8 Cabinet Colors That Go Flawlessly With Brown Granite Countertops

When it comes to renovating your kitchen, one of the big-ticket items to plan for are countertops. But what happens when new countertops simply aren't in the budget, and you're stuck trying to create an updated kitchen with the one countertop material that can instantly make your kitchen look outdated: dreaded brown granite? Ubiquitous in the 1990s and 2000s, this material has a bad rap for giving your kitchen a modernized, fresh look. However, the good news is that you can still create a contemporary new look without tearing them out by just following an insider tip I've learned as an interior designer: picking the right colors for your cabinets.

The issue with reusing brown granite counters is that a modern color palette that doesn't embrace the warm brown tones ends up fighting against rather than complementing the granite ... so the kitchen still screams "outdated" even after you spent all of that money to update everything else. The trick for making brown granite countertops look amazing is to lean into an earth-tone palette for an inviting look. However, this doesn't mean the overly saturated Tuscan kitchen tones of decades past, nor strictly neutrals. 

Today's dynamic nature-inspired color palettes pay close attention to undertones and are filled with more muted and desaturated hues ranging from soft and airy to dark and moody, as well as organic colors found in nature like green, blue, pink, and yellow. So if you are ready to let your brown granite countertops finally look their best, consider beautiful cabinet colors that go with brown granite countertops to create the organic, updated kitchen of your dreams.

Lean into a gorgeous earthy color palette by choosing a medium-to-dark greige cabinet color to compliment brown granite countertops. With muted, cool green undertones, greige shades are the perfect option for keeping the space moody, yet neutral and organic. If you have dark brown granite countertops, opt for a darker greige shade to balance it out with a tone-on-tone effect (and vice versa for lighter brown counters). Mix in warmer natural wood and warm metallic tones, such as copper and brass, to bring everything together.

A go-to choice for making any kitchen look high-end and fresh, a creamy white cabinet paint color with warm undertones will brighten up the space and prevent the brown countertops from weighing it down. In order to avoid too stark of a contrast, layer in additional warm-toned materials throughout the space to create a cozy, inviting, well-balanced interior. The undertones in the paint as well as the addition of other warm brown-based tones will help integrate the countertops into an earthy paradise.

For those who love the airy look of a light neutral but want to take the coziness a step past white, opt for a soft beige or taupe, which packs a ton of warmth into a subtle, elegant aesthetic. Beige and taupe have the incredible ability to simultaneously feel weightless and still bring an enveloping quality of warmth to a space. This is exactly the type of soft earth tone that pairs beautifully with brown granite countertops, especially those more extreme variations that are either very light brown or near black.

I've never met a muted green I didn't love, from a dramatic, moody dark shade to light, soft sage. When paired with brown granite countertops, this whole spectrum of greens evokes the organic, serene color palettes of nature, and the result is spectacularly beautiful and soothing. Desaturated greens are the perfect color for neutral lovers, as its ties to the outdoors make it the perfect "non-neutral" neutral (or "non-color" color, if you get my gist).

If you are ready to bring some serious luxe drama and let the brown really shine, try color drenching your kitchen in deep brown tones like a mid-tone mocha or dark chocolate. Let the light or dark value of the countertops steer your paint color decisions, matching the cabinet color and backsplash with the countertops for that true seamless, enveloping effect that screams upscale. The darker you go, the moodier and more dramatic the result... trust me, your guests won't stop talking about it.

For anyone looking to stick with earth tones but bring in some joyful color to pair with your brown granite countertops, consider a light to mid-tone soft, muted pink shade with slight peach undertones. The hint of yellow in the undertone helps blend the paint color together with the brown hues of the countertops into one warm, nature-inspired color palette reminiscent of a sunset. These muted beige-pink-peach shades have time-tested historical roots and an abundance of charm, giving your kitchen a warm, welcoming aesthetic that is sophisticated and playful.

While I'd usually be wary of using cool colors in the blue family for fear of quickly turning saturated brown countertops orange (yikes!) and making them pop in a bad way, for those who have a more desaturated brown granite with substantial flecks of gray, a muted mid-tone slate blue-green can help pull the countertops in a warm greige direction rather than overly brown. Introduce plenty of other natural wood, warm metallics, and brown accents to tie the two together in a cohesive earth tone palette.

Before you write my editor that "two-tone" and "wood-stained" aren't technically colors, hear me out. Blend any one of the above lighter shades for upper cabinets with a dark, desaturated wood tone for lower cabinets to get a dynamic natural color palette that sandwiches brown granite countertops beautifully. It's an organic ombre effect of sorts. Adding pops of black for contrast can modernize the look. Layering natural shades from light to dark creates visual interest, but by sticking with earth tones, it's wonderfully cohesive and intentional.