I should really take a walk and look at other colors, because oooh baby, have I covered greens around here!
There are so many amazing sage green paint colors, that you can find the perfect shade for literally anything. That’s why I decided to dedicate a post not just to sage green, but to the best sage greens for cabinets specifically.
In this post we will go over some of my most favorite sages, and take a look at different countertops, hardware, and appliances with sage green cabinets.
Let’s go!
Modern Farmhouse Sage Green on Kitchen Cabinets
In my mind, “modern farmhouse” equates to “farmhouse-meets-Joanna-Gaines.” I chose this Benjamin Moore Saybrook Sage kitchen by @aliciahewittinteriors as inspiration:
It might be slightly more “modern” than farmhouse, but I think it’s on the right track.
Saybrook Sage is a little bit of a lighter sage, and it’s a bit warmer than many.
The Best Rustic Sage Green for Kitchen Cabinets
“Rustic Sage” is having a moment on Pinterest recently, and in my opinion it’s just a little different than Farmhouse.
Rustic sage is a warm and approachable sage that’s still a bit rough around the edges.
I chose Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue as the best “rustic sage” for kitchen cabinets.
Now I will say that this sage is decently dark. Take note that the first photo of Allie’s (@alliejcurtin) kitchen has a good bit of sun in it.
The Best Muted Sage Green for Kitchen Cabinets
I have a special place in my heart for Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage:
I like it because it’s such a pleasant surprise! From the swatch you could say “Well that’s a yucky little brown isn’t it?” but in real life, it’s a beautiful muted sage.
This is a great choice for cabinets. I think it reads “warm summer day.”
Best Light Sage Green for Cabinets
If you do like light sages, I have a few other options in my post: The 22 Best Sage Green Paint Colors.
For cabinets, I have narrowed it down to Sherwin Williams Clary Sage.
Clary Sage is a bit of a chameleon, so it can range from having a warm grassy undertone to being a little bit cooler. I think that will help you get a lot of miles out of your kitchen, because the color isn’t one that you will get sick of right away.
Best Dark Sage Green for Kitchen Cabinets
I have two options for you when it comes to the deepest, darkest, sage greens for cabinets. Sherwin Williams Shade Grown, and Sherwin Williams Succulent.
Sherwin Williams Shade Grown
The reason that I chose two colors is because Shade Grown is borderline too dark to even read “sage” still. In a well lit space it would be beautiful, but in a smaller darker kitchen it might just look black.
You can also find this color on my Dark Academia Color Palette.
Here is a picture in brighter light, just to give you a good example:
Shade Grown is the darkest color on the strip that produced big time sage favorites Rosemary and Evergreen Fog (the former color of the year!).
Now if this color is just a little bit too dark and subtle, check out…
Sherwin Williams Succulent
Succulent is on the cooler side of sage, and it’s also plenty dark.
This is a slightly more “colorful” option than Shade Grown. So it’s less likely to look black.
I’m a big fan of this color! I think it reads a bit like sage-meets-teal but with a heavy dose of gray that makes it nice and subtle.
(If you like teal, check out my favorite teal paint colors for kitchen cabinets.)
Can You Use Sage Green for Cabinets with Gray Walls?
Whether you have existing gray walls, or you are looking to refresh your walls along with your cabinets, you can definitely pair sage green with gray!
Here we see the medium-dark sage green of Sherwin Williams Thunderous paired with Agreeable Gray walls.
I recommend always choosing a gray that is lighter than your cabinets. Here we see Svelte Sage with SW Crushed Ice:
There is a difference in LRV here of about 25, and I think that’s a good minimum.
The LRV of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.
Whether you choose or cool or warm gray doesn’t really matter. A warm gray will likely emphasize the gray and silver tones of your sage cabinets, and a cool gray should make them look more green.
Two Tone Cabinets with Sage Green
There are a couple of ways that you can use sage green on your cabinets and also achieve a two-tone look. The most popular are:
- Sage green lower cabinets with white upper cabinets
- White perimeter cabinets with a sage green island
Sage Green Lower Cabinets with White Uppers
I love the look of white and sage green cabinets! The white here is actually a neutral off-white called Sherwin Williams Oyster White.
The sage green is Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze.
Here we have a less subtle contrast, in the form of Sherwin Williams Basil lower cabinets with SW Pure White uppers:
White Cabinets with a Sage Green Island
If you just want to dip your toes into sage green cabinets, painting the island may be the way to go!
Here we see the off-white of Sherwin Williams Shoji White on the perimeter cabinets with a sage green island:
The island is Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull.
Here is one more example:
This time we see the brighter white of Benjamin Moore Simply White on the perimeter cabinets, and Sherwin Williams Clary Sage on the small island.
Finally we have one more kitchen, this time with Sherwin Williams Oyster Bay on the island, which is a bit of a lighter option:
Looking for more ideas? Check out my post: 27+ Fresh Two-Tone Kitchen Cabinet Ideas (With Pictures!)
What Countertops Go Best With Sage Green Cabinets?
Maybe you were eagle-eyed enough to notice the countertops in each kitchen we’ve looked at so far, but if not, here are some more examples!
Sage Green Cabinets with Dark Brown/Gray Countertops
I’m not 100% sure, but these dark countertops look like quartz to me.
Note that the white walls and open shelves keep the rest of the kitchen light. Dark sage cabinets with dark countertops could overpower a small kitchen, so definitely keep your own space in mind.
The color on these cabinets is Benjamin Moore Millstone Gray.
Sage Green Cabinet with Wood Butcher Block Countertops
If you’ve read my post Trend-Setting Green Kitchen Cabinet Ideas, you already know that I looove green cabinets with butcher block countertops. I think it’s such a neutral and natural combo, plus butcher block is super affordable and sustainable.
Tick, tick, tick!
Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets with White Countertops
Karin (@karinwithaneye) actually used both wood and white countetops in her sage green kitchen:
In case you missed it, the color here is Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue.
Cheating a little, here are white marble countertops with Sherwin Williams Pewter Green cabinets:
If I had to guess from a very narrow sample size (all my friends here), white countertops are the most popular choice for sage green cabinets.
Here we see them with Sherwin Williams Rosemary:
Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets with Black Countertops
I love and totally respect your requests, but man oh man, was it hard to find sage cabinets with black countertops!
I ended up resorting to a stock photo just for an example:
The color here is pretty similar to Benjamin Moore Misted Green.
If you do want to use black countertops with sage green cabinets, I would recommend either:
- Using a very light sage green paint
- No upper cabinets at all or white uppers
- Using black countertops where the sage green of the cabinets is also almost black
Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets with Granite Countertops
Please don’t come for me if any of these countertops are actually marble, I am not a stone connoisseur. Muchos gracias!
Here we have Benjamin Moore Misted Green (for real this time), in a kitchen with stone countertops:
Next we look back at this Thunderous kitchen, which has some of the prettiest countertops ever!
Finally, another SW Rosemary island with what I am 99.9% sure are granite countertops. ๐
What Hardware Goes Best With Sage Green Cabinets?
If you scroll back you will see plenty of examples of sage green countertops with chrome and pewter hardware, but what most people want to see is gold and black.
Sage Green Cabinets with Gold Hardware
Here we see SW Acacia Haze again, with beautiful gold hardware:
This is my personal preference for almost any green cabinets. It’s also such an easy change to make, if you are worried about the gold going out of style.
Here we see gold with Carolina Gull:
The gold pops but is still soft and pretty. Gold is super complementary to green cabinets because yellow is right next door on the color wheel!
Sage Green Cabinets with Black Hardware
Black hardware is a little tricky with sage cabinets in my opinion, because I like a lot of contrast. I wouldn’t personally use black hardware with darker sage cabinets, but there’s no rule saying you can’t!
Is it too early to change my mind? Because I’ve just scrounged up photos of fairly dark sage cabinets with black hardware…and I’m medium sold.
That was Vintage Vogue again, and here is another shot of Rosemary:
It’s definitely not getting lost like I thought it would!
Will Sage Green Cabinets Work With My Appliances?
We’ve established that sage green cabinets work well with most fixtures, fittings, and finishes, but what about appliances?
Sage Green Cabinets with Stainless Steel Appliances
The vast VAST majority of examples here show sage green cabinets with stainless steel appliances, but that’s just the nature of kitchen trends in general.
I think that stainless or white are equally good options with most colors of cabinets.
Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets with White Appliances
After having lived in a smallish kitchen with dark cabinets and stainless appliances, there is really something to be said for white appliances!
If you have all the natural light in the world, stainless is nice and reflective, but when you don’t, white is a great way to introduce some light into your space.
Sage Green Cabinets with Black Appliances
Black appliances can definitely work with sage green cabinets, as long as you still have plenty of light in the space. I also think it looks better with a darker sage.
Here you can kind of peep the black fridge in this RV kitchen. It’s not the best shot, but you can see a bit more of this kitchen if you scroll back to Rosemary.
The black dishwasher in this kitchen fits right in with the black hardware, sink, and faucet with sage green lower cabinets.
Getting Sage Green Cabinets Right
I’ll be honest, I think it’s hard to mess up with sage cabinets. You’ve seen here that they go with pretty much any countertop, hardware, or appliances, but here are a couple final tips!
Tips for Picking the Right Sage Green for You
- When in doubt, go for a medium sage in the LRV range of about 40 to 60
- If you are switching from white cabinets to sage, keep countertops and walls light, because that’s a huge change! (Any green will seem much darker than white, there’s no two ways about it.)
- If you are a little chicken, go with two-tone sage and white
- Always choose a sage green that looks much more muted on the card than your goal color
For more tips like these, and even more sage colors, check out my post: The 22 Best Sage Green Paint Colors That Nobody is Talking About
Plus, here are a few other colors that will resonate with you: