Kemper · Paint

Kemper Greenblack Kitchen Cabinets

Offered in the Kemper Emerge series

The name is fair warning: this is a black with green in it, dark enough to behave as a near-neutral and cool enough to lean slightly teal. Greenblack gives you the weight of a black cabinet with a little more going on underneath. It suits modern and transitional kitchens with plenty of light.

Brand: Kemper
Finish: Paint
Availability: Made to order

Color & Look

Very dark, moderately saturated and distinctly cool. The hue sits between green and blue, closer to the teal end than to anything leafy, and the value is low enough that most of the time the color registers as charcoal rather than as green. The chip is a smooth, even painted surface with no grain, nothing wiped into it and no variation across the sample, so the depth is completely uniform.

In daylight, and especially in a cool north exposure, the green-blue becomes visible along the surfaces catching the most light, and the color looks like a very dark slate. Direct sun brings the teal forward. Under warm evening bulbs it behaves as a plain black. It shifts less through the day than a saturated color would, which makes it easier to plan around — what you see in the showroom is roughly what you will get.

The two comparisons worth making are with Kemper’s Black and with Foxhall Green. Black is deeper and truly neutral, while Greenblack is a step lighter with a visible cool cast, so it looks less absolute and a little softer. Foxhall Green, by contrast, is plainly green and warmer. Greenblack is the choice when you want the practicality of a dark cabinet but not the flatness of a pure black.

Construction & Quality

Kemper has been making cabinetry in America since 1926 and is part of the MasterBrand family. Offered in the Kemper 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

Like any near-black, it works best with something bright alongside it. On an island with a white counter and pale perimeter cabinets it looks sharp. On the base run with light uppers it grounds the room. A full kitchen in Greenblack is possible in a space with large windows, a light floor and a bright backsplash, and it looks striking done that way, but it is a commitment worth testing with a sample first.

In smaller rooms it is easier to handle. A powder room vanity, a bar, a coffee station or a wall of office cabinets all carry a near-black well, and the cool green in it keeps them from feeling harsh. Laundry and mudroom cabinets in this color hide marks, though like any dark finish they show dust along horizontal edges more than a mid tone does.

Pairing Ideas

Countertops

Bright white quartz gives this color the contrast it needs. Vicostone Delicato, Vicostone Valley White and Vicostone Taj Mahal are all near-solid bright whites that keep the line clean. If you would rather have movement, Vicostone Calacatta Caldia brings marble-look veining, and Cambria Halewood offers a cream field for a warmer, gentler break.

Countertops we carry →

Backsplash

White tile is the obvious partner and the right one here. MSI Metro White 3x6 Glossy and MSI Carrara White both bounce light back into a dark kitchen. MSI Pearla Subway Tile 2x6 is a softer white for a quieter wall. If you want the palette tonal rather than high-contrast, MSI Gray Glossy sits much closer to the cabinet value.

Backsplash tile →

Hardware

Contrast decides this one. Brushed gold and champagne read clearly against a near-black and are what most people choose; the Berenson Swagger 96mm Modern Brushed Gold Pull is a good example. Brushed nickel is the cooler equivalent and suits the teal cast well. Matte black hardware disappears entirely, which is occasionally the point.

Pulls & knobs →

Floors

Pale floors do the heavy lifting under a dark cabinet. White oak in engineered or solid hardwood is the most reliable, and a light, warm plank stops the kitchen from reading cold, since the cabinet color is cool to begin with. Light porcelain tile works equally well. A dark floor with dark cabinets needs a very bright room.

Flooring →

Frequently Asked Questions

Less than the name suggests, and that is usually what people want. In daylight you can see a cool green-blue cast on the surfaces facing the window, and at night under warm bulbs it reads as a straightforward black. If you are hoping for a clearly green kitchen, Foxhall Green is the color to look at instead of this one.

Dark cabinets show marks more readily than mid-tone ones, and this is no exception. Fingerprints near the pulls and dust along top edges are the two you will notice. In practice it is a matter of a wipe with a soft damp cloth rather than a real problem. Placing the hardware where hands actually land, rather than purely for looks, cuts down on the smudges.

In a bright kitchen, yes. We would want good window light, a bright counter and a light floor, and we would look hard at whether the uppers could be open shelving or glass fronts instead. In an average room, base cabinets in Greenblack with white uppers gives you most of the effect and none of the risk.

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