Perhaps more than any other room in a home, the kitchen is the easiest to date. The color of the cabinets, the style of countertops, the light fixtures–even all of the details carry an age. While trends come and go, there is one type of kitchen that never really goes out of style.
A white one.
“I personally don’t think someone can look at an image of a white kitchen and go, ‘Oh that was the white of 2025.’”
Shandy Arend, owner of Claire House Designs, has transformed her fair share of kitchens in the eight years she has been a professional interior designer. A common trait she finds in many of her clients is the desire to stay neutral with color. Especially in an expensive space like a kitchen, Arend understands the precaution. Utilizing the right shades of white with a mix of texture and natural materials, she is out to prove that a white kitchen is not synonymous with boring.
“It immediately elevates the kitchen even if it's predominantly white,” Arend said “I feel personally that kitchens that have a lot of man-made products in them, even if they're very expensive man-made products, can feel manufactured. You feel that when you're in a space.”
Some of her favorite ways to inject personality into a kitchen are by installing high-end Taj Mahal Quartzite countertops, custom cabinet doors, unique hardware, eye-catching lighting and clay tile. Breaking up the uniformity in materials and paint color is key to avoid that sterile, cold feeling – a style choice often missed by homeowners wanting a white kitchen.
“People trying to do it on their own will gravitate toward the brightest white on the swatch because in their mind, it’s all white. My responsibility is to help them understand the nuances of white. It’s all about how you mix those white paint colors to create the story of how it’s going to feel,” Arend said.
In the design world, not all whites accomplish the same result. Arend asks plenty of questions when starting every design project to nail down that feeling her clients want out of a space. Her process is perfectly catered to the individual, complete with mood boards, and occasionally, 3D renderings that really bring the vision to life. Recently, one of Arend’s mood boards struck a chord with a client, long before the renovation even began.
“She started to cry and said, ‘I never would have put this together.’ That’s the magic of what I get to do–capturing who they are, showing them things they haven’t thought of before and putting it together in a cohesive, elevated way.”
Reactions like those keep the excitement of interior design fresh for Arend. From the day she and her husband settled into their first home to creating her own brand two years ago, which is named after her oldest daughter, her love for the craft has only expanded.
“It grew out of this desire to make my home special, and then I just developed a passion for it that I can’t turn off,” Arend said. “I think of my brand as a mix of Paris and New York. Claire House Designs encapsulates that vibe. Traditional architecture is really important to me, but I want to put in modern light fixtures and modern furniture. I can do some fun things with modern design.”
Knowing that design is not a “one size fits all” approach, Arend also lights up at the thought of mixing things up with color. Her very first attempt at designing her own home was adding many different colors at once, and while she admits she went a bit overboard then, Arend has since fine-tuned that relationship.
“Introducing more color into my work is important,” she said “I want it to be more subtle and layered, and I appreciate the color you can find in nature. I’ve learned that I can live with those shades longer than something that is more vibrant, otherwise you can get the crayon box that threw up in your house.”
If you look long and hard enough, anyone can point out the pros and cons of any design decision. But if consistency through time is at the top of your list, Arend can confidently say there is one certain way to go.
“Trends come and go, and then they come back and then they go again. So if someone comes to me and says that they really want something that isn’t going out of style, I think white is the most classic, timeless kitchen that I can design,” she said.
Contact Shandy: shandy@clairehousedesign.com
Visit her website: www.clairehousedesign.com