By Caroline Picard
There's no shortage of white kitchens in the world. Make yours stand our from the rest with these luxe upgrades, whether it's the perfect paint color, hardware or complementary backsplash.
1. Curved Glass
They took a solid year to make, but the beveled, leaded-glass inserts in an elegant Maryland kitchen were worth the wait. "Turns out, it's very challenging for glass to do what I wanted it to do, but the results are perfect," says designer Richard Anuszkiewicz.
Jennifer Hughes
2. Contrasting Hardware
The painted hinges blend in, but black pulls stand out in an informal
Florida kitchen by Tammy Connor. Pale oak floors and butcher block counters reinforce the laid-back vibe.
Mali Azima
3. Mesh Inserts
Rebekah Zaveloff didn't want a boring block of solid cabinets dominating a Michigan home, so she came up with the idea of speical wire-mesh fronts. The hazy inserts — overlaid with a metal diamond pattern — obscure what's inside, giving a little more organizational leeway.
Nathan Kirkman
4. Saturated Shelves
Even if you definitely want white fronts, don't forgo the opportunity for color inside. A cottage kitchen took advantage of glass-front cabinets by adding a surprise
turquoise hue —
Benjamin Moore's South Beach — within.
Simon Upton
5. High Gloss
To get truly sparkling whites in a
New York kitchen, Louise Brooks combined
Benjamin Moore's high gloss Super White with crystallized glass counters. The pass-through above the
Franke sink allow parents to keep an eye on the family room while prepping dinner.
Julian Wass
6. Distressed Wood
With shiny lacquer on one end of the spectrum, designer Ken Fulk went with the other way, repurposing old fencing as cabinetry in a weekend house. The fridge handle — once galvanized pipe — is the product of upcycling too.
Victoria Pearson
7. Special Glaze
Pratt & Lambert's Wraith coats both the kitchen walls and cabinets in a
newly built Tennessee farmhouse. Designer Barbara Westbrook also commissioned
Morgan Creek Cabinet Company to hand-paint a glaze on top. "the effect is the patine of a home that has grown over generations," she said.
Pieter Estersohn
8. Brass Accents
Cabinets in
Benjamin Moore's Acadia White allow a Hudson Valley kitchen's showstopping backsplash —
Mosaic House's
Batha Moroccan tile — to shine. The brass pulls specifically coordinate with the gleaming knobs on a
La Cornue range.
Trevor Tondro
9. Clean Lines
Faced with outdated brown cupboards above and below, Michelle Adams refreshed a Michigan kitchen with
Home Depot cabinets underneath and open shelving up top. The subway tile comes from
Floor & Decor.
Beatriz Da Costa
10. Hint of Gray
It might be called Chalk Gray, but the
Pratt & Lambert shade reads more as a warm white than light charcoal. Barbara Westbrook paired it here with painted terracotta backsplash tiles from
Walker Zanger.
Pieter Estersohn
11. Classic Shade
It's one of the
best-selling paint colors for a reason.
Benjamin Moore's White Dove makes a stereotypically small Manhattan cook space take on the light-and-bright feel of a farmhouse kitchen. Designer Celerie Kemble added brass hardware and a milk-glass chandelier to bounce around even more light.
Christopher Sturman
12. Mirrored Fronts
Antiqued mirrored glass on white cabinet doors employs another space-faking illusion in a 19th century Brooklyn home. Granite countertops in Imperial White stick to the theme.
Francesco Lagnese
13. Custom Fit
John De Bastiani outfitted
a Los Angeles kitchen with custom cabinets in Farrow & Ball's All White for "a light and airy indoor/outdoor California feel."
Dennis & Leen's Canzone chair in a
Le Gracieux fabric works as both seating and storage.
Joe Schmelzer
This article,
13 White Kitchen Cabinet Ideas That Look Incredibly Fresh, originally appeared on
House Beautiful.