You guys know the story. Once upon a time, we moved into a builder’s beige dream (see: the exact opposite of what I really wanted) and (though it took us a while to get up the nerve) decided to stop waiting. We changed our home over to something truly us.
Our only regret? That we hem-hawed around it for three entire years.
When we were getting ready to paint our kitchen (I was terrified to ‘break the rules’ and go paint a perfectly fabulous (UPS brown) house to make it what I wanted – HELLO, INFJ/INSJ) someone gave us this advice : It’s counter intuitive, but white cabinets are actually easier to clean and keep clean.
Since then, we’ve really expanded white, in some form, to every single area of our home. We have places where white walls are so prominent and others where it’s subtle… and while I’m sure it will change, it’s become my favorite color to use. A great staple.
It’s the not-so-neutral neutral, because it makes such a statement and remains so flexible, all at the same time. If I want to integrate some purple, I can. If I want to add an accent wall, I can. If I want to add red with purple, I can. The world might just stop spinning. But I can.
It’s fun, people.
The biggest question I get all the time? How’s the white holding up?
It’s just like the cabinets. They’re counter intuitive.
Three crazed offspring + one two ton dog = easy-peasy rice and cheesy.
I’ve had both. My experience may be different from others, but when we first moved in, everything was matte and beige. I spent more time cleaning the walls with an 18 month old Aiden than I do now with two more children.
Honestly? For us, white = less mess.
Let me be clear with this: No matter which high tech process you use, once you paint your cabinets, they will eventually require some form of touch-ups. Unless you live in a museum, that’s just life, and that’s okay. We do that every now and again, giving them the once-over with the clorox wipes once we decide the cabinets have become too abhorrent to bear. (See: sticky chocolate fingerprints (at least I think that’s chocolate…) and splattered orange juice.) Then we cover up the occasional places that need touch-ups.
And our walls will always have foot and hand smudges every now and again. That’s just life. But honestly, I don’t notice that much, and that’s what magic erasers are for.
I don’t have a cleaning schedule or anything… just a when-I-notice-it kind of policy. Read: I can’t be bothered to search for them.
The key for keeping it clean? I think is going for an eggshell (or slightly glossier) finish on the walls. It easily wipes away anything spilled or smudged. And high gloss on the cabinets/doors/shelves.
It makes wipe aways easy, and keeps our whites looking bright.
And that’s it! The easiest transition we’ve ever made. We love it, and just wonder what took us so long!
White sofas on the other hand… are entirely different policy for the Mills Hizzy.
Do you have white in your house? Do you find it oh so easy like we do? What are some of your favorite tips for keeping your walls and cabinets clean? Is there something you’d change?
Having trouble deciding which colors to use in your home? Here’s a few more posts we’ve written that are similar:
Have an inspired day, y’all!
Lynn says
I’m loving the whites. It’s funny the thought processes and how us homemakers think of them. My Grandma Dorothy was always serious about not being dirty. She wanted things easily cleaned and dirt hidden; browns, blacks and oranges and colors near dirt color, vinyl tableclothes where a must. It makes me giggle to think how dark her home was. My mama on the other hand always had a white kitchen; I guess I’m a mix of all those different ideas and maybe a few of my own.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful home.
ashley @ the handmade home says
So true! Love that. I grew up with a white kitchen. And one of my favorite kitchen styles is farmhouse. Maybe that’s why I feel the way I do, as well. People get excited about their kitchens. ;}
JT says
I love this! We have white in our home as well and it’s true what they say. It’s counter intuitive!
Jenna says
Your home is beautiful. And this is perfect timing with all the white were ready to do. I can’t wait to make that change. Thank you for your inspiration!
Robin @ The Desig{nest} says
Your white paint is beautiful! LOVE the wood shelves in the dining room too! Just curious, how did you attach them to the wall?
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Robin! Thanks so much! You can read all about that, here. https://www.thehandmadehome.net/2011/08/how-to-build-shelving-from-reclaimed-wood/ ;}
Kim says
I love the idea of white but I’m struggling with how to incorporate it in my home We just redid all of our baseboards to a larger, chunkier board and painted them Behr Ultra Bright White – it’s also the color on our windows. I’d love to do a white on my main floor walls – it’s entirely open concept throughout the main floor (cape cod style home). Do you or any of your readers have experience with trim that is ultra bright white and then painting walls white? Maybe I should try a greyish or blueish white instead…..guess I’ll have to just give it a try.
melanie herrington says
Kim-I couldnt resist commenting on your question. I have to spread the love of white walls to all I can!! My go-to whites are Benjamin Moore Moonlight White for a softer/warmer tone and Decorators White for a crispier feel. Horizon is also a nice soft grey next to a bright white trim. I use these constantly in projects for myself and clients. I also just used Moonshine in a clients bedroom and it might be my new fav. Good luck and GO WHITE!!!!
Whitney M says
Thanks, Melanie! Your house sounds gorgeous! I just painted my kitchen cabinets Sherwin Williams Pure White and want to paint my living/dining/foyer (all open to the kitchen) white. I love the Pure White and it matches are appliances well. I’d love to put it on all the trim. I’m just debating on whether or not to paint Pure White on the walls or another shade. Is the Decorators White Benjamin Moore? I will have to make a stop at Benjamin Moore and check out those colors!
Melanie says
Whitney-. You are sweet to say but my house is and will always be a work in progress. yes decorators white is Ben Moore. Go white or go home!!!
Kim says
THank you, Melanie! I’ll check those out for sure. I appreciate your comment!
ashley @ the handmade home says
I adore Melanie’s answer. Definitely give those a whirl! I did everything in the same color – trim + walls. Chantilly lace. They’ve been great!
jennifer matzke says
Love the white! I painted my kitchen cabinets apple green and love them but now I feel it might be time for a change. Thanks for the inspiration!! PS – WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR TOO SEXY LAUNDRY PRINT?!! I must have that!! Thanks again for all you do!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Jennifer! You can make your own! Read all about it here.
Katz says
Such a timely post. We just put in a laminate greyish brown laminate floating floor and my stained Early American cupboards just don’t match. I have always been in love with white…even when it wasn’t the “in” color but several people in the last couple of days have told me I don’t want to paint them as they will look awful all of the time. You have simply reinforced what I already have found in painting molding, dressers, etc. Thanks!
melanie herrington says
I am also a white lover!!!! If I could, my floors would be white too. I have three little ones and we have built 2 houses and if we build another that too will have white kitchen and white bedrooms. I painted the playroom a lovey grass green and I DO love it BUT I am over it. I think all things pop better in a white room. My husband thinks white is boring but our house is very colorful. This is hard to express to someone that has never had white walls. My floors are concrete and walls are white. Two of my favorite things. Happy Tuesday!!!!!
ashley @ the handmade home says
I love concrete floors too. Awesome! ;}
Jami Nato says
praise Him.
Christina says
I love white!!!! I’ve seriously been thinking about painting our living/dining room white, but it would be a huge change since it’s dark gray right now. The hubs needs to think on it a while longer I think. We do have white cabinets, and I adore white kitchens. Our cabinets have a trim detail on them that catches all of the dust of creation though, so I loathe that! And we painted our cabinets with the wrong kind if paint, so 2 years in it’s peeling reeeeeallly bad, especially on the inside. One day we’ll fix it, but for now we have no time & less money! I love your blog and have been so inspired by so many of your posts! Thanks for your hard work!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe thanks so much Christina! And those cabinets will eventually be fixed. Take your time! ;}
Calliope says
I think that white is the only color that I never get bored. Or maybe the lack of colors?
Last year I painted the whole ground floor white and I just plain love it!
(The ceiling is a grey 🙂 another love)
It is not enough though. You have to continue the white in many other aspects of the room. It helped that the windows and doors are white. I also put super affordable white coton curtains from IKEA and finally finally! I bought a white sofa. The super cheap CARLSTAD from IKEA which may be the most comfortable couch ever. For everyday life it is covered with a white coton cover that is barely noticable. I wash it 2x month.
Other whites in the room: the tv cabinet, the light fixtures, the bookcase, the picture frames and the accessories.
A lot of white you may think…but the trick is to blend the whites, don’t try to match every white tone with the other or you’ll end up with a sterile, hospital-like room.
You should also use a lot of textures around. for instance I have put a deer wicker head above the tv, a jute rug under the dinner table, furniture in various wood tones (under the same undertone though), the cabinet is glossy yet the coffee table next to it is very ethnic. Blend in some color (my choice this season is turqoise and pink) with pillows, art, candles etc.
And finally use somewhere something black to help match the….argggh….tv (I.hate.the.tv). I put against one wall a giant blackboard for my son to play with.
All in all I really love this room. And everyone that visits says that it feels relaxing and vacation like.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Great advice, girl. And we love that sofa, too!
Jeanette Swalberg says
Love the white! THANK YOU for talking finishes. I cannot stand matte paint in any color. It absolutely makes me crazy! I prefer satin, which if I remember right, is the next level of gloss after eggshell, with semi-gloss cabinets. The only thing that should not be white is the floor, ha ha.
Whitney M says
Timely post for me! We moved into a very tan house last month and I’m ready to paint our main living area white. Question for you… Do you paint the walls and trim the same shade of white?
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Whitney! Melanie answered a similar question above with some great suggestions, so try those. I however went for super simple and just did Chantilly Lace everywhere. Call me lazy, but we love it. ;}
Kat@DesignLively says
yes! we have all white as well! I love it too, and agree with you that it’s easier clean up. Sometimes it might feel like more, but really it’s just because I see everything. When it’s clean it feels cleaner too because everything is so light. 🙂
gina says
I am just about to redo a terrible 90’s “all white” kitchen, and I am choosing white again, but this time, leaving the flat white laminate countertop out of the mix! This new kitchen will have a honed (suede) black granite with lots of white and gray veining (reminiscent of soapstone, more in my budget). I think the all white counter top was what killed me in maintenance in the old version: every coffee ground, peanut butter smudge, pasta sauce drip seemed to be under a spotlight. Just making a sandwich made the kitchen feel dirty! I don’t mind cleaning my kitchen properly, just not obsessively!
Nicole L says
We have an all white (except counters) kitchen and I LOVE it! We’re in the process of moving and if it’s not already, our new kitchen will be getting the white treatment. I spend tons of time in the kitchen and it’s just so bright, fresh and clean!
Jeanine says
I love my white kitchen cabinets and don’t think I will ever change to a wood or dark cabinet again. The walls in the adjoining family room were white as well and we never painted them. I am so glad we didn’t. The white is perfect.. I find you can pull in plenty of color with pillows and decor. Then change the color if you want a change by just switching out pillows and throws. I recently painted the bedroom back to white. All white bedding and cream and white furniture with some purple here and there, it’s very soothing.
Charlotte says
Would really love to use white in my den and master bedroom. However, most of my bedroom furniture is dark antiques and I do not wish to paint them and my sofa is a dark olive green. I am worried that there will be too much contrast. Any advice as to how I could pull it off?
Talia Essman says
We are LITERALLY in the midst of having all of our brown kitchen cabinets refinished in white. It has been a long, long process but we should be an official before-and-after photo by Monday. So excited, especially after the positive review you are giving the white. My husband was a little more uncertain, but now that it is coming together I think he is “feeling it.” Question though: I need to know about that photo collage above your couch! It’s awesome. Can you give some details.
Same for the YUMMY letters above the cabinets.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! That sounds awesome! I can’t wait to see what you do! You can read all about our collage here and our letters here + here.
tara says
We don’t have white walls, but we have them painted southern breeze by SW, and it’s very, very light..almost white. 🙂 I agree! They’re easier to clean, for sure. You see the grime, and wipe them down…about 2-3 times a year, we pull out the paint and touch up.
We DO have white cabinets, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything else…like you, I’ve had dark wood and I’ve had creamy white with the chocolate glaze….I’d choose white again a hundred times over.
But, I will also agree that white cabinets do show EVERYTHING. They’re easy to wipe down, but I’m noticing that the paint is chipping on the lower cabinets…the ones we use all the time…and the builder had these professionally done, so what the heck? I guess our family is HARD on lower cabinets.
michele says
i agree completely. we built two years ago, and the house is about 90% white. even the exterior. and i couldn’t love it more. it always feels clean and calm. i’ve had visitors tell me our house feels like a vacation, which … yes! that’s it exactly! we’re in our house all the damn time so why wouldn’t i want it to feel like a treat? and that’s white … white is special. neighbors have come in and said, “dang. i never thought about white.” they all just went with default builder brown, and now they all seem to have a laundry list of stuff to change. we don’t. we wouldn’t change a thing. (and for the record, i am also a reformed extrovert and get your waffling so completely. when my husband and i were in pre-marital counseling, we took the myers-briggs and came out polar opposites. my numbers, however, were a bit lower and, therefor, more flexible. over the last 17 years, i have shifted in the intro/extrovert category, and am now intro by 1 point, an INFJ. my N/S is very low … will likely be the next to fall. “ambivert” is so spot on; i’m stealing that.)
Jen says
Have been a white devotee for many years and people are always so flummoxed as I have four kids and a cat. Don’t discount a white couch – it’s the same counter-intuitive thing as a white kitchen. It’s easier to clean, as long as it’s a slip-covered style (like IKEA Ektorp, for example), because I can bleach away whatever life happens to it. Spill koolaid on tan, you’re done. Koolaid on my white couch? Just a little bleach and we’re good as new.