I would love to see pictures of Dover White or Creamy. I am cosidering these or BM Acadia white.

I am in the middle of painting our cabinets Moderne White. It has sort of a gray undertone. I really like it. It has softened up the old white but is not really a true off white. Also, I am using SW Pro Classic paint. It is suppose to dry as hard as oil based and it is self-leveling.It has worked great!

I have dover white trim and my half bath is now dover white that I glazed yesterday so I'll try to figure out how to post a pic for ya. I love the dover white it was the one good thing our contractor did suggest...that I actually liked alot! It's a nice creamy neutral white.

I wanted to report what one painter told me today. Take it for what it is worth, but I think he may be right -- at least for my case. I'm looking for an off-white, and he suggested that Creamy and Alabaster, the two SW colors I've been considering, might read far more "bright white" than I realize once they are applied. My kitchen gets a fair amount of sun, for one thing, and I certainly don't want to be dazzled with a bright white effect. It is also a kitchen in a historic home, so I want a toned-down, more historic looking white. He suggested something like BM Winter Wheat instead.

Anyway, I just thought I'd report this because it got me reconsidering. I thought I'd take my growing palette of white paint chips with me to several kitchen showrooms (places where no one will bug me, like Home Depot) and compare them to the whites on showroom door samples. White is so hard to pick!!

Fun! I like the winter wheat. We are doing a kitchen in a historic home, too. We are just starting to decide on colors. This winter wheat actually resembles the original color on our butler pantry 'dresser'. I will see it again tomorrow morning, but I think it is definitely similar. Since we are trying to match the dresser and would love to do the original shade, this may be it! I'll have to get a swatch to make a better comparison in person.

I'm surprised that Creamy would look so white, it looks very yellow on the swatch. That's why I was going to stay away from it. Anyone used Grecian Ivory? IT is more of a neutral grey green. An old neighbor of mine painted her cabs in P &L Carbonite they looked beautiful. This looks very similar, but SW.

dccharlotte, if your butler's dresser is a close match to Winter Wheat, any chance you could post a picture of it?
Also, another recommendation by my painter is BM Lancaster Whitewash. I also like the grey toned SW Divine White. Well, I have a lot of work to do!

Check out this beautiful kitchen. She used Lancaster Whitewash for all the trim to match the cabinetry.

Here is a link that might be useful: mamadadapaige's kitchen

That is a gorgeous kitchen, and if Lancaster Whitewash is a good match to the cabinets, that provides me with a good model. Thanks for posting this Positano. BTW, there's another thread this morning on this site that asks for paint color help, and I just listed my growing list of white colors for her, if anyone is interested.

I'm looking for an off-white, and he suggested that Creamy and Alabaster, the two SW colors I've been considering, might read far more "bright white" than I realize once they are applied

I can tell you that this is certainly true. I used Alabaster based upon a paint swatch, and when we shot the first coat, it looked like shiny primer. It was *glaring* white. I stopped everything and took the paint back to SW and had them tone it down a lot. We ended up with a custom-Alabaster mix that's softer, but it's still not what my ideal vision for the kitchen is supposed to be.

In my last kitchen we did Divine White, which looks brown (no joke) on the swatch, but looks soft, creamy and beautiful on the cabinets. Go figure.

Thanks for your input reno. I am 100% with you in my thinking, and I'm so glad my painter pointed it out. The trouble comes when viewing the chips side by side. When doing so, something like Divine White or Lancaster Whitewash looks positively dull and brown next to something like Creamy. That's what was "coloring" (pun intended!) my perspective. I've now eliminated all the bright or clear whites from my chart of possibilities and suddenly my viewpoint has changed. BTW, do you have any pictures of your Divine White kitchen?

I ended up glazing my last kitchen, so you can't get a good feel for the plain color.

However, we have an investment house that we just remodeled, and based upon my original kitchen, I chose Divine White again. It's perfect (again). I should have trusted my gut and done this color in my own house!

Here is the investment house kitchen with Divine White, though the flash is making it appear brigher/harsher than it truly looks:

What color did you glaze your divine white cabinets? latex or oil based. Did you like it and would you do it again? I think the new kitchen looks great. Especially with the yellow/gold wall. Is that SW blonde?

Julie, the last kitchen was painted and glazed in water based. I did it myself, and didn't want to get dizzy from fumes! I glazed it in 2 parts. Both colors were a dark brown, almost black.

Here's the old kitchen:

The wall color in the current house is Benjamin Moore Twilight Gold.

Thanks Reno Fan! I am still trying to choose a white for my cabinets and then probably a chocolate glaze. When I hold the Divine White up against my all white cabinets now, it looks beige, but not in your picture at the new house.

Oh gosh I'm ready to give up on finding the right color. Just got SW dover white thinking that would be it, but it is too white.

Divine WHite looks great on your cabs,nothing like the swatch though. Maybe it's the added glaze.

I'm tellin' ya, the Divine White looks *nothing* like the swatch when painted. I was in the Sherwin Williams store, trying to explain what I wanted to the clerk, and a painter that happened to be standing there said, "Oh, you need to get Divine White". I trusted him, had the paint mixed, and loved it.

Then later I looked at the swatch and was shocked to see that it looked positively beige, and not white at all. I never would have picked it, but I love it.

reno's experience, and her photo, are spot on, I think. The whites are so deceiving. Of course the best method is to bring home little pots of various colors to test before painting, maybe opting for one that "seems" far too beige on the chip. For what it's worth, I did my "research" yesterday--went to a couple of stores that sell cabinets with my paint chips (Lowes, Menards, Home Depot). All cabinet lines have at least one choice of "white white" and "off white." (I'm not doing glazing so I tried to ignore those samples). The "off white" cabinets in all cases were very close to shades such as
Sherwin Williams
Divine White
Muslin
Navajo White
Benjamin Moore
Muslin
Bone White
Gentle Cream
Winter Wheat
Lancaster Whitewash
Each one of these is approximately the same value but each has different undertones of yellow, pink, gray, or green. Since my wall paint is a gray/green (in the sage green family) I am leaning toward Lancaster Whitewash, which has just a hint of green undertones. Divine White, the SW Muslin, and Bone White are also strong contenders. I'll probably try out at least four samples before deciding. If you are looking for something in-between a really white and off white, you might also look at BM Grand Teton White. It is too white for me, but a nice middle value shade.

For what it's worth, I have SW Moderne White on my bathroom walls, and it definitely reads greenish-gray against white porcelain tile and fixtures.

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They started installing my new cabinets yesterday. The color I used is the SW Creamy. I don't think it seems like a bright white at all. I think it is soft and, well, Creamy!

Here are a few pics so far...
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But what finish for these colors...satin, eggshell, semi-gloss?????????????????

Thanks!!

I just painted my pickled oak kitchen cabinets with Alabaster in May. I love how they have turned out. I did use an oil based paint in semi gloss.

laurra, your kitchen looks great! I am in the process of painting our kitchen cabinets. I have them primed, now comes the hard part...picking a color! I am leaning toward SW Alabaster too. I was wondering what color you have the walls painted? I saw your other pictues in a different thread, is your dining area the same color too or does it look different from the lighting?...thanks!

I was just going to post a similar question. I am completely intimidated by the possibilities. More intimidated by choosing the right cabinet color, in context of correct wall color, then add backsplash. Oh and my sink -another part of the white family. White, on top of white, on top of white, AHHHHH!
There seems to be a common thread of Creamy cabinet, white(er) sink, shiny(ier) white backsplash. Just trying to decode some design tricks, as I have no idea how to do this combo.

Sprice5105, I just noticed that your hardwood floors are new. I just love the Brazilian Cherry so much! Another poster had BC floors in her home that were 2 years old and they were still not too dark for me but then everything keeps saying they will get so dark. Have you noticed a lot of darkening these last two months? Maybe the floors darken up to a richer more beautiful color so that they are always beautiful? What finish is on the floor and what make are they? As I said in my other post, I can't seem to make up my mind between the Brazilian Cherry or the Amendoim floors for my home office (living room and dining room) and my family room. Based on pics of your kitchen, I decided to go with the lighter tile in my two foyer areas since it looks nice to have contrast with the wood. Your pics were a big help. I just love the floors in your kitchen and your beautiful creamy white cabinets.I seem to love both creamy white cabinets, maple cabinets and cherry cabinets I am finding out.

I just started painting my cabinets with Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo Alkyd Low Lustre tinted to SW7049 Nuance. It's a putty white. It's not as dulled down as some of the other off-whites mentioned above but i really like how it's turning out. I will post some pictures when I am done.

My trim in my house was painted SW Natural Silk. It is a gorgeous creamy white and we put in a painted kitchen at my MIL's house using this paint. It was gorgeous with dark green granite. Unfortunately I can't post a pic because she has since sold the house. The kitchen was so pretty. Recently I had all of the trim painted in my house and I lightened it into a bit more white this time, SW Roman Column. It's a really pretty, not too stark white.

Our kitchen is still a work in progress. Please pardon the mess! We used SW Alabaster.

persnicketydesign - What color green did you use in your kitchen? It's such a cheerful color.

Laurie

Thanks, Laurie! It's SW Hearts of Palm. We used it a shade darker (Sassy Green) in the sunroom.

Persnickety, what color is your white trim in the house? Is it the same as your kitchen cabinets or something different? I love the green. I think i have told you before, I have a two-story foyer in a similar green.

Hooray! Another green fiend! These shades definitely aren't timid. LOL I didn't know that you had a similar color. I'd love to see your foyer. :o)

We used Alabaster for the trim and painted cabinetry throughout the house.

We are no where even close to being finished painting, so I am showing a picture that shows the closest to being done section of my kitchen (note, no backsplash yet), but we are using SW Casa Blanca and it is looking very nice. A very neutral off white, doesn't look too yellow, too beige, too grey, or too white. I think a lot depends on the light in your house and whatever else is going to "bounce" off the cabinets, like flooring color, wall color, etc.

I'm using Dover White with a sandthrough rather than a glaze to age them a bit in our "new cottage" build.

reno_fan and sprice, would you mind sharing the wall colors in your kitchens? Also, reno_fan, love the wall sconces! Could you tell me what brand they are? Thanks!

I used SW Alabaster in my kitchen and I like it. It's a "warm" white. I don't really see any undertones in it but one of the Carrera marbles I was looking at kind of clashed with it. I found another slab that didn't have too "cool" of a color and it did work with the alabaster paint. (I carried a cabinet door with me to the stone yard.)

sprice, found another post with your paint colors. :)
reno_fan..are you out there?

I have been reading this forum for a while, but never posted. Thanks to all of you who have provided useful insight. I'm in the middle of updating my very white 90s kitchen.

I had to write b/c the posts are really SO helpful. And I feel its time to reciprocate. I had a interior decorator help me choose the white/cream for my cabinets. It was an agonizing decision. She recommended "LINEN WHITE" by BMoore with a nice brownish glaze. I am very pleased and would highly recommend the color to anyone looking for something in between cream and white. For a while I really wanted the color "simple irresistible, also by BM. But the decorator convinced me to go with something whiter and let the glaze add the depth. I'm so glad I did.
It was worth the $50.00 for that advice!

I am building a new home and trying to decide on the color for the kitchen cabinets. There are too many whites to pick from. I don't like stark white and I don't want yellow...a soft off white or cream...how do I choose.

I am building a new home and trying to decide on the color for the kitchen cabinets. There are too many whites to pick from. I don't like stark white and I don't want yellow...a soft off white or cream...how do I choose.

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bumping this thread also.....

I painted my walls in kitchen and surrounding rooms in SW alabaster. Would it look okay to paint kitchen cabinets the same color? My counter top is a dark brown with white specks in it. My back splash is white subway tile. The kitchen is the first thing you see when you walk in my front door. I want to go the "all white" look and make everything look airy and fresh and larger. Thanks.

I'm having my cabinets and walls painted next week and just replaced my backsplash. @galetrammel I am doing something similar to you. My existing countertop is dark - reads more black than brown. The new backsplash is subway tile in "linen". I am painting both my cabinets and walls in SW Greek Villa. I like the look of cabinets and walls in same color -- and they will look different due to different paint finishes. I would still paint a sample of our SW alabaster on foam board and see how it looks on the different walls of your kitchen. It's amazing how the same color you have elsewhere in the house may look different in the kitchen.

kmcg123 Thank you for your input. I will look up Greek Villa for color. I won't be changing my wall color since it is brand new. It is very hard to choose the right white!

I just learned about the Alabaster looking bright white the hard way. Just had my brand new beautiful cabinets painted in Alabaster semi gloss, and it is so white, that I cannot believe it's the same paint that everyone says often looks too yellow. With all the natural light I have, it looks like a shiny version of the primer. I feel like I've ruined my kitchen.