Also, the kitchen cabinet faces I wanted are Mazzarino by Drees (pg 11 of catalog): http://dreeswoodproducts.com/forms/PdfCatalog.pdf

Thanks!

I'm attaching a link from the Colour me Happy Blog about how to work with beiges. She also has a section on how to pick whites for cabinets. Hope this helps you narrow down your search.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to pick beiges

First, for some reason, I can't enlarge your pics and I cannot see them well. It looks (I can't be sure) that your floor has cool undertones and your proposed countertop has warm undertones. I find it more pleasing to have the same undertones, so since your floors are in, I might select a different countertop.

The "Lagos Blue" caesarstone (which I think is supposed to resemble limestone) is a real chameleon in that collection to me, it should have cool undertones but still manages to look very warm. Did you look at that one? Another idea is "Cinder" which is a medium toned (with no speckles or sparkles) gray that somewhat resembles concrete. I think "Pebble" is the light gray that a friend used and it looks very good in her white ("White Glove" by Miller paint) kitchen.

Do YOU love the green accent & want to lock yourself into it? Countertop and tile are difficult to change. Paint and accessories are not :)

It concerns me you said you "originally wanted a classic white kitchen." If this is what you want, stick to it! That is about the most classic backdrop to add any kind of accessories/warmth/colors you want-you can change things seasonally or every few years if you get tired of something.

RE: BM whites. There are many previous threads about this if you do a search. It is an extremely hard decision since there are 110 BM white/off whites! Too many choices=too overwhelming. What exposure is your room/how much light do you get?

I wanted a "classic but warm white" for my master bath. In my space (southwest exposure) "White Dove" which is a very popular white (I've never heard anyone regret selecting it anyway) but it was too gray in my space. We chose "Cotton Balls".

I think the best warm white in the Benjamin Moore collection is "Mascarpone," but in our bath-- against a sea of whiter subway tile everywhere--you could see the yellow undertones so it didn't look right. But I love that color.

That Colour me Happy blog is really interesting and I know one of her articles is basically "Don't choose Cloud White!", but that is another Ben Moore white that is used, all-the-time, because it goes with everything.

Your light makes a HUGE difference in how a color will look, so bring home some samples and try them in your space with your floors and countertop samples.

The biggest mistake I made was trying to select a color too soon, before I had the other elements in the room. Once I did, the right colors started selecting themselves because some of my top choices in the paint store just didn't "go."

I really want to reassure you, after OBSESSING about this for a year+ myself, you really can't go that wrong with your white. If you get your cabs painted and you're afraid they're too gray/yellow or whatever, you can always counteract with different lightbulbs or wall color or accessories to pull things together and make it all look ok. :)

PS I'm going to link one thread I remembered, it's a lot about "off white" paints, but there's some helpful links in here about choosing your white.

Here is a link that might be useful: Great blog entry about off white paint

Like littlesmokie I'm not sure that your floor and countertops are going to go together. Can you post a bigger pic of the two of them together.

Are you happy having green in your kitchen? This is your kitchen, not your sister's. Green is a hard colour to coordinate (blue greens, yellow greens, black greens and all the hues in between) and can be hard to live with unless you absolutely commit to it. Do you have green anywhere in the rest of your house, do you wear green very much.
The floor sounds like it's a done deal but I would reconsider the green accent tile.

The floor tile hasn't been sealed yet, so I'm thinking the color will change a little. You should be able to enlarge the photos now.

If I wanted to change the kitchen to an all white kitchen, it's not too late, is it? I mean, it could go with the floor tile, right?

Thanks so much!

@littlesmokie: Thanks for your thoughts and ideas and the link to the great blog! They were all helpful! Do I love the green accent? I like them, but I'm not sure if I love them....

@ :Having green in my kitchen was my sister's idea, and it took a little time to be okay with the thought until I saw the glass green tile. Still, I've had reservations. Do I wear green? Not so much.

FYI, if it says anything, I have dark espresso hardwood floors; Coir color walls in living room; bathrooms with ivory travertine floors and walls and espresso shaker style cabinets and caesarstone countertops (Behr brand, I think; khaki/tan with a green tone); and pottery barn looking bedrooms for the kids and my husband and me.

~

Below are some better photos. You should be able to click on them now to enlarge them.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CZJqP94oax5I9afOlszJlA?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oR2_YYrhKhMhRbuRRCQ_9g?feat=directlink

You can see the sage, beige and grayish tones. In the lower photo, you will see the a sample of the caesarstone jerusalem sand, the mini light green subway tile accent I was thinking about using (third one from the bottom) and the crisp white 3 x 6 subway tile sample (third from the bottom...originally, I was going to use barely beige). Do the clearer photos change your thoughts about our design which includes white cabinets and stainless steel appliances? Or, do you think I should go with the classic white look, maybe with all white subway tiles?
I just want my kitchen to be beautiful, clean and crisp, yet with some warmth, and be worth the money spent.

I've always dreamt of a white kitchen like this or even a more classic white cabinet kitchen (I'm sure you've all seen them or even have one like them):

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pCtYBqw7SEE/SSInWgWSbFI/AAAAAAAAAaA/RJjsK1XwD58/s1600-h/white+kitchen+old1.jpg

If I decide to use white glazed subway tiles for the backsplash, what size of tiles should I use? Also, if going with the classic kitchen white theme, I've always liked the calcutta marble countertop look, but would prefer to use a granite or caesarstone. Have any ideas, or would something similar in color match with the floor tiles that I have?

Any thoughts or ideas would appreciated! I need to figure all this out this week! With a busy schedule with 3 young kids and a hubby who wants the kitchen finished with the next couple of weeks, I'm pressed for time! Yikes! :)

Hope you all had a great weekend!

You want this finished in the next couple of weeks - like the whole thing? - Wow.
If you want a classic white kitchen then that is what you should go for. Seriously. For starters I don't like the Jerusalem sand counters against the floor. I find it quite jarring to look at, however I should let you know I just don;t like the colour of the jerusalem sand. On my monitor, and I googled it separately as well, it comes across as a dijon mustard colour - not attractive at all - especially if you want a "classic" white kitchen.

Both caesarstone and silestone come in a variety of whites as does granite. It's just a matter of going to a stone yard and looking at slabs - in between working and looking after 3 kids.

I can't stress it enough, if you follow someone else's vision of your kitchen, it won't be your kitchen. It sounds like you know what you want so go and get it. What does Dh say - is he supportive or just wants it finished? ( like mine did)
Your samples are so far off of a classic white kitchen you may be unhappy with the finished product. But then again maybe not.

I think your floors could easily support a soft white classic kitchen such as your inspiration picture because they come across as delicate and soft in nature. You could take your cue from the floor for window coverings, paint, and accent tile in the backsplash.

First of all . . . breathe. Why rush all of these critical decisions?? This is an expensive endeavor, not one you're likely to redo anytime soon. You want to be sure the end result is something that you absolutely love I agree that you can still totally pull off a classic white kitchen with your tile floors! But I don't think the counters or backsplash will work to create the look in your inspiration photo.

Your floors are similar in color to many GW white kitchens, including mine.

I don't think you're going to be able to recreate the look of calcutta marble with ceaserstone or granite. Just MHO. When I was looking for marble look-a-likes, I didn't think anything really came close to looking like real marble, except the real stuff. If that's still the case, then why try to get that look if it's going to look fake? That's my opinion. Have you ruled real marble out?

I've seen beautiful white kitchens with granite and of course soapstone and also synthetic materials. I know you can find something that goes well with your floor tile and white cabinets.

What you need to do is take a few pieces of your floor tile out shopping. Hold those samples next to multiple pieces of countertop materials and see what looks good. Show the people in the stores your inspiration photo.

Also look at every white kitchen on GW that has a similar tile floor and see what countertop material/color they used. Find a white kitchen that you adore that also has your floors.

You DO NOT need to pick out wall paint or a backsplash until the cabinets are painted and the countertops are installed!!!!!! That ought to ease things up. You just need to pick out counters so your kitchen is functional. And, yes cabinet paint. Once you pick your counters then you can take that sample to the paint store. We have a fantastic paint matcher at our Benjamin Moore paint store. Maybe you do too. Just bring him/her your floor and counter samples and they'll help you narrow your choice of whites. I have Cloud White and am happy with it.

Stop rushing. Tell your husband you refuse to rush such important decisions.
Fire your sister.

I look forward to watching how you proceed! We're here for you!

@judydel: Thanks so much for that! I love the look of marble, but due its porosity and my having 3 young kids (a 2 yr old and 4.5 yr old twins), I don't think it would be practical.

I did bring the floor tile in to two tile places first thing on Monday, and they both recommended using either Bianca Romano granite or Organic White Caesarstone.

Bianca Romano
http://www.marble.com/materials/granite/Bianco-Romano

Organic White Caesarstone
http://www.caesarstoneus.com/products/color/4600/

I'm also considering Bianco River silestone and Valley River granite (not sure if this is possible because it wasn't even available at the two tile places I mentioned above), which I learned of in a post on this forum and which I think is quite beautiful.

Bianco River silestone
http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/

Valley (White) River granite
http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/noellak/?action=view&current=IMG_8788.jpg

I just read about a quartz by Zodiac called Bianco Carrera:
http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/products/zodiaq/zodiaq_colors.html
I know they're different from the marble look, but what do you think of these?

I know I don't need to think of the backsplash right now, but I'm still thinking of using white subway tiles for the backsplash.

Any other ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!

riva who is your Canadian Grey made by? I'm trying to pull up more pictures. I can't tell if it's grey or beige or greige? Depending on what kind of sealer you use, it may change color and so you should be using the sealed tile sample as your guide when trying to match counters. I notice your tile has variation in color shading which give it movement/pattern in addition to the geometric pattern. This has to be taken into consideration when picking out the counters so they don't compete.

What is it about marble that you fell in love with? Is it the organic look/feel? Is it the color? pattern? etc? Marble is very organic and calm and has a wonderful feel to it. I see you're considering a man made material possibly, which is very different than marble. If you go shopping at cabinet showrooms you should be able to see white kitchens with these different materials all done up so you can really envision what a whole kitchen would feel/look like.

Personally, I think soapstone and marble are very similar in ways. Both have subtle patterns. Both feel fabulous to the touch in an organic, non-shiny/polished way. I realize the color is opposite . . .

Obviously I love soapstone and that's why I put it in my kitchen. I also adore marble. I'm just wondering if you've give soapstone any consideration? I was trying to pull up photos of kitchens with white cabinets, similar tile floors and white counters and I can't find any. Hummmm. But what I do find are a lot of white cabinets, tile floors and soapstone counters.

You've probably seen mine, but here's a photo just in case. Note how my floor also has variation in color/shading and reads as having movement. But my counters are calm and neutral.

The organic white ceasarstone is very white and you would have to be very careful of the white that you pick for your cabinets. Against the organic white, if your white on the cabinets had pink, or blue in it, it may be magnified in comparison.
The valley white river granite is beautiful. I don't know what it would be like against your floors but it is a gorgeous rock.

@judydel: Lovely kitchen! Thanks for sharing! What color are your cabinets?

I haven't heard much about soapstone and am trying not to further complicate things, so I'm narrowing it down to quartz or granite for countertop. I have such a hard time with so many choices and have so little time. It can be frustrating. I'm having a hard time deciding whether to put under-the-cabinet lights. My cabinet maker is preparing the cabinets for the lights in case I do decide to install them, but I need to decide in a couple of days. Not sure if it's worth the almost $2k...

Marble is so beautiful, I know, but I just know that it's not practical for me and my family, so I'm not even considering it.

Thanks again!

@judydel: What color are your cabinets?

Hi Riva, I had to double check. We used maple Cabico Cabinets painted Benjamin Moore Cloud White (not to be confused with White Cloud). We went with this color because we read it "goes with everything".

But really, you need to pick out your counters and then find a paint color that goes with both the counters and floor.