The Kitchen Paint Color You Should Always Skip, According to Designers

If you’re in the process of designing your first kitchen or redoing your current one, you’re in the throes of making lots of decisions. One of the most important choices is actually the one with the most options: Its color.

“When choosing color for any room, you should consider the psychology of color and how it makes us feel,” says designer Leigh Spicher. “This is especially true in the kitchen, as it is arguably the most important room in the home.”

To narrow down your color choices, we asked designers to share the one color they’d recommend avoiding in a kitchen, and which colors to consider instead. Plot twist: They are all neutrals.

Why Designers Avoid Stark White in Kitchens

There are a few reasons you may be tempted to paint your kitchen bright white. For starters, it may look great next to your factory-white kitchen appliances. Secondly, we often associate white with cleanliness, which is definitely an attribute we all want in kitchens.

Despite its favorable qualities, it’s not a designer-recommended choice.

You won’t find any all-white kitchens in Spicher’s portfolio, because she believes it isn’t a practical or inspiring color for a room that gets so much daily use.

“I want my kitchen to feel full of drama and character, which I don’t find in all crisp white features,” she says.

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A Similar Alternative

If you want to usher some brightness into your kitchen, you don’t need to avoid the color white entirely. Designer Laura Lees Gilbert loves working with creamy whites in kitchens, particularly ones with warm undertones.

“[Warm white] is equal parts cozy and clean, creating a warm and idyllic backdrop to any room,” she says. “It evokes a welcoming, open space, which is especially important when creating an environment for hosting and entertainment.”

Other Designer-Approved Kitchen Colors

If you’re planning on updating your kitchen any time soon, here are a few colors that are better fits for the kitchen.

Warm, Light Gray

Gilbert highly recommends swatching a gray with warm undertones, or a greige, in other words.

“It is a creamy and universally flattering shade that creates a balanced and sophisticated interior,” she says.

Just like warm white, this neutral color will create a welcoming backdrop for hosting.

Taupe and Natural Wood Tones

It’s been a big year for the color brown, especially since Pantone named Chocolate Mousse as its 2025 color of the year.

Spicher loves this color trend, especially in kitchens. But rather than a deep, rich brown, she particularly loves using the color taupe and stained wood accents in kitchens.

“As far as colors that always look great in a kitchen, you can never go wrong with a classic stain or warm taupe,” she says. “These are time-tested neutrals that aren’t boring and have enough character to feel warm and inviting without feeling sterile and cold.”

She believes natural grain woods and stains are making their way back into kitchen designs because we associate wood with a hearth. And just like a fireplace, the kitchen is also known as a space for gathering.

Black Kitchens Are Up for Debate

One thing we found particularly interesting when chatting with Gilbert and Spicher is that they have very different views on applying the color black in kitchens.

“I avoid using any variation of black when painting or decorating in the kitchen,” says Gilbert. “Not only will the dark hue show wear, tear, and imperfections more easily, but the color will make a room feel smaller and darker, especially if there is already a lack of natural light.”

However, Spicher absolutely loves black kitchens.

“If you want to feel confident and empowered with your recipes, then a dark or even black kitchen might be best for you,” she says. “Black also ushers in a certain level of authority and formality.”