Given that cabinets are such a featured piece of furniture in a room, it makes sense to put some thought into matching them with the right color flooring. This begs the question, should wood floors be lighter or darker than cabinets?
If the cabinets are dark, it’s preferable that the wood floors be lighter, and if the cabinets are light, it’s preferable that the wood floors be darker. Not only does this create a visual contrast, but it also accentuates both colors in a sophisticated and professional manner.
Having cabinets and floors that are of the same color and shade isn’t a problem. In fact, this is a practice that has echoed through interior design for many decades.
But that’s exactly why it isn’t a popular option right now.
It’s a practice from the past.
Modern style tends to favor accentuating different shades and tones of colors. Even in minimalistic design terms, accent colors and alternating shades in one room are commonly suggested and used with beautiful results.
Unless the colors in question are black and white, it isn’t a good idea to choose light and dark colors that are on the extreme ends of each shade in the same room.
The difference would be too overwhelming and ruin the chances of you creating any form of cohesiveness in the room.
How To Choose The Right Color Floors And Cabinets
As a rule of thumb, use a shade that is either two or three times darker or lighter than the other color in the room.
For example, if the cabinets in a kitchen are charcoal gray, you could opt for wood floors that are stained two or three shades lighter, like light gray, or you could select white.
But, if the cabinets in a kitchen are mahogany brown, you should opt for a wood floor that is lighter, like natural oak or bamboo.
I would actually suggest that you structure the cabinet color around the floors rather than the other way around.
There are a few reasons for this.
- Floors are more costly which is probably why they should take precedence over the cabinets.
- The color of your floor will dictate how visible dirt is. If you opt for a light color floor just to match with the cabinet color, you run the risk of having to clean more often.
- Cabinets can easily be repainted or finished whereas floors may require complete removal and replacing.
- Most people notice the wall color before the cabinet color. It’s important that the floors be of a color that complements the walls more so than the cabinet.
Floors cover a much larger surface area than any cabinet, and they can drastically change the appearance and mood of a room.
You want to be certain that the color you select is something that complements the room decor in its entirety rather than one specific piece of furniture.
Most wood floors have undertones.
What this means is that there’s a primary color that makes up the majority of the wood and the rest of it is accentuated by other colors.
When choosing a floor color, you should consider whether the undertones or secondary tones are similar to or complementary to the cabinets.
If you observe the picture above, you’ll easily notice that the cabinets have a light undertone of the floor color ad the floor has undertones that match the cabinets as well.
This is why they work so well together.
Similarly, gray stained wood floors have undertones of white in it which is why they look so good with white cabinets.
Follow this simple rule of thumb and you’ll have no problem selecting the right color wood floor.
With that being said, I’ve made a list below of the most popular cabinet colors along with the accompanying floor colors that are best suited for them.
The List Of Wood Floor Colors That Go With Cabinets
Light gray cabinets
- Dark gray stained wood.
- White wood.
- Light oak wood.
Dark gray cabinets
- Black stained wood.
- Light gray stained wood.
- Cherry wood.
- White wood.
White cabinets
- White wood.
- Light gray stained wood.
- Charcoal gray stained wood.
- Light oak wood.
- Dark brown wood.
- Maple wood.
- Black stained wood.
Black cabinets
- White wood.
- Black stained wood.
- Charcoal gray wood.
- Light oak wood.
- Light gray wood.
- Bamboo wood.
Mahogany cabinets
- Light oak wood.
- Bamboo wood.
- American cherry wood.
Light oak cabinets
- White wood.
- Light gray wood.
- Bamboo wood.
Final Thoughts
That brings us to the end of this article on whether or not wood floors should be lighter or darker than cabinets.
It’s really hard to go wrong with wood floors given that they have so many undertones of color. The staining process helps the process as well which is why they’re such a popular option for most home owners.
Be that as it may, as long as you use the guidelines above, you should have no problem with making the right choice.
With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this article and if you found it to be helpful, then check out some of our other flooring articles below.
What color floor goes with white cabinets?