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melissa_dobkin

what paint color for white cabinets?

2 years ago

I’m struggling with what white paint color to use for my cabinets. We want a white and black kitchen. We’re using tricorn black from Sherwin-Williams and Calcutta Abezzo quartz counters. We’re looking to use a white subway tile… something with either a little bit of texture or a gloss to separate and have some depth to the kitchen. We will also have a light wood floors.
I’ve been between Pure White from Sherwin-Williams and Extra White. I keep seeing a cream or muted color in the Pure White it that keeps messing with me a little bit. I love the Extra White but am worried it’s too white. I’m debating looking at some Benjamin Moore colors like Decorators White, Chantilly Lace or Simply White.
Alabaster is way too yellow in my house… I want no yellow.
Any suggestions and pictures are greatly appreciated!
Our kitchen gets a little bit of western sun on the way down.

Comments (18)

  • PRO
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    No clue. Because you have to test a white in YOUR KITCHEN WITH YOUR LIGHTING.

    That means in both natural light and artificial lighting.

    Show the kitchen you are painting, please?

    I will tell you now, that Ben Moore Chantilly Lace is the cleanest white you can get. Simply White has awful coverage. Decorator white has a slight cool gray cast.

    Again.....show YOUR kitchen below in Jpegs , uploaded , and all angles. If a build? Show the floor plan, the 2 dimensional with dimensions and the materials like WHAT floor?

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    I will wait for pics but I will sya if you have already bought the counter then do a white from it and the last choices you make are wall color, backsplash and knobs and handles . I like all LED 4000K bulbs in a kitchen and I do that before choosing any other things in the space

  • 2 years ago

    Pics of current disaster and pics of what we’re going for. Note the backsplash and light fixtures aren’t correct in new photo.

  • 2 years ago

    And no beans anymore… going to the ceiling with the cabinets instead.

  • 2 years ago


    These are SW Extra White.

  • 2 years ago

    Beautiful @clt3

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    So. You're closing a doorway, getting all new cabs......where is the two d cabinet plan? Because your clearances look VERY s.n.u.g

    Why not a counter depth fridge and pantry?

  • 2 years ago

    You need to test in your unique space. I my previous house I used BM Simply White and in my current house I used BM Chantilly Lace. The Chantilly Lace was picked for this house, because it was the only white sample that didn't turn dingy in my north facing FL kitchen.

    Since I was building a house I bought a lot of the large paint boards from Maria Killam and Samplize. I now help friends pick paint colors by sharing the knowledge I have gained over several projects and my samples!

    When you narrow down to a color or two, your cabinet maker should make you a full size sample cabinet door in that paint color. Only way to confirm that you will be happy with the final results.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    What everyone said about testing colors. When doing monochromatic white palette it's even more crucial to test all the whites in YOUR room with YOUR light, daytime, nighttime, artificial, etc.

    Too bad you're omitting the ceiling beams--they add a nice texture to an all-white room.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    If you're getting new upper cabinets, why not get them factory-finished and then simply paint the base cabinets to match the factory color?

  • 2 years ago

    I like the beans too but a lot of people suggested going to the ceiling with cabinets and the beans didn’t work right. Plus there’s no break or variance in the ceiling between the kitchen and our family room. It’s usually suggested to use beans when there’s a difference in height.

  • 2 years ago
    • Beams apparently my phone likes beans… it keeps changing it 🤣
  • 2 years ago

    @beverlyFLADeziner we’re getting all new cabinets.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Clearances matter ........

  • 2 years ago

    I have SW iron ore and pure white. the iron ore goes a bit more charcoal than black in some lights. I love the pure white in every light.

  • 2 years ago

    When I was selecting a trim paint color for baseboards, doors, and window trim throughout my entire house the best thing I did was going to a big box store and getting an 8’ piece of pre-primed MDF. I cut it into four sections with a hand saw and painted each section one of my top four white colors. I selected my top four after reading multiple color suggestions posts from pros like Jan and other outside blogs like Kylie Interiors. Comparing the four around various parts of my house with my flooring, furniture, lighting lighting, and countertops the choice was very obvious and I’m not a color pro or designer type in any way. I chose BM White Dove which I never would have selected from the swatch. It did not look yellow and had enough heft in my southern facing sunlight without looking too bright or too dingy. I also looked at Chantilly Lace, Decorators White, and Cloud White. When I remodeled my kitchen I also used it for the cabinet color.

  • 2 years ago

    Check out Benjamin Moore “Soap Suds”. It’s a creamy white color. Much better than the stark white colors. We used it for all of our cabinets, doors, and trim 10 years ago. Still love it today. When I see a plain white kitchen I can tell it instantly.

  • 2 years ago

    I have 12 ft ceilings and have beams and space above my cabinets, but If my ceilings were 10 ft or lower, I would have skipped the beams and gone to the ceiling with the cabinets.