New This Week: 3 White Kitchens, 3 Different Styles
A few key accents can make one all-white kitchen look and feel completely distinct from another
All white kitchens are not created equal. Even if you go with white cabinets, white walls and white countertops, a few well-chosen flourishes are all it takes to create vastly different kitchen styles. The following kitchens show how the all-white look can be interpreted three different ways.
Designer secret: “My secret was to introduce the grayish-blue focal color outside on plantation shutters,” Allen says. “Upon entering the home, your eyes are immediately drawn to the same blue in the backsplash. Color repetition is a way to create a soothing environment.”
“Uh-oh” moment: “The ‘uh-oh’ moment came when the long-standing vacant lot was purchased next door,” Allen says. “Anticipating the new home would block the view from the intended windows, we shrunk the windows down in scale. The narrow width will distort any clear view of the future structure, but still allow for the west-facing natural light.”
Also on the team: Bertelsen Contracting; Finish Point Trim & Millwork (cabinets); Smoky Mountain Tops (countertops)
Tile: Walker Zanger via Tile Sensations; bar stools: Ballard Designs; pendant lights: Hicks, Thomas O’Brien; hardware: Closet Solutions; faucet: Newport Brass; paint: Functional Gray, Sherwin-Williams
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“Uh-oh” moment: “The ‘uh-oh’ moment came when the long-standing vacant lot was purchased next door,” Allen says. “Anticipating the new home would block the view from the intended windows, we shrunk the windows down in scale. The narrow width will distort any clear view of the future structure, but still allow for the west-facing natural light.”
Also on the team: Bertelsen Contracting; Finish Point Trim & Millwork (cabinets); Smoky Mountain Tops (countertops)
Tile: Walker Zanger via Tile Sensations; bar stools: Ballard Designs; pendant lights: Hicks, Thomas O’Brien; hardware: Closet Solutions; faucet: Newport Brass; paint: Functional Gray, Sherwin-Williams
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2. Industrial
Designer: Maura J. Miller of Bakes & Kropp Fine Cabinetry
Location: Tribeca neighborhood of New York City
Size: About 900 square feet (83.6 square meters), including bar and living area
Homeowners’ request: Minimalist design with open shelves to display collections of art and corkscrews
Style shot: Aluminum-framed school-type windows with embedded chicken wire; oversize stainless steel industrial pendant lights; large range hood in polished stainless steel and polished nickel; oversize cabinet handles. “The predominantly white kitchen is the perfect answer for showing off art and mini collections on a clean and strong background,” and makes a statement about the client’s taste in oversized objects, says designer Maura Miller
Designer: Maura J. Miller of Bakes & Kropp Fine Cabinetry
Location: Tribeca neighborhood of New York City
Size: About 900 square feet (83.6 square meters), including bar and living area
Homeowners’ request: Minimalist design with open shelves to display collections of art and corkscrews
Style shot: Aluminum-framed school-type windows with embedded chicken wire; oversize stainless steel industrial pendant lights; large range hood in polished stainless steel and polished nickel; oversize cabinet handles. “The predominantly white kitchen is the perfect answer for showing off art and mini collections on a clean and strong background,” and makes a statement about the client’s taste in oversized objects, says designer Maura Miller
Other special features: Stained oak shelving; glass-front refrigerator; dark grout
“Uh-oh” moment: “The glass-front Sub-Zero refrigerator was a great idea until the homeowner started putting things in there and didn’t like the way they looked since she could see into the refrigerator,” Miller says. “I ordered her some chicken wire baskets with liners of various sizes, which played subtly off the windows and had a slightly industrial feel to them, and she could throw all sorts of loose things in them and not worry that it looked messy.”
Also on the team: King Construction Group (contractor); SMDesigns (tile)
Handmade Italian subway tile: SMDesigns; countertops: Super White, honed with 2½-inch mitered edge, Pental Quartz; custom range hood: Bakes & Kropp; refrigerator and wine storage: Sub-Zero; range and microwave drawer: Wolf; dishwasher: Bosch; cabinet handles: Sugatsune; cabinet, trim and wall paint: Decorator’s White in various sheens, Benjamin Moore
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“Uh-oh” moment: “The glass-front Sub-Zero refrigerator was a great idea until the homeowner started putting things in there and didn’t like the way they looked since she could see into the refrigerator,” Miller says. “I ordered her some chicken wire baskets with liners of various sizes, which played subtly off the windows and had a slightly industrial feel to them, and she could throw all sorts of loose things in them and not worry that it looked messy.”
Also on the team: King Construction Group (contractor); SMDesigns (tile)
Handmade Italian subway tile: SMDesigns; countertops: Super White, honed with 2½-inch mitered edge, Pental Quartz; custom range hood: Bakes & Kropp; refrigerator and wine storage: Sub-Zero; range and microwave drawer: Wolf; dishwasher: Bosch; cabinet handles: Sugatsune; cabinet, trim and wall paint: Decorator’s White in various sheens, Benjamin Moore
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3. Coastal
Designer: Victoria Hessler of Distinguished Kitchens & Baths
Location: Lantana, Florida
Homeowners’ request: An open kitchen that can function for two cooks and has a coastal cottage look
Style shot: Clean, contemporary feel through white perimeter cabinets, with a coastal vibe coming from white oak in a driftwood finish on the island. Blue island stools, a porcelain-tile floor with a natural wood look, a woven wood shade and bronze pendant lights with a linen-shade interior also contribute to the coastal charm.
Other special features: Large island; paneled appliances
Also on the team: Eva Locke of EML Interiors
Floor tile: Nature in honey, 8 inches wide, Walker Zanger; island countertop: Carrara marble; perimeter countertop: quartz in Vanilla Ice, Pompeii; pendants: Maidstone, 12 inches, Troy Lighting; backsplash subway tile: Frost, 3 by 6 inches, Fireclay; stools: Caroline in Chambray, Ethan Allen; cabinetry: Hampstead in Frosty White (perimeter) and quarter-sawn white oak with driftwood finish (island), Keyline collection, Crystal Cabinets; shade: Sierra in Snowcap, Hunter Douglas
See more of this kitchen and house
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Designer: Victoria Hessler of Distinguished Kitchens & Baths
Location: Lantana, Florida
Homeowners’ request: An open kitchen that can function for two cooks and has a coastal cottage look
Style shot: Clean, contemporary feel through white perimeter cabinets, with a coastal vibe coming from white oak in a driftwood finish on the island. Blue island stools, a porcelain-tile floor with a natural wood look, a woven wood shade and bronze pendant lights with a linen-shade interior also contribute to the coastal charm.
Other special features: Large island; paneled appliances
Also on the team: Eva Locke of EML Interiors
Floor tile: Nature in honey, 8 inches wide, Walker Zanger; island countertop: Carrara marble; perimeter countertop: quartz in Vanilla Ice, Pompeii; pendants: Maidstone, 12 inches, Troy Lighting; backsplash subway tile: Frost, 3 by 6 inches, Fireclay; stools: Caroline in Chambray, Ethan Allen; cabinetry: Hampstead in Frosty White (perimeter) and quarter-sawn white oak with driftwood finish (island), Keyline collection, Crystal Cabinets; shade: Sierra in Snowcap, Hunter Douglas
See more of this kitchen and house
More
Cooking With Color: When to Use White in the Kitchen
New This Week: 4 Dreamy White and Wood Kitchens to Learn From
New This Week: 4 Ways to Punch Up a White Kitchen
Designer: Martha Allen of Martha Allen Design
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Size: 238 square feet (22.1 square meters); 17 by 14 feet
Homeowners’ request: Move the kitchen to the back to capture views of the Tennessee River and Smoky Mountains; create an open, casual and relaxing style
Style shot: “With the house being a ’60s ranch, it was a natural decision to choose a kitchen design with a slight contemporary feel,” says designer Martha Allen. A graphic tile backsplash, pendant lights and hardware with an antique-brass finish, and a custom driftwood color on the island base help warm the crisp contemporary style.
Other special features: Oversize Cambria quartz slab on the island; refinished hardwood floors in custom grayish-brown stain; bridge faucet