Kemper · Paint

Kemper Black Kitchen Cabinets

Offered in the Kemper Echo, Choice and Emerge series

About as dark as a painted cabinet gets. Black here is a true black with only the faintest cool tilt, and nothing brown or charcoal about it. It gives a kitchen a clean, graphic edge, and it works as well on a single island as it does across a whole modern room with plenty of glass.

Brand: Kemper
Finish: Paint
Availability: Made to order

Color & Look

There is no useful way to describe this as anything other than black. What little hue sits underneath is cool and blue rather than warm, which keeps it from the brownish cast some blacks take on under lamplight. The chip is smooth and uniform, with no grain and nothing wiped or pooled anywhere, and the surface reads evenly dark from edge to edge with no lighter patches at all.

Direct sunlight is the only condition where you see anything beyond black — a faint cool tint shows on the surfaces taking the most light. North light keeps it flat and even. At night under warm bulbs it absorbs light and the cabinet fronts start to lose their edges, so undercabinet and interior lighting matter more with this color than with any other. Plan the lighting alongside the cabinet order, not after it.

The comparison to make is with Greenblack. That color keeps a visible cool green cast and sits a step lighter, which softens it. Black gives none of that back; it is absolute, and that is either exactly what you want or one step too far. Against a white counter the contrast is as strong as cabinetry gets, which is why the rest of the palette has to be chosen with some care.

Construction & Quality

Kemper has been making cabinetry in America since 1926 and is part of the MasterBrand family. Offered in the Kemper Echo, Choice and Emerge series.

Emerge is Kemper’s most personalized series: all-plywood construction, custom sizing, and a choice of full-overlay, inset or beaded-inset doors, with specialty finishes, stain and glaze options and multiple edge profiles.

Kemper backs its cabinetry with a limited lifetime warranty; coverage and terms are set by Kemper.

Where It Works

Black works best where it has a job to do. As an island under a white counter, surrounded by white or wood perimeter cabinets, it pulls the room together. On a range wall or a run of tall cabinets it creates a deliberate dark block. A full black kitchen is a modern look that needs real light, a light floor and bright counters; done well it is handsome, and done in a dark room it is oppressive.

Smaller rooms handle it surprisingly well. A powder room vanity in black with a white top and a large mirror looks finished rather than cramped. A bar, a wine room or a study with black built-ins reads as intentional. In a mudroom or laundry it hides scuffs and marks, and the trade-off is dust, which shows on black more than on any other finish in the line.

Pairing Ideas

Countertops

White is the natural counterpart, and a near-solid slab gives the sharpest result — Vicostone Nefeli, Vicostone Luna Plena and Vicostone Super White all do it cleanly. Vicostone Ventisca is another near-solid bright white if you want a different face. If stark contrast is not the goal, Vicostone Botticino Classic in cream steps the brightness down.

Countertops we carry →

Backsplash

White subway tile against black cabinets has lasted for a reason. MSI Coronado 2x6 Subway Honed and MSI Marza Pearl both give a soft white face rather than a glaring one, and MSI Renzo Dove is another gentle white. To lower the contrast, MSI Morning Fog Subway Tile 3x6 in gray sits between the cabinet and a white counter.

Backsplash tile →

Hardware

Everything shows on black, so hardware becomes a design element rather than a detail. Brushed gold and champagne read warm and bright against it, brushed nickel is cooler and cleaner, and bronze softens the room toward traditional. A knurled or fluted piece from the Richelieu Inspiration section adds texture where the flat color gives none.

Pulls & knobs →

Floors

Light flooring keeps a black kitchen from sitting heavily. Pale white oak in engineered or solid hardwood is the most common pairing and the most forgiving. A light porcelain or ceramic tile gives the same lift with more durability. Dark floors under black cabinets can work, but only in a room with strong daylight and a bright counter.

Flooring →

Frequently Asked Questions

Dark cabinets do not shrink a room so much as change how you read it — the eye stops at the cabinet line instead of traveling past it. In a bright kitchen that is a strong effect and a good one. In a dim one it is not. If you like the color but the room is short on light, keep it to the island or the base cabinets.

Greenblack has a cool green-blue underneath and sits a shade lighter, so it shifts a little with the light. Black does not shift; it is neutral and absolute in every condition. Side by side, Greenblack looks softer and slightly slate-like and Black looks flatter and more graphic. Which is better depends on whether you want any movement in the color at all.

It does, and it is one of the better ways to use it. Black base cabinets with a wood island, or black perimeter cabinets with wood open shelving, gives the room a warmth the paint cannot. Mid-toned oak is the easiest partner. Very dark woods and black tend to muddle together unless the grain is strong enough to read from a distance.

We keep color samples in the showroom and can order one in for you to take home. With black, the value of doing that is less about the color itself and more about seeing how it sits against your floor, your counter and your lighting, which a small chip under showroom lights cannot settle on its own.

See the color sample in our showroom, 238 E Geneva Rd, Wheaton →