While remodeling your kitchen or building it from the ground up, you may feel overwhelmed by your choices. Everything these days comes in multiples, including your choice of granite colors for kitchen countertops. All of them are beautiful, and because granite is a natural material, the choices vary slightly in pattern and color. So which color do you choose? Here we'll go over a few design principles to keep in mind before you choose your kitchen countertop color.

The Principle of the Matter

1. Contrast keeps it interesting. Most kitchens lean toward being dark or light. But if you study photos of designer kitchens or watch different home makeover shows on TV, you'll notice almost all of them feature some contrast between light and dark. For example, if the kitchen cabinets are dark then the kitchen countertops are light and vice versa. Having light and dark elements in a room adds visual balance. Darker colors can serve as anchors and lighter colors take some weight off and can make a room feel more open and spacious. So consider using a contrasting color to your cabinets for your granite countertops.

2. Consider the style of your kitchen. Is your kitchen traditional or modern? That choice can help narrow down your granite color options. Look at ads or photos in magazines or on TV of similar kitchen styles. What color or shade countertops do they use overall? For example, some modern kitchens use monochromatic color schemes so the cabinets and countertops are in the same color family. Other kitchens feature high contrast between the cabinets and countertops (e.g. black and white), which also provides a sleek, modern appearance. Using softer or more muted colors, whether in contrast to each other or not, often makes for a more traditional look. So hold granite samples against your chosen cabinets to see what works together and will achieve the style you want.

3. Blend with the rest of the house. When choosing the color of your granite countertop, it may help to consider other rooms in the house. This is especially true when the kitchen is in open sight of other rooms or even directly connected. Having consistency in color throughout the home keeps it visually cohesive. That way your home will feel like one living space instead of just individual rooms connected by doors. Consider bringing a color or shade of color from another room into the kitchen to tie them together. For example, pick an accent color that pops up throughout the home. If you have a lot of brown in the house with off-white accents, try using the off-white for the countertops. By bringing that color into the kitchen, you'll tie the rooms together.

To simplify the process of choosing a granite countertop color, remember to consider using a contrasting color to your cabinets, test colors against the style of your kitchen, and try choosing a color that will tie in with other colors in your home. Follow these three principles to take some of the confusion out of making a granite color choice.