Here's a great blog post on white and cream kitchens:

https://www.homeglowdesign.com/2016/08/27/cream-white-kitchens-stroke-genius/

It's great you know what you like and are going to go with it! I think it's wise you ruminate on this as I have seen a lot of STARK , too much, too cold, looking kitchens and built ins posted lately. Not sure about mixing as the cream always ends up looking dingy next to white to my eye.

I think Jan is right before any of this is decided you need to have claer plan of what you want. If you post pics here in a comment ( do not start another post) then we can at least see what you are working with. To me this is the perfect time to really analyze what is perfect and what is not in the space . IMO you think about what you like do like creams and warmer colors or do you like pure whites .

I like white kitchens and I would like them whether they're "in" or not. My previous house had white Shaker style cabinets that were installed in 1997, so this is not a trend, or if it is, it is a very durable one. I will remodel my current kitchen in a couple years and will install white Shaker cabinets. There are numerous shades of white. My new kitchen will have to have a warm white because the windows are north facing and without at least a little yellow any color looks dead in this light. So bearing in mind where the light is coming from in your kitchen and what you like, maybe that will help you decide which way to go. While the cabinets are a large part of the appearance of a kitchen, the flooring and countertops matter. Having a different color island is popular and I like that idea as well. And it's easy (relatively) to paint an island if you decide you don't like the color in five years. It breaks up the white. First choose the cabinets, then the counters - are the floors you have now staying or are you replacing? All three of these things should coordinate. The backsplash and wall color come last. It sounds like you have done a lot of research. Maybe visiting a slab yard to see the countertop options will help you decide on a direction. The counter does not need to be white. IMO it is hard to do white with cream well as @arcy_gw said. If I were going to try it I would do the cream in the wall color so I could try multiple shades easily and change it later if I get tired of it.

Lastly, if you are planning on staying in this house more than five years you only need to please yourself. Sadly, anything any one of us does as far as decor is likely to be "out" in five years, or ten at the most. But if you like it you won't care. It's your money, so don't build a kitchen for someone else. I know BHG is not coming by my house anytime soon to take pictures, so I don't worry too much about what others may think. Here are some variations on white cabinets.

Allandale Park- Kitchen · More Info

Project by: Dallas Tx Kitchen designer, USI Design & Remodeling. · More Info

Providence at Atlanta National Kitchen · More Info

Oxford Kitchen · More Info

Traditional Grey Herringbone Kitchen · More Info

Honestly, I think the best place to start for finishes isn't with what's "in style" but with what makes you feel "at home." Use the Photos section of this site and start an Ideabook with all the kitchens you just love (with maybe a second one for kitchens with great ideas but that don't feel like you). Over time, you may see patterns -- you love a modern flair, or the combination of paint with wood, or whatever -- and that can guide you toward the place to start with overall feel and inspirations. As long as you don't expect to sell soon, the only thing that matters is that you love to be in the space!

The first house we bought had white cabinets with white Corian. It was built in 1987, so I guess whoever built it was ahead of their time with the white on white theme! The second and third houses we bought had stained cabinets. I remodeled the kitchen in house 3 and went with stained again. We are now in house 4, which we built, and this time I went with white cabinets because I was ready for a change.

The kitchen faces north with large windows and I went with BM Chantilly Lace, which is a bright, but not stark, white. All the other whites I tested did not look white in the north facing kitchen, they looked dirty. This is FL, so most of the time we have bright sunshine.

Many good points above. Just want to amplify a couple of things: @kandrewspa mentioned their north-facing windows: your natural light (or lack of it) will definitely impact the color. I've had paint colors that looked very different during the day than at night. So... samples galore, painted on large pieces of posterboard or whatever, and live with them for awhile while you consider all the other things mentioned above (layout, floor finish, adjacent spaces, etc.)

Also as shown in a couple of pictures above, you can see how wood accents really warm up a predominantly white space.

White or cream or mixing doesn’t affect the feel as much as the sum total of choices. Best thing you can do is identify an overall look that resonates with you and suits your kitchen and home. It’s a major decision with a lot of considerations.

You can break up all white with flooring, island, brass, accessories

Add cream on the walls

Use cream on the cupboards with white walls and even a 3rd color if suitable

Cream and white is my actual favorite combo. I never seem to tire of seeing photos of it.

I recall someone posted a few years ago about how her new kitchen cabinets arrived cream color, when she thought she was getting white. The counter was white. I told her it looked soooo beautiful, like it was chosen on purpose. It can be really pretty. Just look at the photos being posted above!

I am so glad I saw this post! I just posted a very similar dilemma!

Just got finished reading the white bathroom thread where the vanity, countertop and walls are slightly different shades of white and don’t look right together.

My kitchen is white cabs/trim and cream walls - i definitely wanted a warm but bright space and was purposeful with wood and texture as @chicagoans said (hardwoods, bamboo blinds, wood cutting boards etc) — i did my kitchen 10+ years ago and still love the combo (but i am admittedly slow to warm to trends lol) I think the counters and floors are important in pulling the space together

La_la Girl what color counters did you do?

So what did you go with?

Lots of good information here and I agree with almost all of it. I would definitely not paint before choosing my slabs. This is particularly important if you may choose a natural stone since slabs of the same name can vary dramatically. White cabinets are timeless. I personally prefer slightly warm or even neutral over cool whites in a home.