i like the floor and wall color you show. What throws it off to me is the counters as it has a red undertone[cocoa] ....not the greatest with that floor sample and makes the wall paint sample look yellowish which its not really....if there is not much wall in the kitchen I guess it would pass if you like it for the bulk of the home and still want that counter. Im not so keen w the counter pick is the final point.

Pairing Extra White with White Duck means there’s plenty of difference in Chroma between the two. This will ensure Extra White looks crisp against the wall.

Extra White is neutral enough to use as trim throughout the adjoining spaces also. It may help to be mindful that keeping the trim more neutral will give you a wider range of options when choosing other paint colours down the line. It allows the trim to be more neutral of the two, against more wall colours.

You could choose a white with still more Chroma, making it that bit more of a colourful white next to White Duck. But matching the trim to it, may mean your trim is more colourful than potential walls colours, should you like the idea of pale walls at some point.

When looking for a white to pair with White Duck, a minimum difference in Chroma of 0.2 between the the two will ensure one doesn’t look dirty next to the other.

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I would not want a stark blue white next to something as warm as White Duck. I do like the LRV difference between Extra White and White Duck.

Have you looked at the Emerald Designer Collection - SW added several brighter whites and some nice new neutrals with this new collection. I especially like 9582 White Sand with White Duck. (Part of the Warm and Welcoming collection), I believe it would pair better with your neutrals than a blue white.

White Sand is darker than Extra White but more neutral again. Both have the potential to colour shift blue because of their low Chroma and Hue Family location.

All low Chroma colours are far more susceptible to the changes in light than their more colourful siblings. However neither are inherently ‘ blue’ . They aren’t blue and don’t have blue undertones, but each can shift blue in imbalanced lighting. Certainly not in every space or setting.

White Sand will offer less of a contrast in Value but more of a contrast in Chroma.

Extra White will offer greater contrast in Value and less in Chroma.

Horses for Courses.

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Here’s another pretty option to compare. Sherwin-Williams do a lovely colour match to it.

Thanks everyone. I’m definitely considering hiring a color consultant. Unfortunately, I may need to decide on the cabinet (and trim since I’d like them to match) color before the house is built. I will also need to put my samples with our actual slabs. I appreciate all of your comments.

Marylee, what are your thoughts of SW Pure White or SW Alabaster for cabinets, walls and trim in the kitchen and as trim in another room with the White Duck walls? Thanks.:)

@lisachew5 I deleted my first comment after re-reading your original post and want to update my suggestions here. First of all, I think I'm understanding better your dilemma in that this is a new house build and you cannot necessarily test the finishes together in the home's light before deciding. Here are a few things to consider, as follows:

1. White Duck has a green undertone. If you don't like green and don't think it will work with your other color choices, keep moving with your research. Check out this video to see a demonstration of the green: Sherwin Williams White Duck Color Review.
2. You are talking about a fumed white oak floor finish, but your sample you say is "close" looks more orange to me, at least on my computer screen. White Oak if finished with a natural finish meaning no stain does normally amber (turn orange) over time to varying degrees depending on the type of coating that is used. You can do things like use Bona Naturale as a flooring finish to help preserve the natural look or the even better Loba 2K Invisible AT to lock in the natural color and give you unmatched longevity with the "AT" Advanced Technology ceramic-infused coating. Loba offers a UV-Protect additive that will help slow down the oxidation and yellowing process of white oak if you desire. You'll need to have a very experienced finisher to alter the natural white oak coloration if you are expecting to end up with fumed gray flooring, so just be aware of that and do more research on the topic if you are expecting the floors to turn out gray and stay that way as the white oak ages. White oak is almost a misleading name because it ambers similarly to red oak. One of the big differences between white and red oak aside from grain differences (white oak is tighter with less movement) is that white oak contains a higher tannin content than red oak which requires experience with the finishing to keep tannins from surfacing and causing dark blotches during the finishing process.
3. If you are going for a fumed oak look for the flooring, consider carefully what that wood island finish will be like by way of comparison. (And, I'll just throw this in here that neither the fumed white oak nor the island as you envision may work with the Taj Mahal quartzite depending on which way the color in your slabs lean. You may want to spend some time slab searching to secure your slabs and then re-visit the wood finish decisions.) There's nothing quite like getting an actual finish sample on both types of woods before the finishing is done to make sure they don't clash, something that would be a risk if you are using different woods and different finish effects. Some people actually use the same flooring finish on cabinetry to get a homogenous look. It's not common, but it is done. Here's a good post on using Loba on vertical surfaces, if you are interested: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5927222/loba-2k-supra-a-t-coating-questions#n=23
4. You are saying you what some version of white cabinetry and that your builder only uses Sherwin Williams. I'm going to share a tip with you that I've learned after many months of reading for my own kitchen renovation, and that is that although enamel (oil-based) paints have long been considered the most durable option for cabinetry coatings, they will yellow over time, and newer waterborne coatings are taking their place in terms of both non-yellowing performance and rival durability. It doesn't matter if the manufacturer says they have a non-yellowing enamel formula. It will yellow. It may be a slight yellowing and take years, or it may yellow badly in just a few years, but it will yellow due to the oil component. If you were to dive deep into researching the most current technology in the coatings market right now, you would see that waterborne coatings are becoming the most desirable coatings available due to low-VOC properties (preventing off-gassing into your breathing space), non-yellowing performance, and wear resistance that is a competitor to enamel. Sherwin Williams recently purchased the Sayerlack brand, and Sayerlack has an excellent waterborne coating that works for cabinetry. Kem Aqua Plus is another Sherwin Williams brand for waterborne cabinetry coating that is an option. I wouldn't allow a builder to use oil-based paint on my cabinets knowing what I know, and I just wanted to share that with you. I think Sayerlack and Kem Aqua Plus are the two Sherwin Williams paints you would want to be discussing with your builder if you want to head the direction of waterborne for cabinetry and trim. The builder may need to go to an industrial Sherwin Williams store to access these products, but they are available.
5. If you are looking at Sherwin Williams colors, stay away from Snowbound. I haven't seen it mentioned previously in this thread, but it can end up looking muddy to some people even though it is a fairly popular white color. You can find out so much about whites by Googling the specific color in which you are interested. Maria Killam is a color consultant who has put numerous blog posts online about how to choose the right whites for your space. I would start by looking at her whites archives here: https://mariakillam.com/category/how-to-choose-white/ and especially by focusing on her most recent blog posts, since trends with whites have shifted in the last couple of years away from so many gray whites and toward warmer whites. Ms. Killam also offers online consultation which might be a valuable option for you. She'll probably want to start with your Taj Mahal countertops and go from there. Taj Mahal can vary from warm brown to cool taupe, so the sooner you select your slabs, the easier your other paint choices will be to not clash with it.

I hope this helps and that you are able to figure out your colors soon with just the right selections for your new home.

Here’s a table to help you make first comparisons between colours before sampling. The Hue Family notation will help pin-point paint colour locations within their Hue Family.

All the colours above have enough difference in Chroma sitting next to White Duck, not to make the trim appear muddy next to the wall colour.

Using Alabaster on walls, trim and cupboards is a straightforward approach to make a cohesive space.

But Alabaster is the most colourful suggestion of all & it also sits nearest to White Duck on the Wheel, so you have less contrast in Hue and Chroma when they sit next to each other in a space. Personally because of that, I wouldn’t put them together as a first choice for walls & trim, but you may enjoy the subtlety.

Pure White gives more contrast in Hue and Chroma again, but I think Delicate White and Extra White are prettier colours. But you may prefer less neutral colour options.

White Sand is another good suggestion next to White Duck: it’s the most neutral of all the colours but closer to it in terms of Value (lightness)

All these colours can be hugely impacted by the available light and context (flooring) etc.

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It would all depend on what product the builder is using to paint the cabinets and how well he can match SW chips.

Sometimes the answer for custom painted cabinets is whichever white they can match the closest to the chip. Closest and/or which comes out the prettiest.

Thanks Lori. We are probably using Kraftmaid cabinets and they can color match any BM or SW paint color. Hopefully they do a good job matching! I’m hoping for something that isn’t stark white and that works well as trim with other colors. I love the look of Alabaster on walls and trim. If I had the right lighting, that’s probably what I would do, but I don’t think that is the case.

Thanks everyone for the education! We are still looking at floor options. We are probably doing a prefinished engineered hardwood but I’d like something a bit more brown. Building a house during Covid and from 1000 miles away is definitely a challenge!

I'd hire someone and let them figure it out.

@lisachew5 Lori Sawaya who has contributed to this thread is a color expert and instructor herself and would probably be better than anyone you could find locally. You might consider asking if she does work remotely.

You are so sweet @Aglitter. I'm not taking new clients right now because I'm doing a major overhaul over at Camp Chroma. Updating the color training for designers - and - don't tell anyone 🙂 but we're working on a course for homeowners that decodes and explains color measurements/science that isn't as intense or expensive as the color certification course for designers.

I will just add my 2 cents. I have come to really dislike SW Alabaster for trim. So I would go with cleaner white for your trim. I have Taj Mahal on our island and love it. It is a slab that has both warm and cool tones and looks great with everything. The current slabs tend to lean more brown tones so you really need to select your countertops first. Worth a trip to the area. This is key decision. Also, get sample cabinet doors done too. It is a “process”. Doing it long distance is doubly hard. Best of luck.

Thanks for your input on Alabaster Flo! So much to think about. To make matters worse, we live in NY so when we go to work on house related issues in SC, we have to quarantine for 2 weeks when we get home. We did choose our slabs on our last day in SC on our last trip. I’m hoping I can see them again when we get back there and bring paint and floor samples along. What color do you have on your cabinets and kitchen walls? PS- I love seeing posts where you have guided people through decorating their homes!

Thanks Lisachew5. I am so sorry for the folks living under difficult circumstances. So happy to hear what you are saying. As to our kitchen, we have wood upper cabinets and blue/gray lowers. The Taj Mahal is on island. We have dark blue pantry door with half glass and gold decal “Market” on door. It is a unique combo but really easy to live with.

Flo-sounds pretty! I’m also thinking of doing a fun pantry door. I always tend to stay neutral but that seems like a great place for a pop of color!

For inspiration.

Love your pantry door and your Taj Mahal is really pretty! Thanks for the inspiration. 😍

So we are also building a house and I 100% am feeling the pressure on choices... i was also thinking white duck for walls and wasn’t sure on cabinet. If you don’t mind sharing I would love to know what you decided.

Jaime, I feel your pain! The decision making is killing me! Believe it or not, I still haven’t decided on wall colors. My cabinets and trim are going to be Sherwin Williams Pure White. Walls may also be Pure White. Otherwise they’ll be a very light greige or off white. Fortunately for me, the house is still under construction and I still have time to ponder! Pretty all of my choices have changed since I made this post. If you google Kylie M. Interiors, she is a fan of Whte Duck so she may have ideas for trim color. Good luck!

I am all over the place on decisions and we are just now breaking ground... lol im leaning towards pure white for cabinets and trim as well lol thank you so much for the reference!

Did you end up going with the white duck? How does it look and what color trim did you use?

After pondering lots of off whites, I ended up doing SW Pure White on the walls and trim. I’m happy with my decision.

Good decision. Photos please! Happy for you!!!

I want to get a side job naming paint colors.

Haha, yes, Mark, that's a good gig!