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olgala

Cabinet color for warm and cool light

7 months ago

My cabinet maker will paint the cabinets any color I want. My problem is that the kitchen faces both north and south, and the windows give very different tone of light. And so far I can't find a color that looks good in both ends of the kitchen. Blue undertones look terrible where sun and patio reflection hits them. My light green-blue sample looks yellowed white there. And yellow or pink undertones turn dirty in the north end. I don't think I want wood finish and I had a white kitchen for the last 15 years, so I want a change. The floor is gunstock oak to match the rest of the house if it matters.


I am not asking for the exact color, obviously, but which color family and maybe value and saturation level would look good at both ends of the spectrum?

Comments (12)

  • 7 months ago

    Pictures of the room may help.

  • 7 months ago

    You could use daylight spectrum lighting, to make the light color more uniform.

    olgala thanked John Liu
  • 7 months ago
    last modified: 7 months ago

    North and south exposure, go with a greige undertone. As for your floor, gunstock oak, there are several different tones from several different brands. I chose this floor:



    Using a greige, which I know works with north/south exposure , try Elmira White on the wall and Glacier on the cabinets.





    olgala thanked elcieg
  • 7 months ago

    Any color you go with is going to look different in different ends of your kitchen with different amounts of light. I'm a fan of Maritime White in your lighting situation and with your floors, but you said you want a color and not white. For a change could you go with a beige, greige and use counters and tiles as your new change element?

    olgala thanked Kendrah
  • 7 months ago

    Thank you all! I guess you confirmed that the less saturated, greige colors work best in terms of color stability, but I really don't want to go that way. But @John Liu comment made me think, and I believe that the north side will have artificial lighting most of the time anyway, at least while cooking, so if I go with something that looks good under the sun, I can live with how it looks by the north windows. I am also testing another, darker, blue-green paint today. Maybe more pigment will mean that it doesn't get washed out by the sun that easily. I know there will be a change, but hopefully it won't turn into yellow .

  • 7 months ago
    last modified: 7 months ago

    Make sure your light bulbs are all led 3500 or 4000. I think 4000 daylight type bulb would help you out a lot, so you are not getting all these golden tones. I have used the color in this link in different lighting conditions, and it has worked quite well. https://www.myperfectcolor.com/paint/423093-sherwin-williams-hgsw1326-blue-iris Since you mentioned a blue green, I thought this one might interest you, since its a nice clear color with no graying dirty tones.

    olgala thanked cat_ky
  • 7 months ago

    Olgala- I have a similar problem with lighting in my kitchen. I chose Sherwin Williams Rivers Edge for my cabinets. Yes, it looks different at either end of kitchen, but I think it’ll work fine. (The painters are painting it now.)

    olgala thanked NagyMama
  • 7 months ago

    SW Rivers Edge

    olgala thanked NagyMama
  • PRO
    7 months ago
    last modified: 7 months ago

    What's the style of the home? Are you traditional, a bit more modern....what? What is the door/drawer style on the cabinetry? What does the current kitchen look like, and what is the is the kitchen cabinetry /appliance PLAN in a drawing? What is the appliance finish? What is your countertop or it isn't selected?

    You have nowhere NEAR enough information, to answer your question.......so return same thread with a lot more information in comment boxes below.

    olgala thanked JAN MOYER
  • PRO
    7 months ago
    last modified: 7 months ago

    Kitchens have artificial light most of the time I like LED 4000K for this exact issue . I dislike greige type colors to me they always look ,like you could not decide on gray or beige . I use this color a lot for this type of lighting I cut it 25-50% often to get the shade just right fo the space it is a BM color so any white ythat works with thta might be the answer . Maybe use Steam for the cabinets also BM


    olgala thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • 7 months ago

    I went to some stone yards in the last few days, and I just didn't like any Taj Mahal slabs. So I am down to blacks. Most likely something like honed Black Mist.


    And after all the tests, I am seriously considering painting the coffee bar darker.


    These are the two colors I think will work. I have an old door I painted Mediterranean Teal, and I haven't yet got a chance to pick up a Healing Aloe sample for the main kitchen area, but online it seems like a good match. And Mediterranean Teal, while looking different in the sun, doesn't turn yellow like lighter colors for me. At the same time I am not sure I want the entire room this dark, especially with the floor-to-ceiling pantry doors and dark counters.


    Is it going to look fine?