HomeThe Best Paint ColoursNeutral, Gray, Greige Cream and WhiteAre White Walls, Cabinets & Exteriors Still Trendy?

Are White Walls, Cabinets & Exteriors Still Trendy?

Posted on January 8, 2022 by KylieMawdsley

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 laundry room with mud room built-in benchs, hooks, cubbies, white subway tile, gray tile floor. Sherwin Williams High Reflective White, Kylie M Interiors online paint color consultant

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…

Are white paint colours on walls, cabinets, exteriors still trendy in style. Kylie M INteriors Edesign, onilne paint colour advice

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.

Kitchen, living room, dining room - open layout, Sherwin Williams Alabaster, red oak floor, warm white paint colour, painted cabinets. Kylie M edesign

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!

Sherwin Williams Pure White, warm wood flooring, bamboo blinds, popular white paint colour, Kylie M Interiors Edesign

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.

Same white on trim, ceilings, walls, cabinets. Foyer with Benjamin Moore Super White and Sherwin Gris painted front door, white oak flooring. Kylie M Interiors diy decorating ideas and edesign

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.

Pure White compared to bright white trim. Should all surfaces be same white. Kylie M Interiors Edesign

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 Super White match on kitchen cabinets with Silestone Calacatta Gold white quartz countertop, white oak, subway tile. Kylie M Interiors Edesign

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

Benjamin Moore White Dove, painted kitchen cabinets (Baby Fawn), island, dark wood floor. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online consulting and diy

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…

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

Modern farmhouse bathroom in Benjamin Moore Super White. White tiles and vanity, quartz, walk in shower, black faucet, accents. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online diy decor blog

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.

Alabaster, White kitchen, Alabaster, Island Sherwin Iron Ore, Viatera Aria, Sandbar. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online virtual paint color consulting. Kitchen remodel

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.

Cherry kitchen cabinets painted Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, best off-white warm gray paint color. White quartz, Roycroft Pewter painted island, white oak floor. Kylie M Interiors Edesign

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.

White and gray quartz countertop in small bathrom, green accents, Balboa Mist paint colour on wall. Client photo, Kylie M Interiors Edesign,

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.

Staircase, greige warm gray carpet, white railing, shiplap feature wall in stairwell Sherwin Williams Web Gray, Pure White trim, walls. Kylie M INteriors Edesign, online paint colour expert, advice

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.

Exterior, best white paint color, Sherwin Alabaster. Grey metal roof. Gray shutters, pink toned brick. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint colour consulting

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

Ideas to update any room in your home with Kylie M E-designs, diy blogger and Online Paint Colour Consultant. Expert in Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint colour

Chat soon,

Kylie M Interiors Edesign, signature, online paint colour consultant using Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint colours. DIY update advice ideas

 



Comments

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      Author
  1. I plan on painting my whole first floor in SW Aesthetic White. Do you think that color would date a house if it were going to be sold in five years or so?

    1. Post
      Author

      Well, Krista, there’s no guarantee with colour, but I think this will be a much safer bet than all gray. I LOVE Aesthetic White and with the way trends are shifting, I see people using it MUCH more in the coming years ~!

        1. What color do you plan on using for trim? I have accessible beige on my walls and am thinking of lightening to aesthetic white.

  2. I had to chuckle while reading this post. We’ve been in our home for over 25 years and will probably be here another 10 years. We are on the fence when it comes to following trends – we pick and choose what we feel fits our home. A couple of years ago we remodeled our upstairs master and hallway bathrooms and choose wall colors leaning into current trends – which we love. The ceilings in our house have all been SW Dover White – always. This post made me take a good look at them – and I just can’t see a yellow read in our home. Conversely the remodeling crew bought BM Dove White for the new ceilings – against our requests. They must have assumed the colors were similar? Our decorator and we didn’t realize what the issue was until later. The Dove White looks awful in our home. I’m sure there are always exceptions to guidelines.

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      Author

      Oh, you bet there is, some colours suit some homes very well! And yes, in comparison to Dover White, White Dove could look more flat for sure.

  3. Many of us shop at Target and a current trend is Studio McGee. If you had to pick a color for the walls to suit this style, what would it be? I have an older home with plaster walls that have imperfections. I wanted to paint pure white but was was told that will show all the flaws.

    1. Post
      Author

      Oh, I’m SO JEALOUS, we don’t have Target anymore :(. So, with the imperfect walls, there’s a fine line between painting your walls a colour you love and trying to camouflage imperfections. Yes, light colours will show more imperfections, but that doesn’t mean they just disappear with a dark colour – and you’d have to LIKE dark colours for this to even be a valid option. Based on the post you’re reading, I’m inclined to say that choosing a matte finish will at least help downplay the flaws and from there, I would just choose a colour I love (Ie. Sw Pure White/Alabaster/BM White Dove/BM Swiss Coffee).

  4. Pingback: Biggest Interior Paint Color Trends for 2022 in India

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