Are White Walls, Cabinets & Exteriors Still Trendy?

Is the ALL WHITE HOME still a thing?

Ahhhh, the million-dollar question – literally, for those who’ve covered their home inside and out, head to toe in WHITE. Is white still in style as a paint color and interior finish? Are people still doing white cabinets, countertops, walls and exteriors? Are people still covering their ENTIRE HOMES IN WHITE?

The short answer is YES…but you don’t read my blog for short answers as there’s a LOT more to it than one wee word.

White paint colors became HUGELY popular in the previous three to five years with the modern farmhouse trends. What started out as a penchant for shiplap feature walls and board and batten accents morphed into an ALL-ENCOMPASSING passion for everything WHITE!

And because white doesn’t relate to just paint colors and walls, let’s break it down into manageable bites…

Please note, this blog post isn’t about telling you NOT to do something based on TRENDS, not all of us are trend-followers (I’m somewhere in the middle, personally). This blog post is about offering ADVICE to those who are worried that a particular trend, style or finish could limit the future potential of their home; either style-wise or as it relates to RESALE. Cool beans?

IS WHITE STILL A TRENDY PAINT COLOR FOR WALLS?

Yes, based on my Online Paint Color Consulting clients, white is still going strong. This doesn’t mean that every home can pull it off, but white walls are definitely popular and I don’t see that changing in the coming year.

Sherwin Williams Alabaster

However, cool whites are NOT in. If you’re looking for what’s in style, you’ll want to lean into whites with a bit of warmth. UNLESS you don’t care about resale, in which case, you can do whatever the heck you want and probably aren’t worried about trends anyway!

The Ultimate Guide to White Paint Colors

Should you paint your WHOLE HOME white?

Because this trend is still reasonably strong, I don’t see why not. However, as trends shift down the road, you could choose to add some variation by painting secondary rooms different colors. This is why ANY white you choose needs to be FLEXIBLE.

Benjamin Moore Super White

If your WHOLE HOME is white, should the walls and trim be the SAME?

While you can sometimes have some variation, ‘generally speaking’, consistency is the EASIEST way to create a flexible home. So, yes, your walls, trim, cabinets, ceilings, doors should be the SAME WHITE; you’ll just shift the SHEEN or FINISH for some subtle variation.

White Walls, Cabinets & Trim – Do They REALLY Need to Match? 

Which whites are the most popular?

As far as choosing a WHOLE HOME white, I have a few almost fool-proof ones that I refer to ALL the time in my E-Design. Here’s a quick list to get you started…

• Benjamin Moore White Dove
• Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
• Sherwin Williams Pure White
• Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
• Sherwin Williams Alabaster
• Sherwin Williams White Snow

The 5 Types of White Paint Colors: Warm, Cool, Bright & More

See the FULL REMODEL HERE

Which white paint colors should you avoid?

While the following whites are BEAUTIFUL, using them on a large scale will limit your home’s feature potential to humour new colors and trends…

• Benjamin Moore Decorators White or anything with a comparable cool hue
• Sherwin Williams Dover White or anything with a comparable yellow hue
• I’m on the fence with Sherwin Williams Extra White

Remember, YOU CAN LOVE THESE COLORS AND USE THEM, this isn’t what this blog post is about. It’s about answering the question of, ‘which white paint colors will be trendy and flexible for as long as humanly possible‘, in other words, don’t kill the messenger (wink wink). These colors are often best for SINGULAR spaces or rooms, rather than whole-home commitments.

IS WHITE STILL A TRENDY PAINT COLOR FOR CABINETS?

HECK YES, white cabinets aren’t going anywhere!

Why?

Because whether YOU personally love them or not, white is THE most timeless paint color for kitchen cabinets (and trim). If you’re looking for the SAFEST bet for your cabinets, that has the best chance of holding value in the coming years, white cabinets are where it’s at. For all of the gray, beige, cream and blue cabinets I’ve advised on, it’s WHITE that wins the race.

How to Create a Timeless, Trend-Proof Home – 4 Part Series

Benjamin Moore Super White

Which white paint colors are the most trendy for kitchen cabinets?

As far as I’m concerned, it’s less about TRENDY and more about FLEXIBILITY. Any white you use on a surface that you DON’T want to repaint every five years should be FLEXIBLE.

• Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
• Benjamin Moore White Dove
• Sherwin Williams Pure White
• Sherwin Williams White Snow
• Sherwin Williams Alabaster

Sherwin Williams Alabaster

ARE WHITE QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS STILL TRENDY?

Ahhh, see, this is where it gets tricky.

Which white quartz are you considering, what neutrals or colors are in its VEINS?

With trends leaning warmer, countertop companies have started TWEAKING their white quartz countertops to accommodate the warmer end of things. Whereas at the start, we were limited to quartz countertops with gray veining, newer quartz countertops are picking up on greige and beige, giving them more FLEXIBILITY to adjust with the trends and suit incoming styles.

Sherwin Williams Pure White & Roycroft Pewter

If you’re installing a white quartz countertop in your home, consider one that has FLEXIBLITY and isn’t just married to one hue (the most common one being a gray vein with a violet undertone). Without flexibility, you’re limiting your home to colors that belong to one trend, making updating a trickier and more EXPENSIVE venture.

Where else are you using white? Walls, trim, cabinets, exterior?

It ALSO comes down to how much white you plan on using in your whole home. Are you planning on white walls, trim, cabinets, exterior and countertop? This is a trend that we’re definitely sitting in right now, but in the coming years, things will shift to a more contrasting approach. In five years, I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to see which homes were built during ‘the white era’ of 2017-2022.

As it relates DIRECTLY to trends, not personal tastes (I’ve got other blog posts for that), I would hesitate to do an ENTIRE HOME in white in 2022 and onwards. Or at the very least, I’d have some fun with feature walls.

IS WHITE STILL A POPULAR COLOR FOR EXTERIORS?

I would say this is where we’ll start seeing more of a shift in the coming year or two. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good white home and there are some homes that will ALWAYS LOOK GOOD white. However, as it relates to TRENDS, I see this one shifting down a bit.

So there you have it. If you’re not SURE whether to do white or not, I’ve got DOZENS upon dozens of blog posts to share with you, to help you make your big decision!

READ MORE

6 Questions to Ask Before You Paint Your Cabinets White?

The 5 Almost Fool-Proof White Paint Colors For Your Home

3 Steps to Choosing the BEST WHITE PAINT COLOR For Your Home

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing White Paint Colors

How to Choose the Right LIGHT BULBS/KELVINS For Your Paint Color

NEED HELP?

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOR CONSULTING

Chat soon,