When she’s not posting about her favorite books or taking part in the latest TikTok trend, Reese Witherspoon loves to show off her gorgeous home on Instagram. Earlier this month in a snap toasting to the end of dry January with her twin daughter, Ava Phillippe, the pair posed in Witherspoon’s bright and airy kitchen.
“Well, I guess dry January is done,” she wrote in the post’s caption, celebrating with a glass of bubbles. But behind the mother and daughter duo is Witherspoon’s eye-catching blue-gray cabinetry that adds a fun pop of color to the photo op and kitchen at large.
Sticking with the light color palette, the backsplash tiles are also a similar shade, completing the elegant look. The granite countertops bring the design together, with subtle flecks of gray adding plenty of depth and texture. The whole space is a breath of fresh air.
While its been confirmed by an expert (see more below) that the cabinets are a blue-gray hue, the process of figuring out the actual shade was reminiscent of the dress saga of 2015. I saw a mint green color, while various Apartment Therapy staffers saw blue or gray. To settle the debate, paint expert Emily Harnasz, founder of online color consultancy Swish, weighs in:
“I think Witherspoon has used a shade similar to [British paint brand] Farrow & Ball’s ‘Borrowed Light.’ It’s a pale, duck egg blue that has plenty of white in it to keep it fresh and uplifting,” Harnasz told Apartment Therapy. “It’s reminiscent of blue skies and positivity, and it also looks like Witherspoon has used it over all walls and cupboards, too.”
Of course, this color might have been used in multiple places simply because Witherspoon loves the color, but Harnasz says that keeping consistent with one color can have functional benefits, too. “This is a great trick to give the illusion of space and openness as the eye isn’t drawn to distractions in change of color. Timeless and elegant, you can’t go wrong with a soft blue in the kitchen,” Harnasz concluded.