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Shiloh cabinets-- Soft White or Polar White? Thoughts?

aparadise
12 years ago

Hi All,

I have been lurking on this site now for 2+ months... I wish I had started posting my questions earlier :) We are in the middle of a kitchen renovation and addition. Just to give you some background info--we bumped out the existing kitchen about 15 feet to make room for an eat-in kitchen area (which will now be open to our existing familyroom), added some windows, and a few skylights (which are situated kind of between the eat-in area and where the actual kitchen starts). We plan on using stainless steel appliances, either chrome or nickel hardware, and a light colored granite (perhaps something that has flecks of golds, grays, etc...)... maybe some sort of light grey on the wall in the eat-in area (not a ton of wall space in the kitchen area)....not sure about backsplash yet, and our floors are a white oak stained in Ipswich pine (not super light, but not super dark either). Even with all of the windows and skylights, our kitchen doesn't get a ton of sunlight. Our design includes a peninsula (which separates the kitchen from the eat-in area at the very rear of the house). Our home is colonial style and we are going with inset cabinets from Shiloh. We are supposed to be finalizing the cabinet order tomorrow...yes, I know... nothing like waiting until the last possible minute to make key decisions. :)

I LOVE our layout but I am torn between the polar white (which is a brighter white) and the soft white. Ive been able to find some pics online of soft white (and fewer of polar). In some pics the soft white looks a bit beige (which isn't the look Im going for; in other pics, the polar looks incredibly bright white (again, which isn't exactly the look Im going for).

These are some of my inspiration pics:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-traditional-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~85737-contemporary-kitchen-minneapolis

https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~210661-Verde-Design-traditional-kitchen-minneapolis

https://www.houzz.com/photos/timeless-kitchens-ltd-traditional-kitchen-vancouver-phvw-vp~181579-Kitchens-Ltd--traditional-kitchen-cabinets-vancouver

https://www.houzz.com/photos/globus-builder-traditional-kitchen-los-angeles-phvw-vp~296660-Builder-traditional-kitchen-los-angeles

Has anyone here used (or seen firsthand) Shiloh cabinets in either the polar or soft white? What were/are your initial reactions to these colors (especially in light of my inspiration pics and what Ive described about our design above?) 'd love your thoughts one way or another... Im just so torn and I dont want to regret my decision.. though Im sure either would be fine (I hope). I'm just horrible when it comes to color choices (and lucky me.. I have about 6 more rooms in need of paint after I finish this kitchen project. Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated! -Angela

Comments (21)

  • clergychick
    12 years ago

    Hi Angela. I have Shiloh soft white (with cafe highlighting). I would not say it reads beige, but it definitely is creamy. Based on what you say you want and your inspiration pics, I think you would be happier with the polar white. FWIW, Amy

  • gr8daygw
    12 years ago

    I agree with clergychick. Cabinets will darken a little with time. I'd rather start out a little lighter than a little darker than I'd like. Especially if it's reading a little beige to you. Not sure of the brand of paint but soft white in some brands means a pinkish tone. However with the way they name paints who really knows? Wishing you all the best with your decision : )

    P.S.(my bathroom cabs are off white but "too off white" for me, I often lament this fact and wish there was something I could do about it but there just isn't, I will have to learn to love the one I'm with).

  • aparadise
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you so far for the feedback!

    I took a few pics today of the 2 color choices... I know it can be difficult to judge colors off of pictures (especially pics of singular cabinet samples), but I thought putting the 2 cabinet colors next to each other would give everyone a sense of the 2 choices (though disregard the cabinet style). I have posted a few pics on picasa which can be accessed here:

    https://picasaweb.google.com/106586949360959338711/January142012?locked=true&feat=email

    Again, any feedback is appreciated!
    Angela

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet Color Choices (Polar on left, Soft White on Right)

  • pps7
    12 years ago

    We have polar white and I really like it. I agonized over the same decision and I know I made the right choice. Did you have a trim color chosen?

  • aparadise
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    PPS7- I am definitely agonizing and obsessing over this decision...

    Do you have any pics of your kitchen? If so, I'd love to see them? If you wouldnt mind posting them or sending me some over email, that would be much appreciated! My email is angelaparadise@hotmail.com

    As for trim, we havent decided that yet... (we are re-doing pretty much everything on the first floor... so Im working with a blank slate.) Too many decisions to make at once! What color trim did you end up using? Would love your thoughts!

    Thanks again!
    Angela

  • theanimala
    12 years ago

    We too had a hard time deciding. My issue with Shiloh is that the do not have an "in the middle" color selection. We liked both the Polar and Soft Whites, but in the end we went with the Soft as the Polar was really just TOO white for us. Again, we would have preferred something in the middle but we are glad we went with the soft white. I will say that the lighting can have a dramatic effect on how white the cabinets look. When we originally took our pictures we were using some softer halogen lights that gave the cabinets a creamer look. Since then we have changed the bulbs and they definitely look whiter then they did before. Early picture of our Shiloh kitchen below:

  • ratrem
    12 years ago

    We are in the middle of the same decision. What cabinet door and style are you going with, that might make a difference. We are leaning and almost 100% going with the polar. For us we have an open floor plan living/dining/kitchen in a condo so perhaps a smaller footprint (roughly 1000 sq ft for all) The living and dining both have bay windows but the kitchen will only have one window over the window that faces south/west and will not have a ton of direct light as the houses are close together (city living). We also want a very consistent color scheme and will be painting the white woodwork to match the kitchen cabinets, so it all just kind of blends in together. If my kitchen was more closed off and my house larger than I might go warmer. I guess it depends on how you want it to look and the colors in the adjoining rooms. I think both colors are very nice.

  • susanlynn2012
    12 years ago

    I bought my paint chips to the Seifer Kitchen Design Center in Pine Brook, NJ and found the Polar White to be slightly darker and slightly more creamy than BM Cloud White. The Polar White is also less gray than BM White Dove. I thought it was the perfect white and if my little dog did not die on 12-30-11 and if I did not have to catch up with so many CPE classes, I would have bought them. I now need to wait until my busy season passes. The soft white was very nice but the Polar White went better with the tiles I bought for my kitchen. Hope this helps.

  • susanlynn2012
    12 years ago

    Here is a picture on the seifer.com's website that is in their NJ store that shows the Shiloh Polar White painted maple cabinets. Notice the backsplash is more white. I loved them so much and I am disappointed that I could not complete my kitchen yet.

    Here is a link that might be useful: This is the Shiloh Cabinets on display at Seifer's store & on their website

  • susanlynn2012
    10 years ago

    I was surprised by door samples brought to my home in my lighting resulted in the Polar White having a little bit gray in it and the Soft White being a nice white without much yellow if I am to use the LED 3,000K bulbs I plan to use. I had my heart set on Polar White but in my lighting in the kitchen, the Soft White looked nicer with the tiles that I bought and were more white than the sample door from Home Depot's Innner Most that I was looking at with a Divinity Classic Finish. Now I am confused since I do not want doors too creamy but I do not want cabinets too gray with my tiles. If I never bought the rectified big tiles for the floor, I would be considering which granites look better with which white. I was sure I was going to go with Polar White now I am unsure and want to see a floor display and compare the doors at the store again.

    This post was edited by lynn2006 on Sun, Feb 2, 14 at 1:20

  • susanlynn2012
    10 years ago

    Anyone with any insight on this post and why they chose one white over the other white. Home Depot's Inner Most is more creamy and darker than Shiloh's Soft White. Maybe the Polar White door darkened due to it being a older sample door while the he just got the big Shiloh Soft White door in which I did not like in the show room at another place but liked in my kitchen despite wishing it was slightly more white.

  • mdln
    10 years ago

    I think the polar is more cool (but not as cool as the arctic), and the soft is more warm (but not as warm as eggshell).

    Am interested in other thoughts.

  • susanlynn2012
    10 years ago

    Thank you mdln for replying.

    I wish my link for store's sample kitchen above would work as it is gone.

    The kitchen designer had a brand new large sample door made for me and another client but would not leave it here for me to really analyze.

    The soft White was a little whiter than the Home Depot's Inner Most door sample (Divinity Classic) that I had here that I felt was too yellow in my lighting and with my tiles despite really liking it in a kitchen reveal on this forum.

    The Polar White (think the sample door was much older) with the 3,000K LED bulbs I was using did not look as nice with my tiles as the soft white in this lighting and actually had a gray look which surprised me.

    So maybe it is the lighting that I plan to use as I like white that is not so yellow.

    The Soft White was slightly darker and creamier than my bedroom set that I love so much that is Durham Maple with a rubbed out sand white finish.

    I had my heart set on the Polar but I think it does not go with my tiles and amazingly the soft white did in the light I plan to use as I only have one LED bulb in this light spectrum.

    I just do not envision my kitchen being too yellow but I don't want stark white either despite how wonderful it looks with the right counter and accessories in the kitchen of others as that did not look right with my tiles either. I already bought the kitchen floor tiles which I know I should have bought after the cabinets. Every kitchen that I see in Polar White or Soft White on this forum I have fallen in love with so maybe when all the doors are either white, it just looks white.

    The Eggshell is too warm for me.

  • susanlynn2012
    10 years ago

    Thank you Mdln! This does help! The door sample the designer had with did not look like this nice Polar White. This is showing me that I have to find another place that sells Shiloh to bring my tile to be sure of the white in person. Any of these whites are nice. I wish there was a white lighter than the soft white but slightly creamier than the Polar White. But again thank you! I must make my decision soon as I was given a certain date where the price will go up. I am just now starting my busy season.

  • aries61
    10 years ago

    lynn2006, Not sure if you are aware, but Shiloh will do custom paint.

  • susanlynn2012
    10 years ago

    Thank you Aries61! I was not aware. I wonder how much they charge to do the custom paint?

  • adh673
    10 years ago

    We did our kitchen in shiloh soft white (highlighted and brushed with slate) a few year ago. We are back now trying to decide whether to go with soft white or a whiter one for our master bath- but here are pix of my kitchen with the soft white if it helps anyone.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Shiloh Soft White Kitchen

  • Jami G
    8 years ago

    The Shiloh brand artic color is a very cool white close to Benjamin Moore's White. The polar white is softer and in some lighting there is a green or yellow aura to the color.

  • PRO
    The Kitchen Place
    8 years ago

    Almost all of my Shiloh clients who want white, go with Polar. It's still very white with some warmth to it.

  • autumn.4
    8 years ago

    I went with soft white. While I like it in my kitchen and it still looks white to me - I had my trim color tinted to match which carries through the whole house and certain paint colors really turn it more creamy which I don't like. Overall I'm happy with the soft white of the cabinets but I'd probably do polar if I had to do it again just due to the trim issue.