Choosing a kitchen countertop colour sounds straightforward enough – until you’re faced with a wall of samples and a hundred different finishes, and suddenly it’s all a rather big commitment. And in a way, it is. The colour of your kitchen worktops has a huge influence on how the whole space feels, from how light and open it looks to how bold (or calm) the rest of the kitchen design appears.
It’s also a choice you’ll be living with every day. Unlike paint or accessories, a worktop isn’t something you’re likely to swap out on a whim, which makes the decision feel that little bit more high stakes.
But the reassuring part is that there’s no single ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ worktop colour. The best option is one that works with your space, complements the rest of your kitchen and still feels good years down the line. We asked designers, architects and materials experts for their advice on choosing a countertop colour you won’t regret.
Why does the colour of your countertops matter?
It’s easy to focus on cabinetry or splashbacks when planning a kitchen, but countertop colour does a lot of heavy lifting too. Because it spans such a large area, it has a quiet but powerful effect on the overall look and feel of the space – often more than people expect.
“Choosing the best worktop for your kitchen is a big decision,” says Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr. “Your worktop should meet the day-to-day needs of your family and be tough enough to last, but above all, it needs to look great and fit with the overall aesthetic of your kitchen.”
In practical terms, that means the colour you choose will influence how cohesive your kitchen feels. As Al explains, “White and light natural stone worktops reflect light and work well in small kitchens to create a feeling of space. Likewise, dark worktops, for example oak or black quartz, add depth and contrast to cabinetry.”
So how do experts narrow choices down? From lighting to personal style and long-term wear, there are a few key considerations designers always weigh up before making a final choice...
Al Bruce is the founder of Olive & Barr, a British kitchen brand known for creating thoughtfully designed kitchens that balance timeless style with practical, everyday living.
1. Consider lighting
Light is one of the first things experts think about when advising on countertop colour, particularly when natural daylight can vary dramatically from room to room and season to season.
“Lighter worktop colours are by far the most popular choice with our customers at the moment,” says Paul Dore, managing director of County Stone. “Whites, off-whites and soft greys help to keep spaces feeling open and timeless, particularly in UK homes where natural light is inconsistent.”
Architect and interior designer Ryan Wenham of Larsen Architecture also leans towards light and neutral tones: “I would always recommend something neutral and soft as this will be a large surface area, even in a smaller kitchen,” he explains. “It will look tidier, cleaner and neater in a lighter colour, and it gives you more option to play around with cabinetry finishes and colour.”
But while pale countertops are often the easiest choice in light-starved kitchens, darker finishes can add depth and drama when used thoughtfully. It all comes down to how much natural light you’re working with and how you balance it across the rest of your finishes.
Paul is managing director at County Stone Ltd who has built a fantastic reputation for creatively responding to highly varied and often rather ‘different’ types of commissions and contracts both in the domestic and commercial markets.
Ryan Wenham is a chartered architect and registered interior designer who runs Larsen Architecture. He specialises in contemporary residential design, combining architectural expertise with a practical, people-first approach.
2. Prioritise your personal style and kitchen aesthetic
After lighting, experts tend to look at the overall style of the kitchen, because the colour of your countertops needs to feel at home within the bigger design story. This is where personal aesthetic really comes into play, and where there’s room to be more expressive, within reason.
For more contemporary kitchens, cleaner and lighter finishes often make sense. High-polish whites or subtle stone-effect surfaces can reinforce a minimalist look, keeping the space feeling crisp and uncluttered. In contrast, traditional kitchens tend to benefit from warmer, more tactile materials that add softness and depth.
If your taste leans more opulent or bespoke, this is also where experts say it can pay to trust your instinct and be a little braver. Statement worktops – such as sleek stainless steel, solid wood, or warm coppers – can lend a sense of quiet luxury to a kitchen, especially when the rest of the scheme is kept relatively calm.
Helen Parker, creative director at deVOL, often champions this softer approach to luxury: “Gentler, more earthy natural colours sit perfectly with wooden or honed Carrara marble worktops to give a warm, light and airy feel to a room,” she says. Rather than feeling showy, these finishes add depth and character through texture and materiality, creating kitchens that feel thoughtful and personal rather than trend-led.
Helen Parker, creative director at deVOL Kitchens, is the visionary behind the brand's timeless aesthetic, award-winning designs, and iconic pieces like the Sebastian Cox Kitchen and the Curiosity Cupboard.
3. Consider the longevity of your choice
Once you’ve honed in on the look you love, it’s worth pausing to think about how that choice will feel a few years down the line. A worktop is something you’ll use every day, so its colour needs to have staying power, not just initial appeal.
“Colour choice is one of the biggest decisions in a kitchen, and our advice is always to think long-term,” says Paul Dore from County Stone. “Trends come and go, but kitchens are a big investment.”
For that reason, many experts suggest letting the worktop play a more timeless role within the scheme. Softer, neutral tones are easy to live with and make it simpler to refresh the rest of the kitchen over time – whether that’s through painting kitchen cabinetry, replacing hardware or a installing a new splashback. This approach keeps your kitchen feeling current, without locking you into a look that’s hard to change later on.
So, while a colour like butter yellow might feel irresistible right now, it’s worth asking whether you’ll still love it years down the line. When trends move on, a more timeless worktop gives you the freedom to update the rest of your kitchen without starting from scratch.
4. Make sure you see samples in real life
No matter how confident you feel about a countertop colour online or in a showroom, experts agree there’s no substitute for seeing it in your own space. Lighting, orientation and surrounding finishes can all change how a colour reads once it’s at home.
“We would always advise getting a number of small samples to try them out in different lighting conditions and to add to your mood board,” says Martin Saxby of HIMACS in the UK. “It allows you to see how they work with the other colours in your kitchen, including those chosen for the cabinets, walls and floors.”
Looking at samples at different times of day is especially important in UK homes, where natural light can shift dramatically. A worktop that feels warm and soft in the morning might read cooler by the afternoon, so giving yourself time to live with the options can prevent costly second thoughts.
The trick is not to rush. Testing samples alongside cabinet doors, flooring and splashbacks helps you see the kitchen as a whole and makes choosing a worktop colour feel far less daunting.
Countertop colour is just one piece of the puzzle. When renovating a kitchen, your choice of kitchen lighting and kitchen flooring ideas are just as important in shaping the overall look and feel of the space. Thats why our experts recommend taking the time to craft your own kitchen mood board so you can see how everything works together before making any final decisions.
