KITCHEN IDEAS: Decorating With White Appliances & Painted Cabinets

THE BEST COLORS, CABINETS & COUNTERTOPS FOR WHITE APPLIANCES

Stainless steel is the most popular finish for kitchen appliances with black (including black stainless steel) coming in second place. As for white, well, it squeaks in right before almond and avocado – YES I SAID IT, I DID!

And BECAUSE of this, and because I ONLY use photos from my Color Consulting clients (I don’t ‘borrow’ other people’s work), I have MINIMAL PHOTOS of white appliances. However, I have HUGELY HELPFUL tips and guidance to get you on the right track. 

In this blog post, you’ll learn WHY these white appliances work in this kitchen…

Thank you to my clients for sending your photos in – even when they’re in mid-progress, they’re helpful! 

More IMPORTANTLY, you’ll learn what DOESN’T work when decorating and choosing paint colors when you have white appliances.

While white might not be the top contender in the appliance world, personally, I like white appliances (especially the newer modern style). These light, bright appliances offer a (potentially) low contrast, fresh vibe to today’s kitchens. However, the CHALLENGE is that white appliances can be difficult to coordinate.

WHY?

White appliances are generally a COLD, crisp white. However, with white cabinets being trendy, and the most POPULAR white cabinet colors being warm whites, you’re in for a hot mess if you start mixing and matching. Warm whites are popular because they suit more interior finishes (i.e. countertops) than cool or bright whites.

The most IMPORTANT thing you will read in this entire blog post is this…

You can’t have white appliances with warm white, off-white or cream-colored cabinets.

Actually, you CAN have the above, just don’t expect it to flow (with one exception).

WHY?

The cool white of your appliances will do one of the following to your warm white cabinets…

1. make them look more YELLOW in comparison to the cool white of your appliances
2. will make them look DINGY in comparison to your appliance’s cool white hue

HOWEVER, here’s the exception…

GE CAFE WHITE APPLIANCES & CABINET COLORS

GE’s cafe white appliances have a WAY different approach than the standard white appliances from the previous three decades.

Image from the GE website – GE Cafe White Appliances

Not only do these units have a more streamlined, modern look, but you can also customize the hardware on them. Why is this so handy? Choosing the brushed bronze hardware is a great way to add some WARMTH to your palette, making BRIGHTER warm white cabinets look more at home.

Just keep in mind, WHEN trends shift away from brushed bronze and gold/brass-inspired hardware, you MAY choose to update your appliance hardware to a different metal finish – this is where warm white cabinets could get a little left behind. Warm-toned metal finishes help to TIE-IN warm white cabinets.

Color & Chic offers a great view AND review on these appliances. Hoang Kim chose the BEST white for her kitchen and its finishes – Sherwin Williams Pure White. Why? Pure White has a more moderate warmth than the ever-popular Benjamin Moore White Dove and Simply White. This muted warmth offers a lower-contrast shift between appliance and cabinet.

In the above photo, while it shows stainless steel, you can see how white appliances could work with the ever-lovely Sherwin Williams Pure White.

Again, I don’t ‘borrow’ photos from other creators’ sites. When I DO link to them (which I rarely do), it’s to help them with their growth by getting your eyes on their pages!

THE BEST WARM WHITE CABINET COLORS WITH THE GE CAFE SERIES

• Sherwin Williams Pure White
• Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
• Benjamin Moore White Dove – expect them to REALLY look warmer than your appliances.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s move back to the more STANDARD line-up of white appliances.

ARE WHITE APPLIANCES STILL TRENDY IN 2023?

OTHER than the GE Cafe Series, no white appliances are not popular and usually* don’t look updated (and I don’t see this changing drastically in the near or far future).

*of course, there are ALWAYS exceptions, but they’re fewer and farther between when it comes to this appliance finish. 

CAN I MIX WHITE APPLIANCES WITH STAINLESS STEEL OR BLACK?

Mixing appliance finishes isn’t recommended. HOWEVER, based on budget, it can be a great short-term solution if you’re looking to transition out of white. In this case, I recommend mixing white with stainless steel – NOT black.

WHICH CABINET PAINT COLORS GO WITH WHITE APPLIANCES?

In this section, we’re not just looking at the best white colors but NON-whites as well.

Choosing white for your cabinets and appliances is a low-contrast approach, which means your appliances will blend in rather than stick out.

These appliances are so blended in you can’t even SEE them! 

THE BEST WHITE PAINT COLORS WITH WHITE APPLIANCES

For standard appliances, I recommend going WITH your appliance’s version of white (cool) rather than against it (warm).

Cool whites, or AT LEAST bright and simple whites, will coordinate better with your appliances than WARM whites. Just make sure that a cool white suits the surrounding finishes in your kitchen.

3 Steps to Pick the Best White Paint Color for Your Cabinets & Walls

If your surrounding finishes don’t SUIT cool or clean white cabinets, they likely don’t suit your white appliances either. 

I’m not trying to be mean; I’m just being honest (#truthbomb). If you’re thinking of buying white cabinets, these tips could prevent you from making a big mistake. If you already HAVE white appliances surrounded by warm finishes, life will go on; this is about stopping you from adding another awkward choice to your palette (cool white cabinets would be awkward). This means that if you have wood cabinets and are thinking of painting them white – you might want to think twice.

In this next kitchen, there are actually TWO great choices to consider…

1. The oak wood cabinets look GREAT. While they contrast moderately with the white appliances, the surrounding finishes visually support the cool white of their range and range hood.
2. WHITE cabinets would also look smashing. And because the backsplash tile is a brighter white and the countertop is a cool, stormy gray, choosing a bright white could be a gorgeous choice for this space (i.e. Sherwin Williams High Reflective White).

HOWEVER, while a white-on-white palette is easy on the eyes, it can also look stark and unfriendly, so you’ll want to keep these tips in mind…

TIP 1   CONSIDER NON-WHITE COUNTERTOPS

If you have white cabinets AND APPLIANCES, a non-white countertop could be a great move, offering your kitchen dimension, contrast and interest.

Dark countertops will help to ground the space and give your eyes something firm to land on. It will also break up the monotony of the whites and soften the effect of any potentially mismatched whites…

While the above kitchen only has a white cupboard panel on the fridge, it explains my point perfectly! The island is marble with gray/black, and the perimeter countertops are solid black granite.

The COOL-toned finishes shown above can visually support white appliances.

If you have a lot of black on your appliances (which a lot of the older styles do), black countertops will help to tie these details in so that they aren’t as overwhelming.

THE BEST COUNTERTOPS WITH WHITE APPLIANCES

MANY countertops suit white fridges, stoves, wall ovens and dishwashers, but MOST are either a cool or slightly warm gray…

• Caesarstone Stone Grey
• Caesarstone Clamshell (actually has a TOUCH of warmth to it!)
• Caesarstone Bianco Drift (another one with bits of passive warmth)
• Caesarstone Symphony Grey

TIP 2   BRING IN THE DRAMA LLAMA

If you’re not into darker/black countertops, white cabinets, appliances, and countertops can be pretty darn boring. An all-white space needs some contrast, drama, or visual interest. At the very least, I suggest using a soft gray countertop or fun cool-toned backsplash.

TIP 3   MAKE YOUR WHITE APPLIANCES LOOK INTENTIONAL

Often, white appliances aren’t treated as part of the plan, which leaves them looking uncoordinated and outdated.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

• To make white appliances look like ‘part of the plan’. If you don’t integrate your white appliances into your palette, they’ll look like an accident or something you can’t afford to replace right now (which might be the truth!)
• To make white appliances NOT the feature of your kitchen – your appliances shouldn’t be the focal point UNLESS they’re like the GE Cafe series, which are like jewellery for a kitchen. One way or another, we want the focus to be on your beautiful cabinets, countertop, backsplash or paint color.

HOW TO MAKE WHITE APPLIANCES LOOK LIKE PART OF THE PLAN

While you don’t need to do ALL of the items listed below, nodding at a few is a great way to integrate your appliances and create an updated palette.

• paint your cabinets the RIGHT white paint color
• surround your white appliances with COOL finishes, not warm ones
• if your kitchen has a lot of warm finishes, consider a warm NON-WHITE on the cabinets, which can be a good happy medium
• leave your cabinets a wood stain if the surrounding finishes are warm (as these finishes will demand a warm white cabinet color)

The Best Paint Colors to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets

While this last item won’t help your appliances look purposeful, at least you won’t CONTRIBUTE to the disconnect with the wrong paint color.

Here’s a BEFORE photo of one of my client’s kitchens. What could help these appliances look more at home?

A white subway tile backsplash.

Unfortunately (for the sake of this blog post), my above clients shifted to stainless steel appliances. However, I can show you how they updated their space with a white subway tile backsplash and a new countertop…

Could they have KEPT the black countertop and white appliances and JUST replaced the backsplash? You bet your booty they could’ve.

THE BEST NON-WHITE PAINT COLORS TO GO WITH WHITE APPLIANCES

If you’ve realized that white maybe ISN’T the best choice for your kitchen palette, you can explore other colors that won’t directly clash/compete with your white appliances and might even UPDATE their look.

Again, short of the GE Cafe series, few of my clients have white appliances – most choose stainless steel for its flexibility (hence the lack of photos). However, if you’ve got white appliances and want them to look their BEST, consider the following cabinet colors (as long as they suit the countertops/backsplash).

• Sherwin Williams Anew Gray
• Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray
• Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter 
• Sherwin Williams Network Gray

A little deeper, perhaps (that’s what she said)? If you want colors with a little more oomph (super technical term), you can also explore darker colors. Just know that the darker your cabinets are, the higher contrast they’ll be with your appliances.

• Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
• Sherwin Williams Dovetail
• other dark shades of gray
• some dark greige paint colors

FINAL FOOD FOR THOUGHT (without even opening the fridge)

If you have a lot of white in your kitchen, you might want to consider some warm tones and textures to add some balance. There are two ways to do this…

1. WOOD FLOORING

Wood flooring is a natural way to add warmth and texture to a room without interfering too much with color (as long as the wood doesn’t have a STRONG stain color).

2. BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERTOPS

Ooo, I love me some butcher block countertops – especially on an island!

3. WOOD CUTTING BOARDS & ACCENTS/DETAILS

It doesn’t take much to add some warmth and interest to an overly white kitchen. A few cutting boards, countertop stools or small details can add function AND form to a space.

4. STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES ARE BEST FOR RESALE

No matter how much you love your white appliances, unless they’re the GE Cafe line, they won’t do much for your resale value (according to popular opinion). Why? Stainless steel is seen as the most updated cabinet finish – not white.

READ MORE

6 Budget-Friendly Home Update Ideas

The New Era of Laminate Countertops & Why They Rock

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing White Paint Colors

The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands & Bathroom Vanities

Chat soon,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2016, UPDATED FOR YOU IN LATE 2022