Know that you want grey kitchen cabinets, but are not quite sure exactly how that will translate to your home? Don't panic as below you will find a comprehensive guide to all the latest grey kitchen cabinet ideas from the more traditional, to the hyper-modern and everything in-between. Keep reading to find out what they are.
Try Traditional Shaker Style
Out of all the different grey kitchen cabinet designs that are trending right now, traditional-style shaker cabinets have to be some of the most popular. It's not hard to see why either as a traditional shaker cabinet is all at once, simple, stylish, and rustic.
The Shaker style gets its name from an 18th-century sect nicknamed “Shakers” because of the ecstatic dancing they performed. These “Shakers” or United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, as they were formally known, were founded in England and then moved to the US. Their unique style has persevered through the centuries and continues to be a major inspiration for interior design. Indeed, Shaker-style kitchens are still seen to be the height of style today and are now built with modern materials with modern finishes for today's market.
You can differentiate Shaker cabinets from any other kind because they are characterised by their simplicity, symmetry, and flat central area, with basic plank edging. They look fantastic in a range of different shades of greys as well from a dark pebble grey to lighter sage and blue greys which you will often see in the shaker design.
Go Hypermodern With A Gloss Finish
At the opposite end of the scale from grey Shaker kitchen cabinets we have the hyper-modern gloss type. Just as you might expect grey gloss cabinets have a shiny finish that reflects light and can create a wonderful effect in your kitchen. Indeed, you can easily choose a dark grey colour cabinet in a gloss finish because they reflect so much more light than cabinets with a matt grey finish. This means that you won’t need to worry about your kitchen cabinets seeming too dark or oppressive or absorbing all the light, so you can opt for a darker grey shade even in a small space with gloss.
Another major benefit of choosing gloss grey kitchen cabinets is that they are a great deal easier to clean than their matt counterparts. A quick wipe-over with a microfiber cloth is usually enough to restore that high-shine finish and if they do need a deeper clean then a spritz with water and then the microfiber cloth will suffice. Although, it is worth noting that grey gloss kitchen cabinets may need more regular cleaning than the matt kind, as the gloss surface does tend to show fingerprints much more easily!
Add Drama With The Darkest Of Grey Cabinets
For the best grey kitchen cabinet inspiration, hold on to your hat as things are about to get dark, dark grey that is! After all, there is no better way to create a dramatic and sophisticated look that makes your kitchen perfect for entertaining than to use a very dark grey.
To achieve a successful look with dark grey cabinets you will need to also get the other factors of your kitchen design spot on. Otherwise, you can end up with a space that is too dark, and in some cases can become oppressive.
One way of doing this is to combine dark grey cabinets with white walls to add additional light to the room. However, there are also additional ways of creating brightness even if you want to go for dark grey cabinets with black walls. Indeed, all you need to do is add elements in the space that are reflective.
One option you could use is mirrors, although for practical reasons mirrored surfers are often not very popular in a space where grease, water, and food prep are done. Instead, why not consider a beautiful hammered copper or brass table with a polished finish? These items will be both large enough to reflect plenty of light even in the darker of spaces but are also perfectly practical for kitchen spaces as they are hardy, durable, and easy to clean.
Create A Bright Space With Light Grey Cabinets
On the opposite side of the colour spectrum to dark grey cabinets, are kitchen cabinets in a light grey. The good news is there are many of these cabinets available in most styles from modern to rustic, matt to gloss.
The key benefit of choosing a lighter grey for your kitchen cabinets is that it provides that on-trend look and will also create a bright environment, as the light is reflected off of the surfaces of the cabinets. This means that lighter grey cabinets are a good fit for smaller kitchen spaces as they can help them seem large, as well as kitchen spaces that do not always get the most light such as a basement kitchen.
Compliment Grey Cabinets With Stainless Steel Accessories
Another one of the smartest grey kitchen cabinet concepts in the design sphere at the moment is using stainless steel accessories to complement the look. Indeed, as a material for items like sinks, taps, and handles stainless steel can fit perfectly with a kitchen cabinet scheme in grecy as the tones of both colours are complementary.
Additionally, a stainless steel accessory like a sink can be used in a variety of ways to enhance a kitchen with grey cabinets. For example, the shine of the steel will match the shine of the gloss cabinets perfectly, creating more light in even the smallest and darkest of spaces.
In particular, a modern stainless steel sink can add a touch of contrast and an industrial style to a kitchen with a more traditional cabinet design. Although, this second option will need to be carefully balanced to avoid the sink looking out of place.
Embrace Contrast For Maximum Effect
You can also achieve some great effects by using contrast with your grey kitchen cabinets. Indeed, there are several ways of doing this. The first is to use two different contrasting greys on the cabinets and other fixtures around your kitchen. For example, you could use a lighter grey on your wall cabinets and a dark grey for your breakfast bar or kitchen island, a design that will help the latter stand out as more of a focal point while the former blends more into the background.
Another way to use contrast in your grey kitchen cabinet design is to choose a wall colour that makes the grey of your cabinets pop. That means instead of opting for the traditional white walls, you choose something with a little more impact. For darker grey cabinets walls painted in mustards, teals, and even burnt oranges can work very well. Although for cabinets with a lighter shade pale blues, pale greens, and as well as peach and lemon can work particularly well.
Last of all, if an entire wall in a contrasting colour is a little too much for your design sensibilities, why not add contrast to your tiling splashbacks? Traditionally fixed to the walls behind the sink and hob, splashbacks are designed to protect the wall and paintwork from staining when cooking and washing.
One of the best things about splashbacks is that they are not only supremely practical but they provide an opportunity to inject some additional style into your kitchen space. Indeed, amidst a kitchen with grey cabinets, glass subway-tiled splashbacks in the colorways mentioned above can create a very stylish addition to your space.
If you are having trouble imagining all these types of contrasting designs you can check out this grey kitchen cabinet gallery online, which is an excellent visual resource for your design process.
Add An Accent Of Copper
Some say that grey and copper are the perfect mix, and this certainly rings true if you have been checking any interior design magazines or websites recently. Indeed, you will find that many popular publications have showcased the combination of grey kitchen cabinets with accents of copper.
To achieve this super stylish look in your own home, you must think carefully about not only the shade of grey you will choose for your cabinets, and whether they will be glossy, matt, traditional, or modern. You will also need to consider which accessories to choose in copper.
For example, if you are looking for a more dramatic effect choosing an item that is directly positioned next to your grey kitchen cabinets such as a sink can create a wonderful contrast and focal point. You can even use helpful tools like our 3-D configurator on worldcoppersmith.com to create your own unique customised design and get a quote on what your dream copper sink will cost you.
Alternatively, you can choose copper accessories such as pendant lampshades, taps, and door pulls. Indeed, these items are widely available from a range of home improvement stores right now, due to the popularity of copper in homes and especially kitchen design.
Combine With Wood
Combining grey kitchen cabinets with wooden accents such as shelving and tables can also create an effective and welcoming kitchen space. Indeed, depending on the type of wood and cabinet you choose you can create a range of effects.
For instance, you could combine medium grey modern-style matt grey kitchen cabinets with open shelving in a lighter wood, like ash or beech for an open, brighter style. Although do remember that open shelves in a kitchen do invite dust and grease unless they are cleaned regularly, so if you want to keep your chores to a minimum this may not be the right option for you. Alternatively, a large rustic wooden table in oiled pine can work well against a backdrop of a more traditional, rustic-style kitchen cabinets, creating a cosy farmhouse vibe.
Mix With Pastel Geometrics
A huge trend in the kitchen right now is to combine sleek grey modern cabinets with geometric shapes in pastel colours. That means painted triangles, circles, squares, and rectangles usually in a bold modern art sort of style, across the walls, and then again echoed within the accessories as well as soft furnishings like curtains and cushions.
Happily, creating these geometric shapes on the wall in your kitchen is surprisingly easy. First, if your grey cabinets have already been installed it's best to carefully cover them up with dust sheets and tape, as you will not want to risk getting flecks of paint on them. Then all you need to do is mark off the shapes in masking tape on the wall and paint inside. Shapes with straight edges like squares, rectangles, and triangles are easiest to do in this way, while painting circles accurately is something of a pro skill, and is probably best skipped if you are not 100% certain in your painting abilities.
To pick the best pastels to paint your shapes, it makes sense to refer to the shade and tone, and grey that you are using. For instance, if your cabinets are blue-grey, then using pastel blue tones will guarantee that the overlooked look you create will be cohesive.
Accentuate Grey Cabinets With Brass
Last of all, if you are looking for an effective and opulent way to compliment your grey kitchen cabinets then opting for brass fittings and accessories is the way forward. Indeed some kitchen designers have had a great deal of success when using simple, plain matt grey cabinet doors and then edging each unit with a thin band of shiny brass. The effect of which is to make the entire space look more rich and luxurious.
Add additional accessories like a polished brass sink, especially one in an unusual design, and you can completely transform a boring grey kitchen suit into something truly impressive. Add matching brass pulls to the doors and cabinets and you will have a space that is just as suited to hosting dinner parties, as it is to cooking your nightly evening meals.
Final Thoughts
Grey cabinets are an excellent choice for a range of kitchen styles from rustic to modern and sleek. They can also be easily customised to the specific needs of your household and your personal taste by using tactics like contrasting with other colours or adding accents in copper, brass, wood, or stainless steel.
