Choosing the best Sherwin Williams white paint color for kitchen cabinets is ridiculously overwhelming. Who knew there could be so many different variations of white, right?! Talk about analysis paralysis. If you want to paint your kitchen cabinets white, this guide will help you narrow down your options and choose the right kitchen cabinet color.
Using white is a great option because it is simple and luxurious, classic yet modern, and offers a clean look. Don’t be afraid to make the wrong color choice! With this guide, you’ll find the best white paint for kitchen cabinets.
Just a friendly reminder: This tutorial and any opinions or recommendations are genuinely mine, but this is not a substitute for consulting a professional. I also use affiliate links to earn a commission.
Best Sherwin Williams White Paint Color for Kitchen Cabinets
Here are my favorites and 11 best white paint colors for kitchen cabinets. I hope you’ll be inspired!
- Sherwin Williams Alabaster (SW 7008)
- Sherwin Williams Pure White (SW 7005)
- Sherwin Williams Dover White (SW 6385)
- Sherwin Williams High Reflective (SW 7757)
- Sherwin Williams Snowbound (SW 7004)
- Sherwin Williams Extra White (SW 7006)
- Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White (SW 7035)
- Sherwin Williams Greek Villa (SW 7551)
- Sherwin Williams Snowbound (SW 7004)
- Sherwin Williams City Loft (SW 7631)
- Sherwin Williams Eider White (SW 7014)
The Perfect White Paint Color for Kitchen Cabinets
Sorry if this is disappointing, but there is not one perfect white cabinet paint color. And here is why.
Every white paint color looks so incredibly different in every home, which I’ve read repeatedly, but I didn’t realize how different until working on various housing projects. In my 1960’s cape house remodel, I painted just about everything Alabaster white because it was the most beautiful warm white color. And if anyone would ask me what white color they should use, I would tell them Alabaster. That is until I started my next remodel job.
Why Not All White Paint Colors Work for Every Space
When I started working on my 90’s home remodel, where the floors were that typical yellow-ish orange wood floors, I was shocked when I started painting the walls Alabaster white, and it looked yellow! Wait, how could this be? I felt totally betrayed by my go-to white paint color! I realized that combining a paint color with yellow undertones and orang-ish floors made the space feel very different from a room with more natural light and light brown floors.
I realized the walls were drawing from the color of the floors in combination with the decreased natural light of this house. This experience was a good lesson: no white paint color is perfect for all situations, so that is why it’s best to narrow things down to a handful of options and try them in your home. And not only in your home but in every room you plan to paint the walls white.
Creamy White Paint Color for Kitchen Cabinets
To help narrow down your white cabinet paint color, I find it helpful to first decide on a shade or tone. There are warm tones and cool shades, and the warm shades are soft white and a good choice for white walls with a lot of natural light.
From experience, I learned that when you use warm white in a kitchen with lots of natural light, the white tends to look whiter. Out of the best Sherwin Williams white paint colors, here are what I classify as warm whites.
- Alabaster: beige undertones, and some will argue this does not pull yellow; however, from my experience, it does.
- Dover White: yellow and gray undertones and is best described as a “sunny white.”
- Snowbound: described as having both gray and beige undertones, and in extremely bright light, it may pull pink.
- Aesthetic White: a beige white that looks grayer, helping it not look yellow like some other warm white colors.
- Greek Villa: is another creamy white with beige undertones that pulls yellow. It is most similar to Alabaster but just less commonly used.
Bright White Paint Color for Kitchen Cabinets
To help narrow down the perfect choice of white cabinet paint color, I find it helpful to first decide on a shade or tone. Although it all really is personal preference, cool shades are a brighter white and a good choice for white walls with less natural light.
I find cool colors offer more modern and crisp vibes. When I think of modern farmhouse paint colors, I think of bright white. Here are my opinions for the best Sherwin Williams cool whites for kitchen cabinets.
- Pure White: SW pure white is bright and clean white with the slightest grey and yellow to prevent it from being stark white and from feeling too cool.
- High Reflective White: Sherwin Williams High Reflective White has almost no undertones and a light reflectance value (LRV) of 93, this white is the whitest white made by Sherwin Willams.
- Extra White: a true white, crisp white that makes a small space look larger due to its LRV of 86.
How to Avoid White Kitchens Being Stark White
One common misbelief is that white walls are too stark or boring, which is true if you select a cool white and don’t add the right decor accents. Your kitchen looking start or sterile can happen if you’re using one of Sherwin William’s whitest whites, High Reflective White, and don’t pay careful attention to what accents you use. It’s all about finding the perfect balance between white and not sterile.
8 Design Tips for the Perfect White Kitchen
Even if you’re using warm white paint colors or creamy white paint, these design elements will ensure your white kitchen cabinets don’t turn your kitchen into a sterile institution.
- Textured and dark-colored light fixtures will make a bold visual impact against white kitchen cabinets and can even be used in kitchens with a low ceiling. Here is the best kitchen lighting for low ceilings.
- One way to prevent your white kitchen cabinets from looking stark is to paint your kitchen island in dark colors, such as navy blue or black. Using darker colors helps to warm up the space, and it also helps the white paint to reflect something other than white, which tones down the whiteness of the cabinets.
- Kitchen floating shelves in a wooden style will add warmth to the walls surrounding your white kitchen cabinets.
- Select a trim color slightly darker than the white on your kitchen cabinets. Select something that is
- A kitchen backsplash can add warmth and texture to your white cabinets. If you’re at this stage of your kitchen remodel or design and want to ensure you measured everything correctly, check out how to measure for kitchen backsplash.
- Wood flooring helps white-painted cabinets feel warmer and more welcoming. A word from the wise- is to select your floor before your paint because the white color will look different based on your flooring.
- These modern farmhouse kitchen wall decor ideas will prevent your white kitchen cabinets from feeling stark.
- Adding centerpiece kitchen island decor is another way to add texture and warmth and help make your kitchen feel cozier. It’s the perfect place for plants and seasonal decor.
What White Paint Color Does Joanna Gaines Use?
I don’t need to explain who Joanna Gaines is or why she is mentioned in a post about white paint colors. You may wonder what the queen of farmhouse style, shiplap, and white paint’s favorite white is. And the answer is the versatile color and neutral white, Sherwin Williams Alabaster. Or at least it was when Chip and Joanna started on the HGTV show Fixer Upper.
Since the first several series the couple has expanded their brand and business (to say the least). You’ll notice Joanna continues to use a neutral white but has expanded her color palette beyond Alabaster and (for a good reason) uses her paint line with Kilz. Chip and Joanna’s new home is literally a castle, and you can see some of these paint colors and how gorgeous they are by looking through the photos of their space.
How to Pick the Perfect White Paint Color for Kitchen Cabinets
The easiest way to pick your white kitchen cabinet color is to narrow your favorites down to just a few, and I suggest starting with somewhere between three and now more than five. It’s nearly impossible to decide on your cabinet paint color in a store’s artificial light and using tiny stick paint samples.
Samplize is the best way to trial paint colors in your home because they provide a cost-effective (like $6.95 affordable) large peel-and-stick sample made with real paint that you can use to determine the best color for your space. For the cost of a sample-sized jar of paint, you can get a good idea of how each color will look in your room and move it around to other spots in the room as many times as you need to make a final decision. Delivery is fast, and best of all, there is no mess to up your done!
Is Sherwin Williams Alabaster the Best White Paint Color for Kitchen Cabinets?
Alabaster is a beautiful white with warm undertones. But, when it comes to white paint, it’s not one size fits all. So, the answer to this question is no.
However, Alabaster is a popular choice for white cabinets and one of Sherwin William’s white paint colors. It’s a warm white, but if you hate yellow, this may not be the best choice for you because it can pull a yellow undertone, which may or may not shine through. It all depends on your flooring, surrounding area, and other home decors in or around the kitchen.
The white paint will pull different shades depending on the light in your kitchen and the surrounding wall colors. If you have an open-concept living arrangement, you’ll need to consider your living room and dining room paint colors when deciding if Alabaster is the best white paint color for kitchen cabinets.
What Benjamin Moore Paint Color is Most Similar to Sherwin Williams Alabaster?
Have you heard of the paint color White Dove? That’s because it is another popular warm color that is most similar to Alabaster. The main difference between Benjamin Moore White Dove is that it is made by one of Sherwin William’s major competitors.
What Benjamin Moore White Paint Colors Compare to Sherwin Williams?
Just when you thought there were enough options, you’ll want to remember that Sherwin William’s white paint colors are not your only choices. Here are two popular white kitchen cabinet colors from Benjamin Moore and how they compare to Sherwin-Williams.
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (OC-65): the whitest white for Benjamin Moore with essential no undertones making it a soft and neutral white that is most similar to Sherwin Williams High Reflective White.
- Benjamin Moore Simply White (OC-117): one of the most popular Benjamin Moore off-white paint colors that is one of their true whites. It has a high LRV and a slight yellow undertone, making it (barely) a warm white. The undertones of this paint color prevent it from being stark; however, in my experience, it is very white.
Does Sherwin Williams Have a Paint Color Called Swiss Coffee?
Nope! This popular white paint color has been around for years, for a good reason, but it’s not a Sherwin Willams color. Several other brands have a Swiss Coffee paint color, so it is a bit surprising that Sherwin Williams does not have a Swiss Coffee option. For the following, I’m talking about Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee.
This creamy white paint color is a great choice to add elegance to any room and, if done correctly, can take the most outdated kitchen cabinets and turn them into the coziest kitchen cabinets.
Painting cabinets white is the most affordable way to brighten and update your kitchen. For best results, learn how to paint oak cabinets white here.
Did I mention this is a creamy white paint color? The yellow undertones, mixed with a touch of grey and green, make this one of the creamiest whites I have trialed in my home. It works well with wood tones and not so well with cool or clean whites.
What Color Scheme Goes with Painted White Kitchen Cabinets?
When painting your kitchen cabinets white, you have almost endless options for your wall colors.
- Your color palette should have the same undertones as your kitchen cabinet paint color.
- A neutral color palette can include white walls, but again be sure to select colors that are either cool or warm to match your cabinets.
- The interior walls closest to your kitchen will affect how white (or not white) your cabinets look, so be sure to keep this in mind. If possible, have your walls and flooring picked out before going ahead and deciding on a final white paint color for your cabinets.
What are the Most Popular White Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets?
Remembering that the perfect color or best choice of white paint is different for everyone because there are so many variables that play into how the color appears on the walls. However, there are definitely favorite white paint colors that have been popular for years.
Coming to you directly from the makers themselves, here are the favorite whites made by Sherwin Williams (and in no particular order):
- Alabaster (arguably the most popular paint color)
- Pure White
- Snowbound
- Extra White
- Dover White
What is the Best Paint for Painted Kitchen Cabinets?
After selecting the perfect paint color, you now need to decide on what type of paint you will you to ensure your paint job lasts. From water spills near the sink and grease from cooking on the stove to messy hands opening and closing the doors and drawers, kitchen cabinets take a beating. That is why selecting the right paint is essential to your painted kitchen cabinets holding up.
You may or may not know that you can use Sherwin Williams paint colors but not their paint, and this is particularly handy if their Advance paint is too expensive for your budget. Although this paint is excellent, a few other options will hold up well on painted kitchen cabinets.
Find out the cheaper alternative and trick to painting kitchen cabinets here.
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