There are so many great blues. Blue can be light and bright or dark and moody. I tend to love dark rooms and therefore, my favorite blues are on the darker side of the spectrum.
Are Blue Kitchen Cabinets a Good Idea?
Blue kitchen cabinets are a good idea if they’re going to work for you. As with black, these dark blues are not for everyone, but can have a beautiful effect if it fits the space and your personality. The nice thing is that there are an endless number of blues to choose from, but I do have my favorites.
What Is The Best Blue Paint For Kitchen Cabinets?
My favorite blue is Down Pipe by Farrow & Ball. That paint swatch makes it look grey, but it’s blue undertones come out in bright spaces.
According to Farrow & Ball, Down Pipe is “a dark lead grey, [with] definite blue undertones to it which deepen the complexity of the finish. Originally inspired by the color used to paint downpipes and guttering, it has been embraced for use inside the home with fanatical zeal! This daringly dark hue is fabulous as a background to art and extremely effective for use in halls to create a deeply dramatic entrance to the home.”
In these photos, you can see how this color changes as you move through the room, and pair it with backsplash tile that brings out the blue.
This kitchen style is Traditional Farmhouse and includes touches like a farmhouse sink with a walnut drip edge to protect the front of the under sink cabinets and an island with wrap around seating. This open concept floor plan connects the kitchen to the great room.
PROJECT DETAILS
Island Paint: Down Pipe by Farrow & Ball
Cabinet Paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore
Floors: Plain Sawn White Oak
Counter Tops: Quartz
Decor and Furnishings: Cailtin Creer
Cabinetry: Christopher Scott Cabinetry & Design
Even though Down Pipe is technically a grey, greys tend to present with either blue or brown undertones, which is crucial to paint color consideration and complementing features in a room.
PROJECT DETAILS
Cabinet Paint: Down Pipe by Farrow & Ball
Floors: Engineered White Oak
Counter Tops: Plain Sawn White Oak with an oil resin and a food-safe clear coat.
Wall: High Gloss Ceramic Subway Tile
Decorator: Cailtin Creer
Cabinetry: Christopher Scott Cabinetry & Design
My Other Favorite Blue Paint Colors
I also really like Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore. It comes across as a more straight-forward blue and is perfect if you’re a fan of what would be considered a traditional navy blue. It looks so classy paired with white and I love all blues with any wood.
Benjamin Moore describes it as, “a timeless classic, this deeply saturated shade of navy blue evokes rich maritime traditions and storied exploits at sea.”
Dark, moody colors are also great for small guest bathrooms. You can add more style and drama to those small spaces with less commitment—they can be a bit of a surprise and departure from the decor and colors in the rest of the home.
Hale Navy on lower kitchen cabinets still looks bright and inviting when paired with the white upper cabinets and warm wood flooring in the project below.
This three-tone kitchen features shaker style doors (on the lower portion of the cabinetry) and flat-slab drawers along the top.
PROJECT DETAILS
Blue Paint: Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore
White Paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore
Floors: Quarter Sawn White Oak with dark walnut stain and a polyurethane topcoat.
Counter Tops: Solid Slab Carrara Marble
Build: Tiek Design Group
Decor and Furnishings: Studio McGee
Cabinetry: Christopher Scott Cabinetry & Design
Another of my favorite blue paint colors is Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball. It’s got a bit more green in it and I’ve used it on bathroom cabinetry to add personality and style to these smaller spaces.
Farrow and Ball describes Hague Blue as, “a strong blue takes its name from the fantastically coloured woodwork much used by the Dutch, and still works wonderfully to ground skirtings or as an accent colour on the walls when teamed with Borrowed Light. The green undertones of this timeless, deep and dramatic blue means it sits as happily outside as it does in small dark rooms.”
PROJECT DETAILS
Blue Paint: Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball
Counter Tops: Carerra
Cabinet Design: CS Cabinetry & Design
Best Blue Cabinet Paint For 2023
Each year I find a few new hues that I really like working with and it’s no different with the new kitchen paint colors for 2023. Shades of moody blue—along with a few softer hues—remain a natural and soothing classic that won’t time out quickly like some other trends in past years. And while the best blue paints for kitchen cabinetry and design remain my favorites mentioned above, I’ve added four new and beautiful blue paint colors that may just become the starting point for your 2023 kitchen design.
Blue Cabinet Paint Color For 2023: Navy Masterpiece
I love the way Benjamin Moore has chosen to define Navy Masterpiece: “a bold, blackened teal that conveys a strong sense of history and architectural relevance.” It’s deep, but not so dark that it reads black in any way once the light hits it. As with most blues, Navy Masterpiece is going to look incredible with wood flooring or butcherblock countertops. I’d also love to see it paired with brass cabinet hardware to really make it pop.
Blue Cabinet Paint Color For 2023: Stiffkey Blue
This is a more inky navy shade that reads of Norfolk’s muddy beaches—in the best kind of way, of course. It’s going to be a pretty dramatic shade that really pops blue in well-lit spaces so don’t lean toward Stiffkey Blue by Farrow & Ball if you want something more subtle and traditional. It does go very well with traditional greige options, however, and F&B suggests their own Ammonite as a nice contrast.
Blue Cabinet Paint Color For 2023: Van Deusen Blue
The most “true” blue of all these new 2023 paint colors, Van Deusen Blue by Benjamin Moore is described by its creator as “a foundational blue color that fits easily into both traditional and modern spaces,” making it a pretty malleable option based on what you choose to pair it with. I like Van Deusen Blue with white whites for a clean and classic look in any kitchen design. It could be elevated further by gold hardware or really personalized by pairing it with a patterned tile backsplash.
Blue Cabinet Paint Color For 2023: Inchyra Blue
Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball is a blue paint for 2023 that feels fitting for someone with cottagecore vibes in their home—warmer aged woods, creamy whites, and lots of natural texture will complement this slightly blue-green gray. As told by its makers, the moodiness of Inchyra Blue was “inspired by the naturally dramatic Scottish skies.” But be careful and be sure to test it in your space as it can read more gray, blue, or green depending on lighting and surrounding design elements.
What Advice Would You Give To People Considering Blue Cabinets?
If you’re considering a deeper blue for your kitchen cabinets, I have a few fair warnings to share.
First, dark colors can absolutely dominate a room and kill natural light. So, if you don’t want it to feel very dark or make your cabinets appear black, you’ll need to balance your dark blue cabinetry with light or white flooring and walls in order to create some harmony in the space.
Second, a dark blue is not going to be the most maintenance-friendly. It will show food stains like sauces or flour, unlike some other colors that can work to camouflage certain kitchen mishaps. It also shows fingerprints and dust easily. Another consideration is that, if damaged, a chip or ding in the cabinet face will clearly reveal the material beneath the dark paint.
But, if opting for a lighter blue, these issues become less apparent. A light blue kitchen cabinet or island can set a cool but cheerful tone for the right space.
What Colors and Finishes Look Best With Blue Cabinets?
As far as colors that best compliment blue cabinetry, absolutely any wood, in most stains are going to work. That’s the beauty of a versatile blue. White also looks incredible and makes blue stand out even more.
This is a refrigerator and desk area on the outskirts of a kitchen—it’s a custom-designed Colonial profile with a double refrigerator behind those white paneled doors. This design includes a blend of woods—the blue and white cabinetry is painted maple and the wood drawer fronts are white oak.
PROJECT DETAILS
Blue Cabinet Paint: Down Pipe by Farrow & Ball
White Cabinet Paint: Benjamin Moore in Simply White
Floors: Plain Sawn White Oak with whitewash oil coating.
Hardware: Unlacquered Polished Brass
Builder: The Fox Group
Cabinetry: CS Cabinetry and Design
As for hardware, brass is considered the soulmate of blue. And while that’s true, I also love polished nickel or chrome, and even monochromatically painted knobs look awesome on the right blue cabinet.\
General Paint Must-Knows
What Is Paint “Sheen” and How Does It Play Out In a Space?
The sheen of paint is how shiny or dull it is. There is an entire spectrum (see below) ranging from completely matte to glossy, and everything between. I prefer a satin sheen because it’s the perfect balance of not too dull or too shiny. Shiny paint can appear plastic or fake, but something too matte won’t wear well over time against grease and oil.
Sheen Spectrum:
Matte
Dull
Eggshell
Satin
Semi-gloss
Gloss
What Should People Know Before Picking Their Paint Color?
You’ve got to consider what is happening with the rest of the room: flooring, walls, trim, hardware, lighting, and art will all play a part in how a room comes together. You have to ensure your paint color is cohesive with everything else as part of the overall game plan. You can’t just design a room and then drop in cabinets at the end—holistic design sense is key.
This theater room includes a special custom feature—the lower cabinet door fronts are actually speaker fabric. I knew that in order for this theater room to give viewers the best experience, they’d need to be able to hear the high-end audio system in this room, but I wanted to maintain the polished look, so I fabricated custom cabinet doors with speaker fabric in the door panel. Added bonus—this allows infrared remotes to control electronics with the doors closed too.
We added fine details like a beaded apron above the cabinet doors and vertical groove boards around the screen to match the walls.
PROJECT DETAILS
Paint: Down Pipe by Farrow & Ball
Stage + Wood Details: White Oak, oil finish.
Floors: Plaid Carpet
You can see more of my design projects—kitchens, bathrooms, built-ins, and furniture—on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Looking for help with your custom cabinetry and layout design? Ready to make your house a home with custom cabinetry? Our team, based in Utah, can travel anywhere nationwide to help you find the perfect paint and design for your home, then install it with our near-obsessive attention to detail. Contact us today to start your journey of creating a beautiful, custom kitchen.
