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Kitchen cabinet wood stain


9 Cabinet Stain Colors and How to Coordinate Them

By

Ashley Knierim

Ashley Knierim

Ashley Knierim is a home decor expert and product reviewer of home products for The Spruce. Her design education began at a young age. She has over 10 years of writing and editing experience, formerly holding editorial positions at Time and AOL.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 01/26/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

If you have natural wood cabinetry in your bathroom or your kitchen, you have a couple of options if it's time for a refresh: You can paint it or you can stain it. Stained cabinetry has risen in popularity over the past few years, particularly for homeowners who want to embrace a more rustic look that really shows off the natural texture of the wood. Plus, oftentimes staining is much easier than repainting your cabinets, especially if you are going darker.

If your cabinets are in need of a refresh, we've rounded up some of our favorite wood stain ideas and how to style them in your own home.

8 Stunning Stain Colors for Kitchen Cabinets

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 color 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 color. 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 colors to consider for your own kitchen.

Jetton Construction, Inc.

1. Soft green. This lovely light and open space gets a custom touch with green-washed kitchen cabinets. Because the color is soft, it looks very natural. The result is fresh, fun and unique.

Find a skilled painter to stain your cabinets

T2THES DESIGN + BUILD

2. Warm dark gray. This is a gorgeous deep and rich hue, cooler and more gray than typical cabinet stain colors. It pairs well with the modern stainless steel accents and the beautiful marble backsplash shown here; everything comes together brilliantly in this elegant kitchen.

Shelter Interiors LLC

3. Silvery gray. A light gray 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 colors. This kitchen has a lot of wood in it, but because the cabinetry color is not a typical wood tone, there's enough variation to keep it from appearing too woodsy.

Linda McDougald Design | Postcard from Paris Home

4. Grayish green. Another beautiful and unique kitchen featuring dark grayish-green wall cabinets. This stain color is a fantastic neutral that allows you to easily work in other colors, or you can keep the palette earth tone and neutral — as was done here — for a cozy and inviting feel.

Traditional Log Homes Ltd

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.

Hire a kitchen designer to help you achieve this look

Mindful Designs, Inc.

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.

Whitten Architects

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 color 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.

Jordan Lotoski

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.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Watery blue wood stain

Soft blue stains, like this example from Sherwin-Williams, make a cool pairing with stainless steel accents and dark charcoal-gray flooring, such as this sheet flooring from Marmoleum by Forbo.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Yellow-orange wood stain

Take the yellow-orange hue inherent to many wood species up to the next level by staining the wood a vibrant mustard color, like this one from Minwax. The quartz countertop here, Blanco Maple from Silestone, has a subtle amber-colored aggregate in it that picks up on the glowing wood stain color. Cool it all down with a soft gray floor tile, such as StonePeak Ceramics' Parkland in Artic.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Fresh green wood stain

Cabinets stained a leafy deep green from Sherwin-Williams would look amazing atop a rich black walnut wood floor. Keep the countertops simple with a medium-gray quartz material such as Caesarstone's Concrete.

Tell us: Are you a fan of colorful stained cabinetry? Or do you think wood should be left in its natural state whenever possible?

How to paint kitchen furniture with stain

There are many adherents of the natural style, who are sure that wood should never be painted, and if they do, then use brown tones as close to natural as possible.

More daring natures enjoy the process of transformation of wooden surfaces treated with bright dyes. We think that most of us are neither one nor the other, but stick to the golden mean.

It's hard not to admire the inner perfection of unfinished wood, but there are many examples of successful furniture finishing with expressive colors. Stain is an easy way to personalize your kitchen.

Thanks to it, you can experiment with the palette without losing the opportunity to contemplate the natural structure and pattern of wood. Whether you paint your cabinets yourself or hire a professional, it's up to you, and the online magazine Kitchen Interior Ideas is ready to showcase 8 stunning stained wood kitchen interiors.

In addition - a story about 8 exotic shades of wood stain, one of which is sure to please you.

1. Light Green

This light and open interior was given its own personality after the entire kitchen unit was treated with green stain. Its shade is so light that the image turned out to be very natural. And everything else is fresh, cheerful and unique.

2. Smoke gray

A stunningly deep and rich shade that is colder and more intense than we are used to seeing in kitchen furniture. As you can see in the photo, it pairs beautifully with modern stainless steel fittings and marble countertops.

3. Silver Gray

This shade will give the interior character, but retain some neutrality that allows it to work with any style. It would seem that the kitchen in the photo consists almost entirely of wooden elements, but the feeling of redundancy does not arise due to the exquisite finish of the furniture.

4. Grey-green

Here is another beautiful and unique kitchen with grey-green wall cabinets. The advantage of this shade is its absolute versatility, which allows you to create any images in the interior.

5. Burgundy Red

This color will show off your boldness and make a kitchen look great with minimal decor. Dark red cabinets will look especially advantageous in a dimly lit room.

6. Green with black

This stain is ideal for wooden surfaces with a pronounced longitudinal texture. In the modern interior in the photo you can see a surprisingly harmonious combination of greenish-black cabinets with a turquoise kitchen island.

7. White

Whitewashed furniture seems to have always been around, but today it often forms the image of a modern kitchen with a rustic character.

Some bleached woods tend to look pinkish, this effect is enhanced when combined with yellowish green elements. The fact is that pink and yellow-green are opposed to each other on the color wheel, which means they are contrasting.

By adding orange or blue-gray details, you can make the pinkish tint less pronounced or even level it out. This is exactly what the owners of the kitchen in the photo did.

8. Ebony or black brown

Black kitchens are not uncommon today, but this interior seems so elegant and warm that you immediately want to touch the matte surfaces of the cabinets that make it up.

This shade can create a unique look when paired with brushed stainless steel countertops and jet black flooring like the Marmoleum sample shown here.

Approximate combinations: greenish blue

The yellowish tint, characteristic of many types of wood, must be brought to the intensity of mustard. Shown here is a sample of a white countertop with slightly translucent amber filler, which subtly emphasizes the expressiveness of such cabinet finishes. The third recommended component is soft gray floor tiles.

Sample combinations: yellow-orange

Spring green wardrobes just need the addition of a dark walnut floor. And the countertop can be quite simple - gray quartz is perfect.

Sample combinations: juicy green

Categories: Kitchen color

8 stain colors for your kitchen furniture

Ideas for the kitchen1425

The final finish of wooden furniture is a subject of much debate. Some are categorically against staining and allow only options with wood stain in brown shades of wood. Others prefer to watch the tree change over the years. Perhaps you are on the golden mean in this matter. Natural wood looks great. But the original stained wooden furniture looks just as good. As a result, the kitchen acquires an individual style. Ideal for those who want to see the structure and texture of wood, but also want to use color in the kitchen. If your budget does not include ordering furniture from professionals, and you have experience in staining, a do-it-yourself kitchen is the perfect solution. You can buy unfinished cabinets and paint them yourself, or repaint an existing wooden kitchen cabinet. But if you doubt your abilities or you do not have enough experience, it is better to hire a specialist.
Here are 8 kitchen ideas with original painted cabinets.

Jetton Construction, Inc.

Warm green gives this bright and airy kitchen its own personality. The space looks fresh and natural.

T2THES DESIGN + BUILD

Warm dark gray - luxurious, deep color. It refreshes the kitchen and pairs well with modern steel accents and a beautiful marble backsplash. The kitchen looks elegant.

Shelter Interiors llc

Light gray is an unexpected choice. This color gives the kitchen a unique character and allows you to maintain a light and natural look. You can combine it with any style, finishes, materials and colors. Although this kitchen uses a lot of wood in the interior, the unusual color of the fronts will avoid the feeling of an overabundance of wood.

Linda McDougald Design | Postcard from Paris Home

A dark grey-green stain was used to paint the furniture in this kitchen. This natural color will allow you to add any other bright colors or work in a natural palette of earthy colors, as is done in this cozy and welcoming kitchen.

  Traditional Log Homes Ltd

Dark red furniture looks dramatic and works best in kitchens with minimal decor, and especially those with little natural light.

Mindful Designs, Inc.

Greenish-black furniture with a pronounced linear wood structure and a bright turquoise kitchen island look bold.

Whitten Architects

White or white-stained furniture is common in kitchens. But in modern design spaces like this rustic kitchen, white has a new look. Depending on the type of wood, furniture covered with white stain may have a pinkish tint. When using yellow-green colors, the pinkish tint of the kitchen will be more pronounced. Pink and yellow-green are opposite colors of the color scheme and therefore create maximum contrast. Add red-orange or blue-green hues, as was done in this kitchen, and the pink hue will become less contrasting.

Jordan Lotoski

Ebony painted or black stained kitchen looks really impressive.

Jennifer Ott

Color Palette: Water Blue Stain.

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