Pic Below: Sea Pearl Quartzite with SW Aesthetic White sample board

Pic below: Sea Pearl Quartzite with SW Grays harbor and SW Aesthetic White (this color looks more beige when flat -but hard to hold all up vertical for photo)

Sea Pearl with various dark colors on SW Aesthetic White sample board

L-R SW Grizzle Gray (looks pretty here, but on sample board appears much like cement), SW Grays Harbor (I feel like it reads a titch greener than Web Gray and I like greens) SW Web Gray (blue/gray but turns quite blue in north facing room), SW Cyberspace (very pretty but too dark?)

Sea Pearl with various whites - with comments of how they look in my space on large sample boards)

L-R SW Alabaster (too green/icy/light), SW Greek Villa (too light), SW Aesthetic White (looks horrible in this photo compared with the others as it appears really beige/pink) but it does look ok in sample board, SW Westhighland White (nice, but too light), SW Pure White (too blue)

This pic below is from standing in kitchen looking outside. Faces N. 5 acres of rolling hills. Which will be green in spring early summer. Lots of windows but no direct light

Kitchen island and perimeter. Kitchen Perimeter has no windows. South facing front door will have 2 clear glass sidelights and part of front door will be glass. Will allow light in but nothing direct. You can see some light coming in near the "North" writing, however once framed and dry walled that light will not be there.

A few inspiration pics. I like the dark blue of this island and the warmth of the floors.

Blue and White Kitchen Design, Arlington, VA · More Info

Another inspiration
Interesting to note about this pic below .island is Urbane Bronze..goes to show how lighting and the computer monitor skew colors. But I like the overall feel and vibe of this room.

I love Aesthetic White and think it looks beautiful with your counters. For your island, what about a warmer gray, along the lines of the Urbane Bronze you show in one of your inspiration photos. It seems like something warmer would pick up the warm tones in your quartzite beautifully.

@Kristin S I do like Urbane Bronze, but when I put the big sample up in our room, it looked so brown. I just couldn't see the warm vibe I am looking for. Looked so earthy. I have looked at the SW paint fan deck so long my eyes are going buggy. I agree I need a warmer dark color. Thanks for your input!

Yes, I've found Urbane Bronze to be tricky. What about something along the lines of 7642, Pavestone? It's one darker than Collonade, which is similar to the ever-popular BM Revere Pewter. You could also check out Gauntlet Gray and Porpoise if you want something darker that's still a warm gray.

Is that the wood floor you are using? The one shown under your samples? If it is, do you have information on it?

I don't love the aesthetic white. In one photo, it has a hint of peach/pink, which would not be good if that undertone gets amplified in your kitchen.

Is this color an odd choice for cabinetry?

I wouldn't say it's odd. But it's not white.

It fits in that category many would call "greige". Which is good because it's not conclusively gray which means it's more of a classic color choice that's not allergic to trends.

If I use Aesthetic white for doors/trim is that a hard color to work with when choosing wall colors? Is it limiting?

Yes. It will be limiting. Because of the amount of Chroma or colorfulness it has - it's farther away from being a true neutral compared to a color of white, for example.

Not really a worry on the kitchen cabinets because it works well with the counter tops.

I had always envisioned a lighter color for trim (SW Pure White for example) but will that compete and look odd with off white kitchen cabinets?

No. Aesthetic White and Pure White are technically a good pairing and IMO very pretty together. But white trim throughout will kind of underscore the fact that the kitchen cabinets are indeed more of a color vs. a neutral like white.

Does SW Grays Harbor even coordinate with Sea Pearl?

Hard to say without some color measurements from the Sea Pearl quartzite. My question would be are you looking at a sample or your actual slab of quartzite. Because the ideal situation is using your slab as the reference.

Is this even the correct direction for color and tone or should I be looking at something lighter? More gray? More warm?

I agree with you on the floor - avoid orange and red. Definitely would not go more gray or warm. I like what you've selected. Flexible color. Will coordinate easily with a lot.

Oooh, I feel your pain. I literally cried over paint just a few months ago. And then I would get mad at myself because I cried over PAINT, for crying out loud.

I like that floor, it's got a great contrast with the pretty quartzite. I agree with your assessment of all the colors and I sure get how some of those dark grays end up looking more like blues or greens or what have you.

I think the Aesthetic White matches - but I am seeing what you are saying, you probably want a wee bit lighter to lose the beige-y tone to it.

But - I used Pure White on cabinets, trim and doors - and it's pretty darned white. Now, in general, I love it throughout the house. It's crisp and clean. But in the kitchen, my quartz doesn't have enough white to pull it off - during the day when there's a lot of light, my quartz can look dingy. (I got a busy white/taupe/black mix) In the evening, the pure white looks softer and the quartz looks brighter, so it's great. So it's something to keep in mind - if you go too white for cabinets, you could be making the quartz look blah.

Eider white? Snowbound even? That one might be too light/bright. Do you have any more chips you could take pics of with the sample?

I, too liked the grizzle gray sample but can see what you mean about it looking too "cement like". Maybe something on the order of Gauntlet gray?

@chispa that is not the wood floor I've selected. It's just a sample I was able to pick up that seemed to be the correct coloring - or close to what I want coloring wise. I can look up the details in a bit, but I'm not sure it's even wood. It might be LVP. Heck I have so many samples it's over taking my house and life. And I agree, I see a hint of pink too in the Aesthetic white. My husband thinks I'm bonkers but I see pink with lights on, lights off...

@Kristin S I will give pavestone a look. I guess I ultimately want a warm blue..but that would be probably be a purple and I don't want that. I guess a green gray without looking like cement or a forest is what I'm after.

@Lori A. Sawaya how would I go about getting color measurements of the Sea Pearl? And yes, the sample is a piece of my actual slab. It is such a beautiful slab, but maybe it's all the wrong coloring for my overall desired look. I just can't figure out how to make it come together. Seems everything is hinging on my cabinet color choice.

Should I be looking for a color still in the greige family? that is lighter than Aesthetic White? It seems I should be able to find a color that will work nicely - there are so many to choose from in the fan deck, but heck this is challenging. Maybe White Duck? Natural Choice or Ivory Lace?

I guess the other option is to nix the Sea Pearl (but I love it) and start completely over. I want a relaxed, inviting (almost beachy) feel. The coloring of Sea Pearl reminds me of the beach - sand and shells at the waters edge. But I'll be darned if I can figure out how to make it work.

One other thing to note, the designer came up with a great room color scheme as well and she has the room in SW Silverplate. Though I like Silverplate, it seems like it's an odd choice next to Aesthetic White cabinets.

I'm beyond stressed and exasperated. Can you tell?

@Abby Mac My husband says I'm overthinking this. But it's a huge investment and I want to get it right, or come close to. Yes, I've had many tears over this. Sadly, we are to the point where if I delay the cabinet color choice any longer, our house will be further delayed...and we are in a rental and don't want to stay past our lease date. Anyway, finding that elusive lighter griege. Snowbound comes across as too icy and almost blue. probably due to the northern exposure. I will give Gauntlet Gray a look. Thanks for the input!

I have Opus White quartzite but I think it has some similarities to Sea Pearl. We used BM White Dove for our cabinets. I also have a north facing kitchen with lots of windows but no direct light. Some people don’t like White Dove in that light though, so YMMV. I love it in our kitchen. Are you limited to SW colors? If so, ignore this recommendation because the SW match to White Dove is not good.
I also wanted to agree with the other poster who mentioned the Aesthetic White having pinkish undertones and worrying about that being amplified on the cabinets - I think I would be too worried about that to use that color myself.
For the island, I don’t know if you’re open to green, but I just wanted to mention SW Pewter Green if you’re open to that. I was originally looking at greys and blues for island color but fell in love with Pewter Green. I’m attaching a photo but I just took it right now at night so it might not be the most representative.

@Lori A. Sawaya

Curious why you don't trust the colors the designer specified?

That's a good question, one that my husband is asking me as well.

I told her I wanted a light airy kitchen that wasn't stark white but had the overall appearance and feel of a white kitchen. She went to the stone yard and looked at my exact slabs, had all my inspiration pics, house layout, pictures etc - probably 2 dozen in all. She said the color was selected because it 1) coordinated and 2) had the warmth and depth to handle a large room with a northern exposure. Also I mentioned I didn't like the vast contrast between a gray counter top and stark white cabinets. She selected a blue based on my inspiration photos and knowing I wanted a dark island.

Aesthetic White on three different sample boards in the partially done home reads pink to me. I think it's just too dark. Perhaps needs to be a bit lighter? But then again, too light gives too much contrast between cabinets and counters which with grayish counters can make them look dingy and dirty. After playing with sample boards I felt the color choice was not right so I did inquire on Friday about another alternative to Aesthetic White and I haven't heard back yet.

Foggy Day was a surprise to me, because it is so light. I inquired of something darker and threw out Grays Harbor since it was next down on the paint strip and she said it had too much gray and wouldn't be balanced. Her second choice for the island was Grizzle Gray. I do like that color, but it reads like cement, but perhaps it will warm up with the northern exposure?

I told her I wanted a relaxing spa feel in the master bathroom and she chose SW Misty. That color is pretty, but seems more appropriate for a child's room. And I don't see how it plays nice with Aesthetic White trim and doors. Seems to clash. At least to my eye.

I hope that answers your questions. I am not good at color which is why I sought paid help. She is closer than what I have done on my own. It's just doesn't speak to me and when I look at it all together I don't sit back with a smile and get excited. I want to be excited about my choices.

@Ephma thanks for comments and the photo. Your quartzite is very pretty. I think mine is a bit warmer with some khaki veining and a bit of a cream back ground, but very similar. Aren't quartzite's beautiful? They gleam! I am limited to SW colors with the cabinet maker. The builder prefers SW but I could possibly get BM colors for the walls etc if needed. I do like the Pewter Green in your kitchen. I think it's a bit greener than I am wanting. Wonder if there is something between Grizzle Gray and Pewter Green that could work. Thank you so much for sharing!

Maybe look at SW Thunderous? I just saw this Instagram post yesterday.

Here are a few more pics of Sea Pearl. The top one having a bit more green than the bottom one. Mine is probably a mix of the two - somewhere in between.

She said the color was selected because it 1) coordinated and 2) had the warmth and depth to handle a large room with a northern exposure.

I can see her point.

Something to *maybe* consider is part of the reason you're paying a designer is for their ability to see the big picture. Analyzing the components individually is rarely compelling or exciting and it's easy to get lost in the weeds of detail. I can explain.

You're excited about the Sea Pearl quartzite. Which is good because you have a "star" so to speak and all the other elements are supporting actors.

If all the miscellaneous parts of the design were exciting stand outs individually, then they'd all be competing to be the star of the show. Result being none of them ends up being special.

Can you wait and choose after dry wall goes up? Right now your white samples are reflecting all the framing...warm tone wood...the pink hue might go away (but if it doesn't...I would never be able to "not see it"...it would drive me nuts also)? In the picture, the consultant's choice looks beautiful next to your stone.

I’m late to the party but I’m curious what you picked to go with your sea Pearl. Pictures would be welcome! Thank you!

Yes, would love updates!!!