The grounding nature of gray mixed with the serenity of white can give a kitchen a modern look and beautiful contrast that feels relaxed and sophisticated. Take a look at these before-and-after photos to see how pros designed three kitchens with different layouts in fresh gray-and-white color palettes. Then let us know in the Comments which one you think had the biggest transformation.
Before Photo
1. Light Contrast With Soft Grays
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A semiretired couple with four adult children
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 375 square feet (35 square meters)
Designer: Lori Steeves of Simply Home Decorating
Contractor: Coordinated Kitchen and Bath
Before: This couple wanted to give their 1990s home in North Vancouver, British Columbia, a major overhaul. They started with the spacious kitchen, a top priority.
The homeowners loved the existing U-shaped layout, but the finishes were dated and made the room feel dark and heavy. The laminate countertops, oak cabinetry with cathedral arch-style doors and large gaps between the tops of the cabinets and the ceiling needed to go.
They hired interior designer Lori Steeves to give the kitchen a makeover with a lighter palette and modern upgrades. Steeves created an ideabook on Houzz so the homeowners could share their favorite kitchen inspiration photos. From there, she was able to see that they were drawn to white kitchens with contrast.
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Simply Home Decorating
After: Steeves gave the kitchen a lighter palette of bright whites and soft and medium grays. White upper and lower square-inset cabinets brighten up the space, while a gray art glass backsplash, made locally by Edgewater Studio, adds subtle contrast. Light and dark gray laser-cut tiles in laurel leaf patterns blend well with light-colored grout.
The central island, which measures 60 inches long by 27 inches wide, is painted a medium gray (Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore) and topped with light marble-look quartz that matches the perimeter counters. Steeves kept enough clearance around the island to preserve the original floor plan’s easy flow. She added extra storage in the island for everyday dishes and cookware and left the surface bare for food prep and buffet serving.
The homeowners didn’t want their small appliances to clutter the countertops, so Steeves stored them in a walk-in pantry located behind the landscape painting on the right.
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Before Photo
Before: The aging countertops, mismatched appliances and square floor tiles were no longer working for the homeowners.
Simply Home Decorating
After: The decorator added white trim around the existing window and a custom white Roman shade with blue fabric tape for extra privacy and a hint of color. Gilded wall sconces sit on either side of the window. A pendant in the same silhouette hangs over the oval ash dining table. Stark white dining chairs balance the deep driftwood gray finish on the table.
Steeves opted for a large glass upper cabinet at the edge of the kitchen to make up for the loss of display space after a china cabinet was removed from the adjacent family room. Two small upper cabinets on the far wall feature small glass doors that display stunning blue bowls.
Walls painted light gray (Horizon by Benjamin Moore) with subtle blue undertones separate the kitchen from the dining area. The new floors, with large-format (12-by-24-inch) warm gray porcelain tiles, have the look of limestone.
The bronze-finished sink faucet and brushed brass cabinet hardware pop against the gray and white surfaces throughout the space.
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Before Photo
Peach and Pine Home
2. Gray, White and Country
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Garrett Keck and Carolyn Maxfield Keck and their two children
Location: Spring Hill, Tennessee
Size: 260 square feet (24 square meters)
Designer: Chandler Quarles of Peach and Pine Home
Before: Garrett Keck and Carolyn Maxfield Keck made the best of their Tennessee kitchen for six years before they decided to tackle its aging cabinets, square-tile floor and jutting refrigerator that disrupted the flow of the space. The family hired interior designer Chandler Quarles to rethink the layout and create a gray-and-white transitional-style kitchen that felt modern, comfortable and a little country.
Plain oak cabinets, worn countertops and a center island with a short overhang defined the existing kitchen. The walk-in pantry, located behind the tall cabinets beyond the fridge, felt far removed from the main kitchen area.
Peach and Pine Home
After: Quarles removed the walk-in pantry and created a new one in the far left corner of the room. She placed the new fridge closer to the pantry and away from the kitchen’s main area to improve traffic flow for the family. These design decisions allowed Quarles to add better storage and counter space around the slide-in range in the cooking area.
The designer chose white marble-look quartz for the new countertops. “I wanted the perimeter counters to be completely durable and be a workhorse for them,” Quarles says. To the left of the new fridge sits more counter space, storage and floating pine shelves that hold plants, books and art.
Butcher block tops the new island, which features a larger overhang for enjoying meals and working in the kitchen. “It’s a beautiful classic material, sustainable and brings in the warmth of the natural wood,” Quarles says.
Upper and lower cabinets painted a warm gray (Dorian Gray by Sherwin-Williams) strike a balance with soft off-white walls (Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams).
Peach and Pine Home
Rustic stools of dark metal and elm provide seating for four at the island. The stainless steel farmhouse-inspired sink faucet, mouth-blown recycled glass pendants and X detail on both ends of the island base nod to country living and style.
The designer used gray porcelain floor tile in a matte finish to tie in the gray and white details. “I love the color of it, and it hides dirt really well,” Carolyn says.
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Peach and Pine Home
An array of 5-by-5-inch glazed white ceramic tiles with a soft reflective quality make up the backsplash. “It’s kind of like a subway tile, but the square shape makes it unique and the variation in color adds a little bit of subtle interest to the kitchen,” Quarles says. The cabinets feature brushed satin nickel pulls that complement the stainless steel appliances. Glass fronts on the upper cabinets flanking the range hood lighten up the cooking area and display the family’s favorite
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Before Photo
Miyuki Yamaguchi Design Studio
3. Gray-and-White Elegance
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Location: Napa, California
Size: About 200 square feet (19 square meters)
Designer: Miyuki Yamaguchi Design Studio
Before: This Napa, California, couple loved the easy layout of their kitchen, but it was time to give it a modern refresh with a lighter look and feel. A sea of cherry cabinets and floors had started to feel too dark for the homeowners. And the stainless steel range hood stuck out like a sore thumb against a dark granite backsplash and matching countertops.
The homeowners searched Houzz for an interior designer in their area and hired Miyuki Yamaguchi. “We shared images from our ideabooks, and our styles matched up so well,” Yamaguchi says. They worked together to give the kitchen a fresh new start with an elegant gray-and-white palette.
Miyuki Yamaguchi Design Studio
After: Since the cabinets were in good condition, Yamaguchi decided to paint them. The upper cabinets are white (Swiss Coffee from Kelly-Moore) and the lower cabinets and fridge nook are a light gray (Galveston by Benjamin Moore). The floors were restained in a charcoal gray finish to complement the two-tone cabinets and light gray walls in the adjacent dining room.
A custom range hood with raised panel detail mimics the design of the existing cabinets. The dark countertops were swapped for white marble-look quartz to keep the kitchen feeling light. A white porcelain farmhouse sink with a large gooseneck faucet adds charm.
Soft-colored gray subway tiles fill the backsplash. And a herringbone pattern laid above the cooktop adds a focal point.
Before Photo
Miyuki Yamaguchi Design Studio
Before: The pantry, covered by white cabinet doors, was no longer working for the family. The upper cabinets to the left of the double ovens featured seeded glass doors.
Miyuki Yamaguchi Design Studio
After: The pantry was refashioned into a wine closet so the homeowners could display their growing collection of local Napa Valley wines. Yamaguchi kept all of the existing appliances in the kitchen, except for a new beverage fridge right off the wine closet. The glass-front upper cabinets next to the double ovens display everyday porcelain and dishware.
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