Carrara marbles are a popular accessory in both traditional and modern homes, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Aside from being trendy, they’re a great way to spice up your walls and kitchen cabinetry, especially for long-term use. They’re classy and edgy and just scream sophistication in many ways possible.
Here, we’ll check out the 13 best paint colors to pair with your Carrara marble in any space because creating a balanced interior in your home is the most important thing.
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What Does Carrara Marble Look Like
Carrara Marble is a luxurious type of marble with blue-gray details. Carrara marble gets its name from the quarry it’s gotten from in the Carrara region of Italy. This type of marble has been used for ages in sculpture and interior decoration.
You have most likely seen this type of marble in pictures and home décor videos. They’re durable, versatile and work with an array of colors. The good thing about Carrara marble is that they have already become polished, so all you need to do is clean and enjoy the view.
Carrara marble is the right element to decorate your counters, floors, and bathroom lining with, and its gray veins are just the icing on top.
What Colors Go With Carrara Marble
Before we go into specifics, we’d love to give you a summary of the colors that work with Carrara marble.
Gray
Grays and Carrara marble have much more in common than we all know, thanks to the subtle gray undertones you’ll find in these art pieces. Sticking with the dark variant of grays will make your Carrara marble pop. Softer and lighter shades of gray will give your space a timeless and classic look as long as they match the veins in the marble.
Blue
Whether dark or light blues, these tones are great pairings for Carrara marble; the darker they look, the richer the contrast between them and Carrara marble. Try out navy blues and ocean blue colors; they’re bold and appeal to the dramatic veins.
Don’t stress about the color making your room smaller or tighter; you can neutralize the effects by pairing it with white accent walls and natural light in the room.
White
Since white generally goes with anything, it’s not rocket science that you’ll get stunning feedback when you combine it with Carrara marble. Most white colors you’ll find come with myriads of undertones as well as Carrara marble itself, so make sure to sample properly.
Green
Oh, how we love our greens, especially sage greens. The play between gray and green undertones in sage greens clashes beautifully with undertones in Carrara marble and also pops against the primary colors.
Earthy greens and aqua colors are excellent choices to pair with Carrara marble and will give you a timeless result, just like the marble itself.
What to do Before Painting Your Space
These guidelines will help you create the most wonderful space from your chosen colors and work well with a tricky piece like Carrara marble.
Get Familiar with the Chosen Paint’s Undertones
You must get familiar with your color undertones so they won’t clash with your Carrara marble’s gray and white tones. It’s not rocket science how undertones came to be; they result from the mixture processes embarked on to arrive at a particular color.
Warm colors usually have yellow, red, orange, and pink undertones, and if you use them in a space, they’ll light things up and take full advantage of the sun’s presence. We advise homeowners in colder regions of the country to do warm hues.
Cool colors come with green, blue and gray undertones. You can almost feel their coolness hitting your face when you enter a space. Cool colors are best used in bathrooms, bedrooms and living rooms with an impressive amount of light.
Consider The Lighting
The artificial and natural light situation in your home is also a major factor in your color decision-making. Lighter colors reflect a great deal of light and are excellent for small spaces as they’ll help enlarge your space, make it airer and increase the depth.
On the other end, dark colors absorb all the incoming light and only make your space darker, so you may want to avoid this if your room is completely small. How do you know if a color will absorb or reflect more light?
Well, there’s a term called Light Reflective Value (LRV) that comes in the form of a simple scale running from 0-100, with 0 being the least and 100 being the brightest. However, there’s no true black or white, so the scale begins from 3-97 for more balance.
Think About The Space
If you have a small space with Carrara marble, opt for a lighter color to work with the marble and open up your room to more light. For larger spaces, you can do the bold, dark colors with Carrara marble to help bring depth to your space.
13 Best Paint Colors With Carrara Marble (2023 Trends)
Your choice of paint to pair with a Carrara marble surface can do a lot in determining the final appearance of the entire space. This section will help you find 13 amazing, unique, versatile colors to make your space the epitome of beauty.
Benjamin Moore’s Paint Colors
One of the most tested and trusted paint brands in America, this brand boasts of an impressive collection of fresh and vibrant colors that beautifully justifies the reason for them being around for over a century.
1. Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray
Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray is perfection personified with its icy cold features that are also not too overwhelming. Over the years, we’ve seen this color help deliver breathtaking spaces, and this kitchen isn’t exempted.
We love the touch of Stonington gray on the kitchen island and how it works well with the Carrara marble top by drawing out the gray in it. Pair Stonington gray with bright white for a more dramatic effect- it has an LRV of 59 anyways, so it’ll open it up perfectly.
2. Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray
Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray is a stunning cool gray paint color with an LRV of 68.94, putting it in the light category. This color has undertones of blue and green and is largely influenced by varying light conditions.
The Carrara marble top looks amazing with the Wickham gray walls. It’s so easy for Wickham gray to stay neutral in this bathroom and work well with the white and dark gray accessories in the space. Those rattan baskets are the perfect icing on the cake for this beautiful project.
3. Benjamin Moore Simply White
Benjamin Moore Simply White has an LRV of 91.7, which means it’s a sharp, fresh off-white color with touches of yellow that keeps your space warm. This color works great in natural light and in small spaces, as it’ll help open up the space.
Simply White is an excellent idea in this chic bathroom. We love how much it matches the Carrara marble top and white cabinetry. You can only fully see the contrast being referred to when simply white is used alongside brighter whites.
4. Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl is as good as it gets. One of the classic and most popular grays out there, this color has hints of blue and green that will come out depending on what you pair it with.
The gray Owl has an LRV of 65.77, putting it right at that sweet spot that we need it to sit in. When you enter a room with Benjamin Moore Gray Owl, you’ll instantly get a cool, crisp feeling and an airy one because it opens your space and makes it appear larger.
Whether as a cabinet color or wall hue, Gray Owl works smoothly with marble tops and floors, and you’ll get a balanced space.
5. Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist
Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist is a breathtaking gray color with subtle touches of beige in it, which keeps it warm and cozy. Don’t look out for hints of cool grays in this one, except it’s getting soft touches from the northern light.
Balboa mist is a flexible tone with an LRV of 67- a gorgeous medium to light color that performs well beside gray trims. Aside from the gray touches you may encounter, you’ll find violet undertones in this one, too, which is surely why it’s a good match for the Carrara marble top.
Sherwin Williams Paint Colors
Sherwin Williams has been involved in turning around homes into beautiful spaces for a long time, so it’s not surprising why they’re now a trusted brand everywhere, and you’ll find them on reputable lists like ours.
6. Sherwin Williams Extra White
Sherwin Williams Extra White comes in strong blue undertones and an LRV of 86. While it is a primarily warm color, this color leaves a cool vibe in your space. We love how Extra White performs on the kitchen cabinetry and also beautifully compliments the Carrara marble island.
Pair your extra white accessories with shiny silver handles and structured lamps for an interesting twist; you can also spice things up with a monochrome-inspired curtain and dark-toned wooden floor.
7. Sherwin Williams Big Chill
Sherwin Williams Big Chill is a gray paint color that leaves a lovely, warm touch on any surface it touches. This color has a light blue undertone, meaning it’ll pass as a cool gray or even a true gray depending on the surrounding lighting conditions.
This eye-catching color performs excellently on walls and even better on kitchen cabinets, especially when paired with the right marble countertop. It has an LRV of 62 and works great with stark whites, just like this kitchen.
8. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
Sherwin Williams Sea Salt is a cool, muted green with gorgeous blue undertones that remind you of a great day at the beach. The good part is that it goes with Carrara marble tops in your kitchen and your bathroom. Add a bit of gold to brighten up the coolness of this color, but you don’t need to do too much as it already comes with a high LRV of 63 and is enough to light up your small space.
9. Sherwin Williams Pewter Green
Sherwin Williams Pewter Green is a great choice for your modern kitchen plan, with an LRV of 12, putting it at the deep end of the scale.
It’s dark yet so calming and would work beautifully with your accompanying wall color. That’ll preferably be a much lighter color. Pewter Green complements natural textures like wood, marble, and metal, which explains its perfect working relationship with Carrara marble.
10. Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray
Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray is bold and elegant and is a beautiful addition to any room. While it’s a bit darker of a gray with an LRV of 39 and a great match for your Carrara marble. You can use this color in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and anywhere else, and expect a strong wave of coolness in your space.
Use this cool color for your kitchen cabinetry and pair it with cool silver handles for a better definition. Spice up your Carrara marble top with fresh flowers and interesting table pieces like in the image.
Behr Paint Colors
Behr paints are less expensive than the two brands we mentioned earlier, so if you’re working with a budget, this color is surely for you. But we must warn you that it’s also not for long-term use, so don’t expect much.
11. Behr Ultra Pure White
Behr Ultra Pure White is quite popular from Behr, and you’ll see why as you read on. It makes your space extra fresh and large due to its LRV of 94. This bright white will work excellently with the white and gray mix on Carrara marble, as it’ll fall back as neutral.
One trait super whites like Behr Ultra Pure White has is their ability to mirror their environment, so while we can’t lay our fingers on any undertone in this color, we can see hints of yellow on this bathroom, thanks to the wooden and black accessories in the room that leaves a warm cast on this white.
12. Behr White Lavender
Behr’s White Lavender is a relatively new color on the scene, but boy, oh boy! This color is divine when used in a space and combined with other tones. We love the contrast between the purple kitchen island in the shade Paparazzi, also from Behr and Behr’s Polar Bear, looking radiant on the kitchen cabinetry.
The purple cabinetry appeals greatly to the Carrara marble top as it compliments the gray patches on it. Throw in some fancy woody chairs and plants for more personality. We can imagine a great bake-off in this space already; wooden floors with these colors aren’t bad.
13. Behr Jungle Camouflage
You can switch things up with sage green paired with Carrara marble in your kitchen. This works because sage green is mostly on the cool side, and it has hints of gray in it. We can boldly say Behr won with Jungle Camouflage; even the greens outside nod in agreement.
Pair it with Behr Polar Bear Wall and Behr Cracked Pepper window trims. Your Jungle Camouflage cabinetry isn’t complete without a dose of black handles for more dimensions and personality.
Sampling Your Paint Colors
Yes! It’s important to sample the colors you’ve chosen to work with Carrara marble. You don’t want to throw all the good hype and potential around this color away due to poor judgment from your end or just sheer ignorance.
It’s easier than you think, and no one is getting a paint bucket because paint strips work all the magic that you need. SAMPLIZE saves the day with their innovative 12X12 paint strips that also come in your desired color to help you see how your color will turn out after applying it on your wall.
These paint strips, when applied on a clean white wall, reveal the expected undertones from your color of choice, which you can now compare with existing accessories. It’s best to leave your strips on for a few days just to be sure.
SAMPLIZE paints strips are affordable, available and very easy to work with. You typically get it delivered to your doorstep in under 24 hours.
Conclusion
Carrara marble is a staple in homes, and it’s necessary to understand the colors that go with them due to their setup. You’ll mostly find them in kitchens and bathrooms, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay them the attention needed.
Feel free to experiment with bold colors if their undertones work with the composition of Carrara marbles. Carrara marbles, dark colors, and furniture create a modern look.
It’s also very important to take care of your Carrara marble surface so they retain its shine and relevance before time lapses.