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50 Shades of White

Modified: Aug 18, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · 52 Comments

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I know what you're thinking, but "50 shades of white" actually describes my husband's face when I told him I wanted to paint our kitchen cabinets. This is the rest of conversation as I remember it. (He may have a slightly different recollection.)

Him:  But I like our kitchen cabinets! It seems like we just replaced them.

Me:  That was already 9 years ago! And now that we have fabulous floors, they kind of compete with the cabinets.

Him:  That sounds like a big project.

Me:  Well, sure, but I'll do it all by myself. You won't have to help at all.

Him, snorting:  Yeah, I've heard that before!

Me:  I'm not hearing a real solid "No" in there anywhere...

Him:  I've learned it's better not to tell you no when you get one of these ideas in your head.

He's a good man. Very wise. And I'm an optimistic person, so I'm sure what he really meant was "Sure, Honey, you go ahead and do whatever your heart desires and I will be here every step of the way to support you."

So I started picking colors. I know I want white, but which one? There are probably about 200 or so white colors, just in Valspar's color line alone. I narrowed it down to 34 and was pretty proud of myself so far. I picked up color swatches of my 34 top contenders and brought them home to look at in my kitchen. I'm going for a warm white, so I was able to eliminate some of the swatches immediately if they were too dark, or two yellow. I got them down to 13, and then started really obsessing. I wandered around the house with those 13 swatches, held them up to the cabinets, to the floor, to each other. Finally I'm down to 3.

Picking the Perfect White for Kitchen Cabinets:

I know this may seem like splitting hairs, but I don't want to have to repaint these cabinets. Ever. (Although to be fair, my definition of "ever" as it relates to home decor is pretty short.) But still, this is one that I want to get right. So I'm asking for your help. Leave me a comment below and tell me which of the following colors you like best. I've arranged them on a background that matches the wall color I'll be using.Favorite Whites on Brown

 

I know the colors may not come out quite right on your computer screen, but they go from a grayish white on the left to a true white on the right. They look a little blue on my screen, so you may have to use your imagination.

This is the first in a series of posts I'll be doing on refinishing kitchen cabinets. Next week, I'll be doing a round up of my favorite posts from people who know a thing or two about repainting cabinets, so you can see where I've been getting my information and inspiration. Then I'll be diving into the real work, and keeping you updated as I go. If you have any questions about taking on a project like this yourself, drop them in the comments and I'll be sure to address them as we suffer go through the process together. Here are a couple of "before" pictures so you can see why I want a new look for the kitchen.

Kitchen Before 1

Kitchen Before 2It's very...brown. In my defense, the floor used to be almost white, and everything made a little more sense then. Oh, well, it was worth it for the floor, which I just realized is pretty dirty in this picture. That's OK. It's going to get a lot dirtier before we're finished!

What do you think? Am I nuts? And don't forget to vote for which white is your favorite.

More Color

  • warm amethyst color palette with shades of purple and very faint orange.
    Warm Amethyst Color Palette
  • Rose quartz color palette based on an image of quartz crystals with light pinks, coral, and muted lilac colors.
    Rose Quartz Color Palette and Some Thoughts on Why We Need Color
  • opal color palette
    Opal Color Palette and Endless Possibilities
  • Which white? Pick the perfect white for kitchen cabinets.
    Pick the Perfect White for Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Comments

  1. Tina says

    October 31, 2014 at 7:43 am

    Love love love your floor!!! The paint I'm not so sure about. I would suggest taking down 3 doors, do your prep work and painting each one a different color. Then decide. It's white,so you should be able to repaint fairly easily once you've decided. Sorry hubby,extra work!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      Thank you Tina! The floor was worth every bit of work it caused, even if it means redoing the entire kitchen! And you're probably right about doing three samples. At least repainting white over white wouldn't be so bad.

      Reply
  2. normaleverydaylifeblog says

    October 31, 2014 at 8:12 am

    I'm excited for you! Can't wait to see how it turns out. I think I like swiss coffee the best but my phone could be distorting the colors. Maybe buy the three in samples and see which looks best?

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:10 pm

      Thank you! I can't wait too. I just wish someone else was going to be doing all the work! You're right, there's no substitute for seeing the colors in person.

      Reply
  3. Anita says

    October 31, 2014 at 8:48 am

    I'm pretty sure you need to practice first by painting MY cabinets white.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:11 pm

      Hmmm, I think not. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Liz says

    October 31, 2014 at 8:56 am

    I vote Polar White!!!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:12 pm

      OK thanks!

      Reply
  5. rachel621 says

    October 31, 2014 at 10:21 am

    I vote polar white because that's the trim color we have, lol. I really admire you for taking the plunge. I have solid cherry cabinets and I just can't bring myself to paint them. Plus, my husband flat out told me he won't let me if I ever got that idea.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:13 pm

      That's good to know that you have Polar White in your house. Yes, it's hard to want to paint over perfectly good cabinets. The truth is, it's taken me the last two years to convince my husband!

      Reply
  6. Sandey says

    October 31, 2014 at 11:32 am

    I vote for Swiss Coffee. That's the exact color our FABULOUS Designer suggested for our project. Oh wait, that was you! Ha! I like the suggestion by Tina to do three different doors, even though it is labor intensive. Can't wait to see the final project!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:14 pm

      Your designer must be brilliant! 🙂

      Reply
  7. thetraveloguer says

    November 01, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    Well done narrowing it down to three, I'd be so lost! I want to say swiss coffee, but maybe that's just because it has coffee in it! You kitchen is going to look great with white cabinets though, it will really brighten it up, good call!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:14 pm

      Anything with coffee in it is good, right?!

      Reply
  8. Jacqueline DuJour says

    November 05, 2014 at 5:26 am

    Swiss coffee gets my vote! My kitchen is all white and I love it. Took me awhile to get used to it, but when the sun comes through the windows.... heaven! Enjoy.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:15 pm

      Yay! It's so nice to hear from a fellow white-kitchen-fan. It's a big step of faith for me, but I think it will be good in the end.

      Reply
  9. Donna Janke says

    November 05, 2014 at 5:41 am

    Based on how the colours look on my computer screen (which may not match real life exactly), I lean toward Coffee White myself, but also like Polar White.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:16 pm

      Thanks Donna! It will be interesting to see what they look like in real life.

      Reply
  10. jacquiegum says

    November 05, 2014 at 7:51 am

    I'm 100 per cent for the swiss coffee. Love the floors, by the way, and I also think it will go nicely with the swag pictured and the appliances. I think it will look fantastic Meredith!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:17 pm

      Thanks Jacquie, for both the color vote and the vote of confidence!

      Reply
  11. Author of From Confusion To Clarity: Vital Personal Growth in 30 Days or Less and Poetry For Living An Inspired Life: Poems as Spiritual Meditation says

    November 05, 2014 at 10:48 am

    I also prefer the Swiss Coffee and applaud your project as well. Your post reminds me of a time when my husband agreed to re-decorate our family room using a Southwestern theme. Although he agreed, it took me nearly a year to convince him it is okay to paint walls a color other than white!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      Yes, I know color can be intimidating to many people. Did he like how the walls turned out? Thanks for the vote!

      Reply
  12. Tim says

    November 05, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    No doubt in my mind Meredith. As soon as I saw it, it was the one that popped. Even though its name conjures up a completely different color, or in Switzerland they drink extremely milky coffee, I would go for Swiss Coffee.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:19 pm

      Thanks Tim! I've always wondered what actual Swiss coffee looks like. Maybe I need to make a field trip to do some research...

      Reply
  13. andleeb says

    November 05, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    I do not know which color you have on ceiling. I feel it will look good. Between I will go for Swiss Coffee. I do not know that white color have so many names and shades and I am also wondering why the name is Swiss coffee. But your kitchen is clean and nice, I am happy that you can not see mine 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:21 pm

      Thanks Anna! I had to clean up the kitchen just to take this picture, so don't feel too bad about your own. 🙂 And I've been wondering about the name of Swiss coffee too!

      Reply
  14. Susan Cooper/findingourwaynow.com says

    November 05, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    I'm not going to comment on the shades of white because they look entirely different on my ipad versus your description. Don't want to lead you astray. Big project. My suggestion, if you haven't been on their site/app is to go to HOUZZ.com. One of my new favorite things. If you put in "dark kitchen floor and white cabinets" it will give you 186,088 ideas in photos, many of which will tell you the color paint they used. Fun!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:22 pm

      Yes, Susan, I fear it was a fool's errand to try and translate paint colors accurately on the computer. I do love Houzz and that's a great suggestion! I'm usually on Pinterest and forget to check Houzz for things like this.

      Reply
  15. Jeri Walker-Bickett (@JeriWB) says

    November 05, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    Commenting on colors is a hard call on the computer screen, but I've poured over all the Valspare samples in person so many times 🙂 I picked bistro white to re-paint our house when we moved out and our tenant moved in. Bistro white was still pretty dang white, but it's not too glaring with a few hangings on the wall.

    If I was going to know for sure I would stay in my current house a bit longer, I'd probably paint my cabinets too. My stomach curdles when I watch home shows and people spend and arm and a leg on new cabinets when a good paint job would work almost as well.

    Are your kitchen floors the tile that looks like wood? I love that stuff.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 05, 2014 at 6:24 pm

      Thanks Jeri! Yes, they are porcelain "wood" tiles. I wanted hard wood, but Hubby wanted tile, so this was our compromise. Although now that they're in, I don't feel like I've compromised at all! I'll have to check out Bistro white, I didn't see that one before...

      Reply
  16. Ajay says

    November 05, 2014 at 11:36 pm

    Hi Meredith,
    Deciding between shades of white is not so easy. My vote goes for polar white. Have the same in my rented house. They just look amazing.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:40 pm

      Thanks Ajay, that's good to know you like polar white in person. It's always hard to tell from those little swatches!

      Reply
  17. lenie5860 says

    November 06, 2014 at 4:49 am

    Meredith, I love that floor - we just put down laminate flooring in the back entry and I never thought about doing it any other way than the same old, same old. Will definitely keep your floor design in mind as we continue to update floors. As to the colour, I like the Swiss Coffee . it appears as nice and clean.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:42 pm

      Thanks Lenie! I do love the floor, but it was extremely difficult to install, and about the same price as hard wood. I'd recommend it for anyone, but it's good to know what you're getting into!

      Reply
  18. jbutler1914 says

    November 06, 2014 at 10:13 am

    I didn't know there were different shades of white. My vote goes to polar.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:43 pm

      Yep! As if picking colors wasn't hard enough with the actual colors, right?

      Reply
  19. runprincess80 says

    November 06, 2014 at 12:14 pm

    Thank you for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      Thanks! I love the Bloggers Brags party!

      Reply
  20. Ken Dowell says

    November 06, 2014 at 9:17 pm

    I Ike Totten' Inlet but am at a loss to explain what.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:45 pm

      Ken, you're the first person to vote for Totten's Inlet, but that's my personal favorite too. Good call!

      Reply
  21. bolaaka says

    November 07, 2014 at 5:14 am

    Definitely Swiss Coffee. The flooring looks great!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:46 pm

      Thanks Bola! I think Swiss Coffee's in the lead...

      Reply
  22. William Rusho says

    November 07, 2014 at 8:00 am

    My sister has a kitchen similar to yours; her husband is very handy at carpentry. He took a router, and removed the center of the cabinet doors and put in glass, it made it look like they got new cabinets, and also brightened up their kitchen.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:48 pm

      I envy your sister - I love the idea of using glass fronts. My kitchen is so small that you should see the chaos behind those doors! It would not be a pretty sight. 🙂

      Reply
  23. Marquita Herald (@marquitaherald) says

    November 07, 2014 at 8:54 am

    Yep, definitely got a brown theme going on in the kitchen. Love the floor, agree with white, though I wouldn't hazard a guess on which one. I've never undertaken a DIY project like that but it sounds interesting so I look forward to following along. 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:49 pm

      Thanks Marquita! Yes, it should be quite the adventure!

      Reply
  24. niekkamcdonald says

    November 07, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    I didn't know there were so many different whites. Love the floors and the cabinets. White cabinets would really make those floors stand out and vice versa. Anticipating the results I know it will look great.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 07, 2014 at 8:50 pm

      Thanks Niekka! I agree, I think it will be worth it in the end...

      Reply
  25. Beth Niebuhrb says

    November 09, 2014 at 7:57 am

    I like the Swiss Coffee at least on my Mac.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 13, 2014 at 4:16 pm

      Thanks for stopping by and voting Beth!

      Reply
  26. Jill Moorer says

    November 12, 2014 at 7:42 am

    Totten's Inlet is my vote! Love your floors and I think the creamier tone cabinet would contrast the floors enough without feeling cold. Good Luck! Love your Blog!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      November 13, 2014 at 4:17 pm

      That's my favorite Jill! Thank you and it's so good to "see" you!

      Reply

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I'm Meredith, the designer, crafter, and DIY-er behind The Palette Muse. I love all things colorful and creative, and I love sharing them with you. Thanks for visiting today!

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