Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Grey · Kitchen · colors from 3 paintings
Grey kitchen walls work best when you pick the grey by its light reflectance value and undertone, not just by how it looks on a chip. Here are three greys measured from paintings, from a light blue-grey to a mid-tone, plus three warm colors from the same works to build a gray color palette for your kitchen.
Quick answer
Use the light blue-grey (#B5C5CC) on the walls, the neutral grey (#BCBCBC) on cabinets, and the mid-tone grey (#8F9290) on an island or one accent wall. Add cream, golden wood and a little dark brown for warmth.
A light grey with a cool blue undertone and an LRV of 54, so it suits kitchen walls that get decent daylight. Measured from Childe Hassam's "New England Headlands" (1899).
From New England Headlands, Childe Hassam
A light grey with no clear undertone and an LRV of 50, which makes it a calm choice for cabinets beside wood and warm countertops. Measured from the "Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath" from Roman Period Egypt.
From Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath, Ancient Egyptian
A neutral mid-tone with an LRV of 28, best on an island, lower cabinets or a single wall in a bright kitchen. Measured from Thomas Birch's "Capture of the Tripoli by the Enterprise" (1806-12).
From Capture of the Tripoli by the Enterprise, Thomas Birch
A very light cream with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 76, useful for trim, ceiling and textiles to soften the cool greys. Measured from Childe Hassam's "New England Headlands" (1899).
From New England Headlands, Childe Hassam
A deep brown with a warm red-orange undertone and an LRV of 6, so use it in small doses such as a stool, a pendant or a bold piece of furniture. Measured from the "Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath" from Roman Period Egypt.
From Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath, Ancient Egyptian
A deep brown with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 15, a natural match for a table, open shelves, butcher block or wood floors next to grey. Measured from the "Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath" from Roman Period Egypt.
From Portrait of a Man Wearing an Ivy Wreath, Ancient Egyptian
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
| Color | Neutral daylight | North light | South light | Evening lamps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misty Blue-Grey | ||||
| Soft Neutral Grey | ||||
| Mid Stone Grey | ||||
| Pale Warm Cream |
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is New England Headlands.
Start with LRV, the light reflectance value, where 0 is black and 100 is white. The three greys here run from 54 down to 28, so they behave differently on a wall. The blue-grey from Childe Hassam's "New England Headlands" (#B5C5CC, LRV 54) is the lightest and has a cool blue undertone. It suits walls, especially in a kitchen that gets plenty of daylight.
The neutral grey (#BCBCBC, LRV 50) has no clear undertone. It is the safest choice for cabinets, or for a wall you want to stay quiet beside wood and warm countertops. The mid-tone grey (#8F9290, LRV 28) is darker and reads as a statement. Use it on an island, lower cabinets or a single wall rather than on every surface.
If you want the kitchen to feel open, put the blue-grey on the walls and the neutral grey on the cabinets. In a small kitchen, avoid the mid-tone on all four walls.
The companion colors come from the same paintings as the greys, so they sit together easily. Pale cream (#E6E2D0, LRV 76, warm yellow undertone) works for trim, ceiling and textiles such as curtains, dish towels or a runner. It is softer than a stark white and warms the cool greys. The closest paint match we measured is Sherwin-Williams SW 7563 Restful White.
Wood brings the warmth. The golden brown (#8A653C, LRV 15) suits a table, open shelves, butcher block or wood flooring. The darker brown (#5B422A, LRV 6) is best in small doses: a stool, a pendant, a framed print or a bread bin.
A simple kitchen color combination with grey: blue-grey walls, neutral grey cabinets, cream trim, golden wood floor and one dark brown accent. Paint the ceiling the same cream as the trim to keep the room calm.
Grey shifts with the light more than most colors do. Look at the room at the times you use it most, not just at noon.
In a kitchen with north-facing windows, daylight is cooler. The blue-grey (#B5C5CC) can lean cold there, so pair it with cream trim and warm wood to balance it. The neutral grey (#BCBCBC) will look a little flatter but stays calm. In a sunny, south-facing kitchen, all three greys look warmer and brighter, and the mid-tone (#8F9290, LRV 28) is easy to live with.
Bulbs matter too. Warm white bulbs add yellow and soften the blue undertone. Cool white bulbs make it bluer. Under-cabinet lights can put a bright patch on a wall, so check the paint there as well.
Colors above an LRV of about 60 bounce light. These greys sit at 54 and 50, so they reflect a fair amount, but they will not brighten a dim room as much as the cream (LRV 76) will.
Test before you buy a gallon. Paint a sample board or a large patch, at least two feet square, with two coats. A white board is better than painting over a dark wall, because the old color changes what you see.
Place the sample next to the things that will stay: the countertop, backsplash, flooring and cabinet doors. Check it in the morning, at midday and in the evening, and once with your kitchen lights on. Look at it on the wall that gets the most shade and the wall that gets the most sun.
The paint matches on this page are the closest we measured, not exact copies. For the blue-grey, Sherwin-Williams SW 9145 Sleepy Hollow, Behr PPU13-14 Ozone and Farrow & Ball No. 27 Parma Gray all came out near-identical. Still, compare any chip with your sample in your own light before you decide. If two greys look alike, pick the one with the higher LRV for a small room and the lower one for a bright room.
A light grey with an LRV around 50 to 54 is easiest on walls. The blue-grey (#B5C5CC, LRV 54) suits kitchens with good daylight, and the neutral grey (#BCBCBC, LRV 50) is the quieter option.
Warm colors balance grey best. Try cream trim (#E6E2D0), golden wood (#8A653C) and a small dark brown accent (#5B422A). This is a simple gray color palette for a kitchen that does not feel cold.
It can, especially a blue-grey in a north-facing room. Warm white bulbs, cream trim and wood surfaces offset the coolness. The neutral grey (#BCBCBC) has no clear undertone, so it feels less cold.
Yes. The mid-tone grey (#8F9290, LRV 28) works on an island, lower cabinets or one wall. In a small or dim kitchen, keep it to one area and let the lighter greys and cream carry the rest.
Blue-grey walls with neutral grey cabinets and cream trim is a calm base. Add golden wood for warmth and a dark brown piece for contrast. Use the mid-tone grey as a third shade on an island.
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, public domain (CC0). Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
