The Best Kitchen Paint Colors For 2024, According To Southern Designers

An all-white kitchen will never go out of style, but come 2024, we’re anticipating new color crushes for these central spaces in our homes. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a white kitchen as much as the next person, but I also really love kitchens in pretty colors that add to the decor of the house,” writes Birmingham, Alabama, designer Caroline Gidiere. “While I don’t think we have seen the last of the white or cream kitchen (not by a long stretch), I do predict that we’ll begin following the lead of the Brits in the coming year by adding punchy colors to our kitchen cabinetry.” Monica Stewart of Athens, Georgia-based design studio Misfit House is also predicting an overall trend away from “neutral restrictions” and embracing “more color dictated by personal belongings.” Here are the best kitchen paint colors for 2024, according to Southern designers.

Green, Green, and More Green

“Clients have been asking for green,” says Fairhope designer Aileen Warren of Jackson Warren Interiors (which also has an office in Houston). “Green in many different shades is certainly on trend.”  As for why homeowners might be gravitating towards it? “It can be rejuvenating and fresh,” says Houston designer Alexandra Killion. To keep the color grounded, take notes from Birmingham, Alabama, designer and former SL Homes Editor Zoë Gowen: “I’ve been doing a lot of meeting in the middle with light mossy green cabinets (Farrow and Ball’s Mizzle) that look smart with brass hardware and either creamy white marble counters or walnut ones.” The kitchen cabinets above, in Caroline Brackett's 1800s farmhouse, are painted Farrow and Ball's Treron.

Pretty Plums

This is not the year to play it safe. Take cues from Charlotte, North Carolina-based designer Charlotte Lucas, who’s splashing her own cabinets in a juicy aubergine. We’re partial to purples with a squeeze of deep red mixed in, like Benjamin Moore’s Jester or Radicchio. 

Buttery Yellows and Pale Peaches

For a softer alternative to white, try a mellow take on this sunny hue. “We used Benjamin Moore’s Beacon Hill Damask on a kitchen pantry this year and really loved how it turned out,” says Allie Nott of Greenville, South Carolina-based Amanda Louise Interiors. “It's a historic color so it will be around forever, which we also love.” In the same vein, pale pinks and light peaches also bring warmth to kitchens; the cabinetry in our 2022 Idea House (pictured above), for instance, is Sherwin-Williams' Corallite.

Earthy Tones

“Natural, warmer colors are making a major play in 2024. For accents or even entire kitchens, earthy colors like natural wood tones, greige, and greens are calming and welcoming,” says Killion. And it’s not just about the color itself, notes Warren: A shade’s undertones make a world of difference. “Our rule of thumb with color is it has to have a touch of 'dirtiness' in it—a touch of brown. We always want a palette to feel earthy.” When it comes to dusty colors with muddy undertones, we can’t get enough of Farrow and Ball’s Setting Plaster—a paint Gidiere loves too.

Dark, Rich Shades

Jackson, Mississippi, designer Betsey Mosby is embracing colors that venture towards the darker end of the spectrum and add a sense of depth. “We finished out one of my favorite kitchens of late in Benjamin Moore's Black Forest Green in a high gloss,” she says. “Even though it was a smaller space, the deep color contrasted the black-and-white marble floors perfectly, and the depth made the space feel bigger. It also worked well with the white marble counters we installed, which kept things feeling not too moody for the busiest room in the house!” Gidiere is also on board with forest greens; her pick is Farrow and Ball’s Beverly. Pictured above, another way to try moody hues in 2024: Hannah Maple washed the English-inspired V-groove cabinetry in Sherwin-Williams' Black Fox to complement her 1907 Lexington, Kentucky home's original dark trim.