Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
slance66

Ben Moore white for cabinets with soapstone

slance66
12 years ago

Hi,

Our maple cabinets are being built now and we're struggling with the color. The kitchen won't have much painted wall space when finished, so we're thinking of a light graphite glaze to accent the soapstone counter we plan to get and to avoid the "wall of white" look.

Does anyone have some suggestions that would work well with this combination? The island will be blue washed stain. I'd love to see some pictures of creamy/ivory white or white glazed cabinets with soapstone.

Comments (21)

  • mjsee
    12 years ago

    Mascarpone is a WONDERFUL white. I don't have it on any walls--but it is my go-to trim color.

  • artemis78
    12 years ago

    I'm also a fan of Acadia White, though our house was already full of it when we got it so we were saved having to navigate the wonderful world of whites. But I've been really pleased with how versatile the color is---all of our trim and ceilings are painted in it throughout our house, and it is at home with our soapstone and wood counters and various walls of gold, green, beige, tan, and most recently robin's egg blue. It's a creamy white so the only thing it really doesn't work with is true whites (when our walls were primed with pure white it looked awful, but then as soon as the color was on, it all came together).

  • lambsear1
    12 years ago

    Simply white and Cloud white are beautiful whites.

  • slance66
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks. Right now we are testing several shades on the existing cabinets. White Down looks promising as does Buttercream. We definitely want something warm and not stark. Seashell looks nice with a slight greenish hue.

  • lindiver
    12 years ago

    We used BM bone white. I does have a yellow cast to it, but it's soft and looks pretty with the soapstone. If we were going to choose a different color, I'd go with marscapone.

  • christine40
    12 years ago

    We are looking either feather down or creamy white

  • slance66
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Tried Mascarpone and it's pretty bright. Really seems to "pop" a bit too much in my kitchen. Might try Acadia tomorrow. We're really going for a cream, but Antique White was too peachy looking. Buttermink may be too yellow.

    Anyone have pictures or know who has pictures of Acadia with Soapstone counters?

  • mee19
    12 years ago

    This is a nice one in Lancaster White. Here's a link to some photos with a soapstone granite alternative and that color cabinet.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Lancaster White cabs

  • willtv
    12 years ago

    We went with BM Gardenia.
    It's a very warm white and works well with our dark countertops and the rest of our black & white kitchen.
    Here's a link to some pics.

    Here is a link that might be useful: BM Gardenia in Black & White Kitchen

  • tinker_2006
    12 years ago

    White has to be the hardest color! I tried at least 12 whites, looking for a prefect white. The whites change depending on your room location (sun), time of day, wall color, etc. I went with SW Alabaster, which is very close to BM White Dove. After I placed the order, I found myself in a panic that it was going to end up too stark, but I was too late to change. My bathroom cabinets were delivered yesterday, and they are PERFECT!!! Not too white, not to yellow, not too gray... just right. They still do change shades depending upon the hour of the day, but they still look perfect!

  • christine40
    12 years ago

    Try creamy white or Elmira white....the lady at the BM store near me recommended them! Both are very similar to kraftmaid mushroom.

  • Markar
    12 years ago

    I had a color consultant recommend Ben Moore Mayonnaise (OC-85) for the cabs. It is creamy. We also have just a bit of wall space. The color guy recommended Ben Moore Philadelphia Cream for the walls. It has a definite yellow tone to it. But I havent had the cabs installled yet, so I cant personally for either just yet!

  • slance66
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks everyone. We're still agonizing about this. At the moment, Linen White is looking good, I like Acadia, and Vanilla Ice Cream is nice. White Down now seems more grey. Local BM folks advised not looking at these next to each other, but separately, surrounded by bright white. When I do that, Acadia looks best to me. Mascarpone is pretty, but almost glows, even in low light.

    Challenges: lighting will all change, floor will go from tile to Oak, counters will go from grey/white tile to nearly black soapstone. So the room will be very different.

  • christine40
    12 years ago

    We are having the same problem. Our KD recommended choosing granite and backsplash first, then deciding on paint color, as there are so many white tones (we really want more taupe), but a lot less granites and backsplash tile that we like! So, I am going backwards,and matching the paint to the other elements, like you would do with a wall! That may be the way to go?

  • bookmom41
    12 years ago

    I'll second the BM Mayonnaise. I use it for trim and wainscoting in my house; it's a creamy white but never looks yellowy.

  • littlesmokie
    12 years ago

    Your comment that you liked Mascarpone but that it looked too bright makes me think that looking at LRV (light reflective value. generally higher=lighter, lower = darker) might help you.

    Mascarpone is 92.25 on the LRV=it will read white. It is a beautiful soft white, but it is NOT an off white/cream.

    There's also undertones to consider, but LRV is one easy tool to help you generally make sense of how the colors you're looking at compare to each other. It's pretty overwhelming when there are 100+ benjamin moore whites!!

    If you like Acadia White (85), you might look at Calming Cream (85.7). If you like Linen White (84.4) you might also looke at Navajo White (81.1) or if you want quite a bit darker, maybe Gentle Cream (73.5)?

    Of course there are literally dozens of colors and undertones in between those few I mentioned-dizzying!

    A designer I worked with swears that Navajo White is the perfect "cream" (he uses it as a wall color paired with Super White? Simply White? trim.) I actually think the perfect cream is Farrow & Ball White Tie.

    I'll link an older thread where I babbled on about this topic. I struggled and sampled endlessly and finally selected Calming Cream (85.7) for the kitchen cabinets and Simply Irresistible (79.4) for the trim color throughout the rest of the house.

    The color consultant at the BM store kept reminding me that colors look completely different based on their light exposure and the surrounding colors and urged me to just select the colors that worked best in their respective spaces. I was so worried that I was making a mistake using two different trim colors, but the undertones on these two particular colors are so similar and walking into our home, you'd never know we used two different colors because the lighting is so different.

    Here is a link that might be useful: blog about selecting off white

  • littlesmokie
    12 years ago

    I meant to link you to jbrodie's acadia white/soapstone kitchen. It was from this thread that I learned to have our final coat of paint brushed instead of sprayed to make touch ups easier. :)

    As you've probably already found, seeing a color in a photo isn't as helpful as seeing a color in your own space, but it is still worth it to peek at this gorgeous kitchen.

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

  • itsallaboutthefood
    12 years ago

    A third for BM Mayonnaise. We use it for the ceilings and trim in our house. It goes well with white fixtures (sink) and our existing white vinyl windows and our soapstone counters. It's defiantly a warm white and plays well with our dark wood cabinets and warm yellow walls too.

  • User
    12 years ago

    BM Vanilla Ice Cream -- for me it has always been the perfect creamy white. Hasn't failed me yet.

  • MIssyV
    12 years ago

    For what it's worth, I painted my 1975 oak cabs BM's Linen White. I really liked them in the garage, then brought them in the house and thought "uh oh, they look more creamy than I thought." I, like you, wanted white, but not stark, cold white, I wanted a warm white. I will say that was in July when I painted them and really think they are a nice warm white in our kitchen now that some time has passed. And, I think lighting will make all the difference. Right now, I don't have good lighting at all in my kitchen, and very little natural light.

    I too planned to do soapstone, was ready to slap my money on a beauty of a slab, but chickened out :( Still a bit sad about it and wonder if I made the right decision, but that's a part of home reno's!