For the Love of White Kitchens (And White Paint Colors!)

For the Love of White Kitchens offers inspiration to help you see the wide range of possibilities even when you’ve narrowed it down to white. Also find ideas for white paint colors for cabinetry, trim, walls, ceilings, and windows. If you happen to be renovating, building a home, or refreshing a kitchen, ease the process with a review of my Pinterest Kitchens Board!

For the Love of White Kitchens + White Paint Colors

If it is a white kitchen you dream of, pay no mind to voices echoing OH IT’S TOO SAFE or

EVERYONE’S OVER BORING WHITE or

IT DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH PERSONALITY or

YOUR KITCHEN IS GOING TO FEEL COLD AND STERILE or

IT’S SUCH A BORING MOVE AND YOU’RE NOT BORING AT ALL or

KEEPING A WHITE KITCHEN CLEAN IS THE DEVIL or

RESALE IS ALL ABOUT WOOD TONES, MOODY VIBES, AND COLOR or

IT’S JUST TOO SAFE AND COMMON or

IF YOU SEEN ONE WHITE KITCHEN, YOU’VE SEEN THEM ALL. (This opinion may be my favorite myth. Good gracious. Are you seeing the images of an eclectic mix of white kitchens I’m seeing?)

In Praise of White Kitchens

While I could turn this post into one of those “how to add more warmth” ones, Lord knows I have exhausted that topic, and I’m just over it. You are allowed to love the clean, spacious, cloud-like, ethereal, calm, serene, tranquil timelessness of a white kitchen in all its glory without fear here.

You’re too safe? Think about that for a second. Is that worst thing in the 2020s to be? To go toward safety and those spaces that help you feel a little safer? What does that even say about cultural messaging at the moment? Why is “dangerous” and “on trend” so sexy to marketers? I think we all know the answer.

Things I Have Learned Living With White Kitchens

Let’s just chat as friends about what I have learned after decades of experience living and helping others with design decisions.

Mix Old With the New

First of all, and this just doesn’t apply strictly to white kitchens, when everything in the kitchen is brand new, the balance often feels off. Bringing in vintage pieces is one way to improve the balance. What’s amazing in this day and age is that there are a wealth of sources to find vintage and antiques.

You don’t even have to leave your home if you don’t feel like it. But it’s more satisfying and helpful to shop at brick and mortar stores. You get the pleasure of not knowing what you’ll discover. You get to touch and sense energies from objects calling to you. Does this sound woowoo? Not sorry. Things carry energy.

Notice in this magnificent kitchen above there’s a rich mix of old and new.

Not everything has to be authentically antique, but including weathered finishes, vintage details, and collected objects and art you love adds warmth and meaning.

Even the choice of pattern on the floor can lend a feeling of age. Checkered tiles may be trending, but there’s something so nostalgic and historical about this simple gesture.

Should You Add Color to the Island?

I only have a bit of experience living with a two-tone kitchen. In our prior kitchen, all of the cabinetry was white, and I added a vintage steel work cart which I painted a soft French grey. Just that bit of contrast felt lovely to me.

Black or dark charcoal colors are quite popular for islands in white kitchens. Here’s a simple design that could work in a variety of smaller white kitchens:

This timeless kitchen which belonged to my friend Tina shows you how warm white, black, wood tones, and warm stone can mix beautifully.

You can also add that high contrast on window trim as evidenced here:

Even when there is low-contrast…for example, in this kitchen by Lisa Furey Interiors where the island is painted light grey (BM Pashmina) and cabinets a bright white (BM White OC-151), it’s a soothing shift for the eye and less formal.

White Cabinetry With Natural Wood Islands

The beauty of a wood toned island, work station, or table is you can always change your mind about the color and paint it if it doesn’t suit you down the line.

And can we talk about how friendly a blue range feels in a white kitchen!?!

Sometimes it is hard to tell whether the island is a contrasting tone or there is shadow in the space making it appear darker.

deVOL is unmatched in their commitment to sophisticated simplicity, and here’s a taste of how they consistently set the bar. In this kitchen, it’s as if they are answering the question BUT WHAT IF I’M NOT SURE IF I’LL LIKE A TWO-TONE KITCHEN WITH UPPERS PAINTED A DIFFERENT COLOR THAN BASE CUPBOARDS?

The answer is: maybe opt for white shelves above creamy mushroom cabinets.

BTW. Cream and mushroom can be transcendent together…

White Eases Flooring Options

When you’re building a new kitchen or renovating a new one, there are a million details and decisions to be made. The flooring choice is a huge consideration. When you go to the trouble of a new kitchen, you don’t want to be ripping up the floor anytime soon.

I love how white cabinets in a kitchen make it far easier to decide on flooring material, stain, finish, etc. With a kitchen full of wood cabinets (and I have lived with such kitchens) and you also want hardwood on the floor, it can be a challenge to get the tone of the floor right.

No matter what white paint or finish you choose for the cabinetry and trim, it is probably going to look stunning with the warmth of wood or stone.

In the kitchen below, the French limestone floor, linen curtains, and pale table top are various whites that harmonize and feel timeless.

Whether it’s shiplap on the walls, bead board on a backsplash, or wood planks on a ceiling, adding warmth with texture can turn up cozy factor and dial down the preciousness.

Inspiration and Ressources

Dark countertop with white cabinets…

Here’s a great example of a slight tweak that changes a mood in a white kitchen:

I didn’t think I could love the French inspired kitchen above any more, but then a couple of changes were made:

Which is further proof that white kitchens evolve and age and improve so well over time!

So go ahead and release your anxiety about a white kitchen’s potential. There are so many different ways to give it personality, customization, warmth, and interest.

Neutralizing the big elements makes way for all sorts of other opportunities for texture and beauty.

Thanks for taking the time to visit this little white decor lovin’ space on the web. It’s better with you here.

I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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