When it comes to selling your home, kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale can make one of the biggest impacts on buyer appeal and overall value. The kitchen is often the first space buyers emotionally connect with — or quickly rule out. After all, for many it’s the heart of the home!
That’s why kitchen cabinet updates are one of the smartest places to invest when renovating with the intent to sell. The key is choosing options that feel fresh, timeless, and widely appealing, rather than overly personalized.
Help your kitchen stand out to buyers, for all the right reasons. Whether you’re upgrading your own home to get it ready to list, or flipping a house you purchased, we’ve got designer-backed recommendations on the best colors, styles, layouts, and budget-friendly upgrades.
Cabinet Colors That Appeal to the Most Buyers
One of the most important parts of kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale is selecting a color palette that feels neutral, bright, and adaptable. The RTA Store Designer Jessica recommends using neutral tones as the backdrop. These allow buyers to incorporate their own style and pops of color through accessories.
Stay away from highly saturated primary colors, sterile “white on white” looks, and outdated wood tones. – The RTA Store Designer Jessica
Whites like the RTA & Pre-Assembled Brilliant White Shaker, off-whites such as the RTA Linen Shaker, or a warm greige like the RTA Catalina Mist are great options to keep the star of the kitchen neutral yet fresh. You can also consider richer tones with a natural wood finish like the RTA and Pre-Assembled Southport Toffee Shaker or RTA Heritage Amber Shaker.
These shades create a clean backdrop that allows potential buyers to imagine their own style through décor, hardware, and accessories. According to Redfin’s guide on remodeling a kitchen to increase home value, strategic cabinet upgrades can help your home sell for more, and faster.
Colors to Avoid When Selling
While bold kitchen cabinet colors may be trendy (we do love a deep blue or sage green!), they can narrow your buyer pool. The RTA Store Designer Jessica recommends steering clear of:
- Highly saturated primary colors – we don’t often have customers looking for bright yellow cabinets!
- Sterile “white-on-white” designs – while white kitchen cabinets are a great clean palette to work with, adding white countertop and white backsplash can make the room uninviting and cold for some. Plus, these are not easy options for a buyer to customize like repainting a wall color
- Outdated wood tones – especially in an ornate or very detailed cabinet door style, these can feel old and outdated to buyers
- Very dark finishes such as navy and black – for some, dark cabinet colors may seem less inviting and be an automatic no when home shopping
Stick With a Safe, Versatile Door Style
If you’re wondering which cabinet door style is the most “buyer-proof,” there’s one clear winner: Shaker kitchen cabinets are the safest choice.
The Shaker door style remains the most requested and versatile option across all price points. Shaker cabinets are functional and durable, characterized by 4 pieces of wood framed around a recessed panel. This simple 5 piece design is timeless, low maintenance, and easy to clean. It works beautifully in both traditional and modern kitchens, making it ideal for homeowners focused on resale.
Ornate or overly decorative doors may feel dated quickly, so simple, clean lines are the safest bet.
Avoid Overly Personalized Design Choices
Resale renovations are all about appealing to the general population — not designing your dream kitchen.
Our designer suggests avoiding:
- Heavily ornate cabinet doors
- Monotone color palettes that feel flat
- Dark finishes that close in the space
Even though two-tone kitchens and statement islands can look gorgeous on Pinterest, they don’t always translate to broad market appeal. When it comes to kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale, timeless always beats trendy.
Budget-Friendly Cabinet Upgrades That Still Look High-End
You don’t need a luxury renovation to make a strong impression. If you’re working within a tighter budget, ready-to-assemble (RTA) kitchen cabinets and cost-effective flooring are smart ways to save money without skimping on quality. Neutral paint and practical stone-look countertops are effective alternatives to premium granite or quartz if the budget doesn’t allow for a stone counter. To prevent over-investment, keep the total project budget between 5% and 15% of the home’s overall value. This helps prevent over-improving beyond what you’ll recoup at resale.
Layouts That Increase Resale Value
Beyond finishes, layout plays a major role in how functional and desirable a kitchen feels. The most desirable layouts make the kitchen feel open and connected. Think L-shaped designs, U-shaped layouts, and kitchens with an island (if space allows).
Essential features include a functional work triangle, trash bin cabinets, and deep drawers or roll-out trays – The RTA Store Designer Jessica
On the other hand, some layouts can disrupt flow, making the kitchen feel smaller, less bright, and not livable. Avoid small crowded layouts such as narrow galley kitchens, narrow walk ways, one entrance into the kitchen space, broken work triangles, and poor work flow in the space.
Accessories That Add Value (and Ones That Don’t)
Small details can make a kitchen feel instantly upgraded, or instantly overwhelming. Striking the right balance to keep the kitchen cabinets efficient yet simple is ideal when looking to appeal to as many buyers as possible.
Features to Skip
Avoid design elements that feel high-maintenance or overly bold, such as:
- Excessive open shelving – although on trend and can help open up an otherwise closed room, open shelving can collect dust easily and must always be kept organized, rather than hiding piles of plates
- Busy patterns or high-contrast surfaces – some like bold patterns, others prefer textures, but most will prefer a simple style
- Dark or highly decorative hardware – classic is the way to go with hardware. Stick with the simple theme (can you tell that’s our overall recommendation) especially when buyers can customize hardware later
- Overly dramatic countertops – keep the cabinets the star with complimentary countertops
Buyers tend to prefer kitchens that feel easy to maintain and move-in ready.
Features Buyers Love
Practical upgrades are a major plus to potential buyers. Inside cabinet accessories are great kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale, helping to keep the kitchen efficient without over complicating the cabinets. Consider pull-out trash bins, deep drawers, and other pull outs like utensil holders, spice racks, and more.
Pantry and tall storage cabinets are also a favorite feature. Adding pull-out drawers can help turn these cabinets into a functioning pantry, especially in kitchens that don’t have a dedicated pantry. Consider adding under-cabinet and toe-kick lighting if your budget allows – this simple upgrade is not only essential for safety while prepping, but also adds an instant high-end ambiance, giving it an A+ in kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale. Aside from kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale, consider enhancing appeal with matching, updated appliances and a proper range hood, either stainless steel or matching the cabinetry.
Buyers notice cabinets immediately, which is why kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale are one of the smartest pre-listing improvements you can make.
Final Tips for Timeless Resale Appeal
When renovating to sell, it’s best to think from a non-biased standpoint. Your goal isn’t to design for your personal taste, but to design for what the widest range of buyers will love.
Now you may be asking yourself, can’t I just repaint the cabinets I have since they’re still in good shape? You’d be doing yourself, and your resale value, a disservice. Simply painting old cabinets right before listing is rarely the best solution. Repainting cabinets void the warranty if there is still one, and must be done exactly right. Buyers will beware of repainted cabinets that can chip, peel, and not withstand the heat in the kitchen. Plus, the work to remove, sand, and repaint would be just as much as demolishing, assembling, and installing RTA kitchen cabinets. Strategic upgrade, even modest ones, tend to deliver a much better return.
When your kitchen cabinet boxes are in great condition, or you don’t have the funds for an entire redo, the other option to consider is refacing your current cabinetry. Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are replaced, new laminate or veneer is applied, and new hardware is installed. Although cabinet refacing can help you save considerably on cost and time, if you can make the investment on kitchen cabinet upgrades for resale, a full cabinet replacement with a bit more budget gets you high quality cabinets with a longer lifetime, a new layout to your space, and bigger resale value.
When done right, your kitchen becomes a major selling point — and a worthwhile investment.
Working with The RTA Store
The RTA Store is your online one-stop-shop for all your cabinet needs and accessories. Our ready-to-assemble and pre-assembled kitchen cabinets give the look and durability of custom cabinetry at 30-50% less than big-box stores. With A-grade plywood boxes and MDF/HDF or hardwood door/drawer fronts, our cabinets come with a 20 year limited warranty.
But don’t stop there – we also have all the accessories you would need for your dream kitchen. Work with The RTA Store to complete your kitchen with range hoods, sinks and faucets, countertops, and under-cabinet lighting.
From spice drawers to mixer lifts, The RTA Store has more inside cabinet accessories than you’ll have room for. And it’s not limited to just the kitchen! Think file organizer for the office, laundry room hamper pullout, or bathroom vanity organizer, to customize your space.
Most importantly, you’ll have us in your corner every step of the way. Our Customer Service and Design teams are ready to support your cabinet journey so that you have confidence in your choices, and no surprises or regrets on installation day.
Getting Started
Not ready to commit to a cabinet collection? Ordering fully-refundable cabinet door samples is a great way to see the style and color in your lighting. You’d be surprised how different a finish can look in different lighting! Plus, many of our cabinets have matching collections to mix in one room. Try one collection for upper cabinets and another for lower cabinets, or different cabinets for the kitchen island!
Once you’re ready to start, a member of our free design service will work closely with you from steps A-Z. They’ll let you know exactly what size cabinets you need and double-check to make sure everything lines up perfectly. Our upgraded design service also gives you unlimited design revisions and price quotes. Plus, the cost of the service is taken off your total once you order!
No matter the room or cabinet, we’re here to help make your dream space a reality, and at your budget. Located near the Hudson Valley in New York? Come visit our showroom on Route 52 in Hopewell Junction, NY!
