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White Kitchens

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Over the weekend, we caught a great article in the Trib about the comeback of white kitchens. Reporter Susan Diesenhouse interviewed a cross-section of Chicago area homeowners who have renovated their kitchens into all-white spaces. Each of them cited comfort, classic style, and brightness in their list of reasons. Although, for some, white evokes the sterile kitchens of an out-of-date rental apartment, there are lots of contemporary takes on the all-white decor that prove its value in an economic climate that favors simplicity and long-lasting style...

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Comments (17)

I just adore all of them... white is my kitchen color too ;-) it's so easy to clean it...especially when it's new - I really enjoy!!!

posted by Zika on December 9th 2008 at 5:00am
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My husband and I renovated our kitchen with white cabinets, white quartz counters and white subway tile backsplash. We painted the walls a soft green which helps breakup the white. I really like it, and all the white just seemed like the best choice because our kitchen is a small galley apartment kitchen. Though, someday I think I'd like something with a little more color contrast.

posted by 2lastnames on December 9th 2008 at 8:58am
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We have a white kitchen. It definently forces you to be more vigilant with cleaning.

posted by kbittner on December 9th 2008 at 9:03am
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How about this lovely white kitchen (from an all-white small apartment)?
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/051507victorsoeun/301_Kitchen

posted by mihaela on December 9th 2008 at 9:55am
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and maybe this one too...

http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/042208stephanie/3cook

posted by mihaela on December 9th 2008 at 10:00am
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and yes, I am currently painting my kitchen cabinets WHITE :)

posted by mihaela on December 9th 2008 at 10:01am
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Ugh! I have to live with almond color cabinets....such is the life of a renter. The white kitchens look fantastic though. Really gives it a crisp and clean look.

posted by suzy8track on December 9th 2008 at 10:27am
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I keep wondering if the white kitchen is going to be the 70s avocado equivalent of the early aughts... I used to love the clean look of the all white, but I'm slowly rethinking that idea.

posted by home body on December 9th 2008 at 11:04am
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Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love all-white interiors. That's what we're going for as well. These are great, so inspirational... :)

posted by flippetyjibbet on December 9th 2008 at 11:16am
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I guess I'm alone in thinking almost all of these rooms look very cold and uninviting . . . hospital-ish.

posted by Griffin on December 9th 2008 at 11:25am
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Nice I guess - but awfully unimaginative.
(...but at least it's not Home Depot Oak.)

posted by bepsf on December 9th 2008 at 11:58am
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home body -I dunno about the all white kitchen being the avocado equivalent of a 70's kitchen. I have a German friend who has had an all white kitchen since I've known her in the early 1980s. It's very sleek, almost like the top photo in the above post. She owns that look and accents with lots of yellow and orange and it just works. I mean, if everyone is doing it, and it's just stark, stark white all the time, everywhere, I could see it getting old. But Personally, I for one am really sick to death of the ubiquitous granite counters, stainless steel appliances and dark wood combos found now in every Home Depot kitchen from Portland, ME to Portland, Ore. My litmus is that when the scheme starts showing up en-masse in Home Depot show kitchens and cheap spec houses, the look has jumped the shark.

I think really though, it all comes down to the style of the kitchen, rather than the white color. Walls can usually and easily get painted, doors and cabinet fronts, and other elements such as appliances, knobs, lighting, textiles can always be replaced to change the look and update.

White is just so neutral really. Like a blank canvas to me. It can be dramatic, subdued, bright, or with the above elements changed - just about anything one wants.

I'll tell you three things that are making me a white kitchen convert: 1) When I bought my house from a decorative painter (Faux Friggin paint everywhere, ugh) it was all black and chrome appliances, and dark dramatic colors on the counters, cabinets, etc. In a 764 foot bungalow, especially the kitchen, this was like cooking and eating in a cave. White appliances have already brightened the whole thing up tremendously. Plus, I don't care what y'all say, those stainless appliances are a royal pain to keep smudges and fingerprints off of. 2) White appliances are way cheaper than the black or stainless ones. I'm cheap, I like that.

posted by Lizzy C on December 9th 2008 at 12:43pm
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We just put white quartz counters in -- love them with our Ikea Tidaholm (white oak) cabinets. I think all white could look/feel cold in Chicago but agree is a very appealing look.

posted by outonalimb_2008 on December 9th 2008 at 1:36pm
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My parents just redid their kitchen in all white, it looks great. Accented with their collection of wooden plates it come off as very warm and personal.

posted by dn on December 9th 2008 at 3:02pm
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I think it is incredible that in these super-designer modern white kitchens there are still black gas stovetops breaking up the feel.

They are in dire need of white ceramic cooktops!

posted by chrisciever on December 9th 2008 at 3:30pm
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I, too, am in the middle of painting my cabinets white. Makes the whole house look bigger and brighter!

posted by speck on December 9th 2008 at 4:11pm
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I am thinking about remodeling my kitchen. I think white would go really well with the rest of the apartment. These photos are great, but I would like to see some accessories to add a splash of color.

The white cabinets with wood countertops create very modern and clean look and the wood helps to soften the feel of the kitchen. I think that is my favorite.

posted by monikatini on January 6th 2009 at 2:49pm
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