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.

The OP asked how to make it RUSTIC. MODERN. Nobody is suggesting it can't be used. Just don't try to re invent the actual piece unless the reinvention works.. Juxtaposed in a setting that is contrary? Fine. The reason the photo below works? ALL in the room is in intentional modern contrast with more "ancient" surroundings. It is not in any way a mish mash of try and fail. Want to lacquer the secretary white with a magenta interior? Use it in a "she she" room with a zebra hide rug? ? Great. !!! Depends the what, and the where: )

Aw man, thanks for the comments guys! After being in this house with small kids for eight years, the cabinets are showing wear and there is quite a bit of water damage on many of them and some are broken (didn’t show you that photo!). So...that was where my head was at with going ahead and painting the cabinets. They are already priming today so this is a done deal! In my area, painting cabs is still a big thing (we might steer behind the times a little) and a big thing people look for in resale (we could be moving in a couple years). Honestly, it might not be trendy but I still love my granite! It hides stuff so well and never looks dirty. And I never even notice my backsplash and I just don’t care that much about it. It’s hard for me to warrant changing something just for cosmetic reasons (counter and backsplash) versus need (cabs). We got an amazing deal on the painting so I feel good about it. I’m going full steam with Antique White. After looking at it forever and being in complete decision making paralysis, that’s what I’m going with! I’m going with brass/gold knobs to add a little bit of funky and I have lots of Anthropologie-esque and plants to add character. I have a very open floor plan with my living room right there in all it’s colorful glory, so I’m thinking the lighter will look nice. I’ll be happy to post a pic when I’m done. Thanks for listening!!

You have looked at it while it stands vertically, right? the sample of Formica for cabinets? And when you checked whether it works with countertop, you kept countertop sample perpendicular to it? Just making sure, since samples should be looked at, in the order they'll be installed. The lighting in stores and in one's home often is dramatically different. Also each house-has its unique lighting and other things that surround a color and change our perception of it. I think-if cabinets and counter work together, and with the flooring, that's already much less problemaric. Agree with others to wait, until all is there, for backsplash, and look into different lighting. Harmonious things, even if not exactly what we envisioned, irritate us much less, than things that seem to fight each other As long as it works, even if it's warmer look than the "cooler" one you were hoping for-you can introduce then brighter, crispier so to say, "cleaner" or cooler colors with styling. Not with semi-permanent elements that will indeed make it look creamier-but small easy movable things.