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Design Dilemma
roni_lagamjis

Are white kitchen cabinets a trend that is on it's way out?

rolam1
10 years ago
I've been reading that the white kitchen is on it's way out. Is this true?
Featured Answer
  • qam999
    10 years ago
    There can't really be a truly timeless kitchen, IMO.

    However, some kitchens have aged and will age better than others. Here are tips for a kitchen that is likely to age well:

    1. Make it practical - ease of cleaning and convenience of use will always be in style. If you have a choice between a heavily convoluted backsplash behind your big range and a smooth one, go smooth for a 10 sec wipedown rather than 5 min. (As much as I love my Shaker cabinets, I believe if 19th century Shakers were building cabinets today, with our current materials, they would choose completely flat panel doors, based on this reasoning.)

    2. Avoid materials, colors, and details that are new to the market (at least in your hard-to-change items). Those new materials and styles often catch the eye and look very fresh and appealing. Paradoxically, in many cases, the fresher they look today, the more groanworthy they will be in 10 years.

    3. Prioritize function over form.

    4. Coordinate with the style and era of your house and neighborhood.

    5. Avoid the most extreme examples of everything. E.g. if you choose granite, don't choose the wildest swirls or boldest colors.

    6. Make it something you personally love (assuming you're not the type who falls for every newfangled deco idea). This helps avoid the "builder blah" look which ages poorly because it is SO bland that there is no redeeming feature to distract the eye from possibly slightly outdated features.

    7. Prioritize geometric detail like stripes, checks and hexagons over pictorial detail like fruit or roosters (on hard-to-change items).

    8. Look over decorating books of past eras....I've read a lot from the 20s onwards. Take a look at their design choices and what they felt was "timeless". Form your own judgment as to what did and didn't stand the test of time. This can be done even with decorating magazines that are 5-10 years old. Which of the HOTTEST items of 2003 would you be willing to install today even if you got it for free? (Remember those skinny trough sinks? They violated #1, 2, and 3 above and I believe by now at least 75% of those ever made have been ripped out...the rest are collecting dust in the middle of an island.) See any commonalities? Impractical, new for new's sake, bizarre departure from what is expected.

    9. Consider every era and style you have access to or knowledge of and use the best solution from each.

    • Comments (26)

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