Sorry it didn't work out the way you wanted. They are lovely cabinets, even if they aren't what you wanted. Hopefully you can work around it.

Did you ask them why the color is wrong? Why should you have to pay a 30% upcharge for a custom color that you did not receive?

Makes no sense.

Technically the color matches the chip but multiply by two walls, the light turned them white.

My 36x18 sample looks gray but not when it expands to 9'x11'.

That's a bummer. I agree that paints are hard - I always pain really large patches on my walls to test since otherwise I never have any idea what it will look like. Looks like a lovely door (and color) though! Brighter white walls or you could give up and paint the walls grey if you want more grey...

Well I think it's absolutely beautiful looking and look at it this way. In five years when gray is trending downward, your cabinets will still look fresh because white is timeless.

However how about putting in a gray backsplash which would help reflect some of the gray into the rest of the room, including the cabinets?

I don't see how the cabinet door and the large sample you show with it in the same light can be the same color, regardless of the wall color. Are they being shown in the same room the cabinets are in?

How the color appears is influenced by the light in your kitchen. I think they are lovely though. Cpartist is probably right, grey is a big trend right now, but like anything else, it will probably become passe' whereas white is timeless. A grey backsplash is a great idea too.

I'm with cpartist too. I honestly think the white will hold up better over time. Why do you have to paint the room white? Why not bring the gray you want with the wall color? Or as suggested in the backsplash?

beachem - so sorry you are not thrilled. The doors look gorgeous, though! How do they look against stark white and what are you doing for countertops and backsplash? The contrast shown in Anglophilia's picture looks rich and smooth.

Anglophilia - that looks lovely... Great recovery!

Absolutely beautiful Anglo

I happen to dislike white after 18 yrs of it all over the house and spending the past few years in the hospital with my mom.

We all associate white with hospitals now.

@iam702 I like a light grey as a sophisticated timeless neutral long before it became a trend so I'm not worried about it. I am planning on a zinc perimeter counter so maybe that will help reflect some gray.

@anglo your cabinets look gorgeous. I put a sample of SW super white against the door and it's helping with the contrast. Very slight but it's there.

I picked a gray that is a bit greige because the other undertones come out baby blue with my natural light.

There's not a lot of walls in my kitchen. Only the windows area with 3' and I don't think these cabinets reflect. They look even whiter in pic #3 where I contrasted them against the Ralph Lauren cabinet interiors.

I should have painted larger pieces of wood than the 36"x18" ones that used. That would have shown me that I needed a deeper color with my lighting.

Thanks everyone for the support. I'll live with them and figure out a way to alleviate the subconscious emotional distress the whole family will have.

It's another expensive mistake that I learned and will pass along with the trick to avoid the same issue.

I certainly understand your stress and the feeling about hospital walls. I lost my mother 2 years ago, my favorite aunt in October and my dad this past February. I have no love of white walls or hospitals either, so I feel your distress.

I am planning on a zinc perimeter counter so maybe that will help reflect some gray.

I think that will help it quite a bit. Additionally, I'm thinking if you can find a pale gray for the walls and backsplash about the same value (meaning light), it will help reflect some of the gray back onto the cabinets. I wouldn't go on the walls with a value more than one shade darker, because as you realize it will make the cabinets look whiter.

FWIW, I can definitely see the grey tone of the cabinets, especially compared to the stark white of the background surroundng the pictures. It's a pearl grey, which goes with a lot of other things. For more grey, try tinting the ceiling as well as the walls. I quite like it, myself, and I'm not a huge fan of greys in general.

Perhaps once installed and with the right paint color you will like them more.

Kitchen Transformation · More Info

These cabs remind me of your color. Slightly greige/beige and I love them!

A better photo.

Kitchen Transformation · More Info

I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed in the color your cabinets came out. Hopefully the design elements you are planning to add will bring out the gray to make it closer to what you had initially anticipated.

Also, I disagree that gray is any less timeless than white. White isn't timeless, it's that now we are in the throws of a pseudo-authenticity movement, and so people are enamored with white shaker kitchens, white subway tile backsplash, various black/white or marble floor tile, etc. It's why 90% of the new kitchens nowadays are all a slight variation on the theme.