Want a gray kitchen? Find great inspiration and practical ideas on how to make a gray kitchen work flawlessly. Learn what colors and materials to pair it with.
For quite a while there, white kitchens were all the rave. However, the tide seems to have changed.
Gray kitchens are now in.
Best Gray Kitchen Ideas for Modern Kitchen
Are you considering installing a gray kitchen? Whether you’re building your dream home from the ground up or are remodeling an existing space, this kitchen design can add an amazing contemporary aesthetic to the space where you cook and entertain.
And unlike white, gray is easier to maintain in the kitchen. It also has lots of shades to play around with…
#1 Add Color Through Bright Additions
Without incorporating any other color into it, a gray kitchen can turn cold and clinical very easily. The best way to avoid this design mistake is to add some color. The brighter and more eye-catching the color, the better. In fact, go for deeper colors that easily pop out of the gray background which forms your kitchen.
Most colors will work well to add some sparkle and life to your gray kitchen. And that includes red, yellow, orange, blue, green, etc.
Add colored touches in the form of kitchen gadgets such as bar stools, kitchen fixtures such as shelving and cupboards, centerpieces such as a fruit basket, and even abstract decor pieces. But as you add these touches, do not overdo it. Incorporate your colored touches tastefully and thoughtfully.
#2 Apply Two Contrasting Shades of Gray
Another one of our great gray kitchen ideas is of using two different shades of gray instead of one. We call this layering your grays.
So what you do is choose a light gray and a darker gray of your choice. You then apply these two to your kitchen palette. You can add them to your walls, cabinets, and even kitchen furniture. The contrast they create with each other helps to break the visual monotony and complement one another.
When layering colors in this manner, it is advisable to apply the darker gray to the bottom sections of your kitchen, say your bottom cabinetry. And to apply the lighter gray to the top cabinets or walls.
What two shades of gray would you choose for this design style?
#3 Let in Lots of Natural Light
Natural light is always a big part of making a room come alive and letting colors manifest fully. The same applies to gray kitchens. Even if you apply a light gray you still shouldn’t overlook the importance of natural light.
Let in lots of natural light by installing large windows, glass doors, french doors, or roof lights/skylights. A gray kitchen takes light very well. The room does not get too bright but it looks well-lit enough.
If you are not able to add lots of natural lighting, go with a light gray as opposed to a deeper gray. That way, the little natural light you get will go further.
#4 Warm Lighting Goes Better with a Gray Room
Still, on lighting, another one of our top gray kitchen ideas is to go with warm lighting. Warm lighting is that which casts a golden light usually from incandescent or 3-way bulbs. This is as opposed to choosing white light which is what you get with traditional energy-saving light bulbs and fluorescent tubes.
Remember how we said a gray kitchen can easily turn cold? Well, that is why warm lighting is such a perfect fit here. The warm light creates a warm ambiance that counteracts the cold look of gray. But that’s just the beginning. Warm lighting will also literally make your kitchen warmer because incandescent bulbs do, in fact, give off thermal heat.
And there are different types of warm lighting to choose from. You have recessed LED lights, pendant lights, and even a chandelier that can also serve as a focal point in the room.
#5 Warm Trims Compliment Gray Surfaces Beautifully
Another one of our top kitchen ideas when it comes to gray kitchens is adding warm trims. This little design touch will impress you. It’s so simple and so inexpensive but it adds a lot of class and elegance to your space.
So what you need here is trims made of brass, bronze, or copper. You then have these trims added to the edges of your gray cabinetry, gray cupboards, and gray shelving. This works for light, dark, and mid-gray colors.
The result is a rich, sophisticated, and modern look that you are just going to love. And one more thing, you can try this design combination on your gray walls as well. But just as we had said earlier about adding color touches to your gray kitchen, do not overdo it. Less, as they say, is more.
#6 Wood is a Gray Kitchen’s Best Friend
Do you want to know one of the best gray kitchen ideas there are? The answer is wood!
Wood and a gray kitchen go together like peanut butter and jelly; or coffee and eggs. All we’re trying to say is that it’s a wonderful, classic, and timeless look; a match made in heaven.
You can go with any wood you want, from light beech to dark walnut. And that can be natural wood or manufactured boards such as MDF. In order to hit the right contrast, we recommend applying dark wood around light-gray areas and applying light-colored wood around dark-gray areas. For example, adding a light wood countertop onto a dark gray kitchen island. Or you could have dark wood floors to complement light gray kitchen cabinets.
#7 Bright Walls
Of course, we have to talk about walls. They are a big part of the overall decor canvas in a gray kitchen.
Go for bright walls in a gray kitchen. What this does is it makes your gray cabinets and fixtures more noticeable against the white backdrop of the wall. Even your gray stainless steel kitchen appliances become more conspicuous. Even your very light gray cabinetry gets the recognition you want them to have.
A gray and white kitchen gives off a stronger contemporary feel – and look. The painted white walls also help to add cool tones to a gray kitchen that would otherwise seem dark. And if you have inculcated wood into your kitchen ideas, the white helps to tie all three (white, wood, and gray) together beautifully.
#8 Lighter Colored Countertops
Countertops are another highly-visible surface that makes for good gray kitchen ideas. In this case, lighter countertops seem to work quite well.
No matter what shade of gray you’re working with, light countertops will auger well with your color scheme. If you have walls and cabinets bearing a light gray, a light countertop will create a smooth transition between the bottom and the top sections while maintaining a contemporary look in your kitchen. On the other hand, if you go with dark gray kitchen cabinets and walls, a light countertop will break the color scheme right in the middle and keep it from getting saturated.
Either way, light-colored countertops are a win. And that not only includes marble and granite, but also light wood, light concrete shades, and stainless steel too.
#9 Add More Color with Bright Lighting Installations
Earlier we talked about how important lighting is to a gray kitchen. We talked about warm lighting and natural lighting. Here, we’re going to talk about making the light fixtures themselves one of your gray kitchen ideas.
In the same way wood is a perfect match for gray kitchens, so are gold, brass, and copper lighting fixtures. You simply can’t go wrong with these. They add interesting color to the space while at the same time drawing attention to the light fixtures as well. And that is good because it makes your space more than just the gray color.
And once again, if you have added wood into your gray kitchen design, especially natural wood (be it on your floors or furniture), the brass, copper, and gold lighting fixtures will match it really well.
#10 Add Even More Color & Vibrancy with Wall Art
There are only so many bright functional pieces you can put together in your gray kitchen before it starts to feel forced. And you don’t want that. So a brilliant way to add color to a gray kitchen via non-functional pieces is wall art.
A single piece of wall art (say an abstract canvas painting with gold framing) can do wonders to brighten up a contemporary gray kitchen. Black or dark gray framing will also work well, but never light gray or white. And if the artwork itself has lots of colors then the better. Also, if the artwork can match some of the other fixtures, say the bronze pendant lighting you have, then excellent!
Do you have any idea where you can hang a piece of wall art on your gray kitchen wall?
#11 Bring Some Nature Into Your Gray Kitchen
Another one of our amazing gray kitchen ideas that work wonders, is nature.
As we have mentioned before, a gray kitchen is highly susceptible to feeling cold and boring. It’s a delicate balance trying to get it just right. So how better to make a space feel more alive? By bringing in living plants and flowers – nature!
Green plants introduce a delightful and stimulating color contrast in gray kitchens. You don’t even have to bother so much with where to place the plants. You could place them on your worktops, on top of your island, or on the wall somewhere. That alone will get the job done. Just try to get some beautiful planters to place them in. The planters could be plain white, gray, yellow, or patterned – anything that works.
You can also add nature to your kitchen via flowers (real or artificial) and fruit baskets too. If you prefer something you can actually use in the kitchen, how about planting some herbs and spices? They will infuse wonderful aromas into the air as well.
#12 Dark Trims to Lighten the Gray
You don’t always have to go with light walls and light trims to break the gray in your kitchen. You can take a bolder step and go with black trims too; yes, black. Dark grays will also work too.
The way black trims work is that they dilute the gray and white in your kitchen. They do so by visually commanding the space because they are bolder colors. One’s eyes are automatically drawn to see these dark trims in a space full of gray. And at the same time, the dark trims make the gray tones appear cool and light. So it’s a symbiotic color scheme.
Where can one add such dark trims in a gray kitchen? You can do so via door trims, cabinet door handles, window frames, etc.
#13 Exposed Brick
Another one of our amazing gray kitchen ideas is exposed brick. Exposed brick goes really well with a gray kitchen. It serves the role of a feature wall and it does so beautifully while giving off rustic and earthy farmhouse tones. In fact, as a testament t just how versatile brick is, it can also work if you want to create a Retro or a Bohemian feel to your space. And that would work really well if the brick feature wall translates to the adjacent living area via an open plan layout.
So how do you make this exposed brick idea come to life? Well, you can install real brick cladding, you can install tile that looks like brick, or you can go for the easiest and cheapest route – by installing wallpaper that resembles an exposed brick.
#14 Dark Walls
Remember how we talked about dark trims as a way to dilute the gray tones in your kitchen? That was a minimalist approach to introducing dark hues to a gray kitchen. You can take that a step further with dark walls. Black and dark gray colors are perfect for this idea.
What you do is paint your walls dark and then have light or mid-gray cabinets, drawers, and backsplashes in front of the said wall(s). You can even get creative and break the dark paint from the gray cabinetry with a line of white – or light gray.
What you get with this idea is a bold, striking modern look that works hand in hand with the gray tones superbly well. And if you have just one dark wall in your gray kitchen, that becomes your focus wall and a major focal point in your decor.
#15 Ground the Gray with Dark and Light Colors
What if you don’t have to choose between either dark colors or light colors to dilute the gray tones? What if you could do both? It’s possible.
Instead of adding light touches, or going for darker hues to lighten the gray, combine both and balance the gray out. This makes the gray the break between your lights and darks. It makes the gray your new white in a way.
This idea is best when you’re using gray on a lot of surfaces- say on your cabinets and walls. An example of executing this idea is having your kitchen island take on a dark color while your floor takes a light color – say gray or natural wood. Your top kitchen cabinets then take a light gray while your walls take on white.
Or you could flip it and have dark floors with mid-gray bottom cabinets and light-gray walls. There are a lot of options to play with here.
Also Read: 5 Different Types of Ovens You Need to Know Before Buying
Bonus Idea: Go Dark All the Way!
Do you like to take bold and unconventional design trends? If your answer is yes then this idea might just perk your interest.
Instead of trying to dilute and domesticate your grays – flip the script and unleash darker shades of gray all across your kitchen. It’s the opposite of a white kitchen and it’s quite the look. Here we’re talking about having dark gray on your walls, kitchen cabinets, and maybe oven countertops. You can also go with dark wood for your floors. And when it comes to kitchen wares appliances, swap the stainless steel for dark color options.
Break all the dark gray with a little bit of gold, bronze, or brass as we had talked about earlier – but never white. And lastly, make sure the room has access to lots of light.
Gadgets Compatible With Gray Kitchens
Once your gray kitchen is finished, you now have the challenging task of adding bits and pieces that fall in line with the overall color theme you have created. To help you out with that, here are 5 ideas of amazing gadgets that really go well with a gray kitchen:
Industrial Lighting
You cannot go wrong with industrial lighting in a gray kitchen. Think along the lines of metallic frames, especially those with copper or brass highlights and maybe black metallic finishing on the outside.
Dark or Stainless Steel Appliances
White appliances can destabilize the decor of your well-tailored gray kitchen. Do you know what works great here? Go for dark gray or stainless steel options. This includes wall ovens, refrigerators, tea kettles, microwaves, toasters, etc.
Dark Kitchen Faucets![]()
A single kitchen faucet can enforce or take away from the theme you have curated in your kitchen space. If you want a bold, sure choice, try matte black kitchen faucets. Then thank us later.
Dark Storage Jars and Containers
A gray kitchen demands order and uniformity. Go for dark gray metallic storage containers for your spices, cereals, and even salt and pepper shakers. If the jars have touches of metallic trims, that will work too.
Dark Tiered Kitchen Dish Racks
And last but not least, another great gadget idea for gray kitchens is dark-colored dish racks – preferably in a matte finish.
Also Read: How to Defrost Chicken in the Microwave
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What worktop goes with a gray kitchen?
A natural wood countertop works brilliantly with any shade of gray in a kitchen. Stone countertops with specks of white, grey, or black also fit in well with this color theme.
What color goes best with gray kitchens?
White works well every time. It brightens up gray kitchens and makes the gray theme stand out even more. Metallic accents are great too and they add a sophisticated look. Dark colors also add boldness to the design and neutralize dark grays.
How do you add warmth to a gray kitchen?
Warm lighting, white walls, as well as wood on the floors, countertops, and kitchen furniture are great ideas here. Metallic accidents of gold, brass, and copper also work well.
What colors go best with a gray kitchen?
Because gray is a neutral color, it goes well with any color and any shade. It really does. It goes well with dark colors such as black and dark gray. It also goes well with shades of white. And it can be paired up with bright colors such as yellow, orange, blue, etc.
Is gray a good color for the kitchen?
Yes, it is. It’s a top choice for a contemporary design. It’s less common compared to a white kitchen. And you get almost the same brightness but with less hassle when it comes to keeping the area spotless.
Final Thoughts:
As you can see, you can have the gray kitchen of your dreams. And we have given you some amazing gray kitchen ideas to help you pull it off.
It doesn’t matter if yours is a small corner kitchen or a large imposing kitchen. It also doesn’t matter if it is a new build or a remodel. The kitchen ideas we have given you will work regardless.
All in all, we hope you have found some inspiration and motivation to proceed with your dream kitchen.
