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55 Beautiful White Kitchen Ideas for a Room You’ll Love Forever
Because a white kitchen is so much more than just an all-white box.
You can never go wrong with a white kitchen. No matter the style of your home or your decorating tastes, a white color scheme can be the starting point to help you create the timeless kitchen of your dreams. Whether you want a warm and rustic farmhouse kitchen, an airy and fresh cottage or coastal look, or a more modern cook space, the color white can help you get there. Small kitchens and galley kitchens especially benefit from white as a base because it helps open up the space and make it look and feel larger. We know that white isn’t a one color fits all, though, so get started by choosing the right white paint color for your walls and cabinetry. Cooler whites will give your space a crisp, airy look, while warmer whites feel calm and cozy.
Now on to the fun stuff! For a cozy farmhouse look, layer a white kitchen with warm woods (think butcher block countertops, a wood vent hood, or reclaimed ceiling beams) and vintage accessories. Pairing white with rich, moody hues such as blue, green, or black, and accenting it with brass finishes delivers a modern look. Classic subway tile and marble countertops make for an elegant white kitchen that's timeless and sophisticated.
Here, we’ve rounded up 55 of our favorite white kitchens that will appeal to both minimalists and vintage enthusiasts alike. You’re sure to find a look you’ll love!
For more ideas for your kitchen from islands to lighting, check out these stories:
- Create a Beautiful and Welcoming Kitchen with these 100 Best Kitchen Decor Ideas
- These Dozens of Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas Work for Kitchens Large and Small
- Brighten Your Farmhouse Kitchen with These 40+ Lighting Ideas
Use Unpainted Wood For Cabinetry Fronts
In this airy kitchen housed in a converted barn, designer Christina Salway balanced clean and lofty white surroundings with warming touches of natural wood as drawer and cabinet fronts and as trim on the windows. A dark stained antique sideboard adds to the balance and makes a fun conversation piece.
Get the Look:
Wall, Ceiling, and Cabinetry Paint Color: All White by Farrow & Ball
Bring in a Touch of Shimmer
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to lighting. This tiny 100-square-foot space gets a dose of glamour with a sparkly crystal chandelier.
RELATED: 10 Must-Follow Rules For Making a Small Space Beautiful
Try a Checkered Floor
Inspired by centuries-old European farmhouses, designer Stephanie Perez opted for 12- by 12-inch off-white Crema limestone tiles and green marble tiles in this classic farmhouse kitchen. While hers are madeof natural materials that will patina nicely over time, peel-and-stick tiles offer a similar look with a wallet-friendly price tag. You can also get the look by painting the floor.
GET THE LOOK:
Floor Tiles: For similar,“Sterling Classic White Stone”and “Nexus Forest Marble” self-adhesive tiles from Home Depot
Cabinetry Paint Color: Creamy by Sherwin-Williams
Layer with Woven Materials
Natural woven materials make a great way to add texture and warmth to a white kitchen. In this lake house, the owner topped the island with two overscale woven pendant lights and also brought in texture through counter stools with woven backs.
RELATED: See more of this dreamy lake house on Minnesota’s Lake Pulaski.
Use Vintage-Inspired Hardware
Add dimension to white cabinetry with oil-rubbed bronze or iron hardware. For extra vintage-style charm, use exposed hinges on doors and bin pulls for drawers.
Get the Look:
Hinges: For similar, surface mount butterfly hinges from Van Dyke’s
Bin Pulls: For similar, “Clayborne” by Rejuvenation
Hang a Plate Rack
What farmhouse kitchen is complete without a collection on display? Skip overhead cabinets in lieu of a plate rack that lets your favorite vintage china stand in as artwork.
Bring in Gray Tones
If you want the airiness of an white kitchen, but don’t want it to feel too cold and crisp, choose an off-white for the walls and ceiling. Then, bring in soft gray tones through some cabinetry and trim, soapstone or concrete countertops, and even lighting, as shown here with the trio of nickel pendant lights in this modern Mississippi kitchen.
Get the Look:
Wall and Ceiling Paint Color: Fleur de Sel by Sherwin-Williams
Don’t Forget the Baskets
For a cheap and easy storage solution, nothing tops a basket! The woven texture is also a natural complement to white cabinets and butcher block countertops.
Bring in Touches of Black
Black and white kitchens date back to the 1920s and the look remains timeless today. In this upstate New York kitchen, Anthony D‘Argenzio of Zio and Sons delivered the classic pairing in a modern application of mosaic Zellige (terra cotta) tiles from his collection with Clé. A black range, stove, and countertops help punctuate the palette.
Use Wood for the Backsplash
To bring the cozy factor to a white kitchen, consider using reclaimed wood for a backsplash that extends to the ceiling, as in this tiny farmhouse kitchen. The aged wood brings loads of character and makes a nice backdrop for artwork and glassware.
RELATED: 6 Best Places to Find or Buy Reclaimed Wood Near You
Add a Wow Factor with Light Fixtures
There is so much to love about this pretty farmhouse kitchen, but hands-down, the stars of the room are the patinaed green antique French lanterns. Down below, soft gray concrete countertops pair well with limed oak barstools upholstered in a blue-and-white striped indoor-outdoor fabric.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Decorator's White by Benjamin Moore
RELATED: Take a look inside the rest of this dreamy Texas farmhouse.
Create a Coastal Look
In order to add more soul throughout the largely blank kitchen of her family’s lake house, designer Chenault James brought in a smattering of reclaimed touches. Her husband, Ed, owner of Four Board Woodworks, built all the kitchen cabinets out of weathered cypress. Diner-inspired barstools add retro charm to the light blue kitchen island topped with Vermont Danby honed marble countertops.
Get the Look:
Blue Cabinet Paint Color: Rhine River by Benjamin Moore
RELATED: Take a tour of the rest of this pretty and family-friendly Michigan lake home.
Line Walls & Ceilings with Beadboard
Rather than flat drywall, designer Cathy Chapman prefers how white beadboard (on the ceiling) and shiplap (on the walls) offer ample farmhouse appeal. Reclaimed waxed hemlock floorboards lend the room a rich tone. A built-in hutch made of reclaimed pine floorboards holds dishes, a salvaged pine header crowns the
range, and walnut countertops carry up the backsplash for a cohesive look.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: White Heron by Benjamin Moore
Paint the Floor
“The best way to express color and pattern in a kitchen is with a painted floor,” says designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas. To get a look similar to her kitchen floor, here, try a floor stencil, then give it instant age by using a paint sander to remove some paint. Coat with polyurethane.
Get the Look:
Trim and Cabinetry Paint Color: Shaded White by Farrow & Ball
Ceiling Paint Color: Swiss Coffee by Behr
Give it a Bistro Look
Black cabinetry pairs with to-the-ceiling subway tile for a modern look inspired by French bistros. A marble-like quartz wrapped island and countertops, plus glass and brass bistro shelving complete the look.
Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams
Countertop: “Ella” by Cambria
Shelves: for similar, “Freyja” from Wayfair
Keep Wood Tones Light
The airier space feels significantly larger thanks to crisp ceilings and walls, white cabinets newly crafted from scrap wood, and a sea of marble, including Carrara marble countertops, handcrafted marble-and-wood shelving, and a marble subway tile backsplash. The homeowners also replaced existing linoleum floors with a herringbone patterned alternative in black oak, which they were chagrined to find out has a tendency to turn pink when staining. Thanks to a call for help on Instagram, they found a crowd-sourced solution: Woca oil by Woca.
Get the Look:
Walls and Cabinetry Color: All White by Farrow & Ball
Add a Patterned Backsplash
A hand-painted Portuguese tile backsplash behind the stove serves up a fresh focal point in this tiny 8-by-12-foot galley kitchen. White cabinets, countertops, and appliances help the space look bigger than it is.
RELATED: See more of this charming Cashiers, North Carolina cottage.
Build a Statement Island
This open and airy chef’s kitchen has everything homeowner Jeff Strauss could want, including a 10 1/2-by-6-foot island that provides storage for roughly 150 of his thousand-odd cookbooks. It’s topped with a four-inch-thick slab of walnut that required about eight men to carry it into the house. Vintage stools in a happy shade of green convert the work space into a handy dining area.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Simply White by Benjamin Moore
Mix Metals
In their gray and white kitchen, Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell of Beekman 1802 combined a mix of finishes—copper hood and cookware, bronze hardware, nickel fixtures—to give the traditional space a modern edge. “We believe in the rule of three,” says Brent. “We wouldn't have just two metals in the kitchen, but three makes it work.”
Get the Look:
Trim Paint Color: Smoke & Mirrors by Benjamin Moore
Cabinetry Paint Color: Street Chic by Benjamin Moore
RELATED: Tour the rest of Brent and Josh’s recently renovated Beekman 1802 farmhouse.
Layer In Soft Shades of Gray
Primitive stools, maple knobs, and painted Shaker-style cabinets root this spacious kitchen in rusticity while allowing for a few modern conveniences, including a La Cornue stove, glazed subway tile, and gray concrete countertops. Covering a factory-grade hood with wood is a creative solution that keeps the room feeling open, airy, and bright.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: White Dove by Benjamin Moore
Paint Color: Strong White by Farrow & Ball
Mantel Paint Color: Repose Gray by Sherwin-Williams
Jennifer Kopf is the Executive Editor of Country Living. She also covers antiques and collecting.
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