White kitchens look clean, bright and airy. The absence of color provides a blank canvas to showcase your favorite colors on plates, bowls, pictures and table linens. White even highlights the color of fruit displayed in a bowl. Depending on your choice of cabinets, fixtures and appliances, white kitchens can range from a starkly modern to old-fashioned.

White kitchen designs

For cabinetry, a homeowner has a wide selection of materials from which to choose. Thermofoil gives a sleek look that’s more durable than paint. For an aged look, cabinet grooves can be antiqued with a darker color. Pickled oak, pine and maple are good choices for beautiful kitchens with the warmth of natural wood.

White kitchens are used in any part of the country but are especially popular in sunny climates like Florida. Beautiful kitchens in farmhouses and urban lofts look equally good in white. Homeowners with collections to display frequently choose white.

A range of colors look great with white cabinets. Black-and-white kitchen designs look sophisticated and classy. Bright colors pop with white as a backdrop, while pastels are perfect for a beach house. A white-on-white scheme looks subtle and delicate. Shades such as avocado, gold and wine often look better paired with creamy off-whites rather than pure white.

One major advantage to using white is that it makes your kitchen look bigger. Interior spaces visually expand with higher light-reflective values, and white has the highest light reflection possible. Another advantage is that white lightens up a dark area, making it a popular choice for remodeling kitchens with little natural light. Homeowners with children who leave handprints everywhere may consider white a disadvantage. In addition, stark white would look inappropriate in some historical styles of homes.

White cabinetry can be used in many kitchen designs. Homeowners can transform a white kitchen into a 1950s-diner with a large-checked floor or a 1920s art deco motif with small octagonal tiles. Modern art stands out as if it’s in a gallery in a white kitchen, or you can introduce an antique sink for a farmhouse look.

White kitchen pictures

Get inspired by this beautiful white kitchens.

Now that you have seen white kitchen designs check out also modern kitchens and kitchen trends for 2011.