Mercy, thanks for asking! I have the exact same question for those with white cabs.

I'm considering white perimeter and dark (expresso? walnut) island. The other option would be dark on base perimieter and island and white wall -- but that makes the floor to ceiling panty the odd cabinet out -- which color should it be?

Really looking forward to comments! Especially from people with young kids and those who have IKEA white cabs.

I've had white cabinets for 20+ years--the first 19 were the original 1950 cabinets that were installed when the house was built, and since last October new white painted maple.

Neither set was any problem to keep clean. As others have said on other discussions, white is actually easier because you can SEE the dirt. It doesn't seem to attract more grime and I've never found it hard to maintain. This is coming from a picky housekeeper who does notice stuff like that.

If you like white, go for it!

we have a white perimeter w/a dark island. it's only been a year, so i don't want to jinx it, but so far it's been no problem at all.

srg215... very nice!! Do you have any other pictures of your kitchen? What brand cabinets did you use?

I've had white cabinets for most of my adult life, including Ikea white cabinets for the past 12 years. All cabinets need to be cleaned and wiped somewhat regularly, depending on your cooking style. I don't find white cabinet to be any problem at all. They do make it easier to see where you need to clean.

There's quite a few threads here on white cabinets.

I've had white probably 1/2 my adult life. I found them a pain. Not that they were hard to clean, but I had to clean when I saw it and not when I had a moment to do it :)

I knew they would drive me crazy especially with the age my kids are at (they cook a lot - 12 and 14) and a DH who is a great cook but honestly can't see the mess sometimes. I even did a paneled fridge so I wouldn't be stainless steel stressed.

I've figured out that my cooking style is messier than I realized. My induction cooktop is kinda picky about dirty/wet fingers. I didn't realize how much I use my hands without constant wiping :)

When we moved into our home 22 years ago we had walnut cabinets. I couldn't see the dirt and didn't notice they were dirty until they were sticky which for me is just too gross to live with. Painted them white and always wiped up the mess as I saw it. That made me happy. Fast forward to renovation time last year - put in white cabinets. I like the fact that I Know that they are always clean. I also like the lighter look of them.

I like having them, for the first time in 30 years, DH actually notices that he just spilled something nasty that ran down the face of the cabinets.

I do notice the dirt before they get sticky (medium cherry) :) When the sun comes in, I can clearly see anything, especially when inspected from the right angle. But during a dinner party or when guests show up, they see nothing! Kind of reminds me of something I read somewhere about dimming all the lights and putting out candles when guests arrive to avoid them seeing the dust bunnies.

They look good and are easy to keep clean because gunk does not build up. Just like a counter... you see a dirty spot, you wipe it. That simple.

Love.

I went from dark stained wood to white. Yes, I notice the mess more often with the white..... but, so what? It takes me a minute to clean every cabinet surface in the kitchen. They wipe easily, and I know they are clean. Looking back, I am sure my old stained cabinets were filthy since I couldn't see the mess.

If you love the look of white cabinets, don't less the mess factor deter you.

I have white cabs and a black island, a 7 year-old and a 5 year-old and you know what? They're all a pain. But the truth is all cabs need to be cleaned / wiped down, and at least on the white (and the black) you can see it, so I know my cabs are clean!

In our family, however, the worst offender of messy cabs is my husband, not our kiddos.

For me, redoing our kitchen would not have been worthwhile if it didn't have white cabs. I love white cabs and for years and years that's what I knew I "needed" to have the kitchen of my dreams.

Of course I'll get ticked when I've just wiped them down and then a few hours later notice tomato or whatever all over them (courtesy of my husband), but I never wish I didn't have white cabs.

Maybe it's kinda like marble (which we also have): those who really want marble are able to put up with the inevitable etching / upkeep because it's worth it to us to have the marble. The more obvious spills on the white cabs are worth it to me to have the white kitchen.

Enjoy, whatever you choose!

My kitchen is similar to srg's, and I love it. White cabinets, when painted with a high-quality paint or lacquer, are super easy to keep clean. I think they're timeless, and I love our dark brown stained island. It's been almost two years, and I cook a lot...no problems so far! Go for it!

Thanks everyone, I feel better!

donnakay... you kitchen is lovely!

hi,
I did white Ikea (Lidingo) and I love them. They are VERY easy to wipe clean, because the dirt does not stick to the paint, it is like a glossy paint finish.
I have only had them for one month. So far I am very happy with them. If you like them, go for them without reservations. I will post pictures this weekend.

White Ikea Lidingo here too, with 3 young kids. Love them! Ditto what many have said, all cabs have to be wiped up it's just easier/quicker to spot with white cabs. and agree with kitchendreaming, the ikea finish is VERY easy to wipe clean.

{{!gwi}}

I've only had my new white Ikea cabinets a few weeks but so far I LOVE them. So easy to wipe clean. And I have 3 kids (two under 5) and I don't find it to be a hassle to have white at all. I love the brightness of it.

We still have a TON of finish work before it's completed because we are DIY everything from this point so it will take a while, but we did white around perimeter and a dark island as well.

Here it is as of this morning (missing crown molding, toe kicks, under cab lighting and molding, hardware for uppers, and end panels).

momof3kids- Your kitchen is one of my GW inspiration kitchens, since I too have Lidingo. So far I love them! The finish seems very easy to wipe clean. I just wish I could get in my kitchen to use them!!!

momof3kids- Your kitchen is one of my GW inspiration kitchens, since I too have Lidingo. So far I love them! The finish seems very easy to wipe clean. I just wish I could get in my kitchen to use them!!!

I don't have ikea, but I have a cream perimeter/espresso island combo. They all need wiping. Actually, I find smudges show worse on the dark than the white. Wouldn't change my color choices!

I had white Kemper cabinets at my last house and will get white cabs again at my new house! I, too, worried initially about visible dirt...but as I lived with them I loved that I could actually SEE where the dirty spots were so that I could wipe them off. Whereas with brown or colored cabinets, it would be harder to see and personally I wouldn't be able to rest easy knowing that dirtiness is present but invisible! Yes I did have small children (they were 5 and 3 when I had the white cabs put in) and yes they did get their dirty paw marks on the lower cabs, but it was a cinch to wipe off, not a problem at all.

White cabs are timeless, light, airy, and a lot easier to keep clean than you would think! Go for it!