People should respect other peoples choices in colour of cabinets, counters, appliances etc.
After all they are the ones who are living there ,
Choose the style/ colour , that bests represents you, makes you happy I would not listen to anyone else.. unless they want to pay for it.
Some people like S/S, some like white, some like black,
Individual choices.

Not every home has stainless steel,

Just curious-- why not maple? I've always thought that was a good alternative if you don't like dark cabinets and don't want white.

PP here - perhaps have a look at some of Ikea's really contemporary cabinets with foil finish to go with the appliances and acrylic counters. They have ones in gray and red that are cool.

I have white appliances (and like them for some of hte same reasons people have mentioned, plus not showing finger prints) and matched them with pure white corian countertops and then painted my cabinets a strong color. It looks nice and contemporary and you can clorox any stains out. Wouldn't go with marble for that reason.

White appliances are actually rather timeless. Other colors and finishes rise and fall in popularity, but white is always one of the choices at any particular time. If you had chosen white appliances in 1973, ten years later you'd have been pretty darn happy that you hadn't bought harvest gold or avocado! Sometimes it's nice to have the latest thing, but with expensive appliances it's nice to have something that won't look overly dated in a decade.

I just would like to say that I've always thought of white appliances as being tacky and dated however I am happy that I stumbled upon your post. After seeing the design ideas from previous posters I'm learning to like the white appliances with white cabinets and dark countertops. I also really like the pp's description of putting a modern spin on it.

I had white appliances in my previous house and did new white maple cabinets and black granite. (the ubiquitous ubatuba design, but a slab with very little brown or gold.) I did the walls in a tiffany-esque blue (Martha Stewart Aegean blue) and the floors in a 12x12 porcelain tile that looked like slate (called stainless steel) and it looked very modern and crisp without being too masculine or harsh.

I have white appliances and white cabinets. Renovated my kitchen in 2007. My accents are the floor (wide plank wood) and counter (darker blue/gray_. I don't have a backsplash--just white walls. It is very open and calming and many people comment on how much they like it. Ignore the herd that says white is tacky.

if you go with those awful honey orange oak cabinets with white appliances - nobody will believe it's new.
White appliances are terribly outdated. Black is better than white but obviously not as good as stainless.
I would do a light gray painted cabinet. maybe white cabinets. if you do a wood tone (usually awful anyway) it will draw attention to the white appliances.

I think renters are going to want stainless too by the way.

Anonymous wrote:And this -

http://www.modernarchitectureconcept.com/popular-kitchen-colors-with-white-cabinets/bxp53662/

The black granite really sets off the white beautifully.

LOVE this! Yes, I definitely think white cabinets with a quartz or granite in a gray or black range would work well in this situation. Good luck!

OP here.
Thanks folks. Yes, I love white on white which is why I chose the white appliances--I like the dark countertops. Any recs on where to get the granite? Or other sleek alternatives?

I would definitely use white cabinets so the appliances blend in rather than stand out. With white cabinets and appliances, you could do just about any type of counter. While I'm generally not a fan of granite and think it already looks outdated, it's probably still a good choice for a rental.

Anonymous wrote:And this -

http://www.modernarchitectureconcept.com/popular-kitchen-colors-with-white-cabinets/bxp53662/

The black granite really sets off the white beautifully.

nice!