Do find yourself longing for white kitchen cabinets but don’t know how to pick the final color choice? Check out one of my favorite go-to white paint color: Sherwin Williams Alabaster. After learning all about this alabaster color from its undertones to great colors to pair with it, you’ll know whether it’s one to consider for your home!
Practically everyone loves a white kitchen. But, I always have to caution people when it comes to choosing a shade of white (especially if you have a couple of kiddos)!
White paint is notoriously difficult to choose because each individual color possesses so many nuances that can make a HUGE difference in how it looks in a room. And, you can’t forget about your unique lighting, above kitchen cabinet decor, and how they influence the way color will read.
Various white paint colors can be warm, cool, crisp, creamy, bright, or even slightly dingy-looking (I don’t recommend any of the “dingy” ones 😉). That doesn’t even consider the undertones! Every white has undertones, even if they’re very subtle.
It’s important to know all these factors about each hue you might want to put on your kitchen cabinets. The last thing you want is to think you’re painting your kitchen cabinets a lovely warm white only to look at them after the paint dries and realize they ACTUALLY look yellow!
Choosing The Best White Paint Color For Your Kitchen Cabinets
I’ve been highlighting each of my hand-picked best kitchen cabinet colors to help you get the information you need to make the best choice for your home. All of the colors on this list are ones that I’ve used successfully time and again.
As far as whites (or off-white paint colors) go, Alabaster white from Sherwin Williams is my all-time favorite! I’ve truly lost count of how much I have used it to paint my clients’ (and my own) cabinets in the past couple of years.
How Bright Is Alabaster White?
Sherwin Williams Alabaster is a soft white that’s perfect for kitchen cabinets! It’s definitely warm but not too warm. It’s that perfect balance between bright (without being harsh) and creamy (without reading yellow).
In most situations, it will read as a soft crisp white that feels warm. This is especially true when Alabaster is paired with darker shades.
And, I should probably mention that it was named Sherwin Williams 2016 Color of the Year!
This popular color has an LRV of 82 (0 is pure black and 100 is pure white). At that value, Alabaster straddles the line between white and off-white. It’s bright enough that it reads white most of the time. However, it does have a touch of off-white and can read that way occasionally.
Let’s take an in-depth look into Alabaster from Sherwin Williams and learn all about it. We’ll take a close look at colors that look great with it, its undertones, and even check out pictures of different real-life homes to see how this color REALLY behaves.
I’m can’t even tell you how excited I am to be sharing this with you! Let’s do it!
How Lighting Impacts The Appearance of Alabaster
The cool, blue-tinted light of north-facing rooms, Alabaster will drop some of its warmth and just read as soft white.
The warm lighting in west-facing and south-facing rooms enhances Alabaster’s undertones, so you’ll see more of the warm greige come through.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster Undertones
If you’re someone who likes to throw spaghetti at the wall and just pick a color and roll with it, that won’t work with whites.
Their undertones can be the saving grace or the downfall in your color scheme! That’s why it’s crucial to learn about the undertones for your favorite colors and use them to your advantage.
Although Alabaster is pretty neutral, it does have a light greige undertone. That blend of gray and beige that lives in the background is what gives this white its warmth.
Comparing two similar colors side-by-side gives a better picture of how color really appears.
Here’s how Alabaster compares with three other popular whites. Don’t forget to check out all your top choices with Samplize to see how it behaves before you commit!
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs. Creamy
Although its LRV is 81 and nearly identical to Alabaster, Creamy from Sherwin Williams is noticeably darker and creamier. Pair Creamy with warmer neutrals such as:
- Beige
- Taupe
- Warm gray
Alabaster is light and neutral enough to be a little more versatile.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs. Benjamin Moore White Dove
Both colors are light and bright, but White Dove’s LRV of 85.38 makes it noticeably brighter than Alabaster. It also has more prominent gray undertones and reads slightly cooler than Alabaster does.
Pair These Paint Colors With Alabaster From Sherwin Williams
Are you wondering what colors to use with Alabaster? Here are some beautiful coordinating colors that naturally play well with this warm white.
I think it looks especially nice with:
- Urbane Bronze
- Gray Area
- Worldly Gray
- Accessible Beige
- Let It Rain
- Wall Street
- Sea Salt
- Rain Washed
- Light French Gray
- Mindful Gray
- Agreeable Gray
- Silver Strand
- Dorian Gray
- Repose Gray
- Revere Pewter
All of these paint colors are from Sherwin Williams too!
Examples of Alabaster Kitchen Cabinets
I think this shade works well in two different ways. It can be the main color to help make darker accent colors pop. Alternatively (and probably my favorite way to use it) let Alabaster be a light accent color – the bright pop against a darker main color.
It’s our most popular and requested kitchen cabinet color, and you’ll see why below.
Tip: If you’re going to use it as your cabinet color, I recommend also using it as your trim color so two light whites don’t clash next to each other.
Let’s check out some pictures of this color in people’s homes so you can see how it behaves in different types of lighting.
Traditional Style Fit
Kylie M Interiors hit a homerun in this kitchen!
Notice how Alabaster plays with the Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca walls to keep this large open-concept kitchen area bright and comfortable. The cool light keeps Alabaster looking crisp against the very creamy beige backdrop.
Bridge Between Gray and Beige
Thanks to its subtle greige undertones, Alabaster is the perfect choice for these kitchen cabinets I personally painted myself. It pairs nicely with Mindful Gray and looks incredible against those wood floors.
See how the lighting makes a huge difference between these two kitchens even though they are both painted in Alabaster.
Fixer Upper Style Kitchen Makeover
This makeover from Bella Tucker takes a dark kitchen and brightened it up by painting all the cabinets in Sherwin Williams Alabaster. The paint is very light but also soft enough to give the kitchen a feeling that’s reminiscent of a cross between farmhouse and cottage styles.
Is Alabaster The Right Fit For Your House?
There’s a reason why Alabaster is our most frequently requested color! I always recommend getting a Samplize in Alabaster and check it in the lighting around your home before committing to it!
Let’s Paint Your Cabinets- Together!
Does the thought of painting your cabinets yourself nearly make you break out in hives of anxiety? I truly believe that anyone can paint their kitchen cabinets (or furniture!). In fact, I believe it so much that I created my DIY Cabinet Painting 101 class to show you step-by-step how to do it and get professional-quality results.
I’ll teach you everything you need to know about the process of painting cabinets from start to finish. And I’ll be there cheering you on and guiding you on until you finish!
More Posts To Read:
- 10 Worst Cabinet Painting Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)
- Kitchen Cabinets In Alabaster White
- How To Repaint Kitchen Cabinets
- How Do Painted Cabinets Hold Up Over Time?
- Using Sherwin Williams Dover White For Kitchen Cabinets
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