3 reasons you shouldn't paint your kitchen walls white – plus the new neutrals to try instead, according to kitchen pros

Designing a kitchen gives you decision fatigue at the best of times - between choosing your cabinets, flooring and handles, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. So often, what we do to combat this is opt for white kitchen walls, an easy crowd-pleasing choice, sure, but maybe not one that is the best for your space.

White might be a good choice for some rooms in your home, but these 3 reasons you shouldn't paint your kitchen walls white will have you questioning a brighter shade.

Sometimes it takes a bit of encouragement to be brave with your kitchen colour scheme, so these recommendations from experts will sway you away from white kitchen ideas and inspire you to try something new.

1. Avoid a cold and sterile look

While white can look bright and inviting, it can also have the opposite effect and result in a space that feels cold and sterile.

A kitchen is the heart of the home and is so much more than just somewhere to cook. It's where the whole family gather to socialise and dine, as well as a handy spot to work from home. So choosing a colour that creates ambience will only aid this feeling and encourage friends and family to sit and stay in your cooking space.

Instead, opt for a warm tonal design

If you're feeling uneasy about waving goodbye to white in favour of more dramatic shades then a tonal look might be a good compromise.

'Recently, we’ve noted an increase in homeowners looking for ways to be creative and bold with their kitchen choices. When deciding on the colour palette we’d always advise warmer colours, from creamy neutrals, soft pastels to olive greens. These colours create an inviting and homely feel and work well on either the cabinets, or the walls,' explains Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr.

Find a paint a few shades paler than whichever colour you've chosen for your kitchen cabinets and you'll easily achieve an inspiring scheme that looks professionally-designed. Green is a great choice for this but you could equally use varying shades of blue or pink for the same effect.

2. Don't let imperfections show

White kitchen walls are a recipe for disaster for households with messy chefs, young children or pets. While it's possible to make use of the best kitchen splashback ideas to protect your walls from splashes while cooking, your clean white walls will be at risk of scuffs elsewhere in your kitchen.

There are tools for keeping your white walls in tip-top condition, like magic erasers, but if you want to save time and effort then opting for a darker wall colour will take this job off your to-do list completely.

Choose a colour scheme for practicality

When designing a new kitchen, or any aspect of a renovation project, it's important to consider functionality and how you will actually use a space. It's all well and good finding a gorgeous photo for inspiration but if your lifestyle is vastly different than the owner of that kitchen, it might not work well in the long term.

If you do have a busy household with children then veering away from white walls might be your best bet. Dark statement walls can actually be just as bad for showing scuffs so choosing an in-between shade will help to disguise marks better.

Pale pink is a great choice for this as it still provides a bright and inviting look, similar to white, without being quite so revealing.

3. Escape a boring scheme

Particularly if you have opted to forgo wall cabinets in a bid to open up the kitchen space, your walls are the perfect place to make a design statement. So why waste it on white paint?

If you're looking for a budget kitchen idea then your walls are a great place to start. It's more affordable than switching up your cabinetry as trends change or your taste alters over the years, so instead keep your cupboards neutral and your kitchen walls more interesting.

It means that making a change won't be as expensive when the time comes.

Use your walls as a design feature

The opportunities really are endless when it comes to your kitchen walls. Kitchen wallpaper ideas have the potential to add so much flair, whether your style leans more traditional with small repeat pattern floral designs or modern with a geometric print.

Alternatively, you could opt for a paint with a more interesting effect like limewash. It's great for adding texture to a simple, neutral design without overwhelming the space.