The Best Dark Blue & Green Colors: Kitchen Cabinets, Islands, Vanity (2024)

SHADES OF BLUE & GREEN FOR ANY CABINET

We all know that painting cabinets white is the most timeless and popular choice. But based on current trends, blue and green are making a run at the title – especially on kitchen islands and bathroom vanities.

Why?

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It’s easier to commit to something a bit different and ‘out of the box’ on a smaller scale vs. a large-scale project like an ENTIRE KITCHEN, which can be costly to redo in five years if you’re tired of the color (or five months if you’re like me). Even then, I’ve had many Online Color Consulting clients ask for bold blues and gorgeous greens to grace their whole kitchen—and I’m on board (most of the time).

Whether cabinets are painted a green-blue blend, emerald-inspired hue, or leaning toward the mossy or olive end, green is one of today’s more popular kitchen cabinet colors! And while some homeowners are choosing more moderate, slightly sage-inspired shades, tons opt for the darker end of things.

Regarding blue hues, navy blue is the top choice for kitchen islands and lower cabinets in my Online Color Consulting. However, even more moderate, lighter shades of blue make the cut. This is because blue is seen as classic, timeless, and, by some, neutral (which it isn’t; it’s a color, just flexible like a neutral). And while there are ALWAYS exceptions, to paint your island or cabinets blue, your kitchen (or bathroom) will ideally have the following:

white or wood cabinets
a countertop that has blue in it or is white/gray (marble look)
has colors on the countertop that would benefit from a blue accent (there aren’t many, but they’re out there!)
a muted neutral palette that suits blue as an accent color

See more of this project HERE

However, not every space can handle color, and a more safe but still stunning neutral shadeis a better choice. It’s important to a) read carefully, b) sample carefully and COMPARE colors, and c) choose the color that best suits your surrounding finishes, even if it’s not the first color you had in mind.

If you want to read about the pros and cons of colorful cabinets and islands, check out this blog post (rather than me being repetitive…like usual).

Now let’s see what I’ve got up my colorful little sleeves…

1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ISLE OF PINES 6461

Isle of Pines is a gorgeous green (pines is also a great anagram – yes, welcome to my brain). While it winks at the Kelly Green end of things, it’s not as intense and is more emerald-inspired.

The 8 Best Green Paint Colors

A color like Isle of Pines could overwhelm an entire kitchen if the space isn’t carefully planned around it. However, a white kitchen with a gorgeous deep green island can be a striking way to add a pop of color without overcommitting.

However, if you’re nervous about ‘too much color,’ Isle of Pines could seem intimidating. In this case, you might want to try a different approach to green.

2. BENJAMIN MOORE HALE NAVY HC-154

As mentioned above, Hale Navy has its followers. And you might be one of them if you want a dark shade of blue with a bit more meat on its bones. Hale Navy is a dark navy blue with an LRV of 8.36, making it a bit lighter than Cyberspace, but its chroma (degree of color) makes it more STRIKING and purposeful with its blue hue.

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

If you’re unsure what to do and want a somewhat ‘fool-proof’ hue (knowing that nothing is EVER fool-proof), Hale Navy is often the safest bet.

3. SHERWIN WILLIAMS RIPE OLIVE 6209

Ripe Olive is a dark shade of green with a rich undercurrent. Regarding cabinets, Ripe Olive is committed to green without going anywhere near Kelly or Emerald Green.

As shown in this next kitchen, Ripe Olive’s LRV of 6 is striking with off-white quartz countertops. And sure, you see GREEN, but it’s not punchy…

4. BENJAMIN MOORE SALAMANDER 2050-10

Salamander is one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular green paint colors for kitchen cabinets, color-washing, and front doors. This dark shade of green has a slightly cool tone (green-blue) and a reasonable saturation, meaning it’s not just dark (with an LRV of 5.72 ) but also reasonably colorful. In fact, Salamander almost made the cut for the ‘teal’ section (coming up shortly), but it’s a bit too committed to its green hue for that.

While this shows all the colors, they SHOULD be vertical, not horizontal.

Remember that you should never pick paint colors based on how they look horizontally or at an angle. ALWAYS place them 100% vertically so you can see how the light (natural and artificial) bounces off them.

Here’s Salamander and a few other popular shades of green (again, they should be totally vertical)…

If you love these cooler shades of green, I’ve got others worth sampling and comparing in this CURATED COOL GREEN COLOR BUNDLE. (I have Color Bundles for every color group/depth—justholler if you want the link to one I haven’t mentioned!)

5. BENJAMIN MOORE BRITTANIA BLUE 1623

Not all blues need to be dark. I felt this way when choosing a new paint color for our island at our lake home…

While navy blue is more classic, I wanted a softer approach, one that I found with Britannia Blue. This shade has an LRV of 18.06, so it’s well out of the navy blue range while still showing up to the party with bells on.

The Best Blue-Gray Paint Colors

How to Choose the Best Blue Paint Color

6. BENJAMIN MOORE CHEATING HEART 1617

Be still, my Cheating Heart. Wait…that’s not how it goes, but it SHOULD be because of how gorgeous this color is! Cheating Heart is a wicked dark shade of navy blue, heavily grounded by gray and black. And while you’ll certainly be left with some blue on the table (or on your island, that would be more the point), it’s not overly committed or overwhelming.

This next kitchen island with a granite countertop shows Cheating Heart at its very…very lightest, as it’s being hit with a good whack of light…

FULL Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore’s Cheating Heart

This next photo is a bit more typical of Cheating Heart and how it looks in the average home/lighting situation…

And because you should NEVER pick a paint color without comparing it to similar shades, you might also check out Benjamin Moore’s Wrought Iron or Deep Space.

By the way, the above concrete-looking countertop is actually affordable laminate!

7. BENJAMIN MOORE CALDWELL GREEN HC-124

If you can’t decide between dark green, sage green, or light green cabinets – how about Caldwell Green? This medium-depth shade of green has a slightly cool backdrop but all the glorious green a girl could ask for.

My next client updated their early 2000s kitchen with painted green cabinets (Caldwell Green), white quartz countertops, subway tile, and a few other cute and funky additions to give it a whole new personality…

With an LRV of 16.27, Caldwell Green is at the soft end of the medium-dark range—not dark enough to even WINK at black, but not so light that it gets mistaken for sage.

8. BENJAMIN MOORE OCEAN FLOOR 1630

Ocean Floor is often overlooked in favor of the usual faves—Hale Navy, Newburyport Blue, and so on. However, this wicked shade of navy blue has a lot to offer.

Benjamin Moore Ocean Floor is in the medium-dark range, with its LRV of 14.13. What makes it a bit different from the usual bunch is that Ocean Floor is smokey, with a moody vibe (compared to the slightly more nautical, cheery look of Hale Navy/Newburyport Blue). Ocean Floor is a great way to ‘commit to blue’ without going overboard (pun intended via the previous ‘nautical’ reference).

On the other hand, compare Ocean Floor to the previously mentioned Cyberspace, and you’ll see a blue that’s LIGHTER and a bit more committed to its blue than you might’ve thought!

The Best DARK Blue-Gray Paint Colors

9. BENJAMIN MOORE VINTAGE VOGUE 462

I don’t know about ‘vintage,’ but this shade of green sure is ‘en vogue.’ Vintage Vogue is a stunner. Found in Benjamin Moore’s Classic Collection, Vintage Vogue commits to green without hitting you upside the head with it. With an LRV of 11.85, this shade has reasonable depth, winking at the dark world, but enough color to show up to the party – tassels and all.

In this next photo, notice how Vintage Vogue’s slightly cool look grabs the green tiles in the travertine mosaic tile backsplash. A connection like this makes Vintage Vogue a gorgeous option for the island. However, given the degree of gold in the countertop, it could be overwhelming for the WHOLE kitchen.

10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CYBERSPACE SW 7076

You can talk all you want about Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (coming up next), but Cyberspace has my heart. Cyberspace is a dark shade of blue; however, unlike Hale Navy, which is a bit more ‘committed to its color,’ Cyberspace offers a more muted, slightly smokey approach to the navy.

Shown above and below, Sherwin Williams Cyberspace

FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Cyberspace

11. BENJAMIN MOORE GENTLEMAN’S GRAY 2062-20

Well, if you think Hale Navy is a striking approach to navy blue, you ain’t seen NOTHIN’ yet! Gentleman’s Gray comes in hot with a gorgeous saturation, giving you a striking blue hue with a ton of personality…

While Gentleman’s Gray falls in the blue group, it has a decent shot of green in it, unlike many of the popular blues that lean into blue-violet. With its LRV of 7.26, Gentleman’s Gray offers a wink and a nod at the navy blue world while picking up an energetic vibe along the way!

Thank you to my Online Color clients & readers for sending in your photos—I couldn’t do what I do without you!

12. BENJAMIN MOORE DARK OLIVE 2140-30

Dark Olive is one of my favorite shades of dark green. With a minimal commitment to being warm or cool, Dark Olive’s grounded neutral base calms it down while still leaving one heck of a nice moody, slightly organic hue on your cabinets, island, or vanity.

Similar to Dark Olive

Dark Olive has an LRV of 13.52. This number tells us that Dark Olive is in the medium-dark range, with a bit more oomph than some of the lighter shades shown above. With its flexible base/degree of color, Dark Olive often suits a range of older-style granite and laminate countertops and looks stunning with butcher block.

Because comparison is the most important part of choosing your best paint color, compare Dark Olive to Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive. Notice how Dark Olive appears a bit lighter and is a bit earthy and warmer in comparison.

13. SHERWIN WILLIAMS BASIL SW 6194

Right up there with Isle of Pines in ‘degree of green,’ Basil is great for those who want to commit to green without winking at the primary world (like Isle of Pines can). This dark green isn’t messing around – it’s green, but it’s tempered by a soft gray base, slowing it down and grounding it a bit.

You’ll also notice that Basil is lighter than Isle of Pines. With an LRV of 15, Basil sits more moderately in the med-dark world. A great comparison with Basil is the previously mentioned Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green. Both shades have a similar depth, but Caldwell Green holds a bit more gray than Basil, showing you two great versions of a similar approach.

14. SHERWIN WILLIAMS EVERGREEN FOG 9130

This is definitely the lightest of the bunch, but I couldn’t help but mention it—it’s so stinkin’ pretty!

If you’re looking for a more subtle take on green, Evergreen Fog is a medium-depth green with just the right amount of gray to calm it down without taking away the ‘green’ of it. As for temperature, Evergreen Fog doesn’t lean overly warm or cool, giving off a more ‘smoky’ look.

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog

While the above photo doesn’t show Evergreen Fog on a kitchen island or vanity, it gives you a great idea of how it can settle in a space.

A FEW MORE GORGEOUS GREENS TO EXPLORE…

Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray – a gorgeous green-gray blend (REVIEW)
Sherwin Williams Pewter Green – more green than Grizzle Gray with a slightly cool backdrop (REVIEW)

The 15 Best Medium to Dark Green Paint Colors

WHAT WALL COLORS GO WITH BLUE & GREEN CABINETS?

Choosing your best wall color is rarely about ‘just the cabinet color.’ You must also consider your trim color, countertop, tile, and other finishes. However, there are a few color groups that work in the average room, including…

Green cabinets often love being partnered in a palette with subtle shades of beige and tan, including Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White.
Blue cabinets can look stunning with soft warm grays and taupes with violet undertones, including Benjamin Moore Classic Gray and Sherwin William Egret White.
Both blue and green cabinets love white walls and are usually more inclined to warm whites over cool whites. That said, the cabinets rarely call the shots; it’s the surrounding hard finishes, like the countertop and tile!

How to Find Your Room’s Best Shade of White

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Best White Paint Colors

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