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9 Tantalizing Teal Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets (#5 is Controversial)

    Teal is definitely not for the timid! This rich color makes a statement wherever you use it, but it’s an especially bold choice on kitchen cabinets.

    Graphic Reads "Teal Kitchen Cabinets" with swatches of teal paint colors Aegean Teal, Rocky River, Grays Harbor, Black Forest Green, Dark Harbor, Deep Sea Dive, Cascades, Intense Teal, and Blue Peacock, over a background of teal cabinets in a white kitchen.

    Here we will look at my personal favorite teal paint colors, and see them on real life cabinets.

    Sherwin Williams Cascades

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Cascades below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo Credit: @mldesignskc

    Cascades is one of the darkest teal colors on this list. Despite it’s apparent lack of brightness, this color is actually super saturated. In good light it is transformed into a teal with loads of depth.

    Open can of Cascades paint on a canvas drop cloth with the lid beside it, and a paintbrush covered in the same dark blue-green
    Photo Credit: @bronzecottage

    Because it is so dark, Cascades can sometimes look nearly black, but the actual tone of the color doesn’t change a whole lot. This one is a predictable teal winner!

    Cascades on walls, ceilings, and trim in a reading room office library
    Photo Credit: @mldesignskc

    I recommend using Cascades on only lower cabinets or on an island. This color will suck a lot of light out of the room if used on floor to ceiling cabinets. Open shelves or white uppers are your friend!

    Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal

    Aegean Teal was a once-upon-a-time color of the year from Benjamin Moore! This color tends to be a lot more pleasantly teal in real life than the muted color on the swatch.

    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @lgdesign13

    Lisa from LGDesign (@lgdesign13) used Aegean Teal on the island of this kitchen with Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White on the perimeter cabinets.

    There Aegean Teal looks very soft and muted, but paired with the brighter white of Chantilly Lace, the color pops more:

    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo Credit @archetypehomes

    Yes some of the difference is down to lighting (warm artificial vs natural daylight) but a crisp white will make Aegean Teal look brighter.

    Aegean Teal on cabinets with Chantilly lace walls on one side and a more muted look to Aegean Teal on the other side with Decorator's White cabinets

    Regardless of lighting and color pairings, Aegean Teal is the lightest and most subtle teal on this list.

    Sherwin Williams Blue Peacock

    Despite the name, Sherwin Williams Blue Peacock is actually the greenest-leaning teal on this list!

    Graphic Reads "Teal Paint Colors" with swatches of Aegean Teal, Rocky River, Grays Harbor, Black Forest Green, Dark Harbor, Deep Sea Dive, Cascades, Intense Teal, and Blue Peacock, over a background of a teal and gold swirling pattern.

    This sumptuous emerald teal is especially impactful when paired with warm metallics like gold and brass.

    In this kitchen it looks especially green forward:

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Blue Peacock below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Kitchen by @youngqualityhomes

    It’s not just green though, this teal tends to be more of a shape-shifter. Here it is looking quite blue on kitchen cabinets in an RV rehab:

    Sherwin Williams Blue Peacock on lower cabinets in a white RV kitchen
    Photo Credit: @redfearn.jordan

    The nice thing about Blue Peacock, is that it even though it can be a little unpredictable, it is always beautiful.

    Lower cabinets and fridge door painted in sherwin Williams Blue peacock, with white upper cabinets
    Photo Credit: @redfearn.jordan

    Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green

    Black Forest Green is the actual darkest teal on this list, and just a little bit deeper than Cascades:

    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @bespokeredesign

    I love this one because it actually can look black in some lighting, so the real luscious color of it is a nice surprise.

    An arched doorway leading into a black forest green living room
    Photo Credit: @archetypedesigns

    I find it to be much more “deep teal” than “forest green.”

    Here is the lightest that this color ever looks on cabinets:

    Benjamin moore Black Forest Green on kitchen cabinets with gold hardware
    Photo credit: @bespokeredesign

    If you decide to use this color on your kitchen cabinets I would recommend making sure that there is a lot of white space somewhere.

    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.

    Tracy’s team at @bespokeredesign did a whole wall of Black Forest Green cabinets in this kitchen remodel, but they also balanced it with a largely open wall somewhere else.

    Black forest green on a long run of lower cabinets with white range hood and walls
    Photo credit: @bespokeredesign

    Here is this dark teal in one more kitchen, just to give you a full picture:

    Light and bright kitchen with black forest green cabinets along the wall, as well as around the trim on oak windows
    Photo Credit: @Highlandestate

    You can see that this kitchen has natural light to spare, so Black Forest Green is a welcome anchor.

    Sherwin Williams Grays Harbor

    I will be the first to admit that Grays Harbor might be a touch too blue to qualify as teal, but I wanted to include it anyway.

    This gray blue leans warm and can sometimes look teal. Here it is on some cabinets where it does just that:

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Gray's Harbor below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @revivehome_kc

    For someone who likes blue, charcoal, and teal, but doesn’t really like green, Grays Harbor is a safe bet!

    Grays Harbor cabinets with built-in stove on the countertop
    Photo Credit: @revivehome_kc

    In the name of full disclosure, here is the true blue of Grays Harbor:

    Gray's Harbor looking gray blue on kitchen cabinets with orange wood floors.
    Photo credit: @spray_wizards_painting

    In this kitchen by @Spray_wizards_painting the floors are a very warm orange tone, so that also lends to the Grays Harbor cabinets reading more blue.

    Here is a full room of Grays Harbor with warm toned wood where it still looks pretty teal to me:

    Grays Harbor on living room walls with oak trim and floors and a white ceiling. A large black dog is front and center.
    Photo Credit: @walnutandpinedesign

    And then a cabinet where it looks pretty blue again:

    Grays Harbor on bathroom vanity with black hardware. On the wall behind is soft gray shiplap. The rest of the walls are white.
    Photo Credit: @borderingonfinished

    Enough about this one! If you are torn between a deep blue and teal, choose Grays Harbor for the best of both!

    Sherwin Williams Rocky River

    If you can be really attracted to a color…I am to Rocky River. This Sherwin Williams teal hits all the right notes!

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Rocky River below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @oakstorydesign

    It’s the perfect blend of green and blue, with a touch of mellowing gray. On the swatch it looks more green than it does in real life.

    Rocky River is from the same color strip that brings us favorites such as Window Pane and Jasper.

    The Window Pane color strip includes shades window pane, Rainwashed, QUIETUDE, Halcyon Green, Jasper Stone, Underseas, Rocky River, and Jasper over a photo of frost on a window pane.

    The team at @oakstorydesign really knocked it out of the park with this kitchen that is equal parts boho and modern:

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Rocky River below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @oakstorydesign

    I love that they aren’t afraid of color!

    As you can see, Rocky River is one of the lighter shades on this list, so you can get away with using it on all of your cabinets if you don’t like a two-toned look.

    Benjamin Moore Dark Harbor

    In another kitchen by the team at Oak Story, we find the tantalizing teal of Benjamin Moore Dark Harbor:

    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Dark Harbor below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @oakstorydesign

    Not to do with the color, but how fun is that floor transition? Genius!

    If anything, Dark Harbor is the tealest teal that ever tealed. This color is a stereotypical “teal” color all day every day.

    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Dark Harbor below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @oakstorydesign

    It can sometimes look a little darker than it does in these photos, but still solidly teal.

    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Dark Harbor below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @oakstorydesign

    This color is quite saturated, so you won’t get the subtlety of a teal with a little gray in it. I wish I had more to say about this one, its a beautiful color but it doesn’t need much explaining!

    Sherwin Williams Deep Sea Dive

    Sherwin Williams Deep Sea Dive is actually pretty similar to Dark Harbor. It’s a little lighter and a touch more muted.

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Deep Sea Dive below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo Credit: @highland.haven

    I really like the depth of this color! It looks beautiful on these cabinets with the white, cream, and natural wood tones.

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Deep Sea Dive below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo Credit: @highland.haven

    Open shelves and a wall of light tile was a nice choice to keep Deep Sea Dive from overwhelming the room.

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Deep Sea Dive below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo Credit: @highland.haven

    Sherwin Williams Intense Teal

    Our final teal color is SW Intense Teal:

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Intense Teal below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @bertrand_residence

    No surprise that with “intense” in the name, this teal is the brightest on the list.

    I did cheat a little and I’m actually showing you a laundry room, but if it’s bigger than my kitchen, that’s fine…right?

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Intense Teal below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.
    Photo credit: @bertrand_residence

    It looks to me like this is an overcast day and lower light, but the photo has been brightened some. I would expect intense teal to look a bit bolder and brighter than it does here.

    Here is an LRV chart of all of these teal colors from light to dark:

    Swatches of each teal paint color: Aegean Teal, Rocky River, Grays Harbor, Black Forest Green, Dark Harbor, Deep Sea Dive, Cascades, Intense Teal, and Blue Peacock, sorted from light to dark with their light Reflectance values noted beside. Background is a closeup of a teal colored succulent.

    Here is another look at every teal color that we covered:

    Graphic Reads "Teal Kitchen Cabinets" with swatches of teal paint colors Aegean Teal, Rocky River, Grays Harbor, Black Forest Green, Dark Harbor, Deep Sea Dive, Cascades, Intense Teal, and Blue Peacock, over a background of teal cabinets in a white kitchen.

    Thank you so much for reading until the end! That really helps my blog.

    None of these quite doing it? Here are some other posts that you might like:

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    Graphic reads "Sherwin Williams Pewter Green Kitchen Cabinets" with a swatch of Pewter Green over a background photo of the color on kitchen cabinets with light walls and countertops