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Is matt white kitchen too ‘basic’

(75 Posts)
Daizyone Wed 30-Apr-25 14:49:50

After 40 years my kitchen is ready for a final refit. At 80, this one will probably see me out.
Its a big commitment money wise, and i had in mind the following:-
Matt white with j pull doors
‘Calacatta gold’ worktops (its white with light grey veining and a streak of gold)
Worktop will then go half way up splashback and top half will be bronze mirror
Ivory karndean looking slate floor.

I have been warned this may look too clinical.
I like light kitchens and the next nearest (apart from light grey which doesnt suit the house ) is a colour called porcelain.

I attach a chat gpt image my grandson has produced for me, which is close enough (although doesnt show the tall units)

The third picture is a cgi of the actual real lay out which i am happy with.

What do we think?

Abitbarmy Wed 30-Apr-25 14:57:31

Looks lovely I think and you can never get sick of white. Only thing I’d be aware of is matt can show marks easily but more so on darker colours.

Norah Wed 30-Apr-25 15:02:13

The newer half of our kitchen is white, doesn't appear clinical.

Casdon Wed 30-Apr-25 15:04:30

I think white units look nice, but I’d go for a darker floor myself, unless you want to be cleaning it very frequently, because cream will show every little mark and scuff.

Skydancer Wed 30-Apr-25 15:29:08

I love it. But I do agree with Casdon about having a darker floor. We regret having our cream one. Otherwise yours sounds fab.

Daizyone Wed 30-Apr-25 15:35:44

Oooh, thankyou all for your input. Its lovely to hear from people who have one already especially.
Does a darker floor make the room look dark though as we have 16 square metres which is a lot to me (but i know probably not by todays mega kitchen standards).

AmberGran Wed 30-Apr-25 15:47:51

Mine is white but gloss, not matt. I love it because it's bright and easy to clean. At the moment the walls are mainly white as well, with colours coming from bar stools, pictures, etc.

The nicest thing is that if I decide to paint the walls a different colour it will still go with the white.

kittylester Wed 30-Apr-25 15:50:13

And, add colour with pictures, plants, vases etc.

MayBee70 Wed 30-Apr-25 15:56:37

Just wondering, as someone with arthritic fingers, if the drawers and cupboards are easy to open? I’m not sure about the new fashion for Karcher ( ?) flooring ( which my daughter has in her new kitchen) as I don’t think it can be cleaned in the way that tiles can. I do like white cupboards. When I stayed at my daughters recently I couldn’t find any cutlery as it was hidden away in the island. There was no way that I would have ever found it! Thankfully I was able to nip home to get a few knives etc.

AmberGran Wed 30-Apr-25 16:01:02

I have a black floor with my white units but have a jazzy black and white rug covering a lot of it.

Casdon Wed 30-Apr-25 16:12:49

Daizyone

Oooh, thankyou all for your input. Its lovely to hear from people who have one already especially.
Does a darker floor make the room look dark though as we have 16 square metres which is a lot to me (but i know probably not by todays mega kitchen standards).

I’ve got a wooden floor with white units in my kitchen, and it doesn’t look dark. I don’t think you need to go too dark, a light oak or medium grey colour would be nice for example, really just dark enough not to show every mark.

J52 Wed 30-Apr-25 16:17:45

We have white units, but the walls are bubble gum pink. It’s very striking.

Aveline Wed 30-Apr-25 16:19:34

The kitchen in our flat was all white when we moved in. I really disliked it. It felt more like a laboratory than a kitchen in a home.

TerriBull Wed 30-Apr-25 16:34:38

It's personal preference, what you've chosen looks nice, all white's a bit clinical for me, similar units in the kitchen I went for aubergine on the walls. I like a bit of colour, we have a lot of glass and light in bifold doors, a bit too much on very sunny days. I wanted a contrast in a depth of colour against white units.

NotSpaghetti Wed 30-Apr-25 16:44:08

Definitely not white floor - my son and daughter-in-law chose that and within a few months they were sick of cleaning it every 5 minutes!

Jaxjacky Wed 30-Apr-25 17:03:44

We have white units with a dark blue tile, light grey Karndean flooring, it certainly not dark.
Karndean Maybee? It needs a ph neutral liquid, we use Method from the supermarket.

rafichagran Wed 30-Apr-25 17:17:47

I like it, I have white kitchen units easy to clean, not a bit clinical.

MayBee70 Wed 30-Apr-25 17:19:31

Jaxjacky

We have white units with a dark blue tile, light grey Karndean flooring, it certainly not dark.
Karndean Maybee? It needs a ph neutral liquid, we use Method from the supermarket.

You can’t give it a good old scrub, though!

JamesandJon33 Wed 30-Apr-25 17:59:15

We have all white cupboards, washing machine etc
It is a large, light kitchen and we have painted the walls deep purple.

Pudding123 Wed 30-Apr-25 18:33:49

I have a off white gloss kitchen units and a very pale floor and I love it,have a bright pink orchid on one windowsill,all my appliances are intergrated with black gloss,kettle toaster microwave and airfryer,my friend has the same kitchen but with a dark floor and I do think it makes the room appear dark but that is just my opinion and it depends on the size and amount of light from windows you have to consider..
Good luck with it all,I hope it turns out as you imagine it.xx

David49 Wed 30-Apr-25 19:22:41

My nephew has everything white in the kitchen, it is a bit clinical but it’s their kitchen. Other rooms continue the same theme, we’ve nicknamed it the “White House”

JackyB Wed 30-Apr-25 20:29:39

I agree with what some have said that, although it is counter-intuitive, a gloss finish is easier to keep clean than matte. This also applies to floors.

As to the white floors needing continuous c!eaning - the same dirt and muck has built up on any other floor, too. You just don't see it so easily.

NotSpaghetti Wed 30-Apr-25 20:45:27

If you see it though...

woodenspoon Wed 30-Apr-25 21:21:00

White or light cream will be useful when you come to sell as they’re both neutral. We have light cream units, black granite worktops and white walls. Flooring is vinyl which looks like oak but is easy to clean and hardwearing. I’ve added a pop of colour using a bit of red in accessories.

Allira Wed 30-Apr-25 21:36:57

Our new kitchen is pale cream matte. Marks seem to wipe off easily.
The floor seemed too dark when they laid it (too late to change my mind) but in fact it's quite forgiving compared to the pale tiles we had before.