How to Best Pair Together Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops

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As any experienced home remodeler or design expert will tell you, kitchen cabinets and countertops are at the heart of a successful (and value-boosting!) kitchen remodel.

Pairing together the right cabinets and countertops is essential. In this article, we’ll go over some ways you can think about your style and find the cabinets and counters that work best for your space.

As is the case with any other aspect of your kitchen, if you find yourself getting stuck or overwhelmed, talk to a design expert. They’ll be able to give you advice specific to your home and to your kitchen.

Find the Style the Works Best for Your Kitchen

If you’ve watched any home remodeling TV shows over the past few years, you’ve no doubt heard the people on them name-drop these style motifs: “classic,” “contemporary,” and “farmhouse.”

What they’re referring to is a set style direction for kitchens that informs your countertop and cabinet choices. While these are arguably the three most popular styles, there are many others.

The farmhouse is perhaps the most recognizable. It typically features natural wood cabinets, granite countertops, and that famous, oversized white ceramic sink.

The entire feel is built around warmth, coziness, and a nod to the kitchens of the past. Yet, a farmhouse-style space might not be the right fit for your home.

Keep in mind that the kitchen needs to generally fit the rest of your house: that cozy, warm, and “old-timey” kitchen might stick out like a sore thumb in an otherwise contemporary townhome.

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Choose a Single Focal Point

The adage, “too many cooks in the kitchen” certainly applies here. You don’t want your kitchen’s countertops and cabinets to be competing with one another to be the visual focal point of the room.

Instead, plan your design around one of them being the star of the show, with the other in a supporting role. For example, a beautiful, veined granite countertop draws the eyes in and is best paired with a neutral off-white or light grey cabinet.

Alternatively, rich, natural wood cabinets with deep colors pair well with a white quartz countertop.

Remember: a kitchen doesn’t have to be showy to be beautiful. There’s an attractiveness to simplicity and neutral colors. A light grey cabinet paired with white quartz can look great in almost any kitchen.

Plus, the more neutral your color choices, the wider appeal your kitchen will have in the future when you potentially put your home on the market.

Buy Your Cabinets and Countertops Together

Never buy kitchen cabinets and countertops in a vacuum and just assume that they’ll fit together perfectly. This is one of the most common sources of mismatched kitchens, and it can often be avoided by looking at sample materials together in one place.

When you shop for cabinets and countertops, ask the store if they have sample materials for your favorites that you can take home. Place the samples next to one another in your kitchen, and view them throughout the day.

You’ll want to see what they look like together in the morning, in the late afternoon, and at night under your kitchen’s lighting. Make sure you like the way the pairing looks at all hours of the day, and don’t hesitate to solicit the opinions of your friends, family, and neighbors.

This will give you a good idea of what others—including, one day, prospective homebuyers—think about your choices.

One of the advantages of purchasing cabinets and countertops together is that many stores and retailers will be able to install them simultaneously, getting you that much closer to your dream kitchen.

Finding the Perfect Match

One of the challenges homeowners face when remodeling their kitchen is the seemingly endless number of options available to them.

This can lead to what’s commonly known as “choice paralysis:” the feeling of being overwhelmed by too many options, and never moving forward on the project because of it.

If you find yourself stuck in this rut—or you just need help knowing where to start—you should talk to a local design expert in your area.

An experienced kitchen remodeler can cut through the confusion and find you the right countertops, cabinets, flooring, and more for your kitchen.

For even more design inspiration and further exploration of color and style matches for countertops and cabinets, be sure to check out this infographic from Superior Stone & Cabinet in Phoenix, Arizona.