White Kitchen Paint: Soft Shades of White and Colors to Pair With Them
The best white kitchen paint is rarely a flat, pure white. The three whites here all sit between LRV 72 and 78, so they reflect plenty of light, and each carries a faint pink, blue or green tint. Pick the tint that suits your cabinets, counters and light, then add a few deeper colors from the same paintings.
Quick answer
Use the pink-red white (#EDE1E6) on walls, the green white (#DCDED6) on cabinets or an island, and keep the deep brown (#53401C) and terracotta (#A84F36) for small touches like wood and one bold piece.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of white
#EDE1E6LRV 78
Blush Mist White
Use it on kitchen walls where you want a warm, soft white; at LRV 78 it is the lightest here and bounces the most light. Measured from Claude Monet's "Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist)," its pink-red undertone flatters wood and warm counters.
Choose it for a crisp, cool kitchen with stainless steel or gray stone; its LRV of 77 keeps the room bright. It comes from George Hitchcock's "The Annunciation," and the cool blue undertone shows most in north light.
A calm choice for cabinet fronts, an island or walls in a sunny room, since its LRV of 72 is the lowest of the three whites. The green undertone was measured from Barthel Bruyn the Younger's "Portrait of a Woman of the Slosgin Family of Cologne."
Bring it in through textiles such as curtains, a runner or dish towels. At LRV 64 it still reads light, and its cool blue undertone sits well beside the pink-red white from the same Monet painting, "Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist)."
Keep it to one bold piece, like an island base, a bar cart or stool legs. At LRV 6 it is very dark and absorbs most light, so a little goes a long way. It comes from the Bruyn portrait, and its warm yellow undertone suits the green and pink whites.
Use it for wood tones, open shelves, a butcher block or ceramics, where its warm red-orange undertone adds life against white. At LRV 14 it is deep, so it works as an accent. It is measured from the Bruyn portrait.
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
Blush Mist White
Icy Blue White
Soft Green White
Pale Lavender Blue
Try these colors in a room
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 Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist).
How do I choose between these three whites?
Start with the undertone, not the word white. All three read white on a big wall, but each leans a little. #EDE1E6 (LRV 78) has a pink-red undertone and feels the warmest. #D5E7E6 (LRV 77) has a cool blue undertone and feels crisp. #DCDED6 (LRV 72) has a green undertone and feels the softest and most gray.
Then look at what stays in the kitchen. Warm wood cabinets, tan counters or red-tinted floors sit quietly beside the pink-red white. Gray stone, stainless steel and white quartz match the cool edge of the blue white. If your cabinets are painted or your counters are neutral, the green white works well on cabinet fronts or an island, and its slightly lower LRV takes the edge off bright reflections.
All three are light and bounce plenty of light, but none is a stark white. Expect a tint, most clearly on a wall in shade. If you want no tint at all, these are not the colors to choose.
What colors go with a white kitchen?
Pick one white for the walls and let two or three companions do the work. Terracotta #A84F36 (LRV 14) suits wood: cabinet doors, a butcher block, shelves or stools. The deep brown #53401C (LRV 6) is best in a single bold piece, such as an island base or a bar cart. The pale lavender blue #CFD0E7 (LRV 64) is a gentle choice for curtains, a runner or dish towels.
For trim, the wall color in a different sheen gives a soft, quiet look. A clearly lighter trim gives a crisper edge. For the ceiling, a plain bright white is easy, and the wall color itself is calmer. For floors, warm wood, terracotta tile or dark brown stone sit well with the pink-red and green whites. The blue white pairs with the lavender textile and cooler gray floors.
Keep the dark colors small. At LRV 6 and 14 they absorb most light, so a whole wall in either would make a small kitchen feel closed in.
How do these whites look in different kitchen light?
Light changes white more than any other color. In a kitchen with north-facing windows, daylight is cooler and flatter, so the blue white can feel chilly there. The pink-red white #EDE1E6 adds warmth. In south or west light, which is warmer, the blue white #D5E7E6 can balance it, while the pink-red white may look rosy in late afternoon.
The green white #DCDED6 sits between the two and tends to stay calm in most rooms. Its LRV of 72 is the lowest of the three, so in a very bright kitchen it looks less glaring.
Artificial light matters too, because kitchens are used at night. Warm bulbs add yellow and make the pink and green whites feel creamier. Cooler bulbs push all three toward gray or blue. Keep the bulbs consistent before you judge a color. Under-cabinet lights hit the wall at a sharp angle, so check the backsplash wall at night as well as at noon.
How do I test white paint samples for a kitchen?
Paint large samples, not small dabs. Use a sample pot or a painted board about two feet square, and leave a white border around it so your eye reads the color alone. Make one board for each white you are considering.
Move the boards around. Put one on the wall by the window, one near the stove, and one beside the cabinets or counters it will sit against. Look in the morning, at midday, and in the evening with the lights on. Give each board a day or two before you decide.
Hold each board next to your real finishes: the countertop, the backsplash, the floor and the wood. A white that looks clean alone may look pink or green beside them. That is the undertone showing. The paint matches listed on this page are the closest measured, not exact, so always test the actual paint before buying gallons. If you also paint a bathroom, test the same boards there, since its light is often very different.
FAQ
What is the best white paint color for a kitchen?
It depends on your finishes and light. The pink-red white (#EDE1E6) suits warm wood and counters, the blue white (#D5E7E6) suits stainless steel and gray stone, and the green white (#DCDED6) is the softest and works on cabinets.
Can I use the same white for kitchen and bathroom paint?
Yes, and it makes the rooms feel connected. Test it in both, because bathrooms often get less daylight and may show the undertone more. Ask the paint store for a washable, moisture-resistant finish.
What is a good white kitchen color palette?
Try a soft white on the walls, terracotta (#A84F36) in wood and ceramics, and pale lavender blue (#CFD0E7) in textiles. Add one very dark piece, like the deep brown (#53401C), as a bold accent.
Which kitchen color combinations with white work in a small room?
Keep the walls and cabinets in light whites and use dark colors in small amounts. The deep brown has an LRV of 6 and the terracotta 14, so they work as accents, not as full walls.
Will these whites look pink, blue or green on my walls?
A little, yes. They are soft whites with a faint undertone, and it shows most in shade or next to a truer white. Paint a large sample and look at it in your own light before you commit.
Save these colors
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, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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.
From Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist), Claude Monet
