I love BM Simply White. I'm using it now on my exterior trim and will use it on all my interior trim as well. It's a nice, bright warm white. Regarding the sheen, BM paints (IMHO) seem to be shinier than other paints I've used. The "low luster" exterior that I'm using now actually has quite a bit of luster! I used the exterior "soft gloss/satin" on my front door and it actually looks more like a semi-gloss to me ... it's quite shiny. Personally, I would not want semi-gloss on my cabinets and would want something less shiny and reflective. While I might go with the painter's suggestion regarding the brand of paint to use (maybe he has better results with one over the other), I would want to choose the finish myself after looking at the different sheen levels on actual wood. samples. They had those at my BM dealer and they actually painted a couple of wood samples for me to bring home.

Hi Tink! I've been coming here a LONG time. I don't remember the exact year, but definitely sometime in the 90's! I remember doing a "Netscape Search" (if that doesn't date me!!!) on how to take care of a raw butcherblock top...instead of a sealant. But anyway.... Yes, I sell other lines (from low to high): United Series by Legacy, Debut by Legacy, KraftMaid, Showplace Wood Products, Medallion, Holiday Kitchens and Plain & Fancy. Most builders wouldn't have allowances high enough to have a nice Medallion kitchen. At least that's true in my neck of the woods. So, I believe that your builder thought you paid a LOT more for the cabinets...you probably did. But, you won't have to spend the money to replace them in 12 to 15 years either. Most builder grade cabinets don't look nearly as good after that amount of time. When Medallion first came out with inset, we laughed. The price was SO high, it wasn't that much more for Plain & Fancy cabinetry!!! So, we didn't even bother getting brochures or displays. Since then, Medallion must have figured out they were too high and have since lowered their prices on inset. A while back they had a promo that really brought down their inset prices. I almost ordered a built in entertainment center for my home....that's how great it was. If you have a Showplace dealer in your area, you should check them out. Nice looking cabinet and less money than Medallion inset! But price out both just to be sure. And if you have a P&F dealer, give them a shot too! Their painted finishes are incredible!!! I would say that Brookhaven would be in the Medallion price range. Both are upper end semi-custom cabinetry. KraftMaid is middle of road semi-custom....while Debut is lower end semi-custom!

There's no rule really dictating what you do. You can match your ceiling to your crown as we have done in several rooms now. In our case both ceiling and trim are SW Ivory Lace (which is similar but I believe even darker than Creamy) which really warms up the room and looks good with the generally darker wall and wood finishes in our house. The semigloss on the trim and the flat on the ceiling ensures that they don't completely blend in. On the other hand you can absolutely do a different ceiling color. But if you do I would test out how both look in your space to make sure they are compatible. Before we repainted much of the trim in the house was even more cream (similar to SW Antique White). The ceilings were all closer to a Pure White. The result is that the trim ended up looking yellow. So if you switch to another white, make sure it is still sufficiently on the warm side of the spectrum. Or a third option, as in cpartist's house, try a color. If you aren't feeling that bold it doesn't have to be that dark. It could be the same hue as your wall color, but a shade or two lighter, as long as it is still a shade darker than your trim. Cabinets can absolutely be their own thing separate from the trim or ceiling. But if all are white again refer to my second point about ensuring that they are compatible. Our cabinets happen to be BM Shaker Beige.

SW High Reflective White will look more neutral, crisp and whiter next to SW Alabaster. SW Extra White has a little less contrast with SW Alabaster, so the combination will appear softer. So it depends for which look you are after. The two whites need to have a perceivable difference in Chroma (colourfulness) in order that one doesn’t make the other appear dirty.