I would think you would get kitchen cabinets that you will love to look at every day. Enjoy remodeling your kitchen!

I was unaware that white kitchen cabinets are a trend. I think you are mistaken in that belief.

White is a color, not a trend. White kitchens will always be around ... the real question is, what details about 1980 white kitchens vs. 2000 white kitchens vs. 2023 white kitchens are we discussing?

White has been around since Tom and Becky. It will stand the test of time.

Sorry I adked

If you love white you really won’t care if it is off trend in a few years.

Why, sorry Christine? I don’t think any insult was meant. Just do what you want, truly. And if you like to keep up with trends, well that’s ok too.

probably DIY will be in grand form considering the pressures and recession a coming. That probably means simple wood cabinets with good construction as opposed to painted. Just my feeling. A galley is an easy layout to DIY ..check out Ikea..they have several white options . Good value.

I like white in galley kitchens..opens them up …where a darker color may make it feel smaller

What kitchens do you immediately feel drawn to

White has been very popular in the past few years but higher end kitchens are now also trending to wood kitchens. If you look at design magazines and higher end kitchen brands like Smallbones they are showing both white and white.

White is classic - what do you like. If you install something you like regardless of trends, you are still going to like it in a decade.

White kitchens can be beautiful and timeless *in the right space*. So can wood. It's all about what is congruent with the house. What I hope is dying out is white just for white's sake, or "I don't know what to do so I'm going to paint it white" -- although I doubt it, that's the default cop-out.

Put some of YOU into your kitchen. If you love no contrast, bright and airy, then maybe all white is for you. If you crave interest, life and warmth...then add that into your kitchen. Unless you are selling in the next 3 years, why does it matter. A good layout and quality products make a great kitchen.

Green is what seems to be trending. White is still by far the most popular.

I see very few all white kitchens anymore in renos, new construction, instagram nor shelter rags. A few years ago it was greys replacing white, then navy now greens and woods. I think white now will be less obiquitous and that is a wonderful thing in design if you ask me!

White can be trendy or classic. It depends on the materials it is paired with and the features. I can certainly identify a trendy white kitchen. Each decade or two has that "go-to" kitchen. Think Tuscan French country from the early 2000s era. Dating happens. It's only bad because many people like new new new. I see posts on here all of the time trashing perfectly beautiful kitchens because they are dated. At one time, that kitchen was loved, current, and probably bragged about on houzz. So, in 5 or 10 years, the white/gray/quartz/oversized hardware, etc posts will start. UGH, How do I update this kitchen? That is why people tell you to get what you love. If you love it, you won't care what people think.

Google white galley kitchen for inspiration.

@roarah - all I see in new construction and renos in my area are white kitchens. So it must vary by region. Setting that aside, this forum sees posts every week - or even more often - asking about painting existing cabinets white. We don't see people asking how to switch from white cabinets.

@Christine Ironside - you don't need to be sorry, I think people were just trying to let you know that white cabinets are not a trend, since they've been around since the 1800s. The color itself is not a trend, as has been mentioned. What becomes a trend or not is what you do in the rest of the kitchen - Tuscan is a classic example; we still see people posting here about their Tuscan kitchens that were once the trend and now not. Or 10-15 years ago would be backsplash tile in tiny narrow multicolors. Or now would be a kitchen entirely gray and monochromatic. I.e. if you want a white kitchen, go for it, but try to enliven it with other colors and more classic choices.

The shade of white changes over time. When you're working on your layout consider 28-30" deep counters in your galley. The extra depth can still use standard cabinets blocked out from the wall. Or Blum makes drawer slides for 28" drawers for custom. That extra space on one or both sides is the most usable workspace you'll have.

For wood look at what's available in flooring. Pale European or French Oak is what I see. That's hard to find in US cabinets. It's a different species without open grain than White Oak. You can use flat cut.

M miller lately more people on this forum object to painting existing cabinets white which is a sign of it being now off trend. I am on the ct shoreline where the something’s gotta give kichen was already popular in the 1990s and now our local habitat for humanity store is giving actual Christopher Peacock white kitchens away for nothing and they still sit unwanted.

The kitchens I have owned have been white, stained, stained and stained, in that order. Oh, one more stained if you count the cabinets in the kitchenette in the guest house we build in the previous house. I built this past year and went with white because I was ready for a change and wanted a lighter/brighter feeling in this house.

White has a been a classic for many years. I think door styles in cabinetry date a kitchen more. For example, today a white cathedral door kitchen may look dated but a white inset shaker kitchen may look current. In 10-20 years, it could be reversed. When my husband and I were buying our first house in the late 90s, I was always drawn to antique white kitchens or warm wood kitchens. I never liked the stark white thermofoil I would see in some new builds. I also absolutely loved the kitchen in Something’s Got to Give. When we decided to reface our raised panel oak kitchen that we had already stained espresso some years back, I was ready for light and bright after years of dark. But I was still drawn to warm white and warm countertops. So my “new” white kitchen reflects my taste, not just copying a white trend I saw somewhere. I even almost bought leathered uba tuba gasp, a beautiful durable granite you see people ripping out for white quartz, and only didn’t because i fell in love with an even busier stone. A well designed coordinating kitchen can look timeless. White for the sake of white, when it doesn’t relate to it’s surroundings will look dated instantly. When people paint stark white over their warm cherry cabinets that coordinated so well with their floor and counters, they aren’t modernizing their kitchen, they are making it look instantly disjointed

Thanks to all. Your ideas and suggestions were welcome. I am moving to a larger apt. in my co-op that needs to be completely renovated. I’m leaving beautiful quartersawn oak cabs and was in planning mode for the new.

Glad to see you back, Christine. If you’re feeling sad at leaving the quartersawn oak, perhaps do it in your new apt? Wood is also classic. Yours sound beautiful, so think about it. Congratulations on your new apartment and I wish you the best.

🙏🏻

christine..

Only one thing i like better than white kitchens and that is quartersawn oak!

too bad i couldnt get my dh to go along with my preference.

White won't ever be incorrect. Design followers aren't going to be able to look at a white kitchen and by color alone say "1966-1975" and be pretty accurate like they could about avocado or gold. There's no particular reason that you could not recreate the same kitchen you had before, more or less, if you really like it.

I did white in my last kitchen and NEVER again. it's high maintenance, the little dings from putting away dishes or closing a drawer with a spatula sticking out, or droping a knife/fork and it ends up hitting the paint and chips, was really annoying. every spot shows. Under the sink if you dont get every drop it settles then swells the wood which then causes teeny fissues in the paint. no thanks, going with hard maple and a cool light brownish stain. I'm too OCD and every chipped speck annoyed the fudge out of me. They sure are great if you dont really use them though, pretty yes, but awful to maintain (PS i have dark wood floors and I dont mind dealing wirth every speck of dust and cleaning them several times a week- white kitchens are worse than this). theyll never be out though because of their aesthetic.

I couldn’t agree more. I had two previous white kitchens now I have quarter sawn flat panel oak.

@cathie2029 - we have an 18-year-old kitchen that has white cabinets. They look great, with none of the issues you mentioned. We also don’t get any water under the sink. Since you do, that will be an issue with your new maple cabinets as well. Or find out what reason there is water under the sink, and repair it or stop storing wet items there.

We’ve used our kitchen pretty hard over the years, and the white cabinets have held up well. Perhaps someone having durability issues with white cabinets should seek better quality the next time. Ours were made by a local manufacturer who only sells in the immediate region. That way they keep costs down and quality up.

The other reason white can be limited in open concept areas is color, material and finish level coordination. Livingroom, dining area and kitchen blending in one open space. It can be done.

@RoyHobbs theres nothing wrong with the quality. painted cabinets dont stand a chance against a slammed drawer (that has a metal spatula sticking out) by a teen boy -- Instant ding/chip that shows. Same with dishes done by said teen or husband or a 5 year old running around with toys. Water will end up places due to carelessness, if I'm not there to clean up it'll sit- paint is not water proof especially at joints that expand and contract with the seasons. Grabbing drawers over and over with nails hitting the front of it also damages the paint. I'ts called life. Maple cabinets with a stain are NOT as noticable as white with a teeny speck of chipped paint. again most people dont care, but it bothered me.

I am wondering though about your magical cabinet paint...., post some close up pics of your drawer openings, and under the sink, garbage pull out handle, and cabinet door openings that you stash your plates... lets see how 18 years has held up. 😬

PS Ive been to several friends houses who also have white cabinets, all different brands, guess what, same issues as I mentioned. 🤣

Any wood cabinet will get “ dings”…on white you just need to keep a little can of paint for “tiny dab” touch-ups…on wood cabinets …you can purchase felt tip touch up pens…..made in different wood shades…we have both types of cabinets…these solutions work equally well…for the “tiny dab” paint… i purchased a bag of tiny art brushes..to use as needed…

I love white kitchens with wooden and rattan accessories to warm up the white paint in our kitchen. White goes with everything. I love how bright and cheerful our new kitchen is now. Our cabinets were originally solid maple cabinets. After 20 years the maple wood turned into a yellowish orange color. We hired a contractor to spray them professionally with white BM Chantilly Lace paint. We replaced our beige granite with a Czech Technistone quartz in Noble Areti Bianco. It is a white quartz with tiny light gray veins. It made such a difference to go brighter in our house. No matter what the trends dictate we will keep our white kitchen for the rest of our lives. We love how it turned out. LOL :-)