Modern design is sterile - black, shades of gray, ecru and white. No color - see it all over. Close friend just got an all-white kitchen.
I see the “Magnolia House” products in Target - great it you like washed out browns, grays and ecru - no color at all in any of it. It’s boring.
I have beautiful, colorful Mexican tiles in my red and yellow kitchen - along with lots of other colors. Looks wonderful and I get a ton of compliments on it.
Americans move a lot, so it's to keep up the resale value. Few buyers want anything unusual that they haven't seen a million times already on Zillow.
Part of the appeal of white in rooms is it brightens the room. In the 70’s everything g was dark, hard to see. Older folks especially like the brighter rooms as their eyes are not as great and struggle in dimmer rooms.
Your house sounds wonderful. Most of the houses I see on Zillow have white kitchens. I hate it
Your decor sounds great...I add reds/orange accents to our base colors to liven things up, plus prints
I started to see the white-on-white-on-white motif in the early 80s. I call it the Insane Asylum decor or the Abortatorium. Post Roe v Wade women simply went nuts imo.
The decor their cuks let them pick out is cold and clinical just like their commitment to themselves.
I have color throughout my home, too. It’s bright and cheerful.