This Is the Cabinet Color Officially Replacing White in Kitchens for 2026

It might feel like bold colors have crept into kitchen design overnight. But in reality, the evolution you’re seeing play out now — where crimson, dark green, and even bright butter yellow are commingling with soft neutrals on cabinetry, tile, and more — has happened over years. No one may know that better than MasterBrand Cabinets, a cabinet company with a portfolio of over 15 cabinet brands. 

MasterBrand conducts an exhaustive kitchen cabinet survey year after year to tap into what design pros and dealers are seeing with trends. Last year was all about walk-in pantries as signs of quiet luxury, and the most surprising finding from this year’s data is that for the first time in nearly a decade, white has been dethroned as the most popular finish for kitchen cabinets for 2026. If you want to know what’s taking its place, read on for that and the easiest spot to embrace color in a cook space. 

The all-white-everything kitchen era may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean everyone will be painting their kitchens from top to bottom in saturated shades. According to MasterBrand’s survey findings, the new leading cabinet paint colors are not a huge departure from white: off-whites and beiges are the new top shades (think: creams and soft putty-like hues that are, on the whole, much warmer than the great kitchen white-out of the 2010s). 

What’s more is that paint itself isn’t even the top cabinet finish choice for 2026: Light-toned stains have found their way back into designers’ playbooks and are now topping MasterBrand’s findings . Homeowners and renters alike can’t get enough of the natural beauty of wood, and love the way a light stain calls attention to knots, ridges, and grains. Medium and dark stains are also gaining ground, too, but the lighter options remain king.

These days, kitchens aren’t just one color or finish anymore either. According to MasterBrand, many people are mixing at least two finishes in their cook spaces — and lately, it’s often one paint color and one stain. For an easy way to incorporate a second hue, the kitchen island remains the top spot to accent. Ninety percent of designers report homeowners are eager to use color, especially in islands, with perimeter cabinets following close behind.

And lest you think it’s all about muted neutrals, green is replacing gray as the fastest-growing color category in cook spaces. Sages, eucalyptuses, and even forest greens are emerging as cabinet colors — and green seems to be right now where blue was in decades past in terms of popularity.

So there you have it. Kitchens are slowly getting more colorful — and I, for one, couldn’t be more excited to see where these trends take us next year and beyond.