Right?? It is so frustrating. They will not budge. They do offer the choice of doors without the arches but the lack of pure, white cabinets makes me crazy.

I am thinking I may go with the espresso and use the money we "save" to get at least the uppers painted white later.

Don't budge on this. This is your house. You are paying a lot of money. You shouldn't have to give up your dream of a white cabinet. Tell them you want white and it is non-negotiable.

Your builder is behind the times and doesn't know that the customer is always right, even when they demand choices which he isn't willing to provide. Maybe it isn't too late to look for a different builder.

I do not like the chiffron at all. In that first picture I think it clashes horribly with the brighter white trim and wall color. If you plan on cool wall/trim coloring like what is shown in the first picture, please do not get the chiffron. I personally like the espresso colored cabinets in your second picture, and it goes well with either cool or warm colors. However, if it isn't want you want, you should try to explore other options with your builder.

Espresso by Merillat is a stain, Chiffon (cream) and Cotton (white) are paints and that adds a 15% upcharge. However, it costs no more to order Cotton than it does to order Chiffon. Is your builder trying to charge more for the Cotton? Does he have the Chiffon cabinets on hand but never orders Cotton? Are these cabinets that he's ordered by mistake and is trying to give you a good deal on? The reason this is so strange is that white is a classic color and also very popular. It's strange that he would stock the Chiffon and not give you access to the white. I like the Chiffon but we probably sell four Chiffon kitchens a year as opposed to hundreds of Cotton kitchens. As a Merillat dealer, I have some real problems with the scenario you're describing. I hope you'll explain it more.

I've posted some pictures of Merillat Classic Ralston full overlay door and the Spring Valley partial overlay door. If you want a different door style but one that's not too expensive, look at the Ralston, it's at a very good price point.

vs the Spring Valley:

Here is the Ralston in Graphite:

You have hired the builder. He is your employee. Do not let your employee dictate what he will and will not do. Tell him that the options he's offering are not what you want and you will not proceed. So many contractors, builders, and trades people have their own agendas for what they do but the bottom line is it's YOUR house and he's your employee. Stand firm!

White all the way! It's what I'm doing for my kitchen as well and off white just doesnt cut it. Dont settle for anything less! White is beautiful even if you have to go with a different company

I hate to be the suspicious type, but this setup bothers me. White is a classic color and a safe bet to offer for any builder. In fact, if you look at other builders and what they offer, the Cotton finish would be a standard and the Chiffon would be something very rarely ordered.

Thank you, everyone!! It is good to hear the information you all have about the cabinets and the chiffon being less common.

We are under contract and the builder we are using owns all the lots in this unique neighborhood we are wanting to be in. We hear good feedback on the quality of the homes they build but they do not offer much in the way of customization.

They buy the options they choose in mass quantities and offer a low price as a result. I am dumbfounded at the lack of pure white, but must say from the start, we saw our choices in the showroom so I can't blame them for that. I just didn't realize until later on how creamy the chiffon looks.

I have gone to bat with them on a few items and they say take it or leave it. It is a sellers market here and they are in demand. For a few items we are going to go in after closing and put in what we prefer.

At this point I am thinking we will go with the espresso (which I do like) and possibly paint or replace the uppers in the future.

Thanks again for your insights!!

Carolina, unfortunately they don't even offer cotton. They have about 4 colors and chiffon is the only painted option. :(

There are 2 styles offered in these colors. Spring Valley is what we chose. I can't remember the other, but it has the arched doors.

Beverly, We can choose birch or maple. I agree. I'd rather have the white thermofoil too.

And you can't simply take the credit and apply it to the cabinets you want?

Beverly and wysmama,

I haven't asked about a credit. Thank you!! I'm going to try!

Personally I like the expresso; It still looks fresh, especially with the white island and the darker woods on the table. The room still reads white and bright without white overload. Cabinets have a rectangle inset instead of the arch, which is more modern/transitional. The granite pattern he chose to use with the off white cabinets kinda defeats the vibe of an all white kitchen anyway. Please don't let him use that if you go with white cabinets! Good luck!

Ptreckel - Thanks! I am going to ask.

Alicia - Thank you! I agree. I do like the espresso even if not as much as a pure white. And yes, I don't understand those countertops they put with the chifffon. Another model used a white marble-look countertop (similar to the ones in the espresso cabinets pic) with the chiffon. It looked awful together!

Look at the quote the builder gave you, it should have an allowance for the kitchen. That figure may be for all of the items which would include countertops and appliances.

Here's some information to add into the mix: If these cabinets were ordered after March 2017, they should have solid wood, dovetail drawers and undermount drawer slides. They also have a 25-year limited warranty so if any part fails under normal use, they'll repair or replace it. If you think you can get away with it, take your plan to a Merillat dealer in your area and ask for a quote on the Spring Valley Cotton in standard construction. Whatever happens, you're not getting a cheap cabinet. It's one that I'd put in my own kitchen, FWTW. Good luck!

Waiting to have someone else install and asking for a credit makes me wonder: Will the home pass its final inspection if it doesn't have a working/completed kitchen?

Carolina, I just looked and was wrong. The kind we are looking at are Colony birch square twilight. The spring valley was $1500 upgrade and twilight colony was $500. (The house comes standard with merillat colony in a couple other colors.) They don't price out the standard options individually so I just have a base price and then what it costs to upgrade.

Hatetoshop, good point. I know they cannot give credits for flooring. Surprisingly our request for an appliance credit was already approved tho (we want to pick our own). According to code they said they can leave out all appliances but a range hood.

The Colony is from the Merillat Basics line with furniture board construction including the drawers, not wood. Side-mounted drawer slides, soft close doors and drawers an upgrade and a 5 year warranty. It's Merillat's builder grade and they haven't offered a Chiffon finish for several months, so the stock that's in your builder's warehouse is probably at least a year old. It's possible he picked them up for a song from someone else, not Merillat. It's also not possible to get a replacement door or drawer front if one is damaged. Get the credit and buy your own cabinets.

Espresso is also a color that's already out of style. Unless you really love it, don't put it in. I also wouldn't paint the cabinets.

Thanks so much Carolina. You've been very helpful! So these colony "birch" cabinets are not wood?? That is very misleading. I was under the impression the main difference between the colony and the spring valley material was one was birch (less durable) and the other maple.

You mentioned espresso is out of style. What, if any, wood stain color is in style now?

Oh and they are not offering the chiffon in colony. For Chiffon we'd have to choose their highest cabinet upgrade at 2500 over base price and I believe those are spring valley as well.

Colony birch has a box that's made of furniture board and the face frame, doors and drawer fronts are made of solid birch, not plywood. Birch is not less durable, takes paint well. The Colony comes in Cotton, too, so getting that shouldn't be a problem. I'd ask why it wasn't possible

When I say black cabinets are out of style, what I mean is that the color trends have gone away from Espresso to grays and whites. White is a classic and will always be popular. Having said that, I really like the Espresso and would put it in my kitchen with stainless hardware and appliances. Unfortunately, I'm not remodeling now and by the time I do, I'll probably be over Espresso.

In my life, the small details of kitchen cabinets bother me if they're not right. Dovetail drawers are a must for me, as well as a good finish and a good warranty. I don't know if you have it in your budget, but I'd go with the Merillat Classic line, the one the Chiffon is available in. It has a 25-year warranty, dovetail drawers, soft close doors and drawers and undermount drawer slides standard. The painted cabinet is in maple, not birch. It's more money but that's what I'd do. From the things you say, it may not be available from your builder. To me, that's a red flag.

Angela, I can empathize with you. We experienced the same crummy treatment from builders here in North Idaho. (This site rejected my review of the builder as they are an advertising client So, I can't warn others). It was a big red flag that we aren't in CA anymore, where the customer is right. From floor plans to finishes, 4 of 5 builders here are 10-20years behind. Espresso cabinets, off-white cream, and honey oak (horror) were the offered builder choices. We were told- you're free to tear it out when we're done. We walked out and refused to sign with that builder. In the end, we purchased an existing home in the most beautiful neighborhood. The kitchen is not my dream, but the neighborhood compensates for that. The most accommodating builder was new to the area & permitted us to choose our finishes. They had the best plans, but their lots were on the prairie -away from our ideal setting.

Yes white cabinets are still very popular; I'm actually a fan of white when done right, I have one myself, but the warmer and richer tones are showing up again in decor from everything to paint, fabric and fixtures. "Style" is so cyclical; trends come and go, but the difference is more about the (sometimes) not-so-good builders permanent choices that are made, for finishes like wall paint, flooring, backsplash, countertops, etc, and fixtures, which can make or break any kitchen regardless of cabinetry color. White cabinetry can look positively dreadful as in the pic shown above, while the expresso looks great with the right finishes.

Angela, let us know what you decided. Best of luck!

Thanks Carolina! Sorry for the delay responding. I talked to the builder and found out they have to install cabinets due to some code. So, we decided to go with the espresso and then we can decide once we are in if we want to replace with cotton. I really appreciate all your help!!

I think Espresso is a better choice, so you picked right! And don't worry about trend, go with what you like since you're the one living there.

Thanks Carolina! I do too:)

Happy to hear you went with the expresso; it can look fantastic with lots of white finishes and fixtures. Also you may want to consider doing a white on top only, as long as you can get white and not off white. Good luck, good choice!

Thank you Alicia! Sorry I'm just now seeing this but I appreciate the inspiration pics! So pretty!! We are choosing a white countertop and with your advice I will definitely look into other white finishes. I'm going to have to look into some brass hardware, as well! I really like that in the first pic.