White Kitchen Cabinets

Home » Home Remodeling » Cabinets » White Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen remodeling and wondering how exactly white cabinetry can be used in the room? Here’s our guide to everything you need to know about white kitchen cabinets.

Are White Cabinets Still in Style?

Yes, there are so many ways to incorporate white cabinets in a kitchen! Not only are there different types of white but there are so many ways to customize white cabinetry to best suit your interior design style and preferences.

Pros and Cons

Here are the advantages and disadvantages to white kitchen cabinetry:

White Kitchen Cabinets: Pros

An Interior Designer Favorite: Off-white, warm white, or a classic and crisp white kitchen cabinet can be used in a contemporary kitchen or a California kitchen which is why interior designers love white kitchen cabinets. Choosing white for your kitchen cabinets can fit any style from a more traditional space to a more modern interior.
Offers a Classic and Timeless Look: White cabinets are the best choice if you’re going for a more timeless and classic look after your kitchen remodel. While off-white kitchen cabinets can create a more cool environment, you can opt for a stark white cabinet if you prefer the cohesiveness of white kitchens.
Can Mix and Match with other Elements in the Kitchen: White kitchen cabinets can be used to highlight other elements in a room like a backsplash, ceiling, windows, wood doors, modern hardware, countertops, or the photography on the walls. These kitchen cabinets can be painted a warm white to match the kitchen island or be used to make the off whites of a painting the focal point of a space.

White Kitchen Cabinets: Cons

Can Seem Cold and Clinical: For homeowners looking to create a warm kitchen environment, choosing white as the overall color for your kitchen cabinets may not be the best choice. If your wall, floor, and the majority of the surfaces in the room are already white, having white cabinetry will do the opposite creating a cold, unwelcoming, and clinical vibe.
Not Ideal for Busy Kitchens: While light colors, in general, are not the most recommended shades for busy kitchens, white will not be any better. For kitchens that are always bustling with activity, a white countertop, floor, and cabinets will not suit your lifestyle. Unless you are willing to constantly wipe and clean up spills to prevent stains, opt out of white cabinetry.
White Cabinets Do Not Age Well: Unless you are okay with the off-white that the cabinetry will eventually become, white cabinets may not be the best for your interior. Over time, white will change in color and will either become more yellow or gray instead of staying a bright white. For kitchens that are being remodeled or renovated to last a lifetime, darker shades will suit the space more because they are more likely to hide obvious stains.

White Kitchen Cabinet Ideas

Minimal, Warm White

If you’re looking for a timeless white cabinet with a subtle, cool tone, go for a warm white! You can easily achieve the off-white look by painting your wood kitchen cabinets a shade of white. Using wood as the base of the bright white paint creates a warm white covering the cabinet doors.

Modern Hardware

For modern spaces, it is only fitting that you decorate your kitchen cabinets with modern hardware. Not only does this look cool, but adding metal or antique hardware means that you can customize your cabinets to your preferred interior design style. Opt for a more minimalist vibe with simple steel hardware or go more European by looking for unique handles and pulls that suit the other decorations around the kitchen.

Narrow, Pure White Kitchen Cabinets

Looking for ways to optimize your smaller kitchen? Go for narrow kitchen cabinets with more stories or shelves! Custom kitchen cabinets can be made and finished to your liking. For cabinets that stand alone or are built-in, you can go traditional by choosing white painted or laminate cabinetry.

High-gloss White Paint

Other ideas for white cabinetry include installing cabinetry that has been painted a glossy white. By choosing a high-gloss paint exterior, your kitchen will shine like your countertop and can match the backsplash as well!

In An All-White Kitchen, Try Lower Cabinets Paired with Shelves

If everything is already white in your kitchen, from the range hood to your countertop surfaces, mix up your storage options! For example, if you already have cabinets underneath the countertops, install shelves above the countertop instead of using more cabinetry.

Classic White Cabinets with Mirror Fronts

Another great way to upgrade white kitchen cabinets is choosing ones with mirror fronts. Instead of the traditional cabinet door that has glass, installing mirror fronts will help make a kitchen look bigger. White cabinetry with mirror fronts will also reflect the natural light that pours out of your windows which is one of the few ideas you can use to brighten up a kitchen.

White Paint Exterior, Bright Interior

If its more your style, paint the exterior of the kitchen cabinets white but choose a different color, shade, or tone for the interior. Paint the inside of wood cabinets gray, yellow, purple, green…the choices are endless! For a kitchen that looks for put together, pair the interior of the kitchen cabinets with other elements like the colorful backsplash tile or the veining of your countertops.

Two-Tone White Kitchen Cabinets

If you’re looking for a sign to choose more than one color than just white for your kitchen cabinets, this is it. Add a pop of color to your California kitchen by pairing white cabinets with green, blue, or red cabinetry. If you’re looking to add more of your personal style around the kitchen, two-tone cabinetry is the way to go!

Add to White Kitchens with Cool Art

While photography and paintings can be installed in a kitchen as decor, what about having art painted directly on white cabinets? White kitchen cabinets can become the main attraction of the kitchen when you paint on your favorite art piece or an original!

Match White Cabinets with White Subway Tile Backsplash

A great way to seamlessly integrate white cabinets into the kitchen is by making sure that the backsplash tile is a similar white. This creates continuity and you can even go as far as making sure tha countertops match too!

Soft and Light Paint with Off-White Cabinets

Grab some Benjamin Moore paint and use it to accent off white cabinetry. Soft and pastel colors can be used to paint the sides of white cabinetry or you can alternate between white and colored cabinets if that’s more your style.

Mix in Gray Cabinets

For modern spaces, gray is a great color to pair with the white cabinetry. Gray can be used to go with your steel appliances, glass backsplash, or the veining in marble countertops.

Traditional White Cabinets with Modern Lighting

Model homes these days make use of tradition and modern elements. A great way to elevate your traditional cabinets is by installing lighting either inside or along the exterior of the cabinetry. Lights can be used to highlight the contents of the cabinets which makes it easier to look for certain dinnerware or the doors can be lit up so that it is easier to find in the dark when the midnight snack cravings kick in. Under cabinet lighting can also be installed to help with food preparation!

Black and White Cabinets and Home Decor

For monochrome kitchens, pair decor with white and black cabinets! Choose photography that is in black and white or has been printed in grayscale or make sure that the coffee sign for your beverages corner is black and white as well.

White Kitchen Cabinets and a Wood Countertop

Grab that Benjamin Moore bright white and paint your wooden cabinetry if you already have a wood countertop. The earthy element of the counter highlights the bright white cabinetry and vice versa.

Use Off White Kitchen Cabinets to Create a Focal Point

For kitchens that have an island or countertop that you want to truly be the center of the room, use the surrounding cabinetry to draw the eye to the center of the room. Choose off whites instead of a stark white paint.

Off White Kitchen Cabinets and Glass Fronts

Not only is having glass fronts practical for big kitchens that have a lot of different drink and dinnerware, but it is also classy. Choose clear glass for a more open feel or opt for opaque glass fonts to hide the contents of the cabinetry and go for a minimalist look.

Add a Little Blue to Make a Huge Difference

Add a pop of color with your favorite shade of blue! Choose some cabinet doors to paint or simply paint the sides of a cabinet door. You can also incorporate the color blue by choosing hardware of the color!