Comments on: The TOP 10 Most TIMELESS Interior Finishes: PART 1 of 4

By: Tina

Tina — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 21:41:11 +0000

Oh my goodness, I just LOVE allll of your posts and blogs. I was so close to picking my colors for a full kitchen remodel (goodbye orangy stained maple!) I was so so close to doing RP but like you’ve noted I fear that it won’t have that longevity. Sooo leaning toward the warm whites BUT White Dove looks yellow in my space (cry!) not enough natural light in the kitchen. So now what?? I want that warm soft but fresh and timeless look (with some flexibility). Simply White seems almost to bright for our modest rural country home. Idk tough to visualize. Even considering a warm oak or hickory for bases and island and maybe white uppers?? Help! To many bad choices out there lol.

Many thanks!!

By: KylieMawdsley

KylieMawdsley — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 18:39:35 +0000

In reply to David. So, the cabinets are actually Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter, 50% darker, although they look SO MUCH LIGHTER in this photo! The walls are BM White Dove and the floor is Goodfellow, Stone in the Riverside collection :).

By: David

David — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 23:11:32 +0000

What color are your kitchen cabinets with the urban bronze island pictured? Also, curious about the wall color you used and the name and color of the wood flooring (as a point of reference). I ask because we are leaning white/cream cabinets and urban bronze island. We have urban bronze on the exterior trim and love the color. Also, we are in the process of changing floors and like the look of yours in conjunction with the other colors. It would be great to know these colors and products as a point of reference.

Thanks!

By: KylieMawdsley

KylieMawdsley — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 16:48:47 +0000

In reply to Eunicd. Hiya! While I do love a waterfall feature, it really would only suit particular homes for the long-term (ie. contemporary/modern). :)

By: Eunicd

Eunicd — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 15:28:27 +0000

Hi Kylie,
What do you think about waterfall island and using the same quartz (large veins) as backsplash? Would you consider that style as timeless? Thank you!

By: Eliza L

Eliza L — Tue, 24 May 2022 18:01:36 +0000

In reply to Eliza L.

Ok, I’ve decided to do just all horizontal regular brick-lay of the subway tile. The plan I outlined above would only work with 3×6 tiles and not 3×12, which we have already purchased. Should have done a layout first before submitting my question! I do hope someone else wants to try this idea though, because it looks really cool on the poster board I cut to the size of my backsplash. 😀

By: Eliza L

Eliza L — Wed, 11 May 2022 19:19:09 +0000

I love all of your insight. This article is so true about classic timeless choices. I do agree with you that a different tile or a distinct set-apart square of herringbone tile over the stove has always looked bad. I have a basic question that’s in the gray area. I’m about to install white 3×12 ‘handmade-look’ subway tile backsplash – I think that’s pretty timeless and the countertop is neutral also. Because the hood fan (with cabinets above) is only 9 inches higher that the bottoms of the upper cabinets, I thought that vertical tiles there would make it look taller. What if I did horizontal offset tiles all around the backsplash (U shaped bank of lowers and upper cabinets with the stove in the center and sink elsewhere) and then right there in the middle, as it approaches the stove, I use one row of 90 degree herringbone pattern to turn the tiles vertical in a stair step. Then they would be in a vertical offset pattern just for the width of the stove, and another herringbone stair step back to horizontal tiles to continue. The stair steps in the grout would sort of create a V pointing down at the stove. Is that too much going on or timeless enough?? Better to stick with all horizontal subway tile?

By: KylieMawdsley

KylieMawdsley — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 03:21:53 +0000

In reply to Valeryna.

I LOVE to hear this Valeryna, and comments like these are so helpful for other readers too – I’m so glad you’re loving it all!

By: Valeryna

Valeryna — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 00:48:27 +0000

Such a helpful post! I redid my kitchen in 2015 and chose simple white cabinets, white quartz countertops and white quartz backsplash with a subtle grey vein. I was worried I would get tired of all the white, but I have colourful accessories, and several years later I still LOVE my kitchen! I have greige-looking concrete floors (I live in a hard loft) and my walls are BM Cloud White. It all works!

By: Lauretta Converse

Lauretta Converse — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:14:31 +0000

In reply to KylieMawdsley.

Thanks very much- I think I get it. I love having a LRV number to guide me. I was actually thinking about White Dove already!

You don’t mention it in this post, but what about a classic kitchen with oak floor, white cabinets and a BLACK countertop? Countertops these days are all about marble it seems, but is black a no-no if I want a classic look?

I’m the OPPOSITE of you- I want to remodel my kitchen ONCE and forget about it for… um… forever. So I LOVE this post.

By: KylieMawdsley

KylieMawdsley — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 01:39:46 +0000

In reply to Lauretta Converse.

Hi Lauretta, that’s a great question and YES ‘usually’ cream cabinets and off-white cabinets are one and the same. HOWEVER, with the recent trends, there are off-white cabinets that are beige/warm gray/etc…

I would be so VERY VERY careful with cream cabinets or cabinets that are such a warm white that they’re almost cream. I spend half of my days consulting with clients, helping them coordinate with their cream/off-white cabinets that are CHALLENGING to work with. When choosing a colour that’s a warm off-white that has more FLEXIBILITY, I would find one that has an LRV around 82-84 – and I would watch its degree of yellow. For example, I wouldn’t advise going ANY more yellow/darker than SW Alabaster, but BM White Dove is MUCH more flexible. If you compare them to a standard white (ie. SW High Reflective White or even BM Chantilly Lace) this can REALLY help you get a better frame of reference for how WARM they are. You’ll find warm SOFT whites like these are also easier to coordinate countertops/backsplashes with. Now, if you’re looking at the off-white BEIGES, greiges and grays, that’s a whole other story, but again, SUPER trendy and I’m not sure how long they will last.

By: Lauretta Converse

Lauretta Converse — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:39:26 +0000

Are cream cabinets and off-white cabinets the same thing? I want to put white cabinets in my new kitchen but prefer warmer finishes so am looking at a warm off white cabinets. Would you consider this trendy? Where does off-white end and cream begin??

By: Maggie S

Maggie S — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 15:38:41 +0000

My feeling is that “subway” tile has become a trend because EVERYONE and his brother is using it. Over and over again!!
I did my bathrooms 8 years ago and you can’t tell when they were done because all the tile is white in a design that has never been on Pinterest! I am in the process of redoing my kitchen and again I will do white tile (along with white cabinets) but not in any shape that is popular (I’m looking at you subway tile!!). I think the madness will have to end someday and then everyone will want to pull out their subway tile!!
PS I just signed up for your color class…and i am looking forward to doing it!!

By: Amy K

Amy K — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 04:05:13 +0000

Another great blog post, Kylie. I really appreciate your perspective…and the humor with which you deliver it! My home’s finishes definitely aren’t “on trend” with what’s hot right now, but most of them suit the home and the home’s outside environment, so that makes it easier for me to settle with them and to try to incorporate more trendy ideas with the soft finishes I have. I agree with almost everything that you said above…but I’m not sure that I would ever choose to live again in a kitchen with white cabinets if I could avoid it. I just love how wood tones hide dirt and drips a bit more! 😉 But maybe that’s more of an indictment of my housekeeping skills than an indictment of white cabinetry. Ha!

By: Megan

Megan — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:20:57 +0000

Omg this is so helpful! We’re going to renovate our kitchen in the next year or two, and given that kitchens are mostly permanent features, I wanted to make sure it would be timeless and I wouldn’t be bothered in a few years by the choices I made. Thank you so much for such a detailed post!