I think it would be easier to choose the countertop first and then pick the white paint to best complement it. Congratulations on finally getting the kitchen you want!

We picked our countertop and then chose our white cabinet and wall colors.

I've read that it's always best to choose counter first (paint can be modified infinitely.)

If I remember correctly, Maria Killam uses chantilly lace as one of the whitest whites. She has an ebook out called "white is complicated" that might be a good resource if you get to a point where you feel you need help choosing finishes and discerning their undertones.

3LovepIe, your kitchen will be similar to mine (white cabs with dark stained island). We are using Ceaserstone Bianco Drift. We hired an expensive interior designer (one who was trained by Maria Killam) to come and help us finalize the finishes for various rooms. She chose BM White Dove cabinets and trim to go with Bianco Drift counters. We ended up getting SW Alabaster for the cabs and will use for the trim (Alabaster is very, very close to BM White Dove) as the cabinet company uses SW and not BM. Otherwise, I would have used BM White Dove.

Ceasarstone and Silestone tend to be off-white rather than a true white. So you may find the whitest whites to be too bright for your counter. Definitely choose the counter before the paint (or cabinet colour). On the other hand, if you are limited in cabinet colour because the company does not offer custom colours, than you may need to go the other way around.

Carol

Choose whichever has the least number of choices first. So if you will be site painting or using a cabinet maker who can match any paint color, choose the countertop first. If you will have a limited number of white cabinet choices, pick that first. Since you are visiting to paint store, it sounds like you can choose any paint color you want? If so, choose the countertop first.

I was crossing my fingers hoping that paint choice first was a good idea (i am such a dreamer).

We (read I) want a pretty kitchen but want to be careful not to have a cold kitchen. Seems the line between pretty and stark is very fine.

Carol - is your kitchen done? do you have pics ? do you want to design mine?

on a related note - is a 'fussier ' pseudo shake passe? Is plain better?

these are some cabinet styles we liked.

keep in mind - we have stainless appliances and hood - so won't be so much seamless white.

I picked BM simply white for cabinets first just because I have that trim color everywhere. Then found a white marble I liked and bought it without much thought to how it looked with the paint. And I have white backsplash that's a 3rd white color, white dishes in different shades on open shelves and so on. Sounds odd, I know, but none of the whites match exactly and yet they look good together. Kitchen has depth and a soft, not cold white, look to it. So I think you can start just about anywhere if you're going all white. Good luck- excited for you!

Both of the photo examples are interesting because they have no windows. I think a white kitchen can be beautiful and natural light has a lot to do with whether a kitchen seems cold or not. I know you used those photos to just show cabinet style, and the cabinet style in this photo is different, but there is something about the windows and light that makes this kitchen seem beautiful and comfortable (to me). I agree with those who say to choose the counter first, as paint is a decision easier to change later if needed.

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No windows directly in our kitchen. They are in the end of the kitchen/great room.

I'm in agreement with klcharles. I have a small kitchen with an east-facing window that brings in a lot of natural light all day long. My cabinets are painted BM Cloud White, which looks like it might be one of your candidates. It is a creamy white, not yellow-y, but not stark. It's a warm white and I would choose it again. I have a dark gray Caesarstone counter and I didn't coordinate them when making choices. They are fine. I also have a creamy white crackle backsplash and antique white walls, and I really like the subtle differences that aren't matched but coordinate well together. I love layered whites.

I'm not in total agreement with choosing the counter first. You will be face to face with your cabinets whenever you're in the kitchen or see them across your open space. You should love how they look. With your counters being on the horizontal plane, I just don't find them to be as prominent, unless you choose some dramatic, show-stopper stone.

I had a hard time deciding between BM Cloud White and Simply White. My painter did two doors for me in those colors and they sat propped up on my counter for over a week before I decided. There's not much difference between them, but CW is slightly warmer/richer.

I love this look. Pick counters first IMO! People tend to fall in love with a stone, whereas they don't get as emotional over the paint colour :-) I love this look BTW!

I posted this in another thread, but I really like the white cabinets....and the wall color! Not cold, at all....of course having that beautiful island would be nice, too :)

Sorry, my cabinets are done, but not picked up. Ours are RTA ones. So no pictures to post. I have seen large slabs of Bianco Drift and it is very gorgeous.

Carol

Here's a blog you might find interesting

Remodeled my master bath last year and used Cambria White Cliff for my counters and it is a very good match to the BM Simply White trim/doors in the room (and throughout the house). I used a medium stained wood vanity.

3lovepie,

Just so you know that Ceaserstone Bianco Drift has not yet been released in the US (or it wasn't a month or so ago). So many of our fellow GWers/Houzz have not seen it. Can you believe we lucky Canadians got a product before those in the US did! That never happens. The other counter choices you listed are also great -- many of those were close runner ups to our choice. I wonder if they are all available in the US.

Did you tell us if the cabinet company will custom paint your cabinets whatever white you choose. Does the cabinet company use BM colours?

Carol

Carol, I did not know that we had Ceaserstone options before the US! Are we a test market? I like the Bianco Drift a lot - its got movement and depth.

Yes, cabinets can be any BM paint.

On a Ceaserstone side note - I did a tumeric and oil test on my samples. Rubbed it on them and let them sit 12 hrs. Then washed them with soap and water. There was a slight discolouration - yikes! But I called them and the rep said to try Method Granite spray. It worked! Will try red wine next.

we chose paint color first but did have a # of countertop samples to make sure the paint would match [most] of the counter options. we went with BM distant gray. i thought we would go with simply white but it looked yellow in our space. dove white looked olive. Distant gray was the only white white. But we are going for a more transitional/modern look. Our cabs are a modified shaker door and are frameless.

It's amazing how much different light can change how a shade of white looks. I painted my kitchen walls simply white and in there it looks like a nice clean white - not yellow, but not too stark. It's a pretty close match to the white ikea cabinet boxes. The kitchen was behr Vermont cream before and that wasn't as clean looking.

I actually committed the cardinal sin of not painting a test patch or board before buying the paint, but I was really pressed for time, and simply white is the color of the adjacent hallway and the bathroom trim and looks good, so I hoped it was a safe choice.

I was ready to paint my cabinets BM Cloud White but I see now that there is no perfect white but how all the whites and items in the kitchen go together that give that beautiful look.

So many whites is right!

Im still contemplating counters....hope to sort that out Monday and then go back to BM, then tiles.

We have decided that we are do not want yellow undertones - so that should help us - hopefully!

for all of you with white kitchens - please post your pictures!

I love white kitchens, too, and I'm sure you'll have a beautiful space when you're done! I was planning an all-white kitchen, too, but then fell in love with a slab of Taj Mahal quartzite, so now it's going to be just mostly white. :) I bought several samples of BM paint, and it's amazing how different they looked in my space, as others have mentioned, so I'd definitely recommending testing some samples out as well.

White Dove was perfect, a little creamy, not too stark, and no yellow undertones. Some have seen green in it, but that wasn't the case for us.

Cloud White was also very pretty but less creamy.

Linen White and Ivory White definitely have yellow undertones, as you'd expect by their names.

Chantilly Lace is a true, bright white.

China White looked grey.

I think it's a great idea to get some samples of the quartz you're considering, bring them home, and after you find the one you like best, find a coordinating paint. We picked cabinet color first (White Dove), then found the countertops, then the wall color.

Good luck! I can tell by your post that your kitchen will be gorgeous, and I can't wait to see it!

Yes, it would be great to take some samples to the rooms in question. I am waiting for interior framing and stairs to go in - so that we can actually move around and get a feel for the space.

Definitely paint samples and view them at different times of the day as well as under different kinds of light. And if you have narrowed it down to a couple of colors, your cabinet maker could paint up some samples doors. We were on the fence about a dark island, but when we saw the sample, we fell in love!

BM - Wedding Veil on the perimeters and BM - Black Panther on the Island. The walls are painted BM - Deep Space which is one shade lighter than Black Panther

If you were wondering - Miele Ovens - Speed Oven + Convection Oven + Combi Steam Oven and Blue Star Platinum + ModernAire Hood

Miele - Diamond Dishwasher and yes the upper cabinets are mirrored!

Island - Granite - White Fantasy; Perimeter - Ceaserstone - Belgian Moon

Good luck!

Random60 - your kitchen is stunning.

I wil try to take the samples over to the house during different times of the day - not a safe place for kids so it becomes a bit of a challenge.

Right now we are relying on sun light - no electrical yet.

We have Ceasarstone Organic White counters. If I were doing painted white cabinets, I would pick the counter first, then the paint. Ours are white acrylic, so we picked the counter that best matched the cabinets (we knew we wanted quartz going in).

love your kitchen Random60. What are your pendant? We are also considering that Miele oven combo although my space is much smaller than yours, so thanks for the post.

I love the white kitchen look. We're looking at walnut cabs but the KD showed us the counter selections first thing - we haven't even discussed paint yet. So if you are choosing solid surface I think you choose that first, and she (the KD) pointed out those we looked at (white Ceaserstone) are also warm and cool whites - so you have to match that look before the paint.

Melissa Silva: forgive me if this question is silly..... But you mentioned you used countertop TCE4005. Is that granite? Ceaserstone? The color looks lovely.

I had the same problem picking a white. I almost gave up and went with all natural cherry just to not have to pick. I've said this before and I'll say it again- i finally called a designer to help me pick a white cabinet color. I didn't bring her in until I had my counter picked and even was lucky enough to have the backsplash tile picked. She gave me the thumbs up on that combo and then we set to work on picking a white that would work with them. She also helped me with the wall color since I was paying by the hour and we nailed down the right white fairly quickly with all her big samples and trained eye to weed out the ones that were not good options. I ended up with a creamy BM white that was not on my radar before and I've been super happy with it. The peace of mine it gave me was worth it alone. Of course you need to find someone you can trust but once you do it makes pulling the trigger much easier. Sure I may have been happy with a white I picked by myself but I also could have made a colossal mistake. I've certainly made my share of those.

Tce is engineered product http://tcestone.com/?page_id=299

Melissa, I love the TCE 4005 Quartz you picked out that looks like a creamy Marble! Please share pictures of your new counters in your kitchen when you are finished. I love the choices you have made. Your floors also look beautiful in the sample you showed us. I was going to use BM Cloud White if I painted my cabinets.

Unfortunately we have to wait until February to move into our house :( but we got a phone call yesterday from the builder and they are running ahead of schedule, so we might be able to move in in November instead. As soon as we are in, I will post pictures :) Can't wait for my country kitchen!

Melissa - is TCE like the other quartz products? What is durability like? Do they warranty against staining? I really like all the light greyish marble - but too much risk for me. So it's good to know what else will work.

I'm not sure of the warranty to be honest (Sorry I just saw your post now for some reason). All I know is that TCE has the same (approximate) ratio of Quartz to Resin as the "bigger" quartz guys (ie. Caesarstone, Silestone, etc). I was afraid because of where it was manufactured it would have less actual quartz in it, but I found out they use about the same percentage (approx 93%). I was also talking to an installer who has dealt with all the brands, and he said people are very happy with their TCE products and that they hold up really, really well. So that put my mind at ease! I think like with any of the engineered stone products, you need to exercise some caution (ie. not cut beets directly on the counter, not leave red wine sitting there for long periods of time) but in general it's much more durable and resistant to staining than a marble!

Just checked on their website here's what they say about warranty: "TCE Trading (Canada) Inc. provides a 30-year limited warranty from the original date of installation for all TCE Stone quartz products against material failures due to manufacturing defect."

Ok, finally decided on our counter - CS London Grey. And now trying to finally match the white and stain. Will take pictures once I get a chance.

Awesome choice! I saw it installed at Ikea in one of their show kitchens and it was beautiful :) Can't wait to see pics!

When I was painting my bathroom cabinets, I looked at Dove White, simply because there is an overwhelming number of whites, and it seems to be very popular for cabinets on GW. But I found it had a green undertone in my lighting so I didn't choose it. I went with BM Winter Snow, which I don't see here anyone on GW using, but it was perfect for my bathroom.

Update on white cabinets - we were able to go with a different cabinet company (our GC finally saw how difficult their guy was being). The new cabinet company works with SW. I've not seen a lot about SW whites.

Has anyone used them on their cabinets? What are some white SW whites? No yellow undertones.

Good SW whites to consider are Pure White, Snowbound and Alabaster. Alabaster is a great deal like Dove White. It all depends on what matches best with your counter, floor and backsplash.

Carol

Carol, thank you for the suggestions. I will go to the SW store to check out those whites.

I'm also going to confirm that our cabinet company can do all whites.

Can anyone please tell me what is a good Benjamin Moore match for Casesarstone's Pure White countertops? I would love as seamless a look as possible between countertop and cabinets. Thank you so much!!

BM Chantilly Lace is a nice true white. My kitchen: Bianco Drift countertops, BM Chantilly Lace cabs, SW Wordly Gray on walls and beadboard. https://www.houzz.com/photos/a-traditional-kitchen-with-a-casual-beachy-vibe-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~107154533