Choosing the perfect cabinet and appliance color combination for your kitchen can be a challenging task. With so many options to consider, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. However, pairing wood cabinets with stainless steel appliances is a timeless and popular choice that looks great in many kitchen designs. Here’s an in-depth look at what wood color cabinets go best with stainless steel appliances.
Warm Wood Tones Complement Stainless Steel
Stainless steel has a cool, sleek, and modern look. To create balance in your kitchen, pair stainless appliances with wood cabinet colors featuring warm, inviting undertones. The right wood hue will enhance the stainless without overpowering it.
Light Wood Tones
Light wood cabinet colors like maple, birch, ash, and oak work well with stainless steel. They have a casual, traditional kitchen feel. Light wood grains give just enough contrast without competing with stainless steel’s bold personality.
Popular light wood and stainless combinations include:
- Maple cabinets with stainless appliances
- Oak cabinets paired with stainless steel
- Birch cabinets complementing stainless appliances
Medium Wood Tones
Medium wood tones also pair beautifully with stainless steel. Choices like cherry, hickory, and walnut have visual depth and saturated reddish-brown hues. These shades add richness that balances the stainless steel’s sleek metallic color.
Some perfect medium wood and stainless combinations are:
- Cherry cabinets with stainless steel appliances
- Hickory cabinets paired with stainless appliances
- Walnut cabinets complementing stainless steel
Dark Wood Tones
For a more dramatic, upscale look, pair stainless steel appliances with dark wood cabinets. Options like mahogany, espresso, and wenge have bold grain patterns and luxurious dark brown tones.
Ideal pairings of dark woods with stainless include:
- Mahogany cabinets with stainless steel appliances
- Espresso colored cabinets paired with stainless
- Wenge cabinets and stainless appliances
Avoid Clashing Wood Tones
Some wood finishes offer very little contrast with stainless steel. Selecting these hues can make your kitchen look monotonous and one-dimensional.
Wood tones to avoid with stainless appliances include:
- Light grays like weathered gray or whitewashed wood
- Beiges and creams which are too similar to stainless
- Reddish/orange-toned stains like cherry or mahogany
These washed-out, monochromatic colors just don’t pop against gleaming stainless steel. Choosing bolder wood hues with more personality creates a more appealing kitchen environment.
Factors that Impact Color Pairings
Keep in mind additional elements like your cabinet style, hardware finishes, countertops, backsplash, and lighting also affect the look of wood and stainless combinations.
Cabinet Door Styles
Slab, Shaker, and plain cabinet styles allow the wood grain to stand out. More intricate door designs like inset panels compete visually with the wood tones. Simpler door styles really let the beauty of the wood and stainless shine.
Hardware Finishes
Matte black and oil-rubbed bronze hardware gravitates toward dark wood cabinets. Pewter and brushed nickel work with medium to lighter wood finishes. Matching metals, like stainless steel hardware, complements stainless appliances.
Countertops & Backsplashes
Neutral countertops like white, cream, or gray marble, quartz, or granite help ground wood and stainless combinations. However, you can also use bolder countertop and backsplash materials like emerald green or navy blue glass tiles to create striking contrast.
Lighting
Task lighting and accent lighting, like under-cabinet lights or pendant lamps over islands keep lighter wood cabinets from fading into the background next to stainless appliances. Proper lighting prevents lighter hues from getting washed-out or dingy-looking.
Best Wood Colors for Popular Stainless Steel Brands
Certain stainless steel appliance brands offer unique finishes that pair differently with wood cabinets. Here are ideal wood tones for today’s most popular brands:
GE Stainless Steel
GE’s brushed stainless finish has a subtle grain and sheen. It works with maple, birch, oak, and other light to medium woods. Avoid very dark cabinets, which overpower GE’s refined stainless appeal.
LG Studio Stainless Steel
LG’s Studio series stainless has a satin-like finish that reduces fingerprints and smudges. Light woods like ash and oak complement LG’s soft stainless look.
Samsung Stainless Steel
Samsung’s stainless steel finish is more traditional with its bold metallic shine. Medium to darker wood tones like cherry, hickory, and mahogany offset Samsung’s ultra-shiny appliances.
Whirlpool Stainless Steel
Whirlpool uses a proprietary Sheet Metal Micro Etch technology on their stainless line, giving it a unique pebbled look. Whirlpool appliances pair best with darker woods like espresso and wenge that match the charcoal undertones.
Ideal Wood & Stainless Combinations by Kitchen Style
Beyond selecting complementary colors, choosing wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances that work with your overall kitchen design style yields the most pleasing space.
Contemporary Kitchens
For a contemporary kitchen, stick with light clean-lined cabinet styles paired with stainless appliances. Grayish oak or whitewashed maple work great for a sleek modern aesthetic.
Rustic Kitchens
Play up the organic charm of a rustic kitchen with medium to dark wood cabinets with visible wood grains coupled with commercial-style stainless appliances.
Traditional Kitchens
In traditional kitchens, create a timeless look by combining painted or stained cherry, maple or birch cabinets with classic stainless appliances with rounded edges.
Farmhouse Kitchens
Capture casual farmhouse style by pairing Shaker-style oak cabinets in a light natural stain with stainless appliances featuring brushed finishes.
Transitional Kitchens
Transitional kitchens blend modern and traditional elements for a versatile look. Hickory or walnut cabinets stained in warmer brown shades beautifully balance stainless appliances.
Tips for Harmonizing Wood and Stainless
- Test samples of wood stains next to a stainless steel spoon or appliance store swatch before staining cabinets to preview colors together.
- Add texture with materials like subway tile or colored glass backsplashes to make light wood cabinets pop next to stainless appliances.
- Incorporate natural textures like marble countertops and butcher block islands to warm up sleek stainless steel.
- Use crown molding and trim to frame light and medium wood cabinets while grounding the stainless visually.
- Play with mixing metal finishes like stainless appliances with bronze faucets and matte black cabinet hardware for contemporary contrast.
Key Takeaways
- Warm light, medium, and dark wood cabinet colors harmonize with cool stainless steel appliances beautifully.
- Avoid clashing wood tones like grays, creams, and some oranges that compete with stainless steel.
- Complementary elements like cabinet style, hardware, counters, and backsplashes strongly impact the overall look.
- Pair stainless with oak, maple, and birch for contemporary kitchens and cherry, walnut, and hickory for traditional charm.
Matching wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances requires thoughtful coordination but results in a cohesive, aesthetically-pleasing kitchen space. Keep these handy tips in mind while designing your perfect palette. With the right wood and stainless combination, you can enjoy a kitchen that looks as amazing as it functions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wood Color Cabinets and Stainless Steel Appliances
What color cabinets go with stainless steel appliances?
Light, medium, and dark wood tones work beautifully with stainless steel appliances. Popular options include maple, oak, birch, cherry, hickory, and walnut. Avoid pale grays and beiges as they tend to visually blend into stainless steel.
What color cabinets make stainless steel appliances pop?
Richer wood finishes in the medium to dark range make stainless steel appliances stand out best. Wood stains featuring warm reddish or brown undertones contrast nicely against stainless steel’s cool, metallic color.
What wood colors should not be paired with stainless steel?
Avoid wood cabinets stained very light gray, cream, white, or beige. These monochromatic tones lack enough contrast and tend to blend in with stainless steel making the kitchen look flat and one-dimensional.
What kitchen colors look good with stainless steel appliances?
In addition to wood cabinets, you can use colors like navy blue, emerald green, and even bold black for dramatic contrast against stainless appliances. Crisp white paired with stainless creates a clean, contemporary look.
Should you match wood floors to wood cabinets with stainless appliances?
Yes, matching wood cabinet stains with wood floor stains creates flow. however, introduce some contrast by pairing medium-toned cabinets with slightly darker floors or vice-versa. Just avoid clashing overly warm floors with cool-toned gray cabinets.
What backsplash goes with oak cabinets and stainless steel appliances?
A natural stone backsplash like marble, granite, or travertine adds an organic texture that softens the mix of oak cabinets and stainless appliances. Or make the oak pop with a vibrant glass tile backsplash in a shade like cobalt blue.
Conclusion
Pairing wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances offers you endless options for creating a stylish, functional kitchen. Follow the fundamental guidelines of choosing warm-toned woods that provide enough, but not too much contrast with the stainless steel. Consider the finishes, textures, and colors of your other kitchen elements to pull the whole beautiful space together. With the right harmonious wood and stainless combination, you’re sure to have a kitchen you’ll love coming home to.