Aside from the awesome novel, gray is often dismissed as dull and lifeless. Tell that to an elephant, but you’re sure to get trampled. Kitchen cabinet designers would also disagree, although they are less likely to start a stampede (no guarantees).
Finally, it seems that gray is having its day, as more and more savvy homeowners see the benefits of this underrated color for their cabinets. Far from being tossed aside for its perceived blandness, it is finally being embraced for its versatility, complexity and limitless potential.
To make the best use of gray for your kitchen cabinets, you need to carefully consider what it does, how it does it, and how it can best complement your kitchen’s decor.
To this end, here are some points to consider.
Embrace the light or explore the dark side
When incorporating gray into kitchen cabinets, the natural inclination is to pick your favorite tone and just go with it. But it’s also important to think about how much space you’re working with, especially if your kitchen is on the “cozy” side.
Dark gray kitchen cabinets in an environment that has limited space and natural light will make things worse rather than better, as deep shades tend to absorb light. In this case, it is best to use a lighter shade of gray for kitchen cabinets because the light will bounce off it and noticeably brighten the surroundings.
Heat up or cool down
If colors had a gender, gray might be a man: Seemingly uncomplicated but very complex (really). Although not visible on the surface, gray can contain undertones of blue, red and yellow, appearing warmer or cooler depending on which shade is dominant.
A red undertone makes it resemble taupe, while blue gives it a more steely hue. To see this for yourself, you can place different shades of gray side by side on the wall and the differences will be readily apparent. You can then choose the tone that works best on your kitchen cabinets and fits nicely with your overall design scheme.
