The Popular Color That Doesn't Belong In Your 2026 Kitchen

Here at Tasting Table, we venture to ask, "What's next?" (Spoiler alert: It isn't sage green.) Seen it, done it. Don't get us wrong, sage green kitchen design concepts were popular for a reason. The color is warm and inviting, without the heaviness of other earth tones like burgundy or burnt orange. At one time, sage green might have felt like a timeless kitchen cabinet color that would never go out of style. We felt that way about millenial gray too, back in 2015. In fact, both hues deliver the same atmospheric note (i.e., "I am a young professional and I am very, very clean"). Now, as aesthetically-minded home cooks look forward to 2026, we invite (nay, compel) them to leave sage green kitchens in the past.

"But Tasting Table," diehard sage heads might posit, "That's just, like, your opinion!" You don't have to take it from us. Take it from this two-year-old Reddit thread in r/HomeDecorating. The poster somewhat frantically asks, "Too much green?! Looking [for] some perspective on colour and what could be too much. I've already painted our upstairs bathroom a very light sage green [...] I have recently used that same colour for the cabinets in our kitchen [...] I've said the word 'green' so much it's currently lost its meaning." Don't let this be you. Sage is neither colorful nor neutral, instead arriving someplace in the middle that leaves us aptly lukewarm.

Luckily, green is a wide-ranging spectrum. Foodies considering a very verde kitchenscape might look to a deeper, earthy, forest brown-green, which is fabulously complemented by concrete countertops and pine or bamboo accents. Or, try leaning into a darker, richer blue-green, which pops beside cherry wood cabinets. For a subtler green accent, it can also be effective to install a few glass-paned cabinets and paint the surrounding wooden window frame in green. The glass prevents the green (even darker shades) from weighing too heavily in the space.

If you've already invested in pricey sage-colored cabinets, we suggest refreshing the backsplash. Juxtaposing sage wall or cabinet paint with a backsplash incorporating muted olive, dramatic slate, bone, and rich browns would instantly steer the kitchen's look towards earthy (instead of painfully modurban). Prefer a more contemporary feel? Subway tiles with charcoal gray grout are your new bestie. 

At one time, sage might have felt like the ideal midpoint between a color and a neutral. That time has passed. To foodies looking to incorporate a pop of color into their kitchen design, we recommend mustard yellow. It's a warm, friendly, inviting earth tone like sage, but not so familiar as to be overplayed. Or, alternatively, Hillary Farr is singing the praises of a soothing blue kitchen – a great choice for complementing cool-toned countertops. We're also proponents of all-over color drenching, especially in smaller spaces — just maybe steer clear of sage green.