When I read this article about a year ago I thought the same as Lilly. Those kits featured still look pretty white to me also. Again, folks, this article is TWO years old.

I love every glimpse of Marthavila's kitchen I can get! Looking forward to Jane's new articles.

So I was only off by an "l" (hey, brain, not too shabby), marthavila. So nice to see your kitchen again. I tried to find it on FKB. I searched under "AGA" appliances, under "red appliances" and under your name but came up empty. Is it not in the FKB?

Atticmag?

On another forum a couple of weeks ago someone posted an article about colored appliances being the new trend and how stainless was over. The article was from over a year and a half ago. Some things might just stick around! There's a type of kitchen out there for everyone. Isn't it nice?!

Marcolo- LOL!!! I'm surprised you haven't mentioned any 'flying monkeys' with all the other OZ references :)

I laughed when I looked at the title because I knew it was you! Haven't picked up a house mag lately but eager to see what the next big trend is. Interesting. At least I added some color In the "coastal" kitchen, otherwise this would have really bothered me ;)

I agree that those still look pretty white to me.

From the countertop posts I've seen lately, I believe the all-white kitchen has been replaced by the Super White kitchen.

I think this article is from the last time it was over.

It seems that if all-white-kitchen owners just painted one or surface cabinet using a bright (or even pastel) color, they'd be totally "hip" again, according to the article???

Well, that would be an easy thing to do! And when the all-white trend is back, just re-paint it white again, LOL.

Could anyone PLEASE post the link to FKB? I have been MIA for a couple of years and cannot find it anymore.

TX!

I always was a late bloomer...oh well.

Marcolo, you're always good for a laugh :-)

I love all of the beautiful white kitchens I've seen on this site. It makes me wish I had gone with white. I used Cherry and now I've read that's out.

Elena--can't give you the link, but google "finished kitchen blog" and it'll come up. It hasn't been updated in about two years so it might not be that much different than you remember. :)

Marcolo... I most definitely heard your gleeful cries way out here!
I must say, though, for someone who had no clue what was trendy or popular, I seemed to have hit the nail with my new kitchen. Prior to discovering GW or Houzz, I quickly found my inspiration kitchens and, while white, they aren't exactly OTK or all-white. I like a splash of permanent color and felt like I couldn't go the white subways route.
Anyway, the trend seems to only be appearing here in central NY... At least in my area. I found not a single white kitchen during our house hunting... Dark granite and deep cherry wood cabinets seem to be the thing in desirable kitchens in our parts. Since having my kitchen come together, I've had everyone from our GC to my KD (who only provided a layout) to the fabricators to my electrician... All people who DO kitchens... Talk about how they've never seen a white kitchen like ours. Trust me, in GW-land, my kitchen is probably typical and not the exception. And talk about trends... 2 coworkers are now in process of hiring my GC to renovate and build them a white kitchen. So, while the all-white kitchen may be a fading trend, it's only starting to pop up around here. The same goes for farmsinks, marble/white countertops/backsplashes, dark hardwood floors... I think I can hear you cringing already, Marcolo!

Sigh. Makes me long for that Merry-go-round kitchen that Palimpsest, I think, posted awhile back.

We are in the NYC suburbs. A few weeks ago we had a cabinet maker in to do some shelving. The guy didn't do our kitchen, but he said most of his work is kitchens. I asked him if he does a lot of white kitchens. He said for the last several years, almost every kitchen he did was white. But not anymore. Apparently, everyone is asking for gray now. He said 3 of the 4 he is working on now are gray. So I guess here, gray could be the new white.

Thank goodness I am moving to central PA. They didn't know you can paint cabinets. I will probably be the only painted kitchen in my neighborhood. They will think I'm such a rebel.

Bee

I could see the gray kitchen going out of trend faster than the white kitchen. I do love that look of the charcoal gray with the burnished gold hardware, very rich. ~Christopher Peacock was inspired by the white kitchens in vogue 100 years ago and they are still appealing today. I think it will always have appeal, maybe not for everyone but definitely pretty. If you want to change them up a little bit it seems like it would be easy enough to change them in the little ways the article suggests, if you ever feel the need.

Isn't white just pre-paint?

Isn't this silly?
It's as bad as "everyone hates oak" or the "hated islands".
Please.

White sure is clean and it definitely eliminates the pressure to [ahem] match colors.

To quote Mark Twain: The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated....

Where the acolytes of the OTK really made their fatal mistake was introducing their own kitchens as timeless and classic. As opposed to everybody else's trendy and vulgar ones? That's when the daggers came out behind the tapestries. Now the bloody and weakened OTK is making a run for the border.

No need for malice, though. Let's start a thread of ideas to help people with the OTK update their dated, tired spaces.

I love the all white kitchens. Just about every one of them. White cabs with marble counters, or soapstone or honed granite. Love them, even if the trend is "over."

Did I put one in my house when I renovated in 2007? No. My first house had a cute black and white kitchen, but everything was laminate. Laminate counters and laminate cabs. It was cute and clean but I was tired of the the color scheme, so when making choices for my kitchen, I went with warm wood when no one was.
And with every black and white kitchen posted here, I often wondered had a made a huge mistake. I loved every one of them, but I also loved my warm coffee colored maple cabs. So I changed my island from coffee colored to white, to try and compromise in my head. I love how it turned out. I love my kitchen not only aesthetically but also because it is so functionally efficient.

But I still love all the "timeless" black and white kitchens I see on here. No matter what the trends are doing. I love seeing more wood or colored kitchens. I guess I just love seeing all the variety and all the clever things people come up with for kitchens.

I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way. No matter what the trends are doing.

If white kitchens are 'over' what is the next big trend? Maybe, it's having everyone design the kitchen of their choice...and not worry about trends? :)

Around here (L.I., suburbs of NYC) almost every new kitchen has stained cabs, travertine bs, ST Cecilia or similar granite, and large format beige tile floors. It is what every builder is doing. No one is putting in any appliance that is not ss....
So, of course, a white kitchen appealed to me. As shown in the mag article, it is how one accessorizes the white kitchen that makes the difference. The accent color, bs, floor, hardware, etc.. are what sets it apart. It is the little black dress of kitchen design. If we get tired of its current look or someone else buys our house decades from now, they can easily change the look without needing to replace the cabs or counters. I could paint the over the lavender walls with almost any color and it is instantly completely different. Our floor is currently black and 2 grays, but that will be changed due to damage to the floor. It will probably be replaced with a similar look because we love how it came out. That might restrict any new colors to what works with the floor, but that is easy enough to do. Any color other than those that are beige based would fit right in as if it were planned.
The stained wood with beige granite and travertine look that is all over the place around here would be hard to take in another direction. I can't stress enough just how often I see that in houses. The builders and homeowners are all using it and I cringe when a buyer drools over it and says that whatever house they get, that is what they want. The only time I see another look, it is the same combo but with cream cabs that have glaze. It is such a cliche here. Other parts of the country may be different, but I can only speak for our neck of the woods.
White here is daring and different and will not be identified with this time period.

Marcolo, I could hear you squeeing!

I find it hysterical that my new kitchen will be "in fashion" since that wasn't particularly a consideration for me. I'll have white cabs, probably azul platino counters, and bright blue tile backsplash. I wasn't trying to be on trend; white cabinets are the compromise between dh's preferences (orangey-wood! why?!!!) and mine (black cabinets). Neither of us care for monochromatic color schemes, so we have to do something a little different for the counters and backsplash. Ha ha! I will be in vogue (for at least 30 seconds.)

I would say here in Wisconsin, the white kitchen trend never got off the ground. I installed a version of the OTK and you should see the looks on people's faces when they walk in here- some like it, others think I am nuts. I also had all of the 1980s oak trim painted white and the painter asked me, "you're not from around here, are you?" so maybe like real estate, all kitchen trends are local? Being so close to Frank Lloyd Wright's house we definitely see tons of prairie style kitchens... So much so that my OTK sticks out like a sore thumb and the prairie style seems ubiquitous. That's here anyway. My OTK would have just been another of the many when we lived in Maine.

I think white kitchens are timeless and will never be out of trend.

I think virtually everything ebbs in and out of fashion. Still, some styles are better looking than others. When I remember seeing original early 20th century white subway tiles back in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember thinking to myself that they were beautiful even if old-fashioned. Fast forward 30-40 years, and I certainly do not look at photos of avocado green appliances and wistfully think they look so handsome even if they're no longer on trend. In other words, some of these gorgeous white kitchens posted on the GW kitchen forum will stay gorgeous 10 years from now---even if they're no longer trendy.

For me, I think I'll take elements of various styles I like. I do like white cabinets but I'd want more of a contrast with the countertop. Similarly, I don't want white painted walls.

Unless you're aiming to have your kitchen photographed for the decor magazines, I say worry less about trends and think about you think is attractive. After all, it is your kitchen.

I think white kitchens are timeless and will never be out of trend.

Here is a link that might be useful: A Japanese Soldier Who Continued Fighting WWII 29 Years After the Japanese Surrendered, Because He Didn't Know

Marcolo- Be nice :)

Wasn't the white kitchen popular in the 1980s? I really liked them (still do) then cherry/granite/stainless steel came into fashion and white kitchens were 'dated' not timeless. Myabe it's different this time?

I think timeless only matters, if it's timeless to you...if you still love it, who cares what everyone else thinks?

Just inevitable that whenever anything, whether it is wonderful or not, becomes too ubiquitous, too "popular" meaning the populace is adapting it, there will be backlash. And then there will be backlash to the backlash.

Marcolo, what does your kitchen look like? I envision dark, lots of wood and color...am I right?

I do like white kitchens in the right house.

White kitchens are not a trend; they have been around forever and are here to stay. Sorry; rumors of the demise of the white kitchen are patently untrue - they will be around longer than you or I! Personally, I love them; I understand they're not for everyone, but that's the beauty of renovation - you get what YOU like! Don't understand why some people need to make others feel bad about their choices - those people need to look deep inside themselves, and perhaps get a life!

Yes Palimpsest you can stop now. I love pretty much everything you post, but not that black kitchen (sorry).

Jkoebnick, I too would be interested to hear about Marcolo's kitchen.

Marcolo, do you really dislike white kitchens or do you just enjoy playfully stirring up the pot? ;-)

Just because it is trending down doesn't mean that anyone thinks it's instantly hideous, it just means people are moving away from it (in areas where it has peaked) and something else is increasing in popularity (in those areas).

White has never been popular here, right in the city--if you look at RE and new construction they are a rarity-- but they are probably popular in the burbs, but so have heavily distressed painted finishes.

I think that "trendy" discusses incidence and not prevalence, to borrow from Public Health, Incidence being new occurrences and prevalence being how much exists. They will have a certain prevalence for some time to come, but the incidence of new white kitchens may decrease.

LOL That's EXACTLY the vibe I was getting from the black kitchen.

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Deleted Scene from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

I think it will be yellow. I'll know more after I meet the architect on Tuesday, when she will ask for my entire kitchen budget as a retainer, I'm sure.

Watch the rudeness, bluemoongirl.

White kitchen cabinets have been around for quite a while, but certainly not the all-white kitchens, which scream the zeroes and early '10s. I think what fascinates everyone is the zealotry and rigidity of the OTK inquisitors, and their willingness to embrace the most absurd beliefs with religious fervor--such as the idea that the hottest trend of the last decade is "timeless." We've also discussed here before what psychological need is being filled by people who need 'timelessness," and I'm not referring to concern that a big investment will be out of date. It's a kind of fantasy nostalgia, a longing for a fictionalized past that never existed.

and from Marcolo ;-)

Hmm. I thought the OTK was the Something's Gotta Give kitchen - white inset cabs, soapstone counters, medium wood floors.

There is a difference between style and fashion. If the kitchen fits the style of your house, it will never go out of fashion. It's all (or at least a lot) about context.

As far as the all-white kitchen as a trend goes, it would still be about 25 years before it goes off trend in my part of the country. Those magazines tend to be centered in big cities that turn over trends on a regular basis, so they get tired of things before they catch on elsewhere. Even with cable TV and the internet, we're a little slow on the uptake in middle America.

I think the OTK will age best in Colonial Revivals or similar styles with decent trim work built roughly between 1900 and 1920.

In other words, it's a pseudo Edwardian kitchen that belongs in an Edwardian house.

You don't think though, that in some way it has created it's own identity, and as a style that is really a variant and not a facsimile of a true Edwardian kitchen that it may take it's place as one of the kitchens known as 2000-2015 "contemporary"?

Many architectural styles and design styles (with some notable exceptions) do not really get categorized and named until after the fact.

Do we really need another "I hate white kitchens" thread? Either you like them or hate them. It's not rocket science. Shall we start a "I hate gray kitchens" thread? Or a "I hate cherry kitchens" thread? This is seriously becoming old. We get it. Some people on here hate all white kitchens and for some reason are dying for the rest of the world to confirm their hatred. Get over it. Maybe I had a bad day or whatever, but I feel like this topic has been so overdone. At this point we can start doing the "Oh do a google search on hating white kitchens and gardenweb and you will yield tons of results", just like we say to people looking for info on marble.

Marcolo's becoming Johnny one-note. "OTK, I'm aginn' it!"
Still hoping that Avocoado & Orange is prepared for the big comeback? The time is so right, 2012's gotta be the year! ;)
Casey

But the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. :)

I new it was taking too long to finish this kitchen.I'm just about done and the trend is over.

Pal- Now THAT'S a timeless kitchen! LOL

Timeless doesn't always mean that you'd want it, in your own home :)

Ohhhh, "Timeless".....

I won't put my clock in the new kitchen. Problem resolved.