I think that GW colors and real world colors are 2 different things. I am still seeing stained wood and travertine in almost every new kitchen IRL. I rarely see white kitchens, yet here, they may be the majority. Here there is a lot more modern than out in the everyday houses.
Don't be worried that some house magazines show gray or it is here. I think the average Joe is doing what every other average Joe is doing....

I totally agree w/dianalo - GW is just so much more on the cutting edge, if you will, of what is available out there for kitchens that it's easy to lose site of a) how far ahead of the "norm" we often are, and b) the validity of going with what you love.

I realized as I started pulling tearsheets that I was seeing the same things over and over, and that I loved those things. Did that mean I was following trends? Probably, but for me, I don't always know what will speak to me until I see it in magazines. Maybe I don't have much original vision, but I do know what I want when I see it. My kitchen will probably scream "early 2010s!" but I'm going to be happy with it for a very long time. That's the only thing you should think about.

How trendy IS my new kitchen?

I agree with dianalo and riley. Don't worry about trends. Gray and white will look very sophisticated for years. If the gray walls get old, it will be easy to repaint almost any color as almost anything goes with gray and white. Eventually you or someone else will be excited about doing your kitchen over in 2025 or thereabouts. Meanwhile, enjoy what you like. Actually, you'll probably still like it in 2025.

All white will date first. In fact, I think the One True Kitchen is already over.

Kimiko, Those colors sound gorgeous to me. I also think your idea would be more practical too: If the lower cabinets are gray, they won't show scuff marks, etc., as much as if they are white.

If it looks good, that's all that matters. May-be you saw a post of that kitchen with the dark green Woodmode cabinets. It looked good. It was definitely a keeper. Who cares if it is not "on trend" or was last year's trend. Trust your eyes.

It is paint and easy and inexpensive enough to change at a later date so follow you vision today and worry not about tomorrow or what others will think! If you do worry about trends and what is in or out you risk disliking your new space now and that would be the real crime.

I think of grey as being the newer, more sophisticated neutral. When I was researching what I wanted, a little over a year ago, I saw grey and read how grey was coming on as the new neutral and fell in love with the idea. The more I thought about it, the more I felt it was right for me.

The accent color I used is trendy but with a little bit of paint and an afternoon, I can change my accent color to anything I want. I kept my permanent services neutral and only used the trendy blue color on the walls, lights and decorations. I love the possibilities that the grey allows me.

Nancy

I just painted all my cabs gray as well. I planned on doing all white all along, but I painted my oak kitchen door white first and realized I was cleaning up scuff marks all the time. With three little ones and a little farm I realized white was not going to work for me right now. I still love the look of white cabs - it's bright and cheery - but I have no regrets doing gray. It's still bright but a little more forgiving.

The thing about paint is.... its just paint. If the color goes out of style, so what? You would only be $50 and a weekend away from "fixing" it.

I dont think its trendy but it has just gotten very popular. I wanted to paint my kitchen gray but my husband felt stronlgy about white, maybe one day i will surprise him and switch it up.If you go to decorpad or houzz there are tons of gray kitchens. Good luck.

I'm in the midst of the same dilemma. In my region people are still putting in natural oak cabinets and the really trendy ones put a glaze on their maple cabinets. The cabinet guy my builder uses is oh-so-skeptical about painted cabinets at all, and a non-white color might put him over the edge!

Anyway, I think people will think 1) it's gorgeous, and 2) I wish I'd done something like that. Black and white will always be classic and dark gray is basically the same thing, just cooler.

The backsplash is more likely to "date" a kitchen, and if you're willing to change that you can be as trendy as you want.

Oh, how could I have forgotten about the second most popular new kitchens I see: cream with glaze? In fact, every new kitchen, stained or painted, has glaze.... I think travertine and glaze will define this decorating period for kitchens.

I don't think it is trendy. And neither is white. White has been a classic kitchen color and it will continue to be one. Perhaps the door styles will change, but white will be around. Gray is such a great color to go with the white.

I am having such trouble with house hunting because builders are still using stained cabinets, never see any painted ones. It is frustrating when you see spec homes that are ready to be sold at a great price, but the kitchen, for me, is just too dark and well, since the house isn't a "steal", it really isn't practical to get in there and tear it out at those prices.

So, I say go gray and white. If you love it, it is going to work. And as said above, you can always paint them again down the road if you need to do so.

I love grey and am considering it for my own countertops. Like the others have said, granite and travertine still rule around me. When I mentioned to a friend that I am considering grey quartz countertops, I got an OMG look from her because g*d forbid, I didn't want granite.

I love wizardnm's kitchen. Yes, it's probably trendy but I think grey is a great color.

I think that grey has gotten so popular because of the great way it looks with stainless steel. If YOU like it, then go for it!

Southern Living just featured a kitchen with a mix of Revere Pewter and Chelsea Gray cabinets.

I just painted my study Chelsea Gray and LOVE the color....so much so that I'm painting a few more rooms varying shades of gray.

Who cares if it's a trend if you love it?

Here is a link that might be useful: SL Cottage Kitchen

Even if it is a trend, that doesn't always mean it's a bad thing. There have been trends that have delighted people for decades, or centuries. The Ionic column trend, the Palladian trend, the Colonial trend, the Shaker trend, " the Mission Oak trend: these "had legs" because they spoke to some deep human notion of what shelter ought to be. Even if your choice of color, or relatively restrained use of color, is trendy -- then maybe that reflects your response to the (uncertain) times in which you live, and that is something you share with others. No shame there. The important thing is that you like it.
Lynn

No matter what we chose, eventually it will look dated. Follow your bliss and chose what excites and inspires!

A lot of excellent feedback on here. My thought is that you should look at how well each color would fit within the overall color scheme of your kitchen. What color are your counters, floors, and appliances? The key issue is not so much whether a particular color is trendy at the moment, but how well it fits within your overall interior design. Grays are a more muted tone and they reflect a lot less light than white. Consequently, if you have dark counters and floors and limited window space, you may want to stay away from all gray. On the other hand, if you have lighter or more vibrant counters, gray cabinets can look amazing.

Here is a link that might be useful: www.BestKitchenGuide.com - Find More Info There!

I've been asking the same question of myself here lately - so happy to see it discussed! We did almost our whole house in shades of gray. I don't think it's going to be a question of whether or not the grey was trendy (it will date at a certain point, I believe) but how well we "ground" it with other neutrals. For example, I think the gray and yellow that I see popping up everywhere will scream trend. But I think grey and aubergine, a little less so, down to grey and cream, which I think may age a little more classicly.

We went with grey ceasarstone on our perimeter counters, and it's the only decision I truly still question. But I'm finding as I add a mixture of jute, aluminum and other earthy materials to the mix, they really step down and becomes less "modern" and more "neutral." As far as painting the cabinets themselves, every time I see this photo below, my heart goes pitter patter. I don't see anything trendy here... just classic. But again, it's balanced by earth.

{{!gwi}}

Just my thought process, which could just as easily be the justification I curse 10 years from now :)

Hi everyone:
I always forget how far ahead and different gardenwebbers are than the rest of the population. None of my friends are even remotely interested in kitchens (or decorating) the way that I am. I obsessively stalk this site. And, check it all the time each day. I learn something new everyday! Around here, stained wood is still the norm. Cherry or walnut being really out there. The only white kitchens I've seen have been painted b/c they were old or yucky. I'd say that oak is still king around here, sadly.

Wizard. I thought directly of your kitchen. I love the color. I even have the dreaded whitewashed maple cabinets right now. :) I was even convinced that I needed oak cabinets to stain gray for a while. love that driftwood color!

Our floors are orangy oak, which I know would be much better either lighter or darker than they are. But, that's the card I've been dealt. So, to bring in that scary orange. I'm trying to add in more orange accents- more of a rust than orange. But, who knows. I really like the orange curtains in peacock's kitchen window. So, you may see more orange than the rust I'm currently thinking.

I'm waiting to see how the countertops are from allen and roth (quartz). I can't find anyone who can beat 37 dollars for quartz. I know the "A" version only come in two colors. So, I'd like to see if they have something I can work around. If not. I'm going to say it... I'm seriously thinking about the dreaded, yes dreaded, corian in plain white. My home is definitely more traditional and I think of that as more modern. I'd love marble or a white quartz or quartzite. But, here, the prices are about 70 to 80 a square foot for marble. I can't afford that. I'm seriously maxing out at about 50 per square foot. Here, that is saint cecilia and the other lower grade granites on sale. I can't find one that I could work. The only one I really like is very porous. White something. The cheapest white granite you can get with grey splotches and garnet pieces. I do think it's quite pretty.

My husband has already added the trim along the outside of our peninsula. It looks much better imo. So, that is when I was thinking of the dark gray paint. He wants it done now as all men do. :)

Oops, the baby is crying. You'll hear more from me about my dilemma later. Thanks for the comments thus far!

Didn't know grey was trendy, but then neither did I know stained cabinets are out! LOL! Then, too, I've always lived in homes that were 160 or more years old, so design decisions were always about how to bring the house up-to-speed while maintaining its original character.

Anyway, my husband has been building kitchens over 30 years and recently built one for our daughter. He custom-built the cabinets, drawers, island, range hood, etc. out of poplar to save money and then he and she painted the cabinets antique white. (She's got an old house, too.)

Then they ripped up subflooring which revealed a lovely old pine floor which only needed a few boards replaced with some from the attic, sanded them and coated them and they're great. Countertops were done in soapstone they got from a remnant yard and which my husband cut with a handsaw and a garden hose then polished by hand. Everything looked great and I mean stunning!
Then the wall colors were a huge dilemma for our daughter and she went back and forth and back and forth about what to choose. Hubby advised grey, but daughter went with a light blue-ish green.

Long story short: it's not so bad, but it's not so great either b/c the color actually takes away center stage from the soapstone.

Hubby said to me later, "I don't know why she wouldn't listen to me...I mean I've only been building kitchens for 30 years and grey always works."

Waddayaknow! Daughter now wants to redo her walls grey!

I had all intentions of going with grey cabinets in our new kitchen as I so love grey kitchens. Our kitchen is relatively small and little natual light. Our contractor had the primer colored grey so we could could see how it would look. I was so sad that it just didn't work for us so we went with white cabs instead. We did paint the island grey so I was still able to bring in the beautiful grey I love. I thought priming the walls with the intended paint color was a great idea and it sure helped us.