A kitchen island with plenty of room for wine storage is at the …
A kitchen island with plenty of room for wine storage is at the center of a duplex apartment kitchen designed for clutter-free living and easy entertaining. Location: New York, N.Y. Architect: Deborah Berke & Partners. Builder: Sweeney + Conroy.
Tre Dunham
Sleek hardware and stainless steel countertops are softened and …
Sleek hardware and stainless steel countertops are softened and warmed by butcher block in this all-white kitchen. Location: Austin, Tex. Architect: Stewart Davis. Builder: CG&S Design-Build.
Tre Dunham
Within easy reach of the kitchen island, narrow bookcases and ca…
Within easy reach of the kitchen island, narrow bookcases and cabinets make the most of tricky spaces. Location: Austin, Tex. Architect: Stewart Davis. Builder: CG&S Design-Build.
Lauren Brown
In this white kitchen, a backsplash of travertine adds texture. …
In this white kitchen, a backsplash of travertine adds texture. Location: Dallas, Tex. Designer/Builder: Greenbrook Homes.
Jason Schmidt
In a twist on the expected classic, the wood on this kitchen’s…
In a twist on the expected classic, the wood on this kitchen’s island is on the base, not the surface. It’s Plyboo, a bamboo plywood (the island top is Ice Stone). Location: West Orange, N.J. Architect: Deborah Berke & Partners. Builder: Sweeney + Conroy.
Sam Oberter
The clean and classic kitchen in this beachside house takes its …
The clean and classic kitchen in this beachside house takes its cues from the natural and man-made elements of its shoreline location. Location: Silver Beach, N.J. Architect: Richard Bubnowski. Interior Designer: Elizabeth Gillin. Builder: Brian Furey, Falcon Industries.
In this all-white kitchen, the cooktop’s backsplash is a simpl…
In this all-white kitchen, the cooktop’s backsplash is a simple sheet of glass painted white that’s easy to clean (the painted side faces the wall). Location: Austin Texas, Architect: Alterstudio Architects. Builder: Melde Specialty Construction.
Lauren Brown
Paints and finishes in this kitchen are low- or no-VOC, and the …
Paints and finishes in this kitchen are low- or no-VOC, and the house is LEED Gold. Location: Dallas, Tex. Designer/Builder: Greenbrook Homes
Julian Wass for House Beautiful magazine
With an artful combination of finishes, textures, and materials,…
With an artful combination of finishes, textures, and materials, an all-white kitchen has the chance to be even more visually engaging and easy to live in than one with color. Location: Chicago, Ill. Architect: Paul Konstant. Kitchen Designer: Mick DeGiulio. Interior Designer: Frank Ponterio. General Contractor: Thomas Eick Construction.
Whether you enjoy trend-spotting or wrinkle your nose at the very thought, recurring trends are worth paying attention to, if for no other reason than what they say about the public taste vis-a-vis the times we’re living in. We’re talking about the return of the white kitchen, and if you’ve been in the business long enough, you’ve seen the trend before. So, why now? Depending on your point of view—and your clientele—explanations vary. Economic: In a downturn, moderation prevails, and a white kitchen plays to a bigger variety of tastes than a red one. Strategic: A kitchen that’s all white probably makes a home easier to sell. Stylistic: If, faced with all that white, there’s a craving for color, a white kitchen makes it easier to add a splash of orange or apple-green. Psychological: In anxious, tumultuous times, white is calming.
Or maybe it’s all of those things. “There’s a durability in terms of style,” says Mick DeGiulio, a Chicago-based architect who has been designing kitchens for more than 30 years, and who has seen the demand for white kitchens ebb and flow. “White always makes for a great kitchen—it reads fresh and clean, which are big words in kitchen design right now.” It’s like the home-design equivalent of the navy blazer or the little black dress—reliable, timeless, and something that never really went out of style in the first place. While white may be neutral, it’s anything but bland.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Chicago, IL.
Amy Albert is editor of Custom Home and a senior editor at Builder. She covers all aspects of design. Previously, she
was kitchen design editor at Bon Appetit;
before that, she was senior editor at Fine
Cooking, where she shot, edited, and wrote stories on kitchen design. Amy
studied art history with an emphasis on architecture and urban design at the
University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Los Angeles. Write her at aalbert@hanleywood.com, follow her on Twitter @CustomHomeMag and @amyatbuilder, or join her on Custom Home's Facebook page.
