Thank you mdln for replying. I wish my link for store's sample kitchen above would work as it is gone. The kitchen designer had a brand new large sample door made for me and another client but would not leave it here for me to really analyze. The soft White was a little whiter than the Home Depot's Inner Most door sample (Divinity Classic) that I had here that I felt was too yellow in my lighting and with my tiles despite really liking it in a kitchen reveal on this forum. The Polar White (think the sample door was much older) with the 3,000K LED bulbs I was using did not look as nice with my tiles as the soft white in this lighting and actually had a gray look which surprised me. So maybe it is the lighting that I plan to use as I like white that is not so yellow. The Soft White was slightly darker and creamier than my bedroom set that I love so much that is Durham Maple with a rubbed out sand white finish. I had my heart set on the Polar but I think it does not go with my tiles and amazingly the soft white did in the light I plan to use as I only have one LED bulb in this light spectrum. I just do not envision my kitchen being too yellow but I don't want stark white either despite how wonderful it looks with the right counter and accessories in the kitchen of others as that did not look right with my tiles either. I already bought the kitchen floor tiles which I know I should have bought after the cabinets. Every kitchen that I see in Polar White or Soft White on this forum I have fallen in love with so maybe when all the doors are either white, it just looks white. The Eggshell is too warm for me.

We ordered some sample doors from Barker doors to see the colors. One was Sherwin Williams Pure White and the other Dover White. They were both really great. The paint chip for the Pure White looked really gray but it's not gray at all when painted. BUT this could be because they use a catalyzed varnish [I think that's what it's called]. I'm not sure if paint looks different based on the type of paint that is used. We ended up using the Sherwin Williams Pure White and I love it. It's a very warm white, no gray/blue undertones, at least in our space.

Thanks very much for these ideas. I'm still wondering about something in the off-white/OC range. I have read a million posts and Pins on whites...what I'm stuck on is how they will look in eastern light that is very, very green through the tree canopy. I know from experience now that grey undertones turn to a not-so-pleasant mushroomy color when washed with green light. Beyond those airy photos, I'm imagining something geometric and angular (greek key, or diamonds) on the floor -- could be charcoal and white/cream, or a sisal. One large photo of something architectural (a plant, a bridge) on the wall opposite the gallery wall, over my desk, and a small mirror in a chunky frame on the modern louvered credenza. Love to find a deco-ish light fixture. Any suggestions for a white that would highlight an overall look like that?

I realize it would be best from a color selection standpoint to put the cabinets in first, but the contractor doesn't want to do it that way (which, having painted most of our pretty large house myself, I understand) and its not something I think is worth making a production over. At worst, if it looks bad, it wouldn't be a disaster to repaint it. The "white" cabinet is actually a very light grey, it was supposed to be a tinted varnish match to SW Repose Grey, but it turned out a little lighter than anticipated but we liked it as much if not more. That color will be used on the L shaped run that includes the brick. The grey stain is for the island, appliance wall, and lockers. The door style will be the same and recessed, rather than raised, panel. The samples were just color. We do really like the brick and I suppose we will try and keep it with a sealer. It's original to the 110 year old house, so nice to keep a part of it intact. I cleaned it up a little last night which makes the transition at the top less obvious and it will broken up some by the hood duct cover. My research is that people that actually have sealed brick behind a cooktop/range seem to think its fine. Suppose we can always cover it later but once its covered going back would be tough. Wife (our roles are reversed in this endeavor from what I think the more common scenario is, I've done most of the hardcore planning while she weighs in about the things she has a strong opinion about) decided she wants the light blue (Tradewind) on the perimeter and the interior pantry/closet/appliance walls to be either Sea Salt or Comfort Grey. I had sort of pictured it as majority a greener shade with the blue secondary, but I think either would work.