Décor
45+ Best White Kitchen Ideas
Maureen M. Evans
Despite their timeless appeal, all-white kitchens are a deceptively polarizing design trope. While some people applaud the pared-back palette for its enduring versatility and sophistication, die-hard maximalists might find these spaces on the snoozier end of the spectrum. If you’re not sure which side of the great kitchen debate you fall on, we’re here to make a case for the neutral culinary corner.
Don’t let this one-tone wonder fool you. Whether you incorporate tactile materials, sprinkle in a little bit of art, or incorporate an occasional pop of color, all-white kitchens are packed with ample design potential. Bonus: Your sleek space will provide a canvas for the smallest details, be it some cool cabinetry hardware or a fresh batch of brownies. To prove it, we’ve culled the archives for the very best white kitchens to use as inspiration. From farmhouse-forward setups to modern masterpieces, these kitchens prove that an all-white equals a creative carte blanche.
Seeing double? Well, that’s sometimes the trick to bringing some visual intrigue into an all-white kitchen. Case in point: this space from Nicholas Obeid, which boasts dual Allied Maker pendants and vintage stools.
Never underestimate the power of great art. Designer Laura Hodges incorporated muted pieces into this newly renovated kitchen. The result? A happy medium between pared-back and personable.
As this Long Island, New York, home proves, an all-white kitchen can be a great blank canvas to show off all of your plates, cookware, and snacks. To perfect the look, designer Linda Rodin employed floating shelves.
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Employ Powerful Pigments
White might be the star of your kitchen, but it doesn’t have to be the only hue. In this Manhattan apartment, Dorothy Berwin, working with designer Sandra Arndt of Studio AKTE, gets the best of both worlds by adding a bubblegum pink Sabine Marcelis table to this high-contrast space.
For an all-white treatment that feels truly timeless, consider adding retro touches. With curved countertops as well as tiled walls and floors, this small kitchen by Mark Grattan feels like a walk down memory lane in all the right ways.
Ready to bring a dose of drama into your all-white kitchen? As Tim Godbold’s East Hampton, New York, home proves, the only way to go is up. Here, the designer enlisted Apparatus illuminants to flank the pitched ceiling, drawing the eye upward and making the room appear a lot larger.
All-white kitchens often receive the reputation of being cold and uninviting. So what better way to flip the narrative than by adding some well-appointed seats? Alex Logsdail perfected the look with these Carl Malmsten stools.
For an all-white kitchen with Mother Nature’s seal of approval, incorporate some organic touches. In this Malibu, California, home, Standard Architecture and Martha Mulholland warmed up the neutral space with timber elements.
Why settle for one material when you can choose two? Michael K. Chen deftly juxtaposed a ribbed wood base and Cristallo quartzite in this Manhattan abode.
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Paint with the Softest of Pinks
At first glance, fashion designer Carly Cushnie’s kitchen looks all-white. The reality? Barely-there pink walls offset the crisp cabinets, backsplash, and countertops, giving some warmth to the all-white-kitchen concept.
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Take Neutrals Up a Notch
If the thought of an all-white kitchen feels too sterile—but a pop of color is too bold—weave in some neutrals. Designer Delia Kenza worked with existing gray cabinetry in her otherwise white space. The classic island is updated with Patricia Urquiola barstools and lighting from Michael Anastassiades.
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Work with Statement Stone
Turn your all-white kitchen into a wow factor with the help of a standout island. Made with gray Bianco Gioia stone, this supersized setup in Tamsin Johnson’s home anchors the kitchen and acts as a jumping-off point for the entire Sydney home. Sink fittings from Perrin & Rowe and a vintage Gio Ponti chandelier round out the look in style.
Miky and Leticia Grendene, owners of the Miami hot spot Casa Tua, love nothing more than entertaining, and their classic white kitchen serves as the perfect gathering spot for guests. The space includes Wolf appliances, as well as Design Within Reach stools, which sit below an imported Carrara marble countertop.
Brigette Romanek designed a classic kitchen for entertainment executive Kent Belden’s Hamptons home. Tom Dixon Studio pendant lights and barstools from Thomas Hayes Studios complete the look.
Fashion designer Jeffrey Dodd’s Manhattan penthouse is a lesson in crafting a monochromatic space with character. The all-white surfaces and cabinetry make for a striking design.
Ave Home founder Lisa Rickert chose a bright white kitchen design scheme for her New Orleans home. Soft gray cabinetry, hardwood flooring, along with a black and brass Lacanche range, help to balance the look.
A New York apartment, designed by Michelle Gerson, features a sleek white kitchen complete with Van den Akker light fixtures above the island. A pair of white Dennis Miller stools enhances the design.
For a Hamptons beach house kitchen, interior designer Tamara Magel opted for a minimalist design. She outfitted the space with white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and sleek pendants from Circa Lighting. Exposed beams and wood flooring bring an earthy feel to the design.
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Make Your Island a Continent
Architect Piet Boon and designer Jennifer Schmidt take a traditional farmhouse kitchen to the next level with an all-white palette that still feels inviting.
Homepolish designer Jae Joo crafted a modern white kitchen for tech entrepreneur David Yaffe’s New York City condo. A mix of black and white marble, along with black stools and cabinets, make for a sleek design.
Homepolish cofounder Will Nathan’s New York City kitchen, which was designed by Becky Shea, celebrates the beauty of an open-floor plan. The industrial-style space features a large marble island, a trio of minimalist pendants, and open shelving.
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Work Entirely with Black and White
Bright white paint was used in Magdalena Björnsdotter and Erik Björklund’s century-old farmhouse in rural Sweden. The white kitchen features touches of black, along with a flea-market table, industrial-style chairs and a metal-and-driftwood pendant light by Olsson & Jensen.
Malibu, California–based interior designer Taylor Ogle transformed the kitchen in her parents’ Norman-style house on Washington’s Bainbridge Island into a contemporary space that’s full of character. Highlights include open shelving in a light wood tone and floor-to-ceiling glossed white tiles.
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Opt for High-Shine Surfaces
Retail guru Jeffrey Kalinsky’s New York townhouse is a lesson in minimalism. The all-white kitchen includes cabinetry by Bulthaup, a countertop and sink from Corian, fittings by Vola, and an oven and cooktop by Gaggenau. The pendant is by Bega, and the floor is terrazzo.
Bright whites add life to a kitchen by Los Angeles–based interior designer Jessica McClendon. From white walls to white cabinetry, the ultramodern space feels welcoming.
A Boston condo with an open concept, designed by Erin Gates, features a sleek all-white kitchen with a large marble island and wire counter stools from Rove Concepts.
The kitchen island and counters in this New York home are topped with a Caesarstone surface, the Bertoia barstools are by Knoll, and the 1950s pendants are Italian; the refrigerator is by Thermador, and the sink by Elkay has Rohl fittings.
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Select Striking Accessories
The kitchen counters and sink in Michael Bruno’s Tuxedo Park, New York, home are custom-made, and the dishwasher is by Fisher & Paykel.
An Italian industrial light fixture hangs above an antique bluestone table and 19th-century American Windsor chairs in the rustic-style kitchen of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s Santa Monica, California, home. An Ib Kofod-Larsen armchair and a midcentury Danish lounge chair in its original leather sit near the fireplace.
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Highlight the Architecture
In this formerly abandoned Swedish farmhouse, the kitchen’s range, hood, and sink are all by Smeg, the fittings are by Vola, the counters are Carrara marble, and the cabinetry is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White.
A 1912 Dutch Colonial in Philadelphia belonging to Keith Johnson and Glen Senk is an ode to French country chic. The marble-and-oak island is a replica of one at La Mirande hotel in Avignon, France, and the vintage grape-collecting basket is from the Champagne valley.
Inside a Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, family home, the kitchen counters are Calacatta Gold marble, the backsplash tile is by Waterworks, the range is by Capital, the stools are from ABC Carpet & Home, and the light fixture is by Apparatus.
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Maximize Natural Light
This New York studio apartment’s custom cabinetry is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Dove Wing. The countertops are Caesarstone, and the dishes are from Restoration Hardware.
A Gramercy Park, Manhattan, apartment features a kitchen range by Wolf, sink and fittings by Lefroy Brooks, cabinetry by Smallbone of Devizes, and a Bertoia barstool by Knoll.
This kitchen on New York City’s Upper West Side contains a Bertazzoni oven, a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator, and marble counters. The subway tile is from Home Depot, and the flooring is oak painted with a custom design.
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Fill It with Organic Touches
The kitchen inside a remote Uruguayan home boasts a pendant light made of leather, the ceiling beam is an old railroad track that was found in a nearby field, and the flooring is tinted cement tile.
The kitchen cupboard and marble-topped Tuscan tables are 19th-century, and the flooring is handmade cement tile from Florence, where this familial country home is located.
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Making Beveling Your Bestie
Custom-made lacquer cabinetry lines a wall of the kitchen in this Manhattan townhouse; the barstools are by Philippe Starck, the vintage light fixture is by Stilnovo, and Saarinen Tulip chairs by Knoll surround a table designed by John Meeks.
In this cheery Hamptons home, the kitchen cabinetry is custom-made, the stools are by BassamFellows, and the pendant lights are by Louis Poulsen; the refrigerator is by Sub-Zero, and the hood is by Wolf.
A 1950s FontanaArte chandelier and 1970s barstools in the kitchen of London designer Colin Radcliffe’s Notting Hill home; the cabinetry is custom-made, and the refrigerators are by Liebherr.
This New York City kitchen’s lacquer cabinetry is custom-made, the backsplash and countertop are Calacatta marble, the range is by Viking, and the refrigerator is by Sub-Zero; the print is by Ellsworth Kelly.
Pendants from a Czechoslovakian factory and 1940s stools by Warren McArthur in the kitchen of a New York townhouse; the oven is by Wolf, the floor is lined with Corten steel tiles, and the staircase is suspended from cable supports.
Bertoia side chairs surround a Saarinen table in the kitchen of Lisa Pomerantz’s New York home; the Akari light sculpture is by Isamu Noguchi, the candlesticks are by Ted Muehling, the cabinetry is custom-made, and the Tara sink fittings are by Dornbracht.
Photographer William Abranowicz’s Westchester ranch features Thonet bar chairs and a custom wooden table—along with sparkling white walls and milk glass–lined cabinets.
Ralph Lauren’s kitchen in Manhattan features a custom-made vent hood, white lacquer and stainless steel cabinetry, and a sleek island covered in Celador.
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Select Contrasting Cabinets
Wall-to-wall subway tile from Urban Archaeology looks crisp and clean in the Lexington, Kentucky, kitchen of fashion designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka. The mostly white space is softened by golden touches, from the vintage wall clock to the sink fittings by Newport Brass to a pair of pendant lamps by Rejuvenation.
The New York kitchen of fashion designer Josie Natori is a minimalist study in white, with cabinetry by St. Charles of New York, a Gaggenau cooktop, and a marble-topped island.
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Choose aCheckerboard Floor
The kitchen counters in a Beverly Hills cottage are quartzite, the cabinetry is custom made, and the flooring is Marmoleum.
In Erika Bearman’s Hamptons home, the kitchen stools are by Design Within Reach, the ceiling fixture is from YLighting, the refrigerator and wine cooler are Sub-Zero, and the photograph is from Natural Curiosities.
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