You are better off viewing a real life sample of the cabinet finish in the light (space) you propose the cabinets to be in. Cameras that take the picture and computer screens that display the picture rarely represent colors accurately.

Our kitchen designer ordered a door sample that we did view in person but it’s very gray compared to how the swatch looks online. Almost as if they sent the wrong color door. He is going to check with the shiloh rep about it but I am just anxious/curious to know if the sample was wrong or if the color is that misrepresented on their website. The design software also showed the color to be more of a brown/tan vs. gray.

"Cameras that take the picture and computer screens that display the picture rarely represent colors accurately."

Marissa…did you read what Mark said? What you see on a computer screen rarely is representative of the appearance in real life. Every computer screen reads colors differently. And, the lighting used for the photo will also skew the color and variations in the wood.

If you don’t like the door sample you received, best to choose another. Really, you should be going to the store, and looking at door samples in person…not picking from a computer screen and having the designer bring the door to you. You’ll save time and money making your choices in person.

yes I can read. Did you read what I said? The online swatch and sole picture I could find of this color are entirely different from the door sample. I am looking at other options at this point but I simply feel as though it could be a mistake

After your kitchen designer verifies with Shiloh that you did receive the right sample (and the odds of that happening are VERY high), you'll have to make a new choice. If Shiloh or your designer determine that your sample is wrong, you'll know whether to proceed with either of them based on their response (I would feel much better about a designer that says "Oops, I ordereed the wrong sample for this reason" that one that tries to blame you.)

You can use pictures on the internet to narrow down your choices. But you will want to get a brand new sample of your new choices. If you have to pay for it, that's OK.

Please be aware that samples already "in house" at the design studio or store may be faded from exposure to light, darkened by grimy hands, or just old and the color has been tweaked by the manufacturer. So you will want to get a current sample.

If you find that these new samples are also significantly different from what you saw on line, you will have to decide if the cause is lighting manipulation by the online photographer, in accuracies in your computer monitor, error by the the manufacturer (sending you the wrong sample), or error by your designer in ordering the sample.

While the most professional voices on this board will attribute the second set of errors to the photographer or your computer monitor (and are probably right), you will be the one to decide. If you decide that it is the manufactuer, don't order from them. They can't send the right sample, so how are they going to process your full order correctly. If you decide it is the designer, fire her. At that point, she has given you two incorrect samples, so how can you trust her to order the right components for your kitchen??

I wish you the best of luck with your project.

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to elaborate - this is what I found online for the dusty road color and the door sample I saw in person was completely gray. I thought it would be a lot more brown/tan as you can see from the pictures. But I do understand you cant rely on how it views on a computer or phone. It seems unlikely that shiloh would send the wrong sample - so I understand I’m likely starting at square one and will have to choose a different option. And will of course only choose something once I’ve viewed it in person, not relying on viewing the colors online. Just holding out hope that somehow the sample was wrong because I was envisioning it to be the color I was hoping for. Appreciate all the advice though

the first and last picture are “dusty road” the middle gray picture is another color that represents what I saw in person

You can only believe what you see with your own eyes, in your own space. Even the sample you received may not be the same color that you will finally receive. If you're using a designer, the best approach is for her/him to request a "strike-off," which is a door or sample made from current wood stock with the current stain or paint that will be used to make YOUR cabinets. The worst situation is that you select a color from a photo online or an old sample, and then you are unpleasantly surprised when the cabinets are delivered. Then you will be back here asking for advice on how to change them. With a strike-off, you and the cabinet maker sign off on it, and they will be required to replicate it or you don't approve the delivery.