The Perfect Kitchen Cabinet Colors For White Tile Floors

For the kitchen, white tile flooring may be a major turn-off for many home buyers as it shows stains easily, requiring regular upkeep in high-traffic areas. But it's also the easiest way to make your kitchen look bright, expansive, and timeless. Besides, it truly opens up your design and style possibilities, especially with kitchen cabinet colors, seeing that it turns the given space into a stark canvas primed for a brush of vibrancy. So, to tide you through your reno and help you discover the perfect cabinet hue to match your white tile flooring, we got in touch with Erika Dale, interior designer and founder of Erika Dale Interior Design. In her exclusive interview with House Digest, she recommended a variety of cabinet hues, from neutral to pastels, that fit right in with different interior design styles.

Although a white tile floor can play off backsplashes and countertops to create the desired aesthetic, the most pleasing results are often birthed by considering stunning trendy kitchen cabinet colors to pair with it. After all, your cabinets are one of the most prominent designs in the room. They feature different tones and diverse wood finishes, refreshing the kitchen altogether. However, as Dale warned, the wrong cabinet color can ruin that fresh, stylish look.

While it's true that white tile floors are extremely versatile and pair well with most cabinet color options, certain combinations work just a tad better. "My personal favorite approach is to either create contrast against the white tile with a mid-tone or dark cabinet," Erika Dale shared in her exclusive with House Digest. The dark hues add a touch of drama and elegance to your home's workhouse. On the other hand, creating "the opposite tone-on-tone aesthetic by using a light-colored cabinet can also be really soft and airy," Dale added. Such pastel shades and light-tone wood finishes (think birch or pine) in the kitchen often go well with the minimalist, farmhouse, and contemporary interior styles.

However, if you're veering to extreme ends — going completely upscale or conventional — Dale suggested experimenting with earthy tones. "A dark or medium natural wood stain is absolutely stunning with a white tile floor for a warm organic look, whereas a mid to deep green or blue paint color pops like a dream against the light flooring in either traditional or modern spaces," she said. These shades can be the perfect cabinet colors to consider for a timeless rustic kitchen. But if you find these cavernous hues are too quirky and eclectic, stepping down a few notches in the tonal contrast might be the way forward. Dale also shared, "Lovely mid-tone muted colors with a white tile floor work beautifully with the trending modern traditional style."  

If you wish to create your own color combinations, Erika Dale also offered precious advice on how not to pair white tile flooring with cabinets in her exclusive interview with House Digest. "Be very careful not to pick a shade that is too saturated, as the stark white will intensify the saturation of the paint, creating a neon effect," the interior designer said. In other words, resist painting your kitchen cabinets hot pink because your craze for Barbie is undying. Apply the same principle for other vibrant hues, like bold red or lime green. "Instead, look for more muted colors with a decent amount of gray in them, as the white floors will make the color pop when it is in the space," Dale advised. However, don't go overboard with grays, as they can turn the place dull and lifeless.

In case you're a white purist looking to recreate the magic of once-trendy all-white kitchens, Dale cautioned against going too stark on both your cabinets and floors. "One of the two needs some depth, warmth, or slight contrast (in texture or color) to avoid looking sterile," she said. "Cream and gray undertones or veining help create some variety and visual interest." You can also replicate these neutral, earthy tones on your walls and backsplashes to make your kitchen look more cohesive.