Granite Countertops To Perfectly Balance Dark Kitchen Cabinets

Countertops, cabinetry, and flooring -- that’s the big three when it comes to designing your kitchen. Choosing matching elements can be a challenge, especially when you’ve fallen in love with dark-colored kitchen cabinets. Black, deep brown, dark charcoal-gray or rich mahogany cabinetry can lend a look of opulence and class to the kitchen, so it’s easy to see why many homeowners are choosing them!

Interior designers generally recommend beginning with your countertop and matching the other pieces of the puzzle, but don’t despair. We’re going to offer you some tips to choose granite countertop colors, so you can do it your own way!

Alaska White

Get this look with MSI's Alaska White Granite (Photo Credit: Houzz)

When you’ve chosen dark cabinetry, you’ll want to maximize the light from all sources, especially natural light, but also try adding lots of under-cabinet lighting. Granite countertops give you a big advantage here – the natural reflective ability of the polished surface, such as glossy Alaska White Granite, makes the kitchen bright. 

Black Galaxy

Featured: Black Galaxy Granite

If the combo of dark brown cabinets and black granite countertops seems a bit too gothic for your taste, try contrasting it with shimmery gold. Here, the gold and cream ceiling, walls, and mosaic backsplash are picked up in the golden reflective flecks in Black Galaxy Granite. Of course, it helps to have dramatic, high ceilings. If you’re fortunate to have them, don’t play it safe with an ordinary, bland color palette!

Astoria

Featured: Astoria Granite

Contrasting dark cabinetry with a lighter color of granite countertops is an obvious pairing, especially in neutral shades such as brown and beige. It’s almost too easy – but the neutral shade makes the contrast between dark and light less shocking to the eye.

Astoria Granite is a soothing shade of beige with veins of cocoa-brown providing lots of movement, so the combo is anything but boring.

Silver Cloud

Recreate this look with MSI's Silver Cloud Granite (Photo Credit: Houzz)

An easy way to coordinate cabinetry and granite countertops is to pair dark cabinetry with granite colors that are in a lighter shade of the same color, or have veining of the same color. In this photo, the black cabinetry is complemented by Silver Cloud Granite, with black veins swirling across a creamy white background. 

Imperial Coffee

Create this look with MSI's Imperial Coffee Granite (Photo Credit: Houzz)

Tempted to match dark cabinets with dark countertops such as deep brown Imperial Coffee Granite? It might seem like a dangerous idea, creating a dreary, gloomy room. However, with enough lighting and other light-colored elements, the kitchen will be a lively place. In this kitchen, the light brown flooring, white ceiling, and bright pendulum lights mitigate the dark surfaces and make the room cozy and inviting.

Conventional decorating wisdom says to choose light surfaces for a smaller room – and choose your countertops first. But it’s OK to break those rules, if you’re willing to be creative and bold with your design choices when determining what countertop colors go with dark cabinets.

MSI’s Virtual Kitchen Designer can help you put those elements together, and after a bit of experimentation you’ll be confident no matter which countertop you choose.

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