Uppers in white is more likely to look dated. Anything you see a lot of is going to suffer from the whims of fashion. All blue cabinets, i think will look classic.

Depends on your layout. "Tuxedo" kitchens can be cool, yet they demand certain things to be met..very similar amount of lowers and uppers, for example..in short, they're harder to pull off.

Now having, say, free-standing or somehow interestingly incorporated pantry in a different color can be seriously cool too, depending on a kitchen.

Style of kitchen and cabinetry will play its role.

Modern(as in style) kitchen can incorporate even several colors used judiciously-and wood too-much like color blocking

Cottage, relaxing style kitchens are good place to play with colors and give less of a damn.

Now if the kitchen is more traditional in a sense that it reminds of many other kitchens-going all one color (whatever it is) in cabinetry-is probably best decision to be made.

Really . I think you need to go with white cabinets if you want timeless and add what ever color you like at the moment in accessories then you never have to worry about what is in .If you really blue maybe just the island painted blue and easy to change for little money when you get tired of blue.

Thanks all! We are going with Shaker cabinets. No island. I don't want all white cabinets - like I said, my main priority isn't timeless. It's a pretty straightforward L-shape kitchen with a tall shallow pantry on one end and the fridge on the other - plan would be for those to be white like the uppers, then everything in between on the bottom would be blue (including panel dishwasher). Or to go all blue and simplify! Aaaah the dilemma, lol. :)

So wise, zmith!! Just for me I'm stuck between these two styles and not sure which one to choose. One day I am all ABSOLUTELY WHITE + BLUE and the next day it's ALL BLUE FOREVER. Lol.

It all comes down to whether or not you tire of colors quickly. I do, so a blue kitchen would be out of the question for me.

Good point, though there is blue in both options! Blue is my absolute favourite colour ever. But I do wonder if I will like it in my kitchen forever.

I like blue, too. But, which color blue? Pale powder blue or Naval. It matters.

How much natural light is in the space? If there is a lot, then all blue would work. If there is limited natural light, then the blue/white combo or all white would be preferable. The decision is driven by the space.

I do know that I've been in some homes with all black kitchen cabinets and I haven't liked them. I thought I would, but when I was in the space, I felt like they were soaking up all of the joy from the room.

Regardless what you choose, it will be out of style in 20 years. Someone will say, what was she thinking? It might be you or it most likely will be someone else. Make yourself happy. Unless, you are moving in the next five years. In that case, white.

All white is timeless. You see it in 100+ year old houses. I personally like wood. but those aren't popular now. So my kitchen is what I want not what the current trend is. Colors follow a trend. Splitting colors on upper/lower cabinets is something only seen recently. Although I like blue cabinets now, someone really liked their avocado green or harvest gold in the 70s. Thrends, colors and styles go in cycles. Are you before, during or following the trend. Or do you care? Only you can answer that question.

I can identify with you- blue is my absolute favorite color and it's been so forever for me. I briefly thought about it for my kitchen (if I had an island I might consider a blue island because I think Patricia's suggestion and wisdom holds up- accessorize). My kitchen is not so bright, so I think blue might be too dark for my taste. Also and this is minor, but I like granite and don't care so much for the very white granites, so there you have it.

Since you are saying your choice is all blue or blue and white.....I might then go for the combination. I know I am no help.

I have always been a blue person and never cared much for green but someone recently posted some really lovely pale greenish gray cabinets (more green than gray and very classic looking) and I thought that looked great. Most of the blue cabinetry I have seen is deeper and that would not work in my space.

“I personally like wood. but those aren't popular now.“

Actually, that statement is only true for the darker wood cabinets in the espresso finish, or for dark cherry, or the older-style honey oak. That statement is quite untrue for wood cabinets in rift-cut white oak, cerused oak, or natural walnut. Those woods are huuuge right now, and a status symbol because they are usually quite costly. Just wanted to make that distinction.

Regarding blue - I assume the OP is talking about dark blue, mainly because that is the color that is very popular right now for people doing two colors in cabinets. If you love it, get it, but draw your own conclusions about its current super popularity.

A little more interesting would be a royal blue color.

If blue has always been your favorite color, then go for the all blue. Or do all white except for any tall cabinets.

The white on top/blue on bottom is trendy. If you love it, and will love it in 5-10 years then go for it.

Shaker cabinets i predict in the next 5-10 years will go the way of arch top raised panel cabinets. Meaning some new trend will push aside shaker cabinets. However if you love shaker cabinets and they go with the style of your house, go for it.

(For example, I loved shaker cabinets 30 years ago before anyone else was doing them, and I still love them. Plus my house is craftsman inspired so they work perfectly in my house and for that reason will stand the test of time)

We'd suggest painting them all blue!

Depends on the space and the "rest of the story". I've seen plenty of blue and white cab kitchens that look tired and the owner is just at the "which backsplash?" stage. Ditto all white cabs,ditto all blue cabs. Not one of these approaches is NEW, but certainly there are discernible rises and falls in popularity. I do what works for my eyes in my space. And,to be honest,some rooms rarely change much (my kitchen is among them) and some just get a refresh from time to time, and a few are in perpetual tweak state. This is a long-winded way of asking for a pic and a glimpse of the blue you love :-)

Uppers in white is more likely to look dated. Anything you see a lot of is going to suffer from the whims of fashion.

That is hilarious. White cabinets have been around for a hundred years.

I think from reading the replies------the sum total is that probably both will be dated and there is no wrong or right--------do what you love.

If you are looking for something that will not 'date' quickly (inside of 10 years) you are looking for something that is 'timeless'. A well-put together HOME will look handsome and 'appropriate' for 15-20 years, so long as it is well designed and well built.

A blue kitchen (imaging a country theme) in a HYPER MODERN house will never look right. And a high-gloss European kitchen will never look right in a super-cute-country home. Both are blue...both are beautiful but both are 'wrong' in the settings given.

So long as you:

A. Love the colour,

B. Love your design choices in the space,

C. Light the kitchen properly,

D. Wish to live in the house for MORE than 10 years,

....you can have whatever you want. A kitchen (any kitchen) can and will look 'aged' after 10 years. A dated look depends on what you are trying to pull off. All grey, with some grey, and some grey, some white and some grey is ALREADY dated....even though many people are still putting in those colours.

And remember all those DARK BROWN kitchens put in in the late 1990's and early 2000's? Yep. All of those are being ripped out. The life-cycle of a kitchen is roughly 20 years. A highly fashionable kitchen (in a hyper trendy area like LA or NY) will 'date' inside of 7 years.

If you wish to sell the house in 15 years you will need an update anyways. The kitchen may or may not need it. Only your Real Estate agent will be able to tell you the micro-economics of your area at the time of listing.

But again, a well thought out HOME will always look 'good' to buyers. As for your time in the home, you should get what you like.

I prefer a single-colour cabinet colour. I get very distracted when a two tone kitchen shows up. It is often 'over done'. Remember the KISS principle is ALWAYS in play with interior design. Keep It Simple Sally!

It’s definitely regional. I live in a very trend conscious area & I've noted a definite trend towards streamlined wood toned cabinets , both light and dark , done in modern styles. This is especially true in high end builds & remodels.

What kind of house do you have? Does one or the other speak more to the style of home?? That is how you keep things timeless... I feel like the idea of something being "dated" is when it is a strong trend used in the wrong space - like the almond laminate slab door cabinets put into colonials...

Also you have to consider size of space, layout, and other coordinating items along with the shade of blue...

Can you bring all that together in an all blue kitchen and be happy with it? Or do you need the white to give you a tie in?

I would go for an all blue kitchen in a heartbeat!

Which blue - well thats a whole other thread!

Good luck!

Thanks everyone for all the thoughts!!

homechef59 and salonva I worry about my space being too dark as well, with all blue, but I think it should be OK as long as I pick the right blue. And M Miller - no, I'm actually not talking about dark blue for the all blue version! hollybar mentioned pics, so here ya go! :)

Since some people mentioned the style of the house: Our house is about 80 years old. It has some old trim and old doors and part of our reno is getting rid of the mismatched trim and putting in all the older style. But the house has been renovated many times of the years so it doesn't have a traditional layout. The kitchen is open to our family room which will have light gray walls (as will the kitchen), white shutters and blinds, a gray-blue sofa. The kitchen will continue to have our kitchen table in it (though we will be getting a new one at some point) - no island. New stainless steel appliances. The main floor will have all the same hardwood in it, including the kitchen - a medium brown.

The kitchen has a big window but still doesn't get a lot of light. I wouldn't say it's super dark, just not super light either. Here it is now (excuse the mess!):

Here is kind of the planned layout (for example, the microwave will move to the left of the stove, and if we do white uppers with blue lowers we will def get a panel dishwasher to continue the blue):

I'd like to have black or dark hardware (very simple modern right-angled ones), though I'm not sure some of the blues I like would work well with that. And black lighting (the one light over the window, rest will be pot lights). Shaker doors. White tile, maybe with a slightly darker grout. Mostly white countertops.

I like a lot of different blue! But for the kitchen, the ones I see that I keep loving are:

https://www.hgtv.ca/shows/love-it-or-list-it-vancouver/photos/how-a-familys-cramped-main-floor-went-from-dated-to-dreamy-1902149/?fbclid=IwAR2WxPuTe2_ZkBSwF9O6krVHHyjBr3u2lmyIvMZ2e7DRYWbrLAVmAkt81WQ#currentSlide=12

(though I don't like the tile)

I like this type of blue if I was doing the upper whites, but not for all blue: https://www.houzz.com/photos/blue-steel-kitchen-portland-maine-transitional-kitchen-phvw-vp~111797963

I also really like this blue, but think I wouldn't be brave enough to do it all blue and that it'd be a combo with white: https://www.houzz.com/photos/west-11th-street-farmhouse-kitchen-phvw-vp~118002361

Here are some versions I have right now. The photos aren't great... in real life the wood is not quite this warm and will prob be a bit lighter (we're doing a custom stain).

The first three photos are ones I'm considering for the white uppers/blue lowers combo.

This first one usually looks more blue than gray, but at some points during the day def has a more gray tinge to it:

Doesn't look it here but this one is similar to the blue in the last link I shared!

This one def does not look this purple in real life, but does have purple undertones that I think i could grow tired of though love now:

This is the one I'm considering if I go all blue - just put the white there because it'd be the trim colour. It is more blue than gray in real life:

Sorry, I don' think those photos are very helpful! I can't seem to get better ones.

I notice that the kitchens you love don't have upper cabinets, except for the one that has blue upper and lower cabinets.

Classic white is always in. you see the color in new and in old kitchens no matter what anyone is doing.....the blue white is a screaming trend right now....if you watch the design shows now the hired professional designer, 99 out of 100 does a blue white combo every single time....you are looking at the same kitchen over and over and over again......and your neighbor has the same house. So I say do what works for you and fall in love with your kitchen; you are paying for it and you will be cleaning it so you should be happy.

Now that I've seen the space, all white. I don't like the blue cabinet colors.

How about all white cabinets? They will get you the light that you need in this space. For a backsplash, blue glass tile. This way you get classic white with a blue tile that you love. When you tire of the blue tile, it's easily changed.

suero, that's true! I find a lot of the white/blue combos that have the blue I like just has the island blue - which won't' work for us since we don't have an island! :)

Like:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/stunning-gourmet-kitchen-remodel-in-atlanta-transitional-kitchen-atlanta-phvw-vp~116232733

I also like this:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/el-dorado-hills-brass-and-navy-transitional-kitchen-sacramento-phvw-vp~138526554

Though I like this one, but not sure if the blue is a bit too bold for me:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/shoal-creek-addition-transitional-kitchen-austin-phvw-vp~141806251

But for all blue I def like the lighter blue:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/40-blue-kitchen-ideas-lovely-ways-to-use-blue-cabinets-and-decor-in-kitchen-de-phvw-vp~136494120

https://www.houzz.com/photos/promontory-project-studio-mcgee-phvw-vp~113657033

This is really nice but I worry about it being too dark:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/laurelhurst-remodel-transitional-kitchen-portland-phvw-vp~119727800

SO MANY BEAUTIFUL BLUES!!

Thanks homechef59 but I really don't want all white. I've had all white with blue tile in another house - loved it then, but want it now. The room is not really that dark??

Uppers in white is more likely to look dated. Anything you see a lot of is going to suffer from the whims of fashion.

That is hilarious. White cabinets have been around for a hundred years.

Yes all white cabinets have been around for 100 years, NOT white uppers with dark lowers. BIG difference.

What direction does that window in the kitchen face?

cpartist - it faces west and there is a house close outside. It's open to our family room which also has a big window that faces west (but not a house blocking it) and big sliding doors that face north. The area doesn't get a whole lot of light, but because it's so open it never feels dark, if that makes sense.

I'd go all blue. Since it's obviously a color you love a lot. I know that if I love a color a lot-I won't get tired. I don't care how many people love it simultaneously with me, or don't. I personally like "The Laurelhurst remodel" blue It's deep and warm and enveloping -I've an affinity to warm shades .It's all so personal..our response to colors.

It can change somewhat with years of course..to me though it's another color I come to love. Not a color I loved-and then stopped. I guess that would also vary.

I think windows in the upper cabs, per your plan, will be great.

(btw I'm not a "blue" person..not for cabinetry I mean. Neither I am a "white" person though. But if it works with a house, I'll work with it. I don't perceive colors as "dated"-combinations of colors and materials can feel dated especially if they don't correlate well with the house as a whole.

Also, cabinetry can be repainted, even though it's a PITA. But say my own cabinets-will have to be repainted/re-sprayed either at some point. I'll leave them same color most likely 'cause I made sure to pick the color I love, and that works well with the space-but they do take beating less well than stained (which I also love, depending on the wood in question-if I could I'd do stain)-so there is a touch up in the future in any case. After X years)

Yes, it's a question of picking the right shade. Right for your kitchen(light, etc), and for you.

What is the future flooring?

I have to laugh at my long time favorite Blue Willow kitchen becoming trendy.
In my dark kitchen (only windows in adjoining sun room and dining room)just a small accent wall in navy was too dark. You have more light but to keep it bright follow the white uppers trend. Then when you need to repaint cabinets you only need to paint the lower ones.
What if you did the small bit of walls a deep blue with cabinets oak or white for contrast ? Easier paint to change and it would be the same amout of area as lower cabinets.

I had a similar dilemma, except with gray. I love gray as a neutral decorating color, so I’m a bit sad that it is so trendy now. I wanted to do all cabinets in a light gray, but my husband really liked the dark gray better. I also liked the dark gray, but was worried about how dark it would look in our room. So we are doing dark gray base cabinets and very light gray uppers. It may become outdated and eventually we may even tire of it, but when we look at it, we will know that was the compromise that made the most sense. But I’m quite sure that we will absolutely love it for several years. We don’t live in a particularly trendy or design focused area, so our kitchen will look good by comparison for quite some time, outdated or not.

My favorite colors are blue and blue/green (teal). The majority of my clothing is blue. I have blue eyes. I helped DD2 paint her last kitchen dark blue lower cabinets with off white upper cabinets - 3+ years ago. It looked great in her kitchen, in her home, with her style. Is it trendy? I'd have to say yes. Does that mean you should care? Only you can answer that question.

Our 1yo kitchen is a F&B blue gray (more blue than gray, but certainly not navy). It reads more classic English (but that also has to do with the cabinet style and kitchen design). To me, all of the kitchens linked in this thread read new (within the last decade). I guess that's because of all of the blue and blue/white kitchens that have been on the internet the last 5yrs.

Since yours is a remodel why not stretch your imagination a bit. Think outside the box, even if just a bit, so that your blue kitchen stands out from the rest.

This very dark blue looks great to me...

I would do your first sample blue, as it has more grey tones in it, and I feel like that might "date" slower then the other colours. Were you thinking just white backsplash? Sorry if I missed that.

Thanks aprilneverends! The Laurelhurst remodel is super nice and warm. It's this blue:

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/colour-overview/find-your-colour/colour/hc-159/philipsburg-blue?color=HC-159

Which looks so different - at least on my screen! Colours are so tricky on screens and then the way the light affects it in the room. Aaaarrrgghh! :)

Part of me wishes I liked stained wood because I agree they seem longer lasting and that appeals!

The future flooring is 2.25" birch stained a similar but slightly lighter colour to the sample here:

Kathleen, there was a dark colour on the walls before and I didn't like it. Plus there's a wall you can't see, where our table is, so that makes the room quite darker if that's the same colour. Also I really want the family room and kitchen the same colour, trying to make the rooms feel more together, you know?

Ooooh mlb418 I could do dark blue on bottom and light blue on top!! (OH NO a third choice! LOL)

allison0704 - blue clothes and blue eyes here as well! Our living room (front of the house) will be a deep blue. My office walls are blue. Possibly I have enough blue in my life but I say nah! I'm not worried about it being trendy or not, but if the two options are equal in my mind and I need to decide, I can use that as a factor to help the decision a bit. Something has to help me decide! :) LOL I'm not sure I want to think outside the box. I want to use a blue I really like - if other people happen to like it, I'm not going to let that bother me or make me feel like I shouldn't use it.

Hooves, I do like that first blue but at times it is more gray than I'd like. That's why I like it as an option for the bottom with white uppers, so the uppers don't look too dark, you know? The plan is a white backsplash, yes.

It's interesting because the more we discuss this the more I feel passionate about all blue! So I think that's the answer - I just need to figure out the right blue for me and the room.

Though I do love some of those bold, fun blues... I just think I'd only be brave enough for them with white uppers! AAAHHH!!

I have to say, and it's a personal choice here (maybe I'm just un-trendy), but all other things being equal, I wouldn't want a house with an all-white kitchen.

Both of your preferences, assuming the right shade of blue (which might be different as has already been noted depending on whether it is blue and white, or all blue) sound beautiful. I think a darker, more "country" blue looks great with white, while an all-blue one should be more muted and lighter.

I'd actually painted my old kitchen at one point - when I first moved in - with white cabinets and blue trim everywhere, and did the lower doors blue as well (a lighter shade of the dark country blue trim). No photos available - this was years ago, and about 10-12 years past I went with an entirely different color scheme. Basically, that house was very CHEAP cabinetry. But I enjoyed that blue for well over 12 years before changing it out. I probably would have loved it longer if that kitchen were anything remotely near functional - and since I'd recently bought the land that I've now built on and moved to - I didn't have the urge to do major renovations on that place - so I simply did a color change then. (Said changes would have been Major - knocking out an exterior wall and so forth...)

Please consider a lighter wood floor! Please, please, please. You have a dark space. You will be adding a dark(er) kitchen (regardless of the colour of the uppers). You will have created a dark-on-dark kitchen with the only 'light' thing being a white counter. PLEASE reconsider the wood floor colour.

Your walls will turn your 'blue' a very strong grey. A gray wall will dominate a blue cabinet. Whatever 'blue' you see right now will ONLY be visible in SUPER HEAVY LIGHTING conditions. Once those conditions are removed (ie the sun moves around to the other side of the house) you will have a gray interior.

The yellow-light that comes from the sun will be missing. You can ADD THIS BACK IN by working with a natural wood floor colour - such as natural white oak or natural maple. You can get the yellow tones of the FLOOR to reflect into the room just like sunlight. Of course it will be coming from the floor, but the idea will be the same.

And please rethink the gray. Gray is already 'out' as a trend. Start with 'primer white' until you get your lighting updated and the cabinets are in. And I would prefer to see white hardware...again, to keep things light and airy. And white against blue is particularly handsome...that's why so many people use white counters with blue cabinets.

Good luck. Please be aware your choices are going to darken this space by at least three steps. If that is what you are looking for, then you are welcome to continue. If you were hoping for 'brighter' then look to the flooring to add 'light'.

Mismatched is going to look "dated". I strongly suspect it'll be sooner rather than later.

I personally love blue cabinets -- saw SUCH an incredible blue cabinet at the custom cabinet place last week /I even liked the marble countertop, which I rarely do -- and I think MOST people are okay with blue, even if it isn't their first choice. Blue is "basic enough" that it isn't going to go out of style /appear questionable in the future.

Still, given the choices you present, your safest bet is likely white cabinets and blue walls. Blue walls -- even backsplashes -- are easy and inexpensive to change, whereas changing cabinets (even just painting them) is real work and/or real money.

However, having said that, color is only one feature of your cabinets. It's not white cabinets or blue cabinets that'll look "dated" in the future, it's the color PLUS the style PLUS the hardware -- the whole package matters.

Nothing is timeless. Yes, white has always been a popular ktichen color, but a Mills Pride high-gloss white arched door from the 80s is not timeless, for example. No matter what you do, in ten years you will have a middle-aged kitchen. There's just no getting around that if you actually use the kitchen every day.

Some things become classic, but it takes a long time for that to happen, and there's always a period of "ugh--that!" in the process.

I can well remember when everyone on GW was putting in travertine and talking about how it would never go out of style since it was a natural material. As long as the marketing machine exists, everything will go out of style eventually. So I would just do what you like, try to create a kitchen that harmonizes with the age and style of your house, and not worry about it.

SJ McCarthy, I know the floors will darken the area. I'm concerned about that as well. The sample I showed is darker than what we are planning. The thing is, the floor goes through the whole main floor and finding a floor I like everywhere and that suits everywhere isn't easy! I don't like a lot of yellow in my floors and I'm not going to put a floor down I don't like, obviously. We've looked at lots of different samples in our area and so far this is the best for us. I don't like natural maple. I don't like the normal grain in oak and the nicer oak is too expensive. We have natural birch now in some of our house and I don't like it - too amber. We debated doing a water-based finish on the birch so it wouldn't be so amber but it looked so plain and boring. The flooring company suggested tinting the water-based finish a bit to put some amber in but not too much, but I didn't love that look either. Trust me, going with the darker option wasn't our first choice, though I admit I really do love the look of it. Our compromise is to try and get that tone and feel but a lighter version of it. I will look again at some lighter stain colours but I don't think natural is for me and I want more brown than yellow.

I don't really think our space is that dark though. Maybe I just have low expectations! Here's another pic from the back of the family room looking into the kitchen.

I took this today with no lights on and it's been rainy and thundering all morning so very cloudy outside:

I know gray is on its way out as a trend - I don't really care? But I'm also not committed to it at this point. I'd love to go white but with kids and pets feel like a light gray gives us a better choice. Your point though about the gray walls bringing out the gray in the blue is a very good point though - def something to consider! The cabinets won't meet the walls in many places, but I'll keep it in mind regardless. We were thinking about going with what is supposed to be a neutral gray, no blue undertones - maybe it'd actually be better to go with blue undertones to try and keep it more blue?! Would that help at all?

There is also white tile, glass doors on the top of the cabinets - all that adds to lightness, no?

I appreciate your thoughts on this, even if it just sounds like I'm being disagreeable! :)

After reading the thread and seeing pics of the space....I'd decide on the cab color first, the floors second and the walls last, after the cabs and floors are done. My inclination for you would be all blue cabs. & in truth,I doubt that gray walls will make the cut at the end.

I actually liked that color floor you posted - I didn't like that particular blue against it though...

You will get there! Just keep at it...

Thanks hollybar and Debbi! The walls will def be last choice. Someone suggested a light neutral gray for me, but that's as far as I've gone with it - I haven't picked up any samples or anything yet. Trying to figure out the kitchen and floor first!

I would make the cabinets all white, and use blue in the backsplash. You will be less likely to tire of it, and it would also be easier to sell later on. Cabinets can last a very long time, but the backsplash is easier to change out when you tire of it or sell.

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