New This Week: 3 Kitchens Rock a Gray-and-White Palette
White cabinets with gray walls or accents provide a soothing foundation with a lot of potential for elegance
The most popular trend in kitchen design is white cabinets with gray walls. That’s according to a 2016 survey by Houzz on kitchen trends. And while that might sound like a restrictive approach, this neutral palette has a lot going for it. For example, it lets you highlight other features, such as a great view or patterned backsplash; creates a calm, soothing space; and is great for enhancing natural light without being too sterile-looking. Here, three kitchens that employ three different styles offer a glimpse of the possibilities for rocking white cabinets with gray walls or gray accents.
Why the design works: “Demolishing most of the existing interior walls and adding the addition to the back of the house was the solution for all of our clients’ issues and gave us the space to design a beautiful and functional kitchen,” designer Gabriele Pizzale says. “Adding the island gave a large prep area and additional seating, while the full-wall cabinetry behind it creates a smooth traffic flow with lots of storage. Moving the sink to the island meant that the owners could wash their dishes and prepare meals on the island while continually facing forward, to keep an eye on the children or stay in conversation with their guests while they entertain.”
Designer secret: “Using different countertop colors for the island and the perimeter, and having a variety of different hardware styles, helps set any kitchen apart,” Pizzale says. “It gives it the designer look while also adding interest.”
Also on the team: Lenny DaSilva (contractor and millworker); Melissa Gorton (assistant designer); Mike Chajecki (photographer)
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Wish (walls), Oxford White (trim), Dove Wing (cabinets) and Overcoat (island); island countertop: Britannicca, Cambria; perimeter countertop: Devon, Cambria; backsplash: tile blend in herringbone pattern, Verona Tile; sink: double bowl in stainless steel, Kindred; faucet: Essa in chrome, 9113T-DST, Delta; pendants: Harrow in oil-rubbed bronze, Feiss; counter stools: Cabo in dark gray, Elite Living; drapery fabric: 33786-5, Kravet
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Designer secret: “Using different countertop colors for the island and the perimeter, and having a variety of different hardware styles, helps set any kitchen apart,” Pizzale says. “It gives it the designer look while also adding interest.”
Also on the team: Lenny DaSilva (contractor and millworker); Melissa Gorton (assistant designer); Mike Chajecki (photographer)
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Wish (walls), Oxford White (trim), Dove Wing (cabinets) and Overcoat (island); island countertop: Britannicca, Cambria; perimeter countertop: Devon, Cambria; backsplash: tile blend in herringbone pattern, Verona Tile; sink: double bowl in stainless steel, Kindred; faucet: Essa in chrome, 9113T-DST, Delta; pendants: Harrow in oil-rubbed bronze, Feiss; counter stools: Cabo in dark gray, Elite Living; drapery fabric: 33786-5, Kravet
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2. Traditional
Designer: Nina Azoulay, also the homeowner
Location: Westmount, Quebec, Canada
Size: 352 square feet (32.7 square meters); 16 by 22 feet (4.8 by 6.7 meters)
Homeowners’ request: Expand a 10-year-old kitchen for a growing family of five to comfortably handle cooking, entertaining, doing homework, relaxing and reading. To gain more space, designer Nina Azoulay removed a wall and a powder room.
Gray and white: A piece of contemporary photography that now hangs near a banquette and depicts an ocean after a storm inspired the serene palette. Azoulay used varying shades of gray for the countertop along the perimeter and on the banquette and island stools. Warm white cabinets have subtle gray undertones. Lantern-style pendant lights are made of frosted glass and metal. The cabinets are painted in White Dove and the walls in Revere Pewter, both by Benjamin Moore.
Other special features: Marble slab backsplash with large gray veins.
Why the design works: “For this kitchen, mood was everything,” Azoulay says. “I set out to create a space that felt calm with just a touch of drama. The next task was to decide where the work zones would be. A kitchen should not only look good but function well. To achieve this, you need to limit the space between your sink, stove and fridge. Once the flow and functional elements were decided upon, I then moved on to balancing out the space. Some elements that bring calm and order to a space are symmetry, proportion and scale.”
Designer secret: Azoulay used leatherette to upholster the banquette and bar stools to make them easy to wipe down. Outdoor fabrics on the pillows provide stain resistance. She also used stain-resistant Caesarstone for the perimeter cabinets and saved the more delicate marble for the island, where only light prep work would be done.
“Uh-oh” moment: “When we took down the powder room walls that divided the old kitchen, we discovered 10-foot vertical pipes in what would become the center of the new kitchen,” Azoulay says. “The only way to accommodate the pipes was to run them under the floor and up against the existing exterior concrete back wall. To conceal the pipes, we had to build a new wall over them, in effect a false wall. This presented a unique opportunity to create a niche in this wall to display the art piece that inspired our color palette.”
Also on the team: Doris Lassard (contractor); West Island Kitchen (cabinetmaker); Leona Mozes (photographer)
Banquette and bar stools: custom; table base: Silverado, CB2; tabletop: custom laminate, Richelieu Hardware; white pillow fabric: Perennials; other pillow fabric: Great Plains, Holly Hunt; Morris medium lantern in polished nickel: Suzanne Kasler; island and backsplash: Statuario Venato marble; perimeter countertop: Caesarstone in Raven; gas range: Wolf; cabinet hardware: Union
Designer: Nina Azoulay, also the homeowner
Location: Westmount, Quebec, Canada
Size: 352 square feet (32.7 square meters); 16 by 22 feet (4.8 by 6.7 meters)
Homeowners’ request: Expand a 10-year-old kitchen for a growing family of five to comfortably handle cooking, entertaining, doing homework, relaxing and reading. To gain more space, designer Nina Azoulay removed a wall and a powder room.
Gray and white: A piece of contemporary photography that now hangs near a banquette and depicts an ocean after a storm inspired the serene palette. Azoulay used varying shades of gray for the countertop along the perimeter and on the banquette and island stools. Warm white cabinets have subtle gray undertones. Lantern-style pendant lights are made of frosted glass and metal. The cabinets are painted in White Dove and the walls in Revere Pewter, both by Benjamin Moore.
Other special features: Marble slab backsplash with large gray veins.
Why the design works: “For this kitchen, mood was everything,” Azoulay says. “I set out to create a space that felt calm with just a touch of drama. The next task was to decide where the work zones would be. A kitchen should not only look good but function well. To achieve this, you need to limit the space between your sink, stove and fridge. Once the flow and functional elements were decided upon, I then moved on to balancing out the space. Some elements that bring calm and order to a space are symmetry, proportion and scale.”
Designer secret: Azoulay used leatherette to upholster the banquette and bar stools to make them easy to wipe down. Outdoor fabrics on the pillows provide stain resistance. She also used stain-resistant Caesarstone for the perimeter cabinets and saved the more delicate marble for the island, where only light prep work would be done.
“Uh-oh” moment: “When we took down the powder room walls that divided the old kitchen, we discovered 10-foot vertical pipes in what would become the center of the new kitchen,” Azoulay says. “The only way to accommodate the pipes was to run them under the floor and up against the existing exterior concrete back wall. To conceal the pipes, we had to build a new wall over them, in effect a false wall. This presented a unique opportunity to create a niche in this wall to display the art piece that inspired our color palette.”
Also on the team: Doris Lassard (contractor); West Island Kitchen (cabinetmaker); Leona Mozes (photographer)
Banquette and bar stools: custom; table base: Silverado, CB2; tabletop: custom laminate, Richelieu Hardware; white pillow fabric: Perennials; other pillow fabric: Great Plains, Holly Hunt; Morris medium lantern in polished nickel: Suzanne Kasler; island and backsplash: Statuario Venato marble; perimeter countertop: Caesarstone in Raven; gas range: Wolf; cabinet hardware: Union
3. Contemporary
Designer: Michelle Burgess
Location: Seattle
Size: 204 square feet (18.9 square meters); 12 by 17 feet (3.6 by 5.1 meters)
Homeowners’ request: Transform a dark kitchen with wood cabinets, a black tile backsplash and rustic tile floors into one with contemporary style, natural light, smart materials and a larger island.
Gray and white: White walls. Soft cotton-white Caesarstone countertops. Gray back-painted glass backsplash. Anodized steel stools. Stainless steel appliances. The neutral palette allows the space to showcase the movement of natural light throughout the day, and places emphasis on views of Puget Sound and a century-old beech tree.
Designer: Michelle Burgess
Location: Seattle
Size: 204 square feet (18.9 square meters); 12 by 17 feet (3.6 by 5.1 meters)
Homeowners’ request: Transform a dark kitchen with wood cabinets, a black tile backsplash and rustic tile floors into one with contemporary style, natural light, smart materials and a larger island.
Gray and white: White walls. Soft cotton-white Caesarstone countertops. Gray back-painted glass backsplash. Anodized steel stools. Stainless steel appliances. The neutral palette allows the space to showcase the movement of natural light throughout the day, and places emphasis on views of Puget Sound and a century-old beech tree.
Other special features: Large sculptural pendant lights with hammered-brass interiors. Light maple floors. Glossy cabinet doors and drawers. Large island. “I wanted the island to read as very mysterious and [have a] monumental shape,” designer Michelle Burgess says.
Designer secret: “I spend a good deal of time on a site and allow myself time to do research on the site with materials — watching the way light is working, [noticing] how the spaces feel — before I begin any kind of design drawing,” Burgess says. “This is where design can become artistic.”
Also on the team: Fradkin Fine Construction (builder); Vision Woodworks (cabinetmaker); Ryan Landworth (steel artisan); Jim Houston (photographer)
Countertops: Caesarstone in Blizzard; 20-06 counter stool: Design Within Reach; Beat Fat black pendants: Tom Dixon, available on Houzz
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Designer secret: “I spend a good deal of time on a site and allow myself time to do research on the site with materials — watching the way light is working, [noticing] how the spaces feel — before I begin any kind of design drawing,” Burgess says. “This is where design can become artistic.”
Also on the team: Fradkin Fine Construction (builder); Vision Woodworks (cabinetmaker); Ryan Landworth (steel artisan); Jim Houston (photographer)
Countertops: Caesarstone in Blizzard; 20-06 counter stool: Design Within Reach; Beat Fat black pendants: Tom Dixon, available on Houzz
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Designer: Gabriele Pizzale
Location: Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Size: 247 square feet (22.9 square meters); 21½ by 11½ feet (6.5 by 3.5 meters)
Homeowners’ request: Transform a 1950s galley kitchen without upper cabinets by building an addition on the back of the home and creating an open-concept layout with lots of light.
Gray and white: White Shaker-style cabinetry with custom molding. Charcoal gray painted island. Gray-and-white herringbone-patterned backsplash. Quartz countertop that resembles marble. Stainless steel sink and appliances. Oil-rubbed bronze pendants. Dark gray stools.
Other special features: Skylights. Glass-paneled door to the backyard. Hardwood floors. Large-scale pendant lights.