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ashleysmith83

warm white wall color help with basic white cabinets

I have researched so much my brain is numb. My kitchen cabinets in our new build will be a basic white laquer finish. I have no name for the white- just a plain basic white. I also want white walls, but I want a warm (not yellow) white for them. Also I would like to use the wall color on my trim and ceiling too... just in different sheens. I want to do the whole main area of the house like this... front entry, living room, dining room and kitchen. Countertop will be marmo bianco laminate. I have lots of southern light in my rooms. My fear is that warm white will look dirty or yellow beside my cabinets. I've bought samples of SW Dover white, alabaster, and Greek villa and tried them out and I'm still clueless and confused. I guess I just don't know what looks good even when I see it. And yes I've read the threads on here about different whites. And I still am confused. Can someone just tell me what color to do:/

Comments (8)

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    OK, sorry this is hard but paint is just not as easy as it appears. You will never match your lacquer in brand name paint straight away. Best if you want it to match would be to take lacquer to paint store and match it that way. Now, you say you want warm white paint: there are lots of them. What is important is what they look like in the natural and artificial light in your home. So, how can you determine this? You need to test paint colors. Sorry, but that is the only way to really know. Paint chips are not going to tell you anything about that paint in that room. You have to test it. No one can tell you a paint color on this thread and be 100% correct because of the light factor in the room which no one knows unless they are standing there. Here is my blog on paint. I hope this can help: http://www.ljacobsendesign.com/choosing-interior-paint-color-in-your-design?fbclid=IwAR1oCabvNLc1WZqhrE-Xyk2cSv6_7NZaGEnYkuRsUQshGRqfE53kaJCkc7s



    Ashley Smith zone 5a thanked Lauren Jacobsen Design
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    These whites are going to have to compliment each other; thus, I think you need to pick out the cabs/color before you tackle trim and wall paint. Just doing that will help narrow your choices.

    Ashley Smith zone 5a thanked rantontoo
  • 7 years ago

    The cabinet color is already chosen. I guess thats what is making this hard. Its what the cabinet maker does all his white cabinets in. I saw it in his showroom but he did not have a sample for me to bring home. Its just a plain basic white- not warm and not cool. Thats what is making this so hard. I wish i could have done the cabinets the same as the walls and trim bit that wasnt an option. Therefore i have several different white shades i need to make sure go well together. I don't want the cabinet color for the walls... I want something warmer. Maybe it's my countertop making it hard too? It's got cooler colors in it. I know I'm grasping at a straw that someone can help me with the info I have:(

  • 7 years ago



  • 7 years ago

    This is my countertop sample and the paint color I had really wanted for trim and walls, Dover white. Ignore the pinkish hue. It's not like that in real life. Dover white is too warm with the countertop, am I right? The white background is very close to my cabinet color.

  • 7 years ago

    Since you can't bring the cabinet to the paint store, can you get a paint deck (those big books of paint strips) and bring it to the cabinet store? When you are there, ask what their lights are. What color temp (3500k, 4000k, 5000K, etc) and CRI (color rendering index). Or ... just ask to see the box that the bulbs came in (they must have extra bulbs in the back).


    If you know what lighting to replicate in your home (to match their showroom) and you have the paint deck with you, you can start narrowing it down to a handful of choices. Personally, I wanted a "not white" that showed up against white ceiling paint & white trim, so I went with SW Eider White (https://goo.gl/images/R7Rs3E) That is a picture from Pinterest, I only WISH my house looked like that.


    I think my SW paint deck was like $5 many years ago and it's been a god send. I use Benjamin Moore paint, but they can match SW colors, so buy whatever deck you can buy. You want the full thing, honestly, because it helps you shade things "a little less purple" or "more blue than green" to fan thru the deck. Good luck, and remember that at some point you are 90% there and just playing in the margins.

    Ashley Smith zone 5a thanked Pam A
  • 4 years ago

    I am in the EXACT EXACT same boat as you! There are a limited amount of choices where I'm going and I am unable to get in before choosing. (Can't see the space and the light.) The cabinets, like yours, are going to be a very bright white shaker. I am totally fine doing the walls, ceiling, and trim all the same color with different sheens just trying to figure out which white to use with these super bright cabinets. The pictures I like of white kitchens are done where everyting matches perfectly; cabinets, walls, ceilings) and they look amazing. None of the whites being offered are that bright and I doubt I'd want that bright a white, it's probably close to 100 LRV. The designer and a Sherwin Williams consultant said go with Pure White but I'm nervous it will clash with the cabinets or look too ivory. There are not that many choices with the builder. Only one nice white shaker and two SW whites. I've spent HOURS looking at every video and article! What did you decide and do you have pictures?