Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
angelicatownshend

choosing a white for cabinets

So I’m driving myself crazy flip flopping on my white choice for cabinets. I narrowed it down to the two that are the whitest. There is the white white and then there is the “chaulk white” which is very close in color to my dining room table legs painted in Valspar’s “her dainties”. I don’t want a stark white that looks like it belongs in a bathroom or dentist’s office, but I have nightmares about being one of those people on here in two months begging for help because my “off white” cabinets, in fact, look pink. Initially I was sure I wanted the white white, but the granite I fell in love with and picked matches the off white so perfectly. Which should I go with? My trim isn’t really a factor because it will all be repainted in whatever I choose. Attached are pictures of my tile, my granite, and the two cabinet paint samples against the creamy pillars in the rental house we are in...

Comments (27)

  • mandy_redworth
    5 years ago

    The one on the left, I love a fresh bright kitchen!

  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    5 years ago

    Neither look like a match to the granite on my monitor. I assume you have taken a cabinet sample to the stone yard.

  • Joy
    5 years ago
    Do what Jan suggests. Take your cabinet samples to the stone yard and compare with your slabs. I do not understand comparing them to your table leg. The paint color on your table legs is a mute point. Your cabinets and counter tops should coexist.
  • angelicatownshend
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    I did take them to the stone yard and compare them with the slab. The white white is definitely whiter but doesn’t look bad per se, but the off white disappears into the slab, it’s almost a perfect match. The reason I mentioned the match to my table was to give a reference of what the color looked like so that undertones could be looked up. I don’t know anything about them really but hoped someone else would. I don’t know if contrast or matching is better. I don’t know if the counter or the floor is more important when choosing. I need help!
  • Tee Gee
    5 years ago
    I think Left. Clean white. And it’ll pop. Better that it doesn’t “blend seamlessly”. Good luck!
  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    You need to take the samples and a sample of the granite to the house where you will be doing the work. On my monitor the paint samples do not work with the granite.Your flooring will have an effect on the color everything has an effect on color. That is why you chooose this in the place it is being done.

  • T
    5 years ago

    What granite color is that? Gorgeous!

  • angelicatownshend
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    It’s white ice. Thanks! Thank you Patricia, just called the fabricator and they are trying to break off a piece for me now. I’ll post better pics later!
  • cat_ky
    5 years ago

    The one on the right looks a dirty white to me. One on the left is much nicer.

  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Your wood floor has nothing to do with the counter slab. Nor does the paint on table legs. What matters here, is the tone of cabinetry WHITE with white of the slab. The only way to tell, is to take a large enough sample of both cabinet whites to the stone slab, or a large enough sample of the slab to the CABINET doors: ) Your flooring in photo, will work with any white, and virtually any slab of anything.That said? I see mostly light gray in the slab.......and no "off white" to speak of.

  • angelicatownshend
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    Well, turns out they don’t feel comfortable taking a piece off my slab because they don’t want to mess up what they may need for templating. Sooo, I’m at the paint counter right now color matching the cabinet door paint samples to put up in my house and on canvas to see what they look like in the space and with the stone. I hope that’s good enough!
  • angelicatownshend
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    Well, turns out they don’t feel comfortable taking a piece off my slab because they don’t want to mess up what they may need for templating. Sooo, I’m at the paint counter right now color matching the cabinet door paint samples to put up in my house and on canvas to see what they look like in the space and with the stone. I hope that’s good enough!
  • angelicatownshend
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    I haven’t seen it with the slab yet but here it is on the wall of my house and on canvas and OMG! I am so leaning towards white. The chaulk looks muddy and sometimes pink! My worst fears would have been realized, well, not worst.
  • angelicatownshend
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    Here is a video of the slabs.
    I can’t wait to bring my canvases over there tomorrow!
  • CLC
    5 years ago

    Whites sometimes don’t photograph well......it is hard to form a good opinion based on your pics. generally I prefer off white cabinets, I like the softer look. Bright white can feel too harsh, stark, sterile. Neither sample looks great with the granite, but again, it is probably just the pictures.

  • Jora
    5 years ago

    I know lighting, surroundings, etc. is important in choosing the right white for your area, but I find that Benjamin Moore's White Dove, Cloud White, and Simply White are the best white colors in most kitchens.

  • jkmccon
    5 years ago
    Oh my gosh, I feel your pain! I’m waffling between White and Chaulk white (Designer’s Choice cabinetry) for our cabinets in our remodel too! Both whites look good with the quartz we have selected in our kitchen and bathrooms.

    I’m trying to decide if the Chaulk white will be a more relaxing hue than the white or whether the plain white will make things more cheerful than the Chaulk white.

    The sample door in the photo is the Chaulk white, and is shown with the Cambria quartz we have selected: Montgomery on the left, Berwyn on the right.
  • HU-161159613
    5 years ago

    I have White Ice granite and SW Alabaster cabinets, I think SW Alabaster is very similar to BM White Dove. Anyway the color looks great with the White Ice granite.

  • Anna DeCerchio
    6 months ago

    Random question, we are trying to finalize cabinet selection for a master bath remodel and one of the companies is Designers Choice. For those who used them, what was your experience? Were they good quality?

  • jkmccon
    6 months ago
    last modified: 6 months ago

    Hi Anna, we did a whole home remodel in 2019 and used Designer’s Choice cabinets in our kitchen, laundry, dining room, master bath and guest bath. We installed a lot of cabinetry and I would classify them as good quality. We had a few concerns with cosmetic and drawer spacing in our kitchen during installation, but our cabinet company brought the Designer's Choice representative out and she resolved all of our concerns. We are very happy with the cabinetry in our bathrooms. Here are a few photos, if it's helpful.









  • Anna DeCerchio
    6 months ago

    Wow thanks for your quick response! It looks like part of your comment got cut off?

  • jkmccon
    6 months ago

    Yes, the hazards of trying to type a comment on my phone! ;o) I edited on my laptop, so hopefully you can see my entire response and photos now.

  • Anna DeCerchio
    6 months ago

    Wow looks great!! What color did you end up going with?

  • jkmccon
    6 months ago

    We went with Chaulk white

  • Anna DeCerchio
    6 months ago

    Thank you so much!

  • jkmccon
    6 months ago

    You are most welcome! I would love to see what you choose and how your new bathroom comes together! Best wishes!