According to the National Association of Homebuilders, not only are white kitchens on an upswing, but ALL WHITE kitchens are a growing trend. Gray cabinets are not a classic the way white is, and cabinetry is not the place to go trendy due to the price. You can always do trendy wall colors with white cabinets. With gray, you are stuck.

Neither white nor gray are "timeless." White kitchens would have looked terribly dated in, say, the 1950s or 1970s.

White and gray are trends that come and go — white with much more frequency than gray. Both are popular right now.

Trends also vary from one geographic region to another.

It's impossible to design a timeless kitchen. Kitchen elements that people refer to as "timeless," like white shaker cabinets or farmhouse sinks are merely revivals of old styles that are currently having a moment. Linoleum floors and tile countertops have also been around for a very long time but these would look dated in most kitchens today.

If you are remodeling the kitchen for resale, go with what you see in high end houses selling in your area. If you are remodeling to live in yourself for a few years, pick a color that you like.

Yes

Agree with mkhope

I agree that everything goes in and out of fashion. If i ever get to redo my kitchen, i will have dark blue bottoms and creamy white uppers, and despite the fact that it is out now, I will probably have stainless steel counters. i like clean in my kitchen. i will not have subway, although I have liked them, i feel they are so been there, done that. I will have tiles on at least one counter top, and despite the fact it is totally outdated, I just saw a few in Houzz kitchens in the last 2 weeks. I have to say, i really do not get the whole outdated thing. We complain about things that are 5 years old being outdated, and oohh and ahhh over castles where everything is minimum 100 years old. When did being unique and different become a bad thing? unless you are selling your house tomorrow, it will all be outdated anyway.

I voted white because gray is just so blah and in a kitchen even more depressing. I love life and color and personality and interest in any room and a kitchen should be warm, welcoming and a place to enjoy unless you work in an institution somewhere. I have never understood the fascination with all the gray and I don't imagine I ever will.

Nothing is timeless, but when investing in cabinetry you want to get as much time out of the choice as possible and I think white is a better of the two. Even during the 70's-90's, white was still around, even with the popularity of wood. But the last time grey was really popular was in the 50's and it lost favour in about 10 years and I see that happening again. But kitchens are dated in some form or another within 10 years anyway, so going with what you prefer is probably the best decision.

I agree, Maureen. Your comment does want to make me add to mine. If you plan to live in your current home over 5 years, just do what makes you happy. That's a long time to be making some invisible future buyer happy if you aren't happy yourself.

I luv white kitchens! However everyone has their own idea of design, function and beauty for their kitchen. I also appreciate mixtures of upper(white) cabinets and lower (darker) cabinets

white kitchens per se have never been dated. there are times when other choices are more in style, but white kitchens are always on the radar.

My cabinets are dark wood, and I considered painting them, but am so glad I did not- but then my house is 100 years old. The thing that is beginning to look dated to my eyes is granite countertops.
Reiterating what others have said-- nothing is timeless, and after all, is it sensible to design our forever homes around what is currently trending? (If yours is a temporary home, there are other considerations...)
I like that I go into my kitchen, smile and think, "this is right for this old house--and comfortable for me!"

I don't aim to work on projects that are driven by trends--it is far more gratifying to work on an outcome that is right for the space in the context of how it will be used over time. As I say (a lot), if you aim for a trend, you'll improve marketability for a sale. If you intend to live in the house and aim for a trend, start saving now to replace when the trend changes as it does, often. Trends are all about commercializing products. You can aim for good design and add trendy fittings or accessories and the result looks on trend, but can extend well beyond.

I agree with the earlier comment that suggested visiting high end homes in your are to see what finishes are being used in your area. Chat with several kitchen designers in your city to see what they are really installing, not just what they are displaying in the showroom. While white cabinetry has been the trend for the past few years, I've yet to see it in many new homes in my particular region. Darker wood cabinetry in the kitchen is the norm here.

White kitchens are still popular, especially for those looking for a modern look.

tall I have thought of this myself, and I think there might be various chapters to the whole white kitchen look. Even the gray if you ask me. Dark woods look great next to white especially if you go creamy. What seems less and less to me at least, though there are still many out there, is the dark counters and tiles. so if everything in your kitchen is white or offwhite, except your cabinets, is that white or nonwhite? what if all is white but your counters or your back splash, each can effect your opinion. In essence, when small both the kitchens above look white and actually because the gray is so light, it looks white.

When I was younger, I remember when we went through a whole white cabinet, white counter deal, they did not even have handles on some. Now that was super white. Perhaps we first need to decide what to include as white?

Most well-designed, tastefully done kitchens will look classic for many decades. Natural woods and white cabinets look great, assuming they are high quality. Cheap cabinets, no matter the color or material, make a kitchen look cheap, and will not weather the test of time. A thoughtfully laid out kitchen with upscale cabinetry shouldn't require much more than an update in appliances or a new floor in order to look fresh again.

Meh. I love wood, but grey sux.

White it is, then...

I agree with the commenters above that grey is trendy, not timeless. I would consider dark brown/espresso color to be timeless, at least in my area (CA).

shows what a baby you are aila, never heard of it til about 10 years ago. timeless has a lot to do with age. you find it in a european castle, St. Augustine, FL, some place like that then I will accept timeless. but, espresso does not even grow? how can it be timeless if it isn't real?

We have an inside and outside kitchen, the inside one is pearly white, the outside a dark green. For the above kitchen, personally I would prefer teak brown, it would go better with the counter tops etc .. and I would have painted the wall off white instead.

havingfun, haha! I'm not so young, but I did grow up with dark brown cabinetry and I associate it with my childhood happy memories. My mom still has the same kitchen and it still looks classy and nice to me. Like furniture, I think dark brown is timeless.

ahh, now that i agree on, like walnut. I too like espresso, just it is not old. lol

White looks great in Florida

I think White Kitchens Are All the Rage At This Time! But tastes and styles are constantly changing.

having grown up there, I believe they invented the color, no? White, creamy white, with a hint of blue, with a hint of pink, with a hint of green, with a hint of aqua.....Inside/Outside, underside/overside. on humans even. You always knew a snow bird, all winter a little pink..... I loved it when I came here and they had real colors. Back home even the bushes, sky, water, and blooms are a little..., by the time June rolls around.

Timeless depends on the style you are trying to achieve. A white color cabinet will always be in, but the style of the door is what may be out.

Also the material will change with the times ... paint, stain, metal, laminate, and lacquere (to name a few) all had a specific periods in time when they were popular.

You can have a traditional door in a modern high gloss lacquered finish that will blend the old and the new. Some people may call this blending "timeless"

If you can't deciede between gray or white, try using both...

white kitchen with a gray island...

grey lowers and white uppers cabinets...

white cabinets and gray top

I always say go for what you like, you are the one that will see and use the kitchen everyday. Try to use higher end appliances or paneled fronts if you can. This will help hide the modern appliances to help achieve the timeless look.

good luck

You are so right if they can't get us on anything else, it is that our doors are oh so old style! And let us not forget winter white, creamy white, spring white, it has a new name and a hint every year. Just do what you like and don't, i repeat don't let the style police in! they probably carry little color cards with them. lol

We are painting most of our kitchen cabinets at this point. People love white. We have also done several with dark stain and painting mixed in. Like Staining perimeter cabinets and painting island an accent color. Using lots of gray colors also.