I need to see pics, but one of the differences I am seeing between the inspiration pic and yours is the flooring. The reddish tone really warms up the room, though that is certainly not everyone's taste.

Also, in your pic, the only white is the cabinets, so there was not a need to worry about matching, whereas you have the backsplash and appliances to also deal with.

So, maybe the issue would be to get less white in the room? You do not have your backsplash, right?

Have you thought of Not doing white, and trying to go with a pale gray for the cabinets? This way you won't run into trouble with making sure the subways match whatever white you pick.

The White Dove is a creamy white, that is why a lot of folks like it, it isn't cold.

If I were you I would think about something like a light gray that works with your James River Gray and the color of the concrete.

I should clarify that the blog pic is only inspiration for the idea of pouring the concrete, not for the room as a whole... and to show the color the concrete is likely to end up. Their space is very different of course and I don't think that their scheme would work in this room, which has more natural light - strong south sunlight. That type of backsplash is about 10x more expensive than just white tile.

I don't want grey cabinets - did think about it but gray is just as hard to match up and will look even more "dingy" I think.

Sadly I don't have an inspiration pic for the whole - perhaps that is my problem. But surely others have used white subway tile and white cabinets?

I painted the cabinets and trim in my first house, a simple little 1914 bungalow, in White Dove and loved it.

The counters were black laminate and the walls were BM Carrington Beige. I never found it too dingy, just soft. But then, in my current old house, I'm even using Linen White throughout for trim, ceiling, and cabinets, which is an even warmer white. So I happen to really prefer soft, creamy whites. But White Dove never looked yellow in my home. It wasn't an exact match to the cold white of sink and appliances, but I don't know that you can ever match all those whites, nor would I want to.

The White Dove probably just looks dingy against your very white cabinets. It has a lot of gray in it.

My preference is for warmer whites, like Dunn Edwards Cottage White. It looks nice with the natural gray of concrete, which is usually more greenish-brown than gray-blue in undertone, depending on the brand and source. I think colors tending toward the ivory end of white are out of favor now, though, and the grayer whites are more popular.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dunn Edwards Cottage White kitchen

I have BM Mascarpone in the rest of the first floor, hallway and stairs, it is a warm white and I love it! I do like warm whites, but I thought White Dove was actually a bit "whiter" than Mascarpone, but it looks like it's darker. I know White Dove is a favorite here and is listed as a "tried and true favorite" at the paint store, I chose it because of its immense popularity here, I'm just not sure if it's right for my room - but maybe I'm just getting the "part way done panic attack".

Here are some pictures I took yesterday before painting, and then today after! I wish I could take some pictures at the same time of day but I'm at work during those hours weekdays.

Before painting started, early morning (no direct sunlight)
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After painting - ceiling is eggshell White Dove and walls down to where backsplash will go is eggshell James River Grey. The test patch is on the cabinet above the fridge, it is a patch of the eggshell but I will likely use Satin on the cabinets (should I use semi-gloss?).

You can see the colors in the pics of the corners, where the ceiling meets cabinets meets wall. Please excuse the edges have not been touched up etc.

The dishwasher is white and it doesn't look like it will blend in so well with the White Dove.

At night with fluorescent light on
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It looks so yellow here to me!
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Fluorescent light off, incandescent on and flash off
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Fluorescent light off, incandescent on and flash on (for all below)
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and here's some inspiration for my white cabinets and subway tile with concrete countertops (but I wanted to bring a bit more color in with the blue-grey:

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[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Chicago Design-build Great Rooms Designers & Builders

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[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Austin Architect Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

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[Eclectic Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104)

they went with dark lower cabinets on the island, but I think my space is too small for that and I don't have an island.

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[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Boston Kitchen And Bath Venegas and Company

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[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by San Francisco Interior Designer Amoroso Design

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[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Boston Kitchen And Bath Venegas and Company

This post was edited by tinan on Mon, Feb 11, 13 at 21:54

I painted a BR vanity Dove White and I don't see ANY yellow tones - actually more a cool gray tone.

Perhaps you should wait for the concrete counters before making a decision on the cabinet paint - that could definitely make a difference.

tuesday_2008, good point - I had already bought a gallon of White Dove intending to use it for the cabinets as well, but then I realized that eggshell is too flat to use on the cabinets anyway. So i'll probably be buying new paint for them anyway.

Next weekend I'll do the countertops, sink and faucet. I wanted to paint the ceiling and walls first so I could stand on the countertop and not worry about getting paint on it :)

But - don't you see a yellow tone in the White Dove in this kitchen?

This post was edited by tinan on Tue, Feb 12, 13 at 13:08

2 posts in same night! Look at my favorite BM white-Atrium.
It's in the color charts and I love it with my white appliances.

Thanks! Collecting sample chips and will do the concrete this weekend, then take another look at the whites.

I picked up a sample of the subway tile ($1.89 sq ft) and it is a warm white, it will look great in this room with the right white cabinets, I can't wait!

The sink and faucet install is going to be a real chore, I have to remove the existing tiled-in sink, make a plywood section for the missing area over which the concrete will go (the new sink is smaller), etc.

I planned White Dove for my cabs also and was so excited to see it painted on a large board in my kitchen. It HAD to be right because everyone else loves it, right? Not. I found it to be very dingy, grayish white with a sickly yelled-green undertone in my light. Since then, I've seen a few others here on the Kitchen forum say they saw the same in their light. I never buy gallons of paint without trying a sample first, and I'm glad I did the same that time.

I agree with the yellow you're seeing. I don't think it will flatter your white DW, although it does look good with the blue on the walls.

I ended up choosing BM Simply White. I think you've seen pics of my kitchen before so I won't post. I find it to be a clean white without any yellow undertones, but also not a stark, startling white. The formula is just a pure white base with a couple of drops of black. Usually, yellow tint is added to white base to "warm it up."

P.S. I admire your DIY spirit. :)

breezygirl, thanks for your input - it really does look yellow green in this room, no matter what time of day. I don't think I'll be using it, too bad I stupidly bought an entire gallon already!

I did pick up a bunch of samples of whites from BM and Behr (while I was at HD to pick up the sample tile) to study over the next week or so, and thankfully I have not done all the work of cabinet painting - I'm just out $45 for the gallon of White Dove, better to cut my losses now and repaint the ceiling when I do the cabinets rather than go to all that work and not be happy.

The subway tile is a soft white but not as yellow-green as the White Dove, and looks GREAT with the James River Gray and the appliances etc.

I'll be taking pics throughout the project to document, I'll either be really happy at the end or I'll have filled my kitchen with a lumpy mass of concrete! To me, this is great fun although there is often a point about halfway through when I just wonder why I'm doing it, don't think it will ever come out right... but when it ends up well in the end the feeling of accomplishment is worth it.

It's actually the second time I have made a major mistake purchasing white paint. At least this time it was only 1 gallon. When I was painting and doing flooring in the whole house (had less than 14 days to finish everything and move in as we only had a short term apartment after selling our condo) I bought *4 gallons* of Super White for the ceilings for some silly reason - having chosen Mascarpone for the walls (I thought I had to do "plain" white on the ceilings. Partway through the first gallon I realized it looked terrible. I just hated the idea of wasting that much money on the paint, but could not stand the idea of finishing the job that I would hate. So I bought more Mascarpone and did ceilings the same color (which looks great) and tried to sell the Super White unopened cans on Craigslists to no avail. Ace wouldn't let me return them even for a store credit or restock fee :( I ended up donating it.

I thought I learned my lesson but I was so sure that White Dove looked lovely in everyone else's photos and was such a universal favorite (and who could not like the name) that I would love it too. Lesson learned - test the color in your own space even if it's "just" white! On the other hand, they do not have test sizes for the whites in my paint store and a quart is $17 vs $45 for the gallon - so it's better just to buy the gallon.

To me, I've always seen gray in White Dove, but I do love it when I see photos of White Dove kitchens. I was going to do Mascarpone cabinets (to match all of the trim in the rest of my home) but decided it was too creamy for with some other selections I made. I'm going with Cloud White.

Anyway, here's a photo that shows the difference between White Dove (the existing color of the trim and cabinetry in our kitchen) on the window trim and Mascarpone on the door frame. It's pretty dramatic and it's funny to me how even though I would think that White Dove was whiter than Mascarpone, Mascarpone looks much brighter side by side.

wi-sailorgirl, yes I can see that in your pics too - that White Dove is "darker" or less bright than Mascarpone. With the tiny color chips it was hard to tell but on the wall it is obvious, since the dining room and entry are Mascarpone... and I was actually looking for something "whiter" for the kitchen cabinets.

I do love all the photos I have seen with White Dove in kitchens - it just looks different in this room... the quality of my bright afternoon California sun perhaps. I'll enjoy looking at other people's pics of the color and find something better suited for my own.

Dove white is definitely a yellow white no doubt about it. I had it in my entire first house, the walls were painted Dove White with a plain white crown molding and plain white floor trim. You could see the distinct difference between the "Dove white" which was much yellower and the "Regular plain white" a mile away.

So you definitely are not imagining things, it is a yellow white.

I looked at more chips in all lights, and settled on Simply White. I almost had to get it color matched as I was thinking about using Cabinet Coat paint, but decided to go with Aura in satin instead ($$$!) so I could not worry about the color any more.

I am very happy with the Simply White! I repainted the ceiling, and got the cabinet frames done today along with the drawers. I had to sand and prime because of the peeling paint job done by the PO, but I didn't get everything totally smooth. That's OK with me, these are old cabinets and are a bit battered up. The new paint makes a world of difference and will give them a few more years of life.

I wish I hadn't wasted the money on the White Dove first, but lesson learned.

Now I just have to paint all the doors - all 20 of them, the uppers are HUGE.... ugh.

I installed the pull down faucet Delta Leland in stainless - love it!

Next weekend is sealing the concrete and installing the backsplash, and then I'll be done!

Here are some pics from today, of course the doors and drawers are all outside but you can see the difference in the white just from the ceiling and the frames. The concrete is not sealed yet and needs a bit more sanding first. The backsplash will of course make a big difference it looks awful where the old tiles were pulled off...

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Blue tape holding on some small trim pieces until the liquid nails cures...

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This post was edited by tinan on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 21:50