Hire a designer.

The problem is the builder making the most important color choice for your kitchen. You're living with it, not him. You're also paying for it. At least find out who the manufacturer is so you can see what other options you may want.

IMO mixing whites in different materials is always an issue. IMO quartz sucks as a counter too . What were the choices for cabinets ? You choose backsplash ideally after the counters and cabinets are installed .

I live in a place with an ultra tight market and I’m just thankful to have a house at the moment. Yes, the way the builder is working is backwards, but there’s not much for me to do about it unfortunately. I did hire a designer but it’s hard for him to assist as the builder hasn’t provided samples, it’s all done by email or in person without samples to take to the next place.

Cabinets are cnc, countertops are msi quartz or similar price, backsplash is generic.
I’m looking for advice if anyones ever done anything similar in the past or if anyone has any tips moving forward working with what I have. I cannot switch cabinets now, I can always paint it in the future I’m guessing.

Regarding the backsplash, it may be possible they’ll let me change it as long as I pay extra but I won’t have a sample of the countertop on hand to assist in picking the backsplash

Do the cabs and countertop and forgo the backsplash and install that later. Use that later to tie everything together. Without samples the tile could be the error and you may end up tearing them out or worse yet hating them so do not bother. Just paint for now.

"Do the cabs and countertop and forgo the backsplash and install that later."

Believe it or not but that business model will make no backsplash and change order, give you pennies on the dollar credit and quite possibly cost you more to leave it out with the change order fee.

I get it that your builder isn't providing you with samples. Bypass him and get samples from the manufacturers. Work with the service people at the manufacturers. Find a way. If your cabinetmaker is CNC in Melbourne, they have 40 colors available in gloss and matte. Look at their site and get samples. Do all the work so your builder has zero problems and zero objections.

CNC is a cheap import RTA line sold in the US. So is MSI quartz.

Yup, this is all ready made and easy to get to. The builder is working very fast and just wants any answer:( We don’t really have much say, I’m trying to do as much research as I can. I’m thinking that if I want my house to lean warm, I should consider painting my cabinets but I don’t know how much that will cost down the line.

I think I should pick a quartz that I like as that’s likely very expensive to change

dont pick cabinets to then repaint. what are the cabinet options?

The cabinets were ordered right away due to delays in the shipping line so I wasn’t able to wait to match everything up. The cabinets are white cnc cabinets-https://cnccabinetry.com/kitchen-cabinets/elegant/

I’m not looking for an ultra modern kitchen, so I figure I’ll warm it up with furniture, etc.

Backsplash they are providing is standard white subway. If I have something else in mind I can request it but they may not be able to get it in time.
The only thing I really have a say in is hardware colors and quartz countertop. So im working now on figuring out the best countertop option for my space. Msi Valentin and Monaco look beautiful and have some depth to the coloring but I am having a hard time figuring out if it will work out in the space. I’m also considering Calacatta Corvus or a Bianco Carrara as that is a whiter base and may be more suitable.

The color is custom labelled White EB10. You can get a sample door in 3 days for free on your builders account info. Ask for Abi ext. 3910. A door would also be at one of their showrooms.

You can also get quartz samples from the MSI website. Valentin is warm. Monaco is cool.

Skip backsplash and go for a seamless look bring the counter up the wall to meet cabinets

White and cream kitchens are really nice looking. There are a few threads here about them.

w the white cabs I'd pick either Monaco or the Bianco Carrera . the carrera would allow light gray grout to be a nice option w the white subway if thats what the backsplash will be.

So you are building a house and paying for a house that you have no say in what gets chosen? Yikes!

You have left out an important issue. What are you painting the trim and ceiling?

Is the builder giving you a choice of hard surface? Asking because vinmarks comment, if so, indicates you are not going to have much freedom in your interior design.

When I look at the white offered on the site, it looks like a current white. Not a bright white on my monitor. Slightly warm greyed pale white when compared to the white of the web page next to it and when compared to the white window trim in the model kitchen picture. There are a lot of whites. I'd call for a sample door. He'll look up your builder's account and send it. Choices are easier with less stress with the right info. I'd choose a matte or low luster tile over gloss.

Thanks everyone for your advice!

We are buying a house that is new construction. It’s not a custom house, but the builder allows us to choose certain things.
Walls and ceiling/trim will probably be pure white/extra white.

I know it’s hard to believe, but in this market we are thankful to have a house, and any additional choices are extras:) our neighborhood is selling very fast and the builder could have gotten away with just picking everything for us. I’m just trying to make the best decisions with whatever we can. If it would have been a custom build I would do it very differently!

I had to google your counters. Both are described as warm whites. However, both seem to shown with whiter cabinets.

And, white backsplash.

I would prefer a whiter quartz, but this still looks okay.

We have Silestone Calacatta Gold with bright white cabinets. I chose a gray backsplash to make things easy.

Don't plan to repaint -- the factory paint is much more durable. If they provide white tile, then it probably matches ok. Get a counter with some contrast from the white (either a grayer background or some distinctive veining) -- your instincts are good that you have plenty of ways to warm up the kitchen once you're moving in. (And, as a last resort, a new backsplash isn't the end of the world. But art and wood elements and so forth go a long way. Plus life clutter! hah)

Thank you!

For my laundry area, I put in white cabinets, thin white porcelain counters and white tile. None of the whites are the same, but they all look great. I was definitely worried about this. The backsplash will probably be mint.

@P G congrats on your house! The cabinets look nice, and from what I saw on pinterest the msi valentin does look nice. I made some choices and while I had samples, I also looked at manufacturer sites and browsed stores for onsite viewing. I still was nervous till they installed it and love all of it. The backsplash can be tricky and I would either wait if possible or again ask for selection names, and try for a bit of contrast color. Am sure it will look beautiful.