Three Shades of White

I love colors - paint colors, nail polish colors, Prismacolor marker colors, basically if a color comes with a name I'm all over it. In truth - sometimes I fall in love with the name first and the color second, example: cinnamon toast (Prismacolor (rendering marker)) or Gray Owl (Benjamin Moore paint color), or "You Don't Know Jacques" (OPI - nail polish color), what can I say, some names just make me happy.

As fun as colors can be, they can also be tricky, especially when it comes to paint. Earlier this year I talked about my long and painful journey to find the perfect gray. During that process I quickly learned a few key things: one, not all paints are created equal and two, sometimes the most basic colors can be the most complicated.

Over the last year or so I've become increasingly color conscious due to my close workings with Bell Cabinetry. Bell Cabinetry is a custom cabinet company where all finishes are custom. Because of this I've become very aware of the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to paints, but more importantly I've realized possibly the most complex color of them all is white.

White is an important color for interiors. Not only are shades of white the most popular hue of choice for house trim such as door and window casings, baseboards, house crown, etc...,but white is - has been - and will likely continue to be a hot, classic trend for cabinetry, specifically in the kitchen.

So, why is white so complicated? Easy - like most colors there are an abundance of white options, all of which differ slightly. Do you want a white-white, a gray white, a creamy white? So many options, it can make your head spin!

Above are just some of the paint samples I have around my office. All of these are in the white family. As you can see they all have a little something different going on and their difference really stand out when placed side by side.

White becomes especially complicated when it needs to marry up to something else white. This has had a tendency to be problematic because one of the hottest trends in kitchen and bath design is the forever lust worthy white cabinets with white countertop trend. So many times clients pick out their white marble and choose a white paint only to find that the white paint makes the marble look yellow, or even worse, pink... oh the tragedy!

To aid you all in your personal voyage to the perfect white for your projects I've put together a little collection of some of my favorite white options. One is my go-to ol' faithful, and two others are actually new shades recently introduced to me by clients.

Let's start with the bees knees of white paint. Not only does it marry well with most white countertops/tile but it's crisp true depth whiteness makes for a great great choice for trim as well.

White Dove - 


Benjamin Moore''s White Dove - OC-17

See it here on the cabinetry of this kitchen. Notice how it creates a nice backdrop for the Calcutta marble tops and backsplash. It's like a white dream - lovely. 

This photo is my own.

 Above is an example of the White Dove on the trim in this dining room. Notice how the color really pops against the gray/green color of Benjamin Moore's Sea Haze (I'll have to write about the journey to this color one day - another doozie!) So crisp - love it!

Shoji White -




Sherwin Williams' Shoji White - SW7042

This photo is my own.

Here is a sneak peek of my #ChattanoogaProject which showcases Shoji White on the perimeter cabinets as well as on the trim throughout the kitchen. This kitchen doesn't have it's countertops yet, but you can see this shade of white is pure with a hint of beige - no yellow, no gray.

Frostline -

Benjamin Moore's Frostline AF-5.

You may recognize this color from last weeks post. Frostline was the paint color for the mud/bench area.

This photo is my own.

Frostline has a more icy blue-green undertone which makes for a cool wintry white.

Obviously there are a bazillion other white paint options out there, but these are three that I've had success with recently. If any of you know of other great go-to options or better yet, paints that should have a skull and crossbones on the can do tell. Lord knows we can all use all the help we can get in this crazy, options galore world of paint.

Unless otherwise noted all photos are from google search.

Details are a Rooms Best Friend

I've got a lot of projects rockin' and rollin' right now. It's been a busy summer and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. The jobs I'm working on at any given time can range from new construction projects where we are doing cabinetry for an entire house, to remodels where we may be working on a powder room vanity. Regardless of the type of project, those projects with heart and consideration ALWAYS turn out the best. Earlier in the summer I talked about the importance of details and with every project I start and finish I'm reminded of what a difference the details can make.

We recently completed a fun laundry/mud room project that takes functional to a whole new level. The project consists of new laundry room cabinets and the addition of a mud bench right outside the laundry room. The space is not very big, but the homeowner is SUPER SAVVY and was determined to get as much functionality out of this space as humanly possible. Every square inch of these spaces was considered. Countless items such as the ironing board, iron, laundry detergent, spray bottles and baskets have been measured and re-measured to ensure they will fit in their designated areas. We have literally squeeeeeeeezed every last drop of usable space out of this room and it turned out great.

Is this not THE cutest little mudroom/bench area? In order to create this space the contractor, Chris Pfahl of Dreamweaver Properties, had to modify the wall to the right of the door by pushing the wall into the garage to create this niche'.  This space is just big enough to house the little backpacks and jackets on decorative hooks. Additional storage space was captured in the drawers under the wooden seat and the open shelving at the top of the unit is the perfect place to house baskets. 

What you see above may seem like a pretty, updated shot of a laundry room, but it's oh so much more....

This wall of cabinetry literally explodes with storage! As I mentioned above, every inch of this space was considered to ensure that as much storage was captured as possible. We installed a partition in the far left tall cabinet to house the ironing board. Adjustable shelves were installed to the right of the partition. The partition as well as the shelving sit back 4" from the front of the door so the broom, mop and other items hung on the back of the door have a place to land when the door is shut.

 
 
The tall cabinet to the right houses three adjustable rollouts, adjustable shelves and a pullout trash can. As you can see the homeowner is utilizing baskets both in the mudroom/bench area as well as on the adjustable shelves. It's a great way to store miscellaneous items in a drawer like setting without having to actually have the drawer or rollout. Also, the adjustable shelving lends itself to a lot of flexibility in that the shelves can be moved or removed to accommodate stored items in various shapes and sizes.

A countertop was placed over the washer and dryer which creates a nice uninterrupted folding area.

 Wall cabinets & a hanging rod were installed above the washer and dryer. This addition offers plenty of drip-dry hanging space and even more storage.

 The washer and dryer take up most of the space on this wall, but it should come as no surprise that leaving valuable storage space on the table just wasn't an option. The homeowner gets 100% credit for thinking up this smart little cabinet sandwiched in between the washer and dryer. This cabinet serves as the perfect space to house laundry detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener, etc...

The adorable shirt/short hardware was another customer find and really adds another layer of personality to the space.

All cabinetry for this project was Bell Custom Cabinetry and was constructed in Paint Maple. The Mudroom/Bench area was painted in Benjamin Moore's Frostline AF-5 and the wooden seat was stained to match the floors. The laundry room cabinets were painted in Benjamin Moore's Metropolitan AF-690.

There is no doubt about it - this client had done her research, she had talked to friends, surfed the web and utilized sites like pinterst and Houzz to find inspiration photos of what it was she was looking for. She gathered all of this ammunition and then set out to make her space work for her and her family. All of her hard work paid off because she has a truly functional and aesthetically beautiful space that others will be pinning and adding to their idea books for years to come!

All photos in this post are my own.