How to Choose Kitchen Cabinet Colours That Won't Date

Why Kitchen Colours Are Tricky

Unlike walls, kitchen cabinets are expensive to repaint. A colour chosen enthusiastically in 2024 needs to look good in 2034. Trend colours — sage green in 2021, terracotta in 2022, olive in 2023 — have a shelf life. Timeless colours do not.

Colours With Genuine Longevity

Warm white is the most enduring kitchen colour. Not cold white (too clinical) and not cream (too period-specific), but a warm white with a slight beige or grey undertone. Dulux Natural White, Resene Blanc, and Farrow & Ball All White all work.

Soft navy on lower cabinets paired with white uppers is a classic NZ choice that reads as coastal without being kitschy. The key is choosing a navy with a slight grey in it rather than a pure blue.

Charcoal on an island reads as architectural, not trendy. Avoid matte black (fingerprint magnet) in favour of a dark charcoal with slight warmth.

What to Avoid

Any colour currently featured prominently in home decor magazines. By the time a colour reaches widespread editorial coverage, it is 18 months from peaking. Use trend colours on removable elements — a splashback, a blind, accessories — not on expensive cabinetry.