Gray is a very neutral color and looks good with either white or cream. I think it really depends on the overall look you like. My personal preference would be cream with gray. I'm biased, I just did a deep gray quartz with what I'll call driftwood birch cabinets.

Nancy

Gray countertops can have hints of many colors but they always fall into either a "cool" or "warm" category. IMO cool gray works with true white and warm grays works with a creamy white. I have Old Dominion soapstone. I call it a warm blue because the veins are creamy and there are flecks of light garnet. It fits with my cream cabinets. My friend has a really green soapstone but it is truly a cool grey/green and she has white cabinets.

Pardon me for stating the obvious....why not get soapstone if that's the look you want? =)

My whole kitchen ended up gray somehow (need to purchase gray pot):

Fori: I think the OP only likes soapstone when it is light grey, not after it darkens. Of course, she doesn't have to oil it, but soapstone will oxidize eventually with or without oiling it. So she'd have a fair amount of maintenance to keep it the light grey she wants year after year. Thus, going with something that approximates the color she likes and stays that way without maintenance may be a good bet.

nancy - beautiful kitchen. i love your colors! what color/brand is your quartz? i really like the medium grays.

fori - yes, i love soapstone but as melissastar mentioned i don't like it too black. it would be too much maintenance if i kept it the lighter color. plus the hard soapstone in my area is very dark to start. what is on your backsplash? it's very pretty.

thanks for your thoughts. anyone else have thoughts on gray? thank you in advance.

Are we just talking about white vs cream? If so, I really like crisp white with gray. That's just my opinion though.

But, as far as other colors go.....it looks great with so many colors. Love it with yellow, lime green, purple. It is really a perfect neutral. I've seen it used successfully with orange too.

And, don't forget silver, they make quite a nice combo too.

go over to Houzz, and search for 'gray', scroll through the photos that come up and see how the colors work together.

Here is a link that might be useful: houzz

O.T. wizardnm, must compliment your kitchen. I am impressed by the way the turquoise radiates out of the hood area and makes hood disappear. This handling of grey is creative. There's a lot of good thinking in your design.

suggest you find some clear glass vases--this kitchen can take a lot of clear glass twinkle.

florantha, thank you, that means a lot. I have some things to finish before I do a finished kitch post but it's coming. I like your idea for some glass, I think that would work with some of my pottery collection and pick up the sparkle of the counter top.

Nancy

Cream doesn't go with black? oops. Sure didn't know that. [LOL]

I prefer crisp white with gray, but I also love a dusty yellow or gold with gray. I think it's the hues & tints that dictate the color, myself.

Gray, remember, even goes well with shades of red. It's an incredible neutral.

I can't wait to see your kitchen.

Christine
Formerly C F Muehling

O.T. Wizard, if you have Chroma you must be in the PNW like me. Am I right?

In general, I prefer gray with white. But some grays are warm and can look better with cream.

Hi Breezygirl, no, I'm in Northern Lower Michigan..:)

There's no denying that white and a cool gray look great together. Cream and gray also look good though and other elements in a kitchen can tie either combo together.

I may be showing my age here.... one of the classic color combo's in ready to wear is gray and cream (also tans and camel). It has a richness to it. It's a softer combo. In my kitchen I am into a little bit of a beach look, partly due to living on a lake and because I love aqua which is in right now. I fully expect to repaint in a few years and will probably go to a gray shade at that time. I love colors and want to be able to change things up on a whim.

Nancy

My current kitchen is a bright pure white semi gloss with light grey speckled counters. They work well, but the room looked a little steril. Cream color walls and wood floors made it work.

I discovered just tonight when my "Wimborne White" sample cabinet arrived that there is almost no way to know without trying real samples what "whites" and "grays" will look good together. It is all about undertones (as I've learned from the wonderful "Color Me Happy Blog"). The Caesarstone "cement" that I thought would look too cool for my cabinets ended up being just the right complement for the Wimborne White. If that makes any sense, they each make the other look warmer and better. So keep playing around with real samples and color combinations. Meanwhile, I have to figure out if I can live with Caesarstone instead of the soapstone I had my heart set on.

Yes! Just like Fransois said... You have too them in person and next to each other. It is SO much about the subtle undertones with greys and whites!!!!!

I love white n grey but I also love cream n grey. It's just got to be the right one. Also tones come into play. Or rather contrast. A Pebble needs a stronger white. A Cement can easily do a cream.

Side note-I saw Rosemary CS in a showroom the other day and I couldn't believe how green it reads on mass. Something to thing about I think.

I am also doing grey and white w a bit of statuary (island) and I'm struggling with pebble not giving me enough contrast. So I'm going to look at the greys of some other brands to get "just" the right one. I'm obsessed!

Oops. I meant "see them in person"...

HI celineike, I'll be curious to find out what color counters you end up picking. I'm also possibly considering pebble, cement or rosemary Caesarstone. Interesting to hear that Rosemary reads more green on a large scale. My small sample is a very muted grayish green. I was all set on soapstone and then realized that it is just too dark for my kitchen and I don't like the super high contrast with my "Wimborne White" cabinets.

Hi lisaabby (OP): what did you end up deciding on for counters? Just curious since you are considering some of the same counters I'm thinking about.

i'm so sorry i didn't follow up...the kids were off for spring break and i'm just getting things back in order now. here is my inspiration...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60751940@N04/5642073636/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60751940@N04/5642072206/in/photostream

thank you everyone for all your thoughts. they are so helpful and point out that you really need to see everything in person.

celeine, i also saw a large sample of the rosemary and i agree that it is very green.

being away for a little bit has helped me a bit...i think. i seem to run circles and always end up with virginia mist. but that's today and i'm sure i'll change my mind by tomorrow. i think i need to make a decision soon though...mostly for my sanity!

debbie...i appreciate your thoughts. i have a feeling if i end up with the virginia mist granite i will need to go more white. i like the idea of warming it up with creamy walls and we will use our current "warm" hardwood floors.

francoise...think i'm going with virginia mist but i could be swayed. did you decide? what color of cabinets are you working with?

thanks again everyone. take care.

Just to update as well...
The Pebble was just too light so i edged towards CS Concrete.
But I am going with Qortstone in Cemento because it's almost identical to Caesarstone's Concrete, it's just a bit lighter and a bit warmer. The Concrete has a slight blue undertone that I know en masse, will be too dark for me.

The nice thing about Qortstone is that it's about $650 a slab vs $1200... hope it holds up as well!