Introduction
Aubergine kitchen ideas are everywhere on Pinterest right now, and for good reason. White kitchens have had their decade. Right now, the color climbing fastest is aubergine a deep, almost-black purple that reads as moody, warm, and expensive all at once, without the starkness of an all-black kitchen.
Part of why it’s catching on is timing. After years of all-white, all-grey, and all-neutral kitchens, a lot of people are simply tired of rooms that could belong to anyone. Aubergine gives a kitchen a strong identity without going as extreme as full black cabinetry, which can feel heavy in a smaller room or one with limited natural light.
I haven’t repainted a kitchen this color myself yet, so I can’t promise a specific paint brand or finish. But the pattern across the best aubergine kitchens is consistent enough to break down clearly and most of it comes down to what you pair the color with, not the paint itself.
Here are 15 ways to use it well, from a full cabinet commitment down to a single low risk accent.
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1. Aubergine Kitchen Ideas: Start With Cabinets, Not Walls
If you’re only changing one thing, make it the lower cabinets. Aubergine on cabinetry paired with lighter counters or walls gives you the trend without committing the whole room to a dark palette. This is also the version that shows up most often in kitchens that get described as “expensive-looking” rather than “moody,” because the contrast with lighter surfaces keeps the room feeling open. Upper cabinets, if you have them, usually work better left white or a light wood tone so the dark color doesn’t close in the space from both sides.
2. Pair It With Brass or Gold Hardware
Cool purple against warm gold hardware is the single most common pairing in aubergine kitchens that look designer-made rather than DIY. Chrome reads colder and flatter against this shade, and can make the whole palette feel a little sterile. Brushed brass, unlacquered brass, or warm gold pulls add just enough warmth to keep the cabinetry from looking like a single flat block of color. Even swapping hardware alone, without repainting anything, can shift the whole feel of an existing dark kitchen.
3. Keep the Ceiling Light
A dark cabinet color needs a light ceiling and enough overhead lighting, or the room reads as small and cave-like instead of moody-on-purpose. This matters more in kitchens with lower ceilings or limited windows. A crisp white or off-white ceiling, combined with layered lighting (overhead plus under-cabinet), keeps the eye moving upward and prevents the aubergine from visually pressing down on the room.
4. Use It on an Island Only
An aubergine island against white or light wood perimeter cabinets is a lower-commitment way to try the trend — and it makes the island the clear focal point. This approach works especially well in open-plan kitchens, where the island is already the natural centerpiece. It also means if the trend feels dated in a few years, you’re repainting one piece of furniture instead of an entire kitchen’s worth of cabinetry.
5. Add Warm Wood Open Shelving
Open wood shelves break up a wall of aubergine cabinetry and add warmth. Walnut or oak tones both work well against this shade, and the shelves double as a place to display everyday dishes, glassware, or a few plants — which softens the formality of a fully closed cabinet wall.
styling open shelves works the same way in a living room.
6. Choose Matte, Not Glossy, Finishes
Matte cabinet finishes read as intentional and current. Glossy dark cabinets can look dated or show fingerprints constantly — a real, practical downside worth knowing before you commit, especially in a household with kids or heavy kitchen traffic. Matte also tends to hide small scratches and daily wear better than a high-gloss finish, which matters over the years, not just on install day.
7. Use Marble or Quartz With Grey Veining
White counters with visible grey or black veining tie back into the darker cabinet color better than a flat white slab does. The veining acts as a visual bridge between the countertop and the cabinets below, so the two surfaces feel like part of one plan rather than two unrelated choices. If natural marble isn’t in the budget, quartz with a similar veining pattern gives most of the same effect for less maintenance.
8. Add Black Steel Window Frames if You Have Them
If your kitchen has a window near the aubergine cabinetry, black steel-style frames (real or faux) tie the dark tones together instead of looking like an unrelated accent. This is a smaller detail, but it’s one of the differences between a kitchen that feels fully thought-through and one where the color change feels like an afterthought.
9. Layer in Greenery
A single trailing plant or a small herb shelf softens a dark palette immediately and keeps the kitchen from feeling too formal. Herbs on a windowsill, a trailing pothos on top of a cabinet, or a small vase of fresh flowers on the counter all do this job without adding another major design decision to make.
the right way to style flowers and greenery
10. Use Aubergine on a Kitchen Pantry Door Only
If a full kitchen commitment feels risky, paint just the pantry or utility door. It’s a contained way to test the color in your actual lighting first, and it’s one of the lowest-cost ways on this list to see the trend in your own space before deciding whether to go further.
11. Add A Patterned Backsplash in the Same Color Family
A tile backsplash with deep purple, black, and cream tones ties the whole room together instead of leaving the cabinets looking like an isolated choice. Look for a pattern that repeats one of your existing colors 
cream to match the counters, or black to match hardware rather than introducing a completely new color into the mix.
12. Stick to Warm-Toned Lighting
Cool white bulbs make aubergine look grey and flat. Warm-toned bulbs (soft white, around 2700K) keep the purple undertone visible and rich, especially in the evening when overhead lighting does most of the work. This is a cheap, five-minute fix if your current bulbs are already leaning too cool or clinical for the color to read well.
13. Use Brass or Black Pendant Lights
Pendant lighting over an island is one of the easiest upgrades to coordinate with an aubergine palette — black for a moodier look, brass for a warmer one. Because pendants hang at eye level, they carry more visual weight than most other fixtures in the room, so this is worth getting right even if the rest of the lighting stays simple.
14. Keep Floors Light
Dark cabinets plus dark floors can make a kitchen feel smaller than it is. Light wood or light tile flooring balances the depth of the cabinet color and keeps the eye moving across the room instead of stopping at a wall of dark surfaces from top to bottom.
15. Don’t Skip a Sample Swatch
This is the one step people skip and regret. Aubergine shifts noticeably between north-facing and south-facing light a swatch on your actual wall for 48 hours will tell you more than any photo online. What looks rich and warm in a south-facing kitchen with afternoon sun can look flatter and greyer in a north-facing one, and no amount of online research replaces seeing the actual color in your own space at different times of day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is aubergine too dark for a small kitchen?
Not if the ceiling and lighting stay light. Small kitchens with dark lower cabinets and a light ceiling, light floor, and enough overhead lighting still read as bright the darkness on the lower half doesn’t shrink the room the way full dark walls would.
What’s a cheaper way to try this trend without repainting cabinets? Start with a pantry door, a single accent wall, or new pendant lighting and hardware. Any one of these tests the color commitment level before a full cabinet repaint.
Does aubergine work with warm wood tones? Yes warm wood (oak, walnut) is one of the most common and reliable pairings with aubergine cabinetry. The warmth balances the coolness of the purple undertone.
Will this trend still look current in a few years?
I’m honestly not sure color trends move fast, and I can’t guarantee longevity. If you’re worried about that, applying it to a lower-cost, easier-to-change element (like a pantry door or an accent wall) is the safer bet over a full cabinet repaint.
Is aubergine too dark for a small kitchen?
Not if the ceiling and lighting stay light. Small kitchens with dark lower cabinets and a light ceiling, light floor, and enough overhead lighting still read as bright the darkness on the lower half doesn’t shrink the room the way full dark walls would.
What’s a cheaper way to try this trend without repainting cabinets?
Start with a pantry door, a single accent wall, or new pendant lighting and hardware. Any one of these tests the color commitment level before a full cabinet repaint.
Does aubergine work with warm wood tones?
Yes — warm wood (oak, walnut) is one of the most common and reliable pairings with aubergine cabinetry. The warmth balances the coolness of the purple undertone.
Will this trend still look current in a few years? I’m honestly not sure color trends move fast, and I can’t guarantee longevity. If you’re worried about that, applying it to a lower-cost, easier-to-change element (like a pantry door or an accent wall) is the safer bet over a full cabinet repaint.
What color countertop goes best with aubergine cabinets?
White or cream countertops with grey or black veining tend to work best, since the veining visually connects to the darker cabinet color. A plain flat white slab can look slightly disconnected from a deep purple tone without that visual bridge.
Should I paint the walls aubergine too, or just the cabinets?
Most kitchens that look balanced keep the walls light and reserve aubergine for cabinets, an island, or a pantry door. Painting both walls and cabinets the same dark color usually makes a kitchen feel much smaller, especially without a lot of natural light.
Is this a good DIY paint project, or should I hire a professional? Cabinet painting is doable as a DIY project if you’re patient with prep work sanding, priming, and multiple thin coats matter more than the paint brand itself. If your cabinets are wood veneer or laminate, though, a professional finish will hold up better long-term than a rushed DIY job.
if bold colors interest you, this bedroom guide covers the same idea
Conclusion
Aubergine works because it’s dark without being flat black it keeps warmth. The kitchens that look expensive pair it with warm metals, light counters, and enough lighting to keep the color feeling rich instead of heavy.
Start with one element cabinets, an island, or just a pantry door and build from there. You don’t need to repaint the whole kitchen to know if this trend is right for you.
