Few figures have shaped our homeware habits quite like Martha Stewart, and of all the rooms, we’d say her influence is strongest in the kitchen. For decades, Stewart has refined our culinary and decor habits – the latter of which is best seen through her hosting and cleaning tips. However, whether it’s intentional or not, Stewart’s backdrops have also changed how we use neutrals – led by the most versatile paint hue of all, white.
Over the years, Stewart has offered glimpses in several white kitchens, most famously in her former Connecticut home, but also her studios. Whether the footage was filmed in her home or not, Stewart’s kitchens offer separate lessons on how to style white – and ensure this hue evolves to continue standing the test of time.
‘Very traditional, white-painted kitchens have always been on-trend and show no signs of declining in popularity. However, having a white kitchen doesn’t mean it needs to be boring,’ comments ‘ Josie Medved, the design manager at Symphony Kitchens.
Medved recommends experimenting with different tones and textures (such as porcelain countertops or fluted cabinets) or pairing white with other neutrals to emphasize white’s timelessness. You can find examples of Stewart doing so, along with other styling lessons, below.
Color-drenched white kitchens are beautiful in their own right, but incorporating metal surfaces is never a bad idea, as Stewart demonstrates. Mixed material kitchens have seen a significant rise in recent years, but Stewart set a precedent – most notably through her silver backsplash, oven hood, and copper pans. Claudio Corniola, the R&D Director for Laminam, encourages this further.
‘The metallics of the moment will be warm tones such as gold, copper, and brass. According to Google Trends data, “Copper” has become a breakout search topic over the past 12 months,’ he says.
‘Whether incorporated within the tones of a worktop’s veining, via sinks and taps, lighting, cabinet handles or accessories, these warm accents will bring luxe to even the plainest of kitchen designs.’ White offers the perfect canvas, allowing the metallics to take center stage without your kitchen feeling overwhelmed or chaotic. It offers the perfect balance.
Viking Hammered Copper Pan Set
The 10-piece set is described as a prized possession of professional chefs as well as home cooks alike. It serves up superior performance and looks beautiful in the process.
Cucina Steel Mounted Pot Rack
These kitchen racks may double as kitchen wall decor, but they’re also highly practical – keeping cooking supplies and other kitchen utensils where we can easily reach them.
Copper Chef Non-Stick Pan
This pan’s colorway is already a talking point, but what else sets it aside? Each one has a steel induction plate for rapid, even heat distribution from edge to edge – meaning your meals cook to even perfection without hot spots.
2. Exhibit all on your open shelves
Open shelves are one of the most diverse kitchen storage ideas of all, but it appears that Stewart approves of this revealing feature. Once again, it’s a trend that Corniola says is shaping how we use our kitchens – whether it’s white or not.
‘Storage will be less formal and fitted and more casual and relaxed, with open, transparent, or freestanding shelving to display everyday items and treasured pieces,’ he says.
‘To avoid a cluttered look in a multi-functional kitchen, easy storage is more imperative than ever, and could be just a simple single open ‘floating’ shelf, shelves incorporated into an island, or a large, bespoke dresser with premium surfacing to elevate it further.’
3. Fill your glass cabinets
Much like open-shelving, glass cabinets are often debated among designers, but they’re a fixture we’ve seen more than once in Stewart’s white kitchens. Take the cabinets in this archival video, for example.
While many may choose to select only a few accessories to have on show behind their glass, Stewart permits us to fill our shelves with everyday essentials – and, though busy, it keeps her white kitchen lived-in and personal. To perfect the look, we recommend exhibiting plates and cups in a similar hue to your cabinets and countertops, similar to what she did via her stacks of white crockery.
4. Turn oversized storage into decor
Mason jars and other glass containers are often counted among pantry staples, but they look just as good on your countertop – especially when they’re oversized. Alongside the aforementioned mixed materials, Stewart has added further interest to her white kitchen with large storage containers, showing, once again, that storage doubles as decor.
It appears as though she has filled her glass with flour, but you can do the same with sugar, oats, or coffee beans. Above all, this trick is functional, but there’s no denying that it looks perfect on her white counters – especially next to a full fruit bowl.
5. Pair white with soft neutrals
Perhaps the biggest quality of a white kitchen is its ability to pair well with other colors – whether it’s allowing bolder tones to make a statement or complement similarly soft neutrals.
In one of her kitchens, Martha Stewart pairs her white island countertop and subway-tiled backsplash with light gray cabinets – reminding us why these two colors will surpass fleeting trends, especially when working together. It’s a look that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Josie Medved, who emphasizes how white works best alongside soft neutrals.
‘For added interest, try teaming two or three light hues together, such as warm white, off-white, pebble, pale pink, pale grey, or light sage,’ she says. ‘Neutrals and white tones can also be combined with darker components for a more striking look, such as a bold splashback, countertop or handles.’ Plus, if Martha is for this look, who can be against it?
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