NON STERILE KITCHENS

I love white kitchens

you know I do...

but honestly, despite my 'love' of them

some of them leave me feeling a little 'cold'.

Some feel a little stark and sterile to me.

and that is exactly the opposite of what the 'heart of the home'

should feel like...

Using a lot of white requires a little something more than white
 in order to be cozy

adding a foundation of warmth in floor color helps

additions of baskets, painted furnishings, or plants

will help warm up a too cold kitchen

a contrasting counter top will keep an all white kitchen 'grounded', 

as will a contrasting back-splash

Add pops of color in fabrics and accessories.

A little softness will do a lot to warm up a white kitchen

When a white kitchen is taken too literally -

when there are white counters, and white floor, and white paint, and there is no relief to the vast

whiteness

 except maybe an appliance or two in hard and cold stainless steel

[and sometimes even those are white]

your kitchen can resemble more of an operating room than the hub of a home

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QUESTION FROM A READER:

Hello!

I love reading your blog, as we are in the process of repainting many of the rooms in our house.  I am having so much trouble finding a color for our kitchen.  Our walls are currently Benjamin Moore's "Victorian Garden"

 and I want to find a color that helps bring out the colors in our glass tile back splash and curtains, without making the kitchen too drab.  

Our vinyl floors have a pink tone to them and our cabinets are a maple with chocolate glaze.  There is a lot of natural light in the room with red accents in our curtains and tile back splash.

I'd love something with a more grayish undertone, if that's possible.  Thank you so much for your time!

Sincerely,

Kristi

Hi Kristi,
I agree that a gray tone will look very nice with the current back-splash tile and granite and possibly tone down the pink tone in the floor tile.  I would stay away from a green undertone because pink has a red undertone, which is complementary to green, and will bring out the pink floor tone.  I don't think you will have a problem with it being drab - there are plenty contrasts and warm woods to keep it warm and inviting. Here are a few colors to try.  Put some up next to the back-splash and the woods to make sure they compliment each other.

Benjamin Moore AUTUMN FOG or SILVER GRAY

Benjamin Moore GRANT BEIGE

Benjamin Moore CLASSIC GRAY

Benjamin Moore THUNDER

These are primarily warm grays, or gray beiges, and should look great with your warm toned back splash and wood.  Good luck!