White cabinetry is a classic, ageless choice, but the very stark white on white on white (cabinets, counters, backsplash) is fading now.

Wood stained cabinets are making a come back. Beige is still used, but, not as much. Hints of color are coming back in (yay for that).

I'm doing white cabinets and back splash, gray paint and a granite with a lot of grays in it. Flooring will be a darker wood. I had white subway tile in my last house and loved it so no plans to change. I've always had white, gold or beige walls and honey oak or cherry cabinets. As much as I like wood, I'm ready for something different. I've wondered the same thing as you but since I do like white I am going for it. I figure I can change paint colors over the years and the white will work with just about anything. Get what you like and change it if you get tired of it. Good luck.

I love white cabinets, they will never be out. Gray walls are nice and neutral, but the cold grays are not as popular anymore, So you are fine with warmer grays, but even those have a tendency to look muddy (to me atleast). Maybe look at some more off whites that lean towards gray rather than gray itself.

Maybe something like this

Have you considered light stained wood cabinets, I think these are such a beautiful medium between white cabinets and traditional stained darker cabinets.

Gray is a fine neutral backdrop. The problem comes in when EVERYTHING is gray--gray walls, gray cabinets, gray rugs, gray sofas, gray window treatments. It's very depressing. But gray walls as a background for beautiful colors--red/blue/green/yellow/purple/pink--is exciting and so pretty!

White cabinets will always be in style. I'm hoping all the gray walls go away, but dread to think just what will replace them. I cannot imagine having all the walls in my house, other than the bedrooms (and in some houses those are included!), all the same color. Unfortunately, with "open concept" they almost have to be as there are no halls, no natural dividers of rooms that allow someone to have a different color in each room of the house. I would hate that!

In my own house, my "closed" kitchen has SW Repose Gray walls AND cabinets as they work well with the other rooms and general look of my house. It's a very bright/light room as there is a huge bay window on one wall, with full west exposure. Even in the morning, it's light in this room due to that big window and the fact that the door next to it is usually always open, with a full glass storm-door on it.

The first time I decorated my kitchen, I painted the existing cabinets a green - it was deeper than Kelly Green but not as dark as Forest Green. The color came from the wonderful Brunschwig & Fils "Framboise" wallpaper in the room - a now long-discontinued paper. I took the green from the leaves around the berries.

The next time, I went more neutral - painted the cabinets a light "taupe", and used a Farrow & Ball wallpaper called "Polka Squares".

The background of this paper is the color I painted the cabinets.

Both times, I used wallpaper for both the soffits and the backsplash, using a sheet of brushed aluminum behind my stove and later installing off-white, crackle-glazed subway tiles behind it.

Over time, even though I love color, I realized that kitchens are very "busy" rooms - there is SO much going on in them - different items all smashed closely together. So I knew that "less is more" and treated my total remodel (finally! - new cabinets!) this way. I'm very happy with the results as it's a very calm, peaceful room.

But gray must be warmed up or it will look like the inside of a Navy submarine or battleship - not something I use for interior design inspiration! My kitchen is warmed up by the contrast with the woodwork - I used a VERY bright white - and my warm, mid-tone brown wood hardwood floor. On top of that, I used polished brass pulls and I have a collection of warm, rich polished copper on display in there as well.

It pleases me very much, and you should do your kitchen in whatever way pleases YOU. That is unless you're a flipper and only plan on being in that house less than 3 years. Then, follow the trends for YOUR neighborhood, remembering that trends in very high end, custom kitchens end up looking VERY different by the time they filter down to track houses and Big Box stores.

Beige/cream and gray/white aren't trends - never were, never will be trendable.

Beige/cream and gray/white are waves; constant undercurrents to whatever colors may be trending.

Sometimes beige/cream peaks. Sometimes gray/white peaks. At any given time one may be more relevant than the other but neither is ever totally irrelevant.

Take a step back to think about what truly speaks to you. I'm more of a creamy white, greige, natural wood stain person. Mostly because you can have an edited space in terms of minimal pattern, decor and accessories and it will still look "designed" and "done". There's enough chroma in the white and pattern/texture in the natural, unstained, blonde wood tones to stand on its own; enhancing with decor and accessories is really optional.

The white cabinets, white/gray counter tops, white subway tile situation doesn't fall into the pretty category for me. It's an empty shell of whiteness/neutralness that requires maintaining a crap ton of decor and styling in order to not look stark, cold and unfinished.

The grey trend started about 7-10 years ago which means it's definitely waning. Anytime you start seeing something in all the big box stores you can be sure it's on its way out.

You're right, cpartist. It started with the popularity of the Belgian designer, Axel Vervoordt, and his monochromatic, minimalist, almost stark, interiors. Punctuated by fine art. Then Restoration Hardware ran with it, and still does, bringing it to America. Now it's been watered down and at all the big box stores and tract homes. The problem is that it is quite severe looking, and only works if used with lots of texture, fine finishes, and architectural details.

Here is some of his work:

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/tell-all-vervoordt-article-012008

https://www.vogue.com.au/vogue-living/interiors/calvin-kleins-axel-vervoordt-designed-house-is-for-sale/image-gallery/c4e8fcb0ced5ba30d9a5f568ea2b2272?pos=1

Now if you can do gray like Brooke Gianetti, then you have timeless:

https://giannettihome.com/blogs/interiors/connecticut

Yes, the monochromatic back and white picture look is over. Thankfully. Grey or white, used with other colors, and woods plus other natural materials, will never be out of style. Unnatural gray wood, or gray cabinets with gray backsplash and gray floors and gray counters, is beyond dead. Gray is a color found in nature, together with many other colors. Don’t get stuck on just that one like that’s the one shot at color that a builder allowed you for everything.

The best thing is to do what you like and not worry about whats on trend. Use colors that make you and your family happy. I do like gray and always have used it somewhere in my house. I dont like greige or beige, and never have, so there has never been that color in my house on anything. Its always best to choose what you personally like, and dont worry about the trends and what anyone else is doing.

IMO you do what you love and forget what the trend is. If you want to go with the latest color for something get a couple of pillows for the sofa better yet get pillow covers and then change them every trend.

Frankly... if you plan not to flip your new home, do what you love. Note here, I did build a log kit home. And that I personally despise gray walls. They trigger my Winter Depression Effect. A small room (for me) fine, but nothing expansive to show off to everyone. For some reason I can deal with dark gray better than near-white gray... Maybe because with dark grays people are prone to put in effective bursts of color (which don't burst as well with the pallid grays)?

My kitchen:

It was trendy as all get out when I built my kitchen to have a white/grey monochrome kitchen. Sorry, I have to LIVE here. Don't worry about trends go for what YOU enjoy.

I have wood stained pine cabinets, an off white wall color with a light sage green accent wall (walls on three sides), black appliances, and my backsplash is painted sheet rock. Countertops are speckled quartz. (Speckled, btw, is now "OUT". Your quartz should look like granite, but I've seen posts hereabouts that indicate granite is on its way "OUT". Whatever. I picked quartz because it worked 100% for my brother.) Floor is wood look tile with that very aged look but still enough brown not to be mistook for depressive (to me) gray. Fixtures and hardware are oil rubbed bronze.

I LOVE IT. I would HATE living in a monochrome (hey, put those camera settings on gray tone like an old-time TV...) kitchen.

My Living room: (I am in a semi-open house, because neither extreme works for the way I prefer to live)

Same off white wall, plus same accent wall as kitchen. I went with a dark red IKEA sleeper sofa (I had to order special upholstery from a European firm - the IKEA colors were bland at the time). Five pillows, two of which are a rich brown that works with the house logs.

Mid-range toned wood floors - shows less dust or cat hairs.

Again -- do what you LOVE. What sings to your spirit. I'm effectively here 1.25 years and as McDonald's says... I'm Lovin' It.

I don't expect most of everyone to love what I've done, but I'm happy, and I had some good friends who have compatible tastes help me out on the IKEA sofa colors.

If you're building a house for yourself, do whatever you want. If you want stained wood cabinets and warm tones, do that and screw the trendy white and gray.

The house across the street from us is a flip (restored back to single family from being a triplex for decades) and is about to go up for sale. I got to see inside and there is so much gray. However, it's a very light mild gray, and it's counteracted by warm hardwood floors and original mantelpieces and staircase. A gray-lover would come in and see a house that's perfect the way it is, and a gray-hater (like me) would come in and see a blank slate and have an easy time repainting. So the gray walls work either way when you're a flipper, but if it's your own house and you don't dig the gray, don't do the gray. I'm not doing any gray in my house because I don't like it, but I sometimes wish it came gray instead of a motley assortment of garish colors that are much more annoying to paint over.

From the sound of it, the OP did not "love" this combination when she first saw it, but it's grown on her over time. While the opposite has happened in the past. We're all influenced by trends.

While wood cabinets can be claimed to be "timeless", the tone and color of them can date them. (As the OP discovered in a previous home). Those driftwood and bleached cabinets above that look "fresh" right now will look as dated as the pickled oak or honey oak of the 80's and 90's in another 10 years or so.

What you need to do is make sure that everything in your house works together and works WITH the house. This is easiest if the house has a strong style influence inherent to it. (CP's house is Craftsman, and therefore lends itself more easily to the warm tones she favors)

What is the rest of the house like? Because, yes, the grey/white thing has saddled up and is heading out of town.

Do what you love. Gray has been around for forever. So has white. So has beige. Etc. The big box stores are full of all kinds of things … and it doesn’t take long to get the similar kind of look anywhere.

Here's a great blog post by Laurel Bern about gray:

https://laurelberninteriors.com/2018/09/18/horrid-gray-trend/

It's important to understand trends, and what is currently trendy, so that you can avoid all of these.

Look for something timeless and personally enjoyable. You'll never tire of it and it will never be "out of fashion".

Trends are so tiresome.

Cpartist, think we all have the colors that make us happier and thats what we all should use. Life is too short not to be happy with your paint choices. Your colors make you happy, and thats a good thing. My choices, would probably not make most people all that happy, but, it makes me happy. I have more turquoise and black and red in my house, than most people would ever want to have, but, I can never get enough of it. It makes me smile. I also have a bit of gray, but the gray is always surrounded by a lot of turquoise and black. These have pretty much been in my color schemes since I got married back in 1959, in several different houses. They will never leave.

cat, your colors sound wonderful. While I wouldn't be able to live with them all the time, they are my favorite colors to wear, and I LOVE coming into houses that do have those colors.

Kate R Yes, gray walls are still HOT in Calgary. I'd estimate that 90% of the residential house interiors we paint are gray.

That being said, there are literally thousands of different gray tones to choose from. Greige ( gray + beige) was very popular a few years ago.

White has been the dominant color forever in regards to Kitchen Cabinet Painting in Calgary. But, last month we painted 2 different shades of gray cabinets; one lighter and the other a mid-tone gray in the bathroom.

Here is a nice looking set of dark blue Cabinets I found online. We didn't paint them. The rest of the Photos are cabinets finished by my company, Eco Star Painting of Calgary.

Before: Blond Oak Kitchen Cabinets about 50 years old.

After: Oak cabinets finished in light gray using Benjamin Moore Advance Paint in a satin finish. New handles were added to give them a different look.

satin sheen

Before

After:

This Kitchen Island was matched to the Kitchen Cupboards in a satin Lacquer, finished in a cream color. The home is in beautiful Lake Chestermere, Alberta, Canada

Benjamin Moore CC-844

Kate R Here is a 10 year old girls bedroom we recently painted blue. Notice the feature wall that was wallpapered.

About 5 years ago when she was only 5 years old we painted her room pink.

Her mother let her choose the color.

Does anyone know what the color of the month, this month, is?

This Old House says "Cranberry:"

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/color-month-april-2019-cranberry

ETA - although that was last month. I'm not sure they have May up yet.

3:-)

Hi Kate,

We live in NYC area, go to several open houses a month, many are multi million dollar properties.

On this end the answer is "no." Grey is very popular here and sends a mental note to perspective buyers that the property has been updated. Anything that is beige screams "builder" and all white walls translates to "landlord-rental paint"

Currently, buyers here shudder at anything in the orangy-red colors. I've heard countless people mumble at open houses "we'd have to redo the floors" when presented with outdated, bright orangey colored wood floors.

White kitchens and subway tile is received with relief and enthusiasm.

Having said that, "grey" comes in so many different shades that it's easy for everyone to find one they like.

Agree with everyone above though, find what you like and go with it! We have lots of grey in our home and love it, but our grey is in paint only and at that, on accent walls. I could easily have it changed in a heartbeat.

I think May is “Cinco de Mayo Mango” ...... white is classic as are wood toned cabinets which are making a comeback, especially in higher end homes. Believe it or not, oak , done differently, is also coming back. More subtle, without the flaming ( or whatever it’s called) , of the 70’s & 80’s, also in contemporary cabinet styles & finishes. Some are actually very beautiful ( i can see the “oak” haters’ eye’s rolling, lol )

I think it’s a regional thing. In my area, coastal So California & also the Palm Springs area, white walls are viewed as desirable by many, used almost exclusively in higher end builds & models, while gray walls are seen most often in lower end “flip” type houses. I do see a resurgence of wallpaper, done in a contemporary manner, on a few walls.