Gloria Graham, AKBD
Brendan Donovan Furniture & Cabinet Co.
3685 Investment Lane, West Palm Beach, Florida
Phone (561)254-7736,
kitchensforliving@gmail.com

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

CREATING AN INSPIRING WHITE KITCHEN

Art by Heidi Crockett Photo from Cloth Paper Scissors March/April 2011


Today's Let's Blog Off topic queries the source of our ideas.  Where does creativity reside?  Is it within or is it outside and all around awaiting discovery?  For me the answer is both.  Yes, it's all around us, for sure, but it also requires the eye of the beholder to breathe life into it.  Here is a recent example in my life of something I saw which inspired a blog post.

You may have the panache to pull off a monochrome white room that invites and stimulates the senses but for most of us going all the way with white runs the risk of BORING.  Since white is so "white hot"  at the moment, especially in the kitchen, I’m going to share with you the secret of how to make white pop.
One thing to remember is white is a team player, it’s all about the colors around it. As you know, I love art (a big source of inspiration). I recently came across this image in Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine which is a perfect example of how white can glow when surrounded by the right color.  I see it work time and again. White cabinets plus color equals stunning.  If your taste runs more to the conservative think camels, taupes or warm beige walls to create the contrast.

This example, by Holiday Kitchens, uses the same palette as the artwork!


If you’re more daring go for Apple Martini Green or Sky Blue.  The nice thing is if you want to go for the gusto paint is a safe bet.  It’s one thing you can change fairly easily and reasonably.

We used a tropical blue to pop the white in this kitchen. Cabinets by Holiday Kitchens, Inc.


Another thing to remember about white is that it’s just not white. There are probably hundreds of whites and they all read differently depending on your lighting and location.  The lesson here is to test your whites on site.  Consider the color for a full 24 hours so you can see how it looks as lighting changes throughout the day.

Rick Schultz Photo from Design Sponge


Many times wherever you find white you will also find black.  You can tastefully mix black and white cabinets or if you have guts and great lighting the walls could be black, as in this example.  This photo also serves as a great inspiration for many of the newer homes we have in my area with cathedral ceilings but short stumpy cabinets (thank you Mr. Builder).  If you can't afford to change the cabinets take advantage of the great space above for art.  Here, it carries the eye upwards taking attention away from shorty cabinets.

White wainscote panels are extra crisp against contrasting walls. Photo from tadacreations.blogspot.com


The same concept makes a contemporary statement from bitehome.com


This stunning Apple Green back splash looks like glass but it's actually a colored plastic by Opticolor!  So there you have it, inspiration of the day all inspired by a whimsical little piece of art!







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