The kitchen. It’s my favorite room in any home. It’s the center of family life, where everyone knows they can come to find the most important things- Mom and food. Over the years I have had a wide variety of spaces to work with (check out the photos at the bottom of this post!). Apartment kitchens so small you can barely turn around. A new-build kitchen that I just couldn’t love. Rental kitchens we couldn’t touch. And crusty old kitchens in historic homes that we spruced up and gave new life. One thing has remained consistent over the years though, through the many spaces of different shapes and sizes: I still love a white kitchen.
Is a white kitchen outdated?
Now, before you jump down my throat with protestations that white kitchens are TOTALLY OUTDATED, going the way of shiplap and sliding barn doors (no shame if you love those too), let me just say WHO CARES!? Who cares what the design world says is “out” or totally over. If you love it, YOU LOVE IT. So do your thang, girl.
Secondly, there is nothing new under the sun. Everything that is trendy now, will be outdated next. And things that have been popular before, will likely come back again. It’s all one big cycle of popularity, which most of us would be wise to steer clear of. Especially when it comes to home design, these choices can be spendy.
At the end of the day, you are the one who has to live there, cook there, clean there, so YOU decide what color works for you.
Is a white kitchen timeless?
One of the things that works in favor of the white kitchen is the fact that they have been around for a long, long time. And I believe they will continue to be. Especially in certain settings. You live on a farm? Farm kitchens have been making white work for centuries. Beach house? Think Nancy Meyers. Cottage? Lake house? 1920’s historic Arts + Crafts bungalow? YEP. White totally works in all of them.
Though the trendy white shiplap look, made so insanely popular by Fixer Upper, may in fact be fading away, a simple white kitchen will never say die.
What’s so great about a white kitchen?
So what is it that works so well about a white kitchen? What gives them their staying power?
- Timeless. As we discussed earlier, white kitchens have been around a long time, in many different types of homes. If updated with modern appliances and other touches, they can be extremely classic and easy to keep current.
- Bigger and brighter, White reflects light, right? A white kitchen takes any little sliver of light it can get and can make your space feel bigger, cleaner and airy-er. That’s totally a word. Our current kitchen is small and dark, and finally deciding to paint the walls white has made it feel twice as big.
- Cleaner. At least in my opinion, white kitchens are cleaner. 1. Because you can actually see the splatters, so you wipe things down more often and 2. Because the light reflects off the color, so even if your wood work is dirty, it at least *looks* cleaner. See what I did there?
What are some cons of white kitchens?
- Require constant cleaning. I mean, this is every kitchen isn’t it!? Kitchens require constant cleaning. Sure with a darker wood or color you might not have to wipe up spills and splatters quite as quickly, but…are we sure that’s a good thing? I for one, would rather see my messes that need cleaning up.
- Can feel cold or stark. This one is valid. White kitchens, especially in a super bright house, can appear stark and chilly. Especially if the walls, cabinets, counters and floor are close in tone.
- Can show wear. Any painted cabinet can show wear easier than wood, but lighter colors like white do tend to make those wear spots more visible. Something to keep in mind.
- They’re cliche. Vanilla. Boring. This one’s on YOU! A white kitchen is a blank slate, it is up to you to inject personality and character into your space.
How do I make a white kitchen current?
If you already have a white kitchen or are planning to put one in, what are some ways you can make it a little more modern?
- Mix white with natural materials. One of the ways to keep a white kitchen from being too stark is by using natural materials alongside. Wood floors, wood counters, wood ceilings. Stone backsplashes or countertops. Materials with texture and life.
- Layer in texture. Whether it’s cafe curtains on your windows or breaking up cabinetry with a curtain under the sink, adding fabric to a white kitchen can add softness. Woven materials like wicker baskets can really help as well. I don’t have drawers, so I keep all of my utensils in matching baskets on the workbenches.
- Add places to display. While there are many mixed feelings about open shelving, I’m a fan of having places to display plates, pitchers, stick a vase of flowers or seasonal decor. Hanging pot racks or wall-mounted plate racks are also great options.
- Lights + hardware. An easy, and relatively inexpensive way to update any space is with light fixtures and hardware. Updated fixtures, cabinet knobs and drawer pulls can make a huge impact in achieving a certain look, or bringing your space up to date. Mixing metals and colors on your lighting, cabinet hardware, appliances and plumbing fixtures can also add a lot of character.
How many white kitchens have you had?
Technically, three. Let’s take a journey through time to all my kitchens, shall we?
Starter home. After two apartment kitchens, our first real kitchen was wood with black granite counters. I had wanted white, but the realtor, contractor and our budget convinced me that I should go with wood. I regretted it every day for the 3.5 years we lived there and still wish I would have sprung for the white. Live and learn!
Rental farmhouse. Next up, the rental farmhouse of my dreams. When we moved back to the family farm, we lived in a rental house on the property. The kitchen was made up of old, plywood cabinets and laminate countertops, but it had beautiful light and a cozy breakfast nook. I spent three years dreaming of updating that space, though it never ended up happening. Outdated as it was, I loved that bright space. And being the home where we had our first baby, it holds such a special place in my heart.
Cottage on the Corner. After the rental farmhouse, we bought a little cottage across the field and set out on what was- at the time- the most extreme remodel project we’d ever done. We tore out walls, redid the entire upstairs, refinished the original hardwoods, put in a new bathroom, mudroom, french doors and ripped off a rotten porch. The kitchen had outdated cabinets that weren’t amazing, but were FINE, so we saved some money, gave them a fresh coat of white paint and replaced the countertops. I found a beautiful porcelain farm sink on Craigslist, my Dad gifted us a dishwasher he’d saved from a project and I bought a cheap faucet from IKEA.
It was a simple space, but an absolute workhorse. I shot every recipe for my book there, and wrote every word in it sitting at the kitchen table. I’m so grateful for that space and all the live we lived there.
Bramblewood. One could argue that I don’t technically have a white kitchen since the workbenches (and stand alone cabinet) are painted Providence Olive by Benjamin Moore. And while I love this color so, so much, if I had actual cabinets, I would definitely have them white. With open shelving down low, white would just be too messy. But the white up top has been life changing.
Now, didn’t your kitchen look different before you may be asking? And yes, yes it did. I was EXTREMELY resistant to painting this kitchen- anything in this house, really- all white. White was everywhere, white was OVER and I didn’t want to take a step backward with our new space. Well, best laid plans, but as my oldest said the other day, “Every time you paint something in this house white, it just gets HAPPIER!” He’s not wrong.
Our kitchen is small and dark, and finally succumbing to the white paint treatment has been a MAJOR change for the better.
What do you think about a white kitchen?
Are they a thing of the past? Too high maintenance? Or just right. Leave me a comment and weigh in on this debate.
And if you, like me, love a timeless white kitchen, pin this image so our friends out there know they’re not alone. White kitchens for life!
