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You are here: Home / Kitchens / White Kitchen / Updating White Kitchens

Updating White Kitchens

September 15, 2014 by Jane F 7 Comments

updating white kitchens - generic white kitchen - robert stiles architecture via atticmagFour years ago, I observed that the all white kitchens trend was over. Now, there are variations.

Today, the white kitchen — often amusingly referred to as “the one true kitchen” — has been copied to death. Apart from light fixtures or other details, it’s often difficult to tell white kitchens from one another. In concept, they are very lovely but the look has become formulaic. The all-white kitchen [top] is typical of the genre as it has milk-color Shaker style cabinets with Victorian brackets and feet, and upper cabinets with glass doors. Another hallmark is the white subway tile backsplash that blends in.

updating white kitchens - generic white kitchen - papyrus design via atticmagHere’s one that looks very similar.  (There are many more). It, too, has a standard-issue stainless steel ‘pro” style range with an awning hood above. Those who don’t mind maintenance opt for Carrara or calacatta d’oro marble counters, especially on the island. That’s where stools are placed for seating with cargo pendant lights overhead. But all these elements define a trendy kitchen — ca. 2010.  That’s when I wrote my All White Kitchens — Trend Over post, outlining ways to update the look. Here are more ideas to bring things up to date.

updating white kitchens - all white kitchen with light blue Falcon range - pinterest via atticmagMuted Range Color. Previously, I suggested red or another bold range color. But a soft color, like this powder blue Falcon range (a UK brand that’s part of the Aga group), shows well in a white kitchen without dominating. A muted, or soft color, in almost any hue will look somewhat neutral.

updating white kitchens - white kitchen with John Boos red Grazzi kitchen island - bh&g via atticmagDo Something Different with the Island. I’m not fond of huge, blocky “barrier” islands that are only useful from one side. Instead, my preference is a workbench island, open all around, with a handy pot shelf below. The red Grazzi Kitchen Island from John Boos has a cherry top. The bright color is also a statement-maker.

updating white kitchens - white shaker cabinet kitchen with antique wood workbench island - style at home via atticmagUse An Antique Piece to Add Character. A Canadian couple, who built this all white kitchen in their Vancouver, B.C. Craftsman home, chose an antique workbench instead of a built-in island. The irregularity of the top plus the patina of age warm up the kitchen and give it a sense of history as well. The industrial-style stools from Wisteria are a nice choice that helps preserve the casual look.

updating white kitchens - white kitchen with gray base cabinets - southern living via atticmagColor Band the Base Cabinets. Introducing a neutral color on all the base (lower) cabinets creates a horizon line in a kitchen. Yes, it creates a two-tone kitchen instead of an all white one. But it preserves the all white look on top while the secondary color adds sophistication since since all the color is below the sight line.

updating white kitchens - white kitchen with gray island - bh&g via atticmagUse Color on the Island. With a medium-dark hue on the base of this island and medium-dark metal pendant lights above, the focus is drawn to the center of the kitchen which makes the island more inviting. Even a hue as neutral as blue-gray adds individuality and makes the kitchen memorable.

updating white kitchens - white cottage kitchen with leaf green painted floor - Melissa Ervin via atticmagCall Attention to the Floor. A kitchen floor can function like a carpet in a room when color, pattern or texture is introduced. In this South Carolina guest house kitchen, designer Melissa Ervin painted the floor in the bright color of a golf-course lawn. That cranks up the personality. Stop and think: would this look as charming if the floor were plain wood? In the Blue Floor Kitchen, a robin’s egg epoxy paint was used with equally stunning effect.

updating white kitchens - all white kitchen with patterned mosaic dot bistro style floor - design sponge at home via atticmagConsider a Patterned Tile Floor. Bistro floors sometimes have borders and always have an eye-catching repeated pattern. One drawback to ceramic tile is that it can become slippery when wet. A notable exception is a bistro tile floor because it’s composed of small hexagonal tiles. Since tiles like these are 1-inch diameter, they have a good deal of traction in addition to great style. I love this floor.

updating white kitchens - classic white kitchen with optical pattern vinyl tile floor - inlayfloors via atticmagCarpet with Vinyl or Linoleum Tile. This is not your mother’s vinyl. Inlay Floors, in Los Angeles, designed this high-end, three-color optical pattern using Congoleum Vinyl Composition tile for the home of a West coast art dealer. It’s a knockout that functions like a wall-to-wall kitchen carpet.

updating white kitchens - classic white kitchen with patterned Spanish style backsplash - el meuble via atticmagUse Patterned Tile on the Backsplash. Patterned tile, in a sunny gold and orange colorway, adds warmth and personality to a kitchen in Spain without making it look too Mediterranean — how ironic!

updating white kitchens - tiling an entire wall to add texture - wall street journal via atticmagTile an Entire Wall for Texture. The New York home of First Dibs founder Michael Bruno is an all-white kitchen with a large Wolf range. While white subway tile was chosen, but  instead of being confined to the backsplash it covers the entire range wall and niche — floor to ceiling. Ventilation for the stove is concealed in the wall and the niche is finished with a marble lintel. This is as unusual as it is stately. Bruno found the contemporary table in an Antwerp warehouse and uses it in place of an island.

(Source: Robert Stiles Architecture, Papyrus Home Design, pinterest, better homes & gardens, Melissa Ervin, Design Sponge at Home, Inlay Floors, El Meuble, Wall St. Journal)

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Filed Under: White Kitchen Tagged With: antique workbench, Atticmag, bistro tile kitchen floor, blue gray island, color banded base cabinets, inlay floors, light blue Falcon range, Melissa Ervin, optical geometric vinyl tile kitchen floor, painted kitchen floor, patterned tile backsplash, red John Boos Grazzi island, tiled kitchen wall, updating white kitchens, white kitchen cabinets

Comments

  1. Lori Sawaya says

    September 15, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    Love this post. Great ideas to update a white kitchen. A white kitchen that was maybe ‘too white’ to begin with.

    Reply
  2. Regality says

    September 15, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    As tired as I am of white kitchens, I’m even more tired of the unimaginative six b’s of home decor: beige, black, brown, blue, blanc,& blah.

    Reply
  3. Soofriver says

    September 18, 2014 at 7:48 am

    Great ideas! I would love to paint my island but I’m a little afraid to mess with the nice finish on the Plain & Fancy cabinetry.

    Reply
  4. sue says

    March 24, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    please stop the madness, all white kitchen is unattractive, white bathroom, yes, you would feel clean.. Not with kitchen. Wrong trend, wrong concept.. white should be one of decor elements, together w white appliances, not the main taste..

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Geometric Painted Floor says:
    September 18, 2014 at 10:08 pm

    […] Kitchen we showed recently.  It’s also very similar to a vinyl tile floor in my post on Updating White Kitchens, simply because it’s a […]

    Reply
  2. Red Country Kitchens - Atticmag says:
    September 22, 2014 at 9:17 am

    […] Kitchen, one of my original Atticmag posts, and also on the red workbench island in the recent Updating White Kitchens piece. But my view is that a commitment to big color on the cabinets is usually the best option for […]

    Reply
  3. Painted Kitchen Cabinets | allprocorp says:
    September 26, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    […] Introducing a neutral color on the lower cabinets adds sophistication in this two-toned kitchen. | Attic Magazine […]

    Reply

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