Yes, you got it. In the first photo, there's the grey in the counter top, backsplash, and the paint. In the lower photo, the granite has warmer tones, as does the backsplash and the paint. It's hard to tell given lighting, computer monitor, etc., but some whites are certainly warmer than others - creamy white is warmer, and brighter whiter whites are colder.

I have a white kitchen, but didn't want any grey- on the countertop or backsplash. I agree- I think introducing grey can have a cold feel. I also paneled my DW and fridge/freezer to minimize the stainless. Warm wood floors help as well.

The cabinet paint colors might be white (cold) and cream (warm) respectively. Also, lighting makes a difference.

these are both fine kitchens: more important-what is your area in this part of the home like? are you doing open/or closed space...large or small kitchen....does budget allow for painted cabs? a medium stained wood cabinet can be a neutral palette and shifted cool or warm as you bring in all your added elements.

There are lots of pics of white/ stained two tone kitchens. Maybe that would be a nice combo? White uppers and stained lowers? Or white cabs with a stained island?

If you like cream/warm and stained wood equally, I'd go with stained.

My parents' 35 year old oak cabinets are dated, but the finish looks great. I doubt 1980 white painted cabinets held up as well.

Don't forget the importance of metal. Stainless and nickel (top pic) read cold while brass and oil rubbed bronze (bottom pic) read warm.

I've seen all white kitchens with marble and brass lighting and hardware and it COMPLETELY changes the feel of the room to me.

I totally agree with y'all when you say that computer monitors and lighting make a difference. Still, this is a way of learning things; I study pictures and find the patterns of things I like.

Okay, I've long disliked marble, but I'm thinking it's more than that. I don't like gray.

I can't believe I didn't pick up on warm woods being part of the picture.

Small U-shaped kitchen with attached breakfast room. No direct windows in the kitchen, but a large bay window in the breakfast room and indirect light from two other directions ... I really don't have a budget; we are building far below our means ... Yes, I may go with the wood-toned cabinets. I'm not sure.

No to two-tone cabinets. Not my thing.

I do agree that stained cabinets may have a longer lifespan, and that is a consideration. I like to do things RIGHT the first time and then forego time and money on replacements.

I hadn't considered the importance of metals.

Thanks, all.

Big difference in those 2 kitchens. One is stark white and the other is a yellowy-cream. In the second photo look at the window trim, which is white, and notice how much whiter it is than the yellowy-cream cabinets.

As others are saying...the 'whites' are very different. The stainless steel is also a cooler tone, as well as the hardware, especially in the first picture.

If you want a warmer white kitchen, think about an almond/white cabinet, antique brass hardware, and appliances that have cabinet fronts (for dishwasher and fridge) and maybe a painted AGA/range.

This will give you a far 'warmer' white kitchen, than either of these, IMHO ;)

Not so cold....

A little warmer....

Cozy :)

I think the warmth of coolness of a white kitchen has mostly to do with the undertones in the white paint itself. Whites can have undertones that are blue, yellow, green, red. The undertones determine warmth vs. coolness. Then the metals used can pull the kitchen even warmer or cooler in tone. I've seen photos of warm white kitchens with stainless and cool white kitchens with stainless so i think it's more complicated than the metals and the undertones are key. I'm not a color expert but I have read a bit of Maria Killiam (sp?) who discusses such color matters in detail. You might google her, MrsPete.

Those are gorgeous stoves, Lavender!

I think both are pretty. We went with light maple cabinets, much as I admire a pretty white kitchen, I like the warmth of wood in my kitchen. Its just a matter of personal taste, I can appreciate a beautiful kitchen even if it is not my personal style. Some see all white as cold, others see it as crisp, clean and bright .

Very interesting MrsPete. We used 'soft white' cabinets and had our trim paint tinted to match a cabinet door. While I don't feel my cabinets are too creamy - the trim sometimes really feels that way to me. I wanted soft white but not vanilla. I wonder if it has to do with what funky was saying - the trim has a different undertone than the cabinets even though it was mixed to match. Depending on which room it is and what the wall color is the trim really changes. The rooms it is the creamiest the wall paint is cooler in the blue family. The rooms that are more neutral tan/gray/beige (like revere pewter) it reads soft white to me. I guess I am just saying to keep your walls in mind as you go through the process. ;)

And then there's warm/neutral, which is, I think, what I have.

Yes, there are definitely warmer and cooler whites. And if you go with a warmer white and use a cream, tan, brown countertop that warms up the room as well. Butcher block comes to mind as a very warm countertop. And the metals also matter a lot. Brass and copper are warm. Stainless and chrome are cold. Satin nickel is also cool, but a little warmer than chrome.

i love cool colors so my kitchen is a giant don't example for you. (Snapshots taken for posting here--still nailing down the last details.)

There are also warm greys and cool greys. My kitchen countertops are, IMO, a warm grey. Marbles like in your first picture read cool.

Wow! These kitchens are gorgeous!

I think "fresh and bright" when I see a white kitchen, and agree that the metal can make a big difference in the overall feel.

It's the undertones that make it cool or warm, as funkycamper said. I have seen lovely warm grays-- they have a touch of brown or tan to them (eg, yellow). I really looked at a lot of white paint chips to find the ones that were not cool, but not too creamy/yellow either. Marbles vary also and can be very cool or warm, depending on the slab. White appliances in general tend to be a cool white to my eye, while I think brushed SS is neutral (It also will reflect the dominant tone in the room, as will ss/nickel fixtures).

I think lighting is what really changes things. the difference is the first photo doesn't have undercab lights on the side so that reads cold to me.

we've got a white kitchen with many of the aforementioned "cold" elements - gray in our backsplash, gray walls, gray-ish counter (sort of), polished nickle hardware...but I feel like our kitchen reads very warm and not cold. but it's very well lit with warm bulbs.

Agree a major factor is the temperature of the lighting but even with that there are gold/ivory/brown undertones in the "warm" photo that aren't present in the "cold" photo (floor, counters, backsplash, and paint). Remember the goldish brown Tuscan colors that were popular in the late 1990s? I'm sure a few of us still have those kitchens (we did in our former house).

IMHO, a great mix of cool and warm colors, textures and metals, here. Very inviting!

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One thing I've accepted about myself: While I'm good with spacial reasoning and can think in 3D, I am not good with color. I have read Maria Killiam's thoughts on color (white, white, white, white and white), I know I'm always going to be a novice on that subject. I kind of "get" the undertone thing, but it's not something that comes naturally to me.

Lavender, your three progressive pictures make sense, and I think they make me realize that wood tones are a big positive to me -- I'd really like to go with butcherblock countertops, but I'm not willing to baby them. However, that last picture that you labeled "cozy" really is too much for me. Looking back at them, I think I'd have a much better reaction to the first picture if it had some colorful accents, yet the last one reads "clutter" to me.

I agree that when done right, white reads "fresh and bright"; but when it's done wrong, it reads "cold and soulless". I feel like I'm picking up on the things that make the difference.

StanZ, I do like those golden brown Tuscan colors from the 90s.

And I'm not 100% sold on white!

Thanks for the input, all.

There is really no such thing as pure white in paint. There will almost always be an undertone in the color. All of the below are "white" but notice each one has an undertone that makes it read either "warm" or "cold".

And yes, what the white is surrounded by will affect the color too. Below all the whites are exactly the same. They are the same as the second one on the left in the above white chart. However colors surrounding the color affect whether it appears more pink like it actually is vs a bit cooler.

Notice when it is surrounded by yellow or orange it appears warmer and more yellow, vs when it is surrounded by the blues, where it appears cooler?

cpartist - memories of color theory class... :)

I think to sum it up the key is: wood on floors, warm lights, as much natural light as possible, and a warm marble. If the carrara has a gray background keep looking. I have found the whiter (less gray) the background the warmer the undertones in the marble. This picture defies all warm pre-conceptions: But, to be here, it is a very warm environment. White is a neutral and it relies on the surrounding colors to tell it how to feel, just as Cp says. Although the walls are blue and the white actually tones out to cool, nighttime lighting screams warm, with the help of the curtain.....there's also more curtain than wall space in the room.

I have probs with the white undertones too. Is BM 'Dove White' a warm white or cool white?

In some ways it's even worse than "just" the light & the undertone to the white. It also matters what colors are bouncing on to it--for instance, I have the same red color (accent) with the same lighting in my LR & my hall. LR is painted yellow, hall is a blue (not a strong one, light blue). The red is a VERY different color, and that's a saturated color (yes, it's painted over the same color white, yes, there's multiple coats), let alone something like white.

That chart looks like a chart of torture. Surely yes - that is how it feels to pick out 'white'.

Handywoman, here is a thread concerning white dove.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2578528/which-cabinet-color-simply-white-vs-white-dove

Thank you Wendy :)

I don't think the shade of white necessarily dictates how the kitchen feels, it's the addition of greys, etc. That being said, there are some white kitchens with marble that don't feel cold. This one mixes counters so that helps, but the cabinets themselves are a pretty true white. I think it's more about the details or the lack of that determines how warm a room feels.

More examples.. To me, and I know this sounds silly, but inset, 3/8 inset and partial overlay add more detail and almost always look more home-y. Full overlay looks more crisp and I think has less detail and adds to the coolness. I'm strictly talking about relatively simple shaker doors in this instance. Here are some examples.. Some even have metals playing a large role and still look 'warm' I think in part to the style of cabinetry and amount of details.

A little bit cooler, but still no where near as cool as the first picture Mrs. Pete posted.

This doesn't read stark to me but is a little cool.. It's a full overlay but has a lot of detailing.

Just so no one thinks I'm picking on full overlay or that I always think full overlay is cold, here's a 'warm' full overlay kitchen. I just found that most of the white full overlay was more cool. That could also be because people who want inset like warmer kitchens, etc., but I'll stick with just saying I think the level of detail negates how 'warm' a kitchen feels. :P

Amber I don't think it has anything to do with the door style.

I think what you're reacting to is not only the color or lack of color in each kitchen but also more importantly how the photographer lit it. Remember lighting plays a huge role too.

You're absokutely right CPArtist, I just went through and adjusted the temperatue on all the pics and they do look warmer/cooler dependent on that, but even I still think the more detailed doors make the kitchen look less stark and crisp, if that makes sense?

To me, warmth is more than just temperature. Little details, like having fabrics, woods, wicker, shadows on the doors, etc. help create a feeling of warmth without necessarily having anything to do with the actual temperature. It's more than just inset vs. full overlay, because there are more ways to add in the textures and details, but I think it's easier to achieve that 'warm' 'home-y' feeling with inset. Or I might be still dillusional from getting a concussion yesterday while doing laundry (no, seriously.. It's too dangerous and I need someone to come do it for me now..).

To me, warmth is more than just temperature. Little details, like having fabrics, woods, wicker, shadows on the doors, etc. help create a feeling of warmth without necessarily having anything to do with the actual temperature.

Absolutely. Nothing is a vacuum. :)

Wood floors, wood countertops = warmth.

Mrs. Pete, I like the first photograph you posted so much more than the second. Excellent question; I'm enjoying following the replies. Will the floors in the kitchen mimic the rest of the floor?