material for Kitchen Cabinets?
Tell us:
Are you a fan of colourful stained cabinetry? Or do you think wood should be left in its natural state whenever possible? Tell us in the Comments below.
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I love #8, it"s awesome!
Dear Madni
Thank you for your suggestion. But I'm asking for stain colors that I can apply not a brand of cabinet. If anyone out there has experience with wood stains I'd more than appreciate help.
the stains I've tried are WEATHERED GRAY lovely soft med. tone but goes a bit blue for me.the other CARBON it leans too brown. Both are by VALSPAR if memory serves
@hopelandfarms I see what you mean. You could try stopping by your local stain supplier and see if they can do a custom stain. If you have a piece of furniture or wood decor with the look you want that you could show as an example it will make the process quite simple. Best of luck with your project!
Mandi @ Dura