A well designed all-white kitchen is a timeless classic. It will look crisp and clean and never go out of style. But white kitchens aren’t for everyone. Some might find them too sterile, worry that they will be hard to clean or simply wish for more color in their kitchens. For those who have their heart set on a white kitchen (and about half my clients do), here are some of the design elements I think about when pulling together an all-white kitchen.
Take the cabinets to the ceiling. The extra storage is a perk, but more importantly, it avoids the dark shadows in the space above the upper cabinets.
The ceilings in this Newton project were over 9’ high. The extra high cabinets in the coffee station and home office area allow the owner to store seasonal items like china and linens.
Use or highlight visually interesting architectural elements. White kitchens need “texture” and focal points to help the eye take it all in. Cabinet layouts should take advantage of windows and their views. Millwork and tile backsplashes can be used to create patterns to give the space visual depth.
In a Beacon Hill kitchen, a large window overlooking a beautiful side street helps to anchor the kitchen by creating an arresting focal point. We used the same substantial crown moulding on our cabinets that we used in the rest of the condo. We opted for tall and narrow shaker doors to both emphasize the high ceilings and to tie in to the paneling we installed in the entrance hall just outside the kitchen. We added a little flourish above the integrated refrigerator with a custom milled air grille.
And in this Newton kitchen, we created visual interest behind the stove by using the same subway tile as the rest of the backsplash but run in a herringbone pattern and framed with thin pencils. As with anything “simple,” this look required a fair amount of planning behind the scenes to get the symmetry and layout just right. Kudos to the tile installation crew!
Remember that anything that is not white will be noticed against a white backdrop. This simple fact can be a pro and a con. A vibrant backsplash, wood trim or appliance finishes will make a statement but so will the items you store on the countertop. If you want a clean look, be sure that your kitchen has enough storage (and the right kind) to store anything that might accumulate on your countertops.
In this Brookline project, we added a whimsical glass tile backsplash to add a little color behind the Wolf range.
In this Newton kitchen, we added dedicated drawers for utensils and cooking oils and spices on either side of the Cornufe range.
Consider flooring color. White kitchens on light color floors will look dramatically different than white kitchens on darker floors. Be careful with light floors because without some contrast, the space can feel a little flat. Contrast can add dimension.
In this Beacon Hill kitchen, we installed a white washed white oak floor throughout the open floor plan and opted for darker base cabinets and white uppers. The darker bases help to ground the space and create balance with the living area at the front of the house.
Pick the right white paint color for your light conditions. Finding the right white might be the hardest part of the design process. There are hundreds of whites, and off-whites for that matter, from which to choose. White paint can run cool or warm depending on the underlying hues in the paint and source of light. Cool whites are brighter with undertones or blue, green or gray. Warm whites are softer with yellow or red undertones. Northern facing windows will cast more bluish light while southern facing windows cast more golden light. A cool white paint is going to look a lot cooler in a northern facing room than a southern facing room. It is super important to test samples of your paint choices in the actual kitchen space so you can see how the color presents itself at various points in the day. Paint chips in one room can look completely different in another room.
There is no rule that you need to use the same white throughout your kitchen, although I recommend keeping to the same “cool” or “warm” family. I typically will use the same color on any crown moulding or baseboard that directly overlaps cabinets, but there is no reason why you can’t use a different white for window sashes and casing or wall colors.