White

Since so many of my clients have been asking for white kitchens lately, I’ve done a bit of reflecting on the color white, and have collected some great images. Maybe what we love about white in interiors is its faithfulness to act as a foil for what we really want to highlight, the way a white shirt shows off a great tan. A field of white draws our attention to the opposite—those pieces that are value-intense: a wrought iron railing, a black door...

 ...or a felt pattern.

White conveys clean, which I think is part of its appeal in our kitchens. Lifestyle changes have made our kitchens more than just a place to cook.

They’re now the command center of our lives at home, a place where we plan the day, prepare our meals, and re-convene with family and friends.

All of which means they house a lot more stuff than they used to. Maybe white is a subconscious effort to make our kitchens appear clean and well-organized (even when they’re not, for most of us).

But white is at its best when it can play off something else: coffee-colored wood floors,

 a sparkly pendant lamp,

 or shiny chrome fixtures.

My favorite white things? Crisp white sheets, Kohler Memoirs pedestal sink, Bernardaud china, slipcovers, and of course “All White” paint from Farrow & Ball.

And snow.