Is white gloss handleless kitchen naff?

[Suomynona]

The house is a 60's semi that we're refurbishing to rent out (for the first year or two anyway).

Kitchen will not be an expensive one - i.e from Wickes or soemwhere similar. We want something contemporary with fairly generic appeal, but I'm now wondering if white gloss handleless is a little too commonplace/naff/predictable. I kind of like the soft greys etc but think they will date a lot faster.

Opinions / suggestions please? Thanks.

No, I think it's pretty much ideal for what you are after. It's part of that Airbnb aesthetic of fairly modern-but-innocuous design. White gloss is easy to clean and bounces a lot of light around.

My parents have a white kitchen that they installed 40 years ago and it still looks surprisingly modern considering its age.

Thanks!

agree sounds ideal, although matt finish may be easier to maintain/keep clean

I was gonna say it'll be a ballache to keep shiny, but if it's rented it's not you cleaning it daily

It will be fine, a pain to keep clean and shiny, but other than that sounds good

As far as I've found, the key to keeping gloss kitchens looking clean is a soft microfibre cloth and Pledge polish. It doesn't really take any more time to keep it looking nice than it takes in a matt kitchen - I've had both, and I think gloss might actually be easier if you use this kit. It's a PITA if you're using water or kitchen cleaner and a dishcloth.

I hate gloss kitchens but it's a personal preference.

For me, handle-less needs to be very high quality as I think it can end up looking cheap.

I speak as someone with a handle-less kitchen

I went with Matt finish because of fingerprints which would irritate me.

(Although mine is in a soft grey handless, not white).

White gloss has been in vogue for ages now, its bright and inoffensive.

Don't get black work tops tho - I think that is starting to date a bit, white / pale grey work tops work better.

If it's a boxy 60's house, then the choice of kitchen sounds perfect and a modern classic.

I'd honestly try and go with matt for a rental property - you don't know how careful your tenants will be with it and matt shows scratches far less than gloss! It'll stay looking nicer longer for you or your next lot of tenants imo.

Gloss is a pain in the arse upkeep wise. People rarely look in to what is recommended chemical wise for cleaning and use any old shit on it. Along with the finger marks you get black smudges that need a special spray to get off to preserve the gloss. But again people just use normal kitchen cleaners with gay abandon like people who don’t know what a toilet brush is for and just guess.

You have to wash and buff to a shine. Good for the arm muscles but takes longer if you want to extend the life of it. You’re not even supposed to use magic sponges on them.

Have fun

Gloss is really easy to clean not sure what folks are talking about, just wipe it with a damp cloth. Prob the easiest there is out there to keep clean. And you certainly don’t need to shine it, because well it’s high gloss...

we're in the process of having cream gloss installed, so no doubt today will mark the day it transitions from acceptable-if-bland to 2010s horror .

IMO gloss is easier to clean than the shaker style we had before, which seemed to get gunk and crumbs in all the wee wood crannies.

I'm a huge fan of plain cupboard doors for that reason turnof. Nothing worse than cleaning indented areas or corners. Ugh!

We've got exactly that, and I don't find fingerprints to be a huge pain

A wipe with an e-cloth does the trick

Is white better than grey now?
They are both nice.
I’m just wondering.

@TheTurnOfTheScrew that made me laugh!

We fitted a new kitchen earlier this year and we were set to get a handleless style until we were standing next to one in the showroom.

Dh and I both had exactly the same thought (it's rare!) which was that it reminded us of the kitchens in the councils houses we both grew up in.

We opted for a Cashmere gloss with stainless steel bar handles and we love it.

Thanks @dotdotdotmustdash - I'm warming to the Cashmere coloured kktchens, think I'll have a hard time convincing my Partner though. I do worry that it may date faster than white?

This is our kitchen now. I don't really mind if it dates as we're pretty dated too! You can only choose what you're comfortable to live with and we didn't want a clean, clinical look but instead were comfortable with modern, but homely.

dotdot That cow picture's amazing! The kitchen looks lovely.

Weird question but don't your apples get all warm being on the table in front of the radiator?

@dotdotdotmustdash that looks lovely! May I ask where yours was from please? Thanks

I haven't found white gloss difficult to keep clean. It is surprisingly forgiving in fact and smudges/dust after often only visible on close inspection or if the sunlight (ha!) hits it. Like others I wash with an e-cloth in one hand and polish off with a dry cloth in the other - this stops any streaks. Glass cleaning wipes also work.

Our kitchen is 3 years old and still as good as new.

dotdot that exact same thought occurred to me too! My DP is set on them though. I'm hoping that with wooden surfaces rather than laminate, and wooden floors rather than Lino, it will look a bit better!