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Which color white for cabinets? Decide by Monday!

11 years ago

Any thoughts on this? My painter is coming on Monday. He suggested Swiss coffee or a pure white. Says both come out great. Did a sample for me in the pure white and the finish looks beautiful. My only question is my shutters, pantry door and sliding door have more of a swiss coffee color. Do my cabinets need to match?

I think my fear is an off white will look dingy. Or will an off-white like swiss coffee look softer. He doesn't do like a BM white dove because the product he is using I believe is made by Valspar and he is spraying it in lacquer.

Any thoughts?

Featured Answer

SparklingWater

11 years ago

I was just paging through Elegant Homes (spring-summer 2013) and noting how many off whites, creamier kitchen cabinets there are. Many are even matched with carrera marble slabs back splashs or 4" x 10" subways bs, which often one hears needs more of a white white.

I have a couple of white white door samples currently, sitting on my walnut stained floor, and I've decided they are just too stark for me. So off white it will be.

Is cream latte an off white leaning to beige? Definitely seeing cabinets like that in magazines, mixed in sometimes with stark white.

Pick what you like; their don't seem to be many purists designers or homeowners anymore when it comes to white kitchens.

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Comments (8)

shappy
Original Author
11 years ago
Swiss coffee is white but more creamy than stark white. Just don't want the kitchen to look 'dated' when my attempt is to update! The sample swiss coffee he did looks great, it's even slightly lighter than my mouldings.
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raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
11 years ago
In my experience none of the very subtle or light off whites look dingy, not even the ones with grayer undertones, when they are the main color "on their own" and not contrasted against a stark white. Their color undertones just need to be matched with their surrounding colors.
stealthecrumbs
11 years ago
I agree you should do what you prefer. I think different whites can harmonize. I like softer white and I do want my cabinets to work with the trim in the room and with things like my pantry door. I don't think it has to match- I've certainly seen pictures with very creamy cabs against white trim... but if you are leaning towards matching, hold the paint samples up to your trim, base-boards, pantry door and see what harmonizes best. Other factors will influence your perception of color- light, which direction your windows face, tile choice.
Bunny
11 years ago
All the doors and trim in my house are Swiss Coffee by Kelly Moore, although I think most SCs are about the same. It's not the whitest white out there, but it's fairly crisp and light, a really nice trim. However, I decided it was way too white for my cabinets where I wanted a softer, creamier white. My kitchen window has no trim :( so that wasn't an issue. There are two places at the outer corners of my kitchen where the Swiss Coffee baseboards abut my Cloud White cabinets. You have to be looking at the floor to see them and it's just 5" of contrast.

For me Swiss Coffee would have been way too light and bright for my cabinets. I have several shades of off white in my kitchen (cabs, backsplash, walls). They don't match, but they harmonize and layer very nicely.
Megan Lopez
11 years ago
I currently have Kelly Moore SC cabinets. In my space, I think they are too bright of a white.
shappy
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the input. I was thinking swiss coffee wasn't going to to white enough as the other sample he brought was whiter! The swiss coffee the painter brought is lighter than my other swiss coffee trim, maybe the brand or maybe it tends to darken after 11 1/2 years.
Tmnca
11 years ago
I tried White Dove and it looks dingy and sickly green-yellow in my kitchen, ended up with Simply White which looks great. I think you should try out some samples in your own room, whites can be tricky and you ay not like what you choose blindly... I know I learned that lesson!

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