White Kitchen: 10 Timeless and Refined Design Ideas

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White kitchens are anything but boring. The beauty of a white kitchen is that you can experiment with several decorative elements to make your kitchen just for you. All you need is a few different or new accessories to switch up your white kitchen.

Another advantage of white kitchens is that you can spruce them up to create a vibrant space. When you renovate a room to mainly white, it changes a dark and light-challenged room to a larger and more spacious room.

And who can deny that white kitchens give off that clean, crisp, clutter-free look that lasts? Whether the kitchen is a traditional country white kitchen or a modern high gloss design, the pristine and clean look remains.

Here are a few white kitchen design ideas that add personality and warmth to your space.

White Kitchen

1. Use Shades of White

If not done right, your white kitchen could end up looking clinical, sterile, or flat. A simple design idea to incorporate is to use three or more shades of white. Use one shade of white for your countertops, another for your cabinetry, and yet another for your flooring. Using different shades of white should give visual interest and add dimension to your white kitchen.

Please note that not all shades of white go well together in the same space. Warm whites, which look yellow, do not mix with cool whites, which look blue. For a single area, try to use shades of white found within the same group.

2. Use Attention-Grabbing Material

Here is another design tip that might make your white kitchen have that ‘oomph’ impact. Use finishing materials that draw your attention, such as natural marble or Carrara marble.

 It will give the kitchen an element of refinement and luxury, that expensive look you might want.

How can you achieve this luxurious look? Choose subtle or subdued materials for most of your kitchen surfaces. Then identify a space in your kitchen, such as your countertop or backsplash, and apply a marble with a strong visual appeal.

3. Vary Textures

To achieve a warm, welcoming, and vibrant look for your kitchen, use materials with distinct visual and tactile textures. Mix rough textured materials with smooth elements or matte with shiny surfaces to accomplish this dynamic look. For instance, use Malibu white cabinets against warm colored wood flooring.

White Kitchen 1

4. Add Color

A few colored accessories can play up your white kitchen. The accessories could include colored kitchen seats, rugs, countertop canisters, lighting, or backsplashes.

Popular color choices include white and deep navy blue or terracotta and yellows for a warmer look. Do you want to know what’s popular in kitchen decor? Then you may be interested in more earthy shades.

These bits of color will have the effect of giving your white kitchen a warm and friendly feel without compromising your bright and white look.

5. Let In Natural Light

Natural light is an essential accessory for any room in the house, especially so for a white kitchen. It adds to the airy and bright feel of a white kitchen.

Large windows or a skylight let in ample natural light, further reflected and amplified by upper glass cabinetry.

6. Add Fabrics

Fabrics soften your white kitchen and introduce patterns to what may have been an otherwise bland space. There are several kinds of textiles that you could bring into your kitchens, such as window treatments, small rugs, floor runners, or even leather bar stools.

7. A Contrasting Island

Give your kitchen island top materials or colors that make it stand apart from your other kitchen surfaces. The countertop should break up the white and create a center point for your kitchen. For instance, your white kitchen could have an island with a wooden counter surface to echo your wooden flooring.

8. A Patterned Backsplash

Even if your kitchen is all white, you can create a backsplash that is the focal point of your kitchen by using textured or patterned tiles. The list of patterned materials is endless and could include anything from three-dimensional tiling to painted brick, mosaic stone, and herringbone patterns.

In most cases, the backsplash takes up only a minute area in the kitchen. Therefore, you can go as bold as you like with your textured or patterned option.

9. Mix Styles

The versatility that a white kitchen offers is endless. Therefore, besides mixing shades of white, textures, and patterns, you also have the option to mash up two or more styles. You could blend elements from contemporary and vintage styles, modern and rustic, or minimalist and maximalist.

However, the rule more is less also applies here. Too much and your kitchen will end up feeling fussy and cluttered. The right blend in the perfect amount creates a white kitchen with character.

White Kitchen

10. Introduce Wooden Accents

Wooden accessories in a white kitchen add warmth and personality. Walnut and oak are more suitable for a traditional white kitchen, while wenge and heart ask work better for contemporary designs.

Alternatively, you may prefer wooden accents in a more subdued fashion. Here, you could then opt to use wood as a color accent or by simply displaying wooden accessories such as knife blocks or chopping boards on your countertops.

Conclusion

These white kitchen ideas prove that there is an endless variety of ways to make this color choice work for you. The white backdrop gives you ample room to change and adapt your kitchen to keep up with current trends and ensure that your kitchen is always in style.

Julie Higgins
Author
Julie is a Staff Writer at momooze.com. She has been working in publishing houses before joining the editorial team at momooze. Julie's love and passion are topics around beauty, lifestyle, hair and nails.