Sherwin Williams Pure White & Cyberspace Kitchen & Dining Room
A White and Navy Blue Inspired Kitchen and Dining Room
When it comes to classic kitchen palettes, white and blue are two of the best colors to design with.
This home belongs to two 2 of my fave people – Sarah and Brett (and their two lil’ nuggets), who also happen to live three blocks from us and are my brother and sister-in-law (lucky buggers).
Sarah had been dreaming of a white-on-white home for years, and after living a somewhat transient life (okay, it wasn’t THAT bad), they finally found the lot and home plan they loved. With a bit of blood, sweat and wine, I helped them create the home of their dreams and it all started with the open layout kitchen and dining room.
THE MAIN PAINT COLOR
It’s usually best to use the same white when painting multiple surfaces. Otherwise, you risk clashing undertones or one white, making another look dingy/clean/etc. In this case, we chose Sherwin Williams Pure White for the walls, trims, ceilings, and cabinets—the whole shebang!
Pure White is one of the best, most popular shades of white for kitchen cabinets. Being a soft white, it’s just shy of being crisp and clear, as it has a wink of softness.
The island is painted Sherwin Williams Cyberspace, which certainly gives the ever-popular Benjamin Moore Hale Navy a run for its money.
The Sheffield counter stools are from Wayfair (similar to what’s shown above, as they aren’t available anymore) and are great partners to the dining chairs, which you’ll see shortly. Sarah wanted stools with backs for support for the little ones and the grandparents. With them in mind, she also didn’t want fabric stools—you know how messy those grandparents can be.
The pendant lights are also from Wayfair and are no longer available—LOVELY! That said, I love this one even more. When you live in Nanaimo, your shopping choices are (ahem) pretty limited, and I usually have to shop online to find just the right piece. I’m pretty sure that Wayfair’s stock price went down once this project was done and I put my Visa away.
Did you notice the gorgeous oak flooring? Oak is my favorite wood for floors. For this project, I went with a more natural look with Goodfellow natural wood wire-brushed oak. I have MAAAAD love for this floor, and we actually did the slightly darker version in our own home.
The L-shaped kitchen layout meant they could have a prep/bar area with a wine fridge that was greatly depleted by the time I was done with this project. The full-height cabinets also give plenty of storage for things that aren’t used as often. I did the same full-height cabinets in our kitchen and use them to store moderation and a filter…get it?
At the above prep station, the 3″ floating shelves were a good place for Sarah to display some of her sentimental dishware and decor. The bevelled white subway tile backdrop goes from the countertop to the ceiling, making the area more of a feature wall while still tying into the kitchen.
Let’s take a closer look at the subway tile. I love how the bevel adds texture and interest to the white layers of this kitchen. The countertop is LG Viatera Minuet quartz, a gorgeous white countertop with soft gray veining. It’s also more affordable than many popular white quartz countertops.
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If you like how this kitchen looks, you might love one of my PREMADE KITCHEN PALETTES!
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I love how the blue Le Creuset dishware pops on all the white!
THE DINING ROOM
Being an open layout, the dining room is attached to the kitchen (on the left), with the door to the pantry in between…
When I took the main photos, the dining room furniture had yet to arrive, so I snuck over a few weeks later with my phone to grab a few shots. They aren’t quite as clear, but they will do the trick if you put on your beer goggles.
The dining table has leaves that extend out on the ends, making it super handy when the kids and I come over for one of Sarah’s epic meals. The rustic brushed-finish wood top means we don’t need to wipe it after every meal—a trait I look for in every table I buy.
And did you notice how the dining chairs coordinate with the island stools? LOVE IT! Personal high-five.
And seriously, look at those friggin captain’s chairs from Pier 1 – I covet them.
So, there you have it! And I have a WHOLE lot more to show you, but that will have to wait for another day!
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originally written in 2019, updated for links in 2024
I just spotted that dining room table at pier one…do you think a light gray finish is a good choice? Not sure how to pick the finish.
Hi Karen! it ALLLLL depends on the other wood finishes in your home. I am inclined to say no if you have warmer or natural woods. If you have a grayed out floor/furniture or some black or white pieces it could be pretty! Gray IS a huge trend, not just on walls, but in furniture too!
When you say full height kitchen cabinets, what is the height of the bottom cabinet and the upper cabinet. If it is one cabinet, what is the height of the bottom door and the upper door.
Thank you,
Beautiful job! Proud to say our kitchen is looking very similar with a few more choices to make. Can you provide more information on the hardware choices? I am struggling between brushed nickel or polished nickel. Thanks!
Hi Bette, I bet it’s going to be gorgeous! Now the hardware was supplied by the cabinet company, but I usually prefer a polished nickel over a brushed one, just for the extra wink of bling ;).
I’ve been following your blog for a while now and am so excited about this latest post! I have learned so much from you about paint and their undertones. I’ve been wanting to do an all white & navy blue house, but have allowed people’s preferences for other colors, or more color, get in my head and make me doubt my choice. However, this has inspired me to follow my heart. I can’t wait to see what you do here in your upcoming posts!
Oh you GO girl – you have to do what feels right to you! Wait until you see the rest of the home – it is similarly inspired :).
I have also painted my kitchen Pure White due to your recommendations and absolutely love it. I’m looking for a darker coordinating version for my island that would go with Agreeable Gray walls. Do you have any suggestions? My wood floors lean to the warm side. Thanks again for all the info you impart in your articles. My son and daughter are now hooked and reading all your previous ones.
Hellooooo Michele – sweet! It’s going to ALL depend on your countertop (I’ve had quite a few Michele E-design clients, so I’m not sure which one you are ;). Agreeable Gray is flexible, so I’m not worried about that. Off the top, I might check out the likes of Gauntlet Gray, Roycroft Pewter, Web Gray, Cyberspace. Gauntlet Gray WILL be the closest way to get kind of a ‘darker Agreeable Gray’ look as the darker versions of Agreeable Gray start leaning too brown ;). I hope that helps and thanks for sharing the love!
~Kylie
What paint colour did you use on the walls here? You have exquisite style and taste.
Well, thank you Lisa! It’s actually Pure White on the walls, trims and cabinets! Any difference you see will be more about the change in sheen :).
I have to thank you for sharing so much of your color knowledge with the world. I’ve learned so much from following you! I have a kitchen /dining /living area that all runs together. I have Colonnade Gray on most walls with a Steel Wool accent wall. Would Cyberspace coordinate with those colors? I do love the idea of a muted, milky navy (can’t think of another way to describe what I’m envisioning on the lower cabinets). Thank you!
Hi Julie, from the sounds of it, that could be quite pretty! Of course, it all depends on the other finishes in your room and lighting/exposure, but generally, I don’t see any red flags popping up!
Love this! I’d love to get pendant lights like them, but how much of a pain in the butt is it to keep the pendant lights clean?
This kitchen is gorgeous! Could you explain how the floating shelves were mounted? We are getting ready to do this with beveled subway and I’m curious if the shelves were mounted before or after tile. Thanks so much!
Hi Holli! The tiles were mounted after. It was all mapped out to 1/16th of an inch for tile/grout and then we left spaces where the shelves would go :).
Hi! My Mom and I love your work and are re-doing her new home. Mom has decided on white beveled tiles and we love the tiles you used in this kitchen. Do you know the manufacturer and dimensions of the tiles? I would like to show them to her. And thank you for sharing your beautiful work and ideas.
Oooo, I don’t! But, if you phone City Tile in Nanaimo and ask them about their bevel edge glossy white subway tile, I bet they’d be happy to let you know – they’re a great company :).
I was wishin’, and hopin’, and Thinkin’ and prayin’ that you’d help me out with a little question. I’m building a house, and have decided to do Mindful Gray kitchen cabinets, with a Cyberspace island, pure white trim, and Worldly gray walls. Do you think the Worldly gray and mindful gray will clash, or be too close in color? I ordered samplize samples of Eider white, repose gray and aesthic white, but I just keep getting drawn to the warmth of worldly gray. I’m worried repose will look to blue with natural lights,. I see pink in eider white, but I fear aesthic white is too light. HELP?! I haven’t picked out any hard surfaces yet, but I’m leaning towards Posh Beige Provenza floors(they don’t looks as beige in person), and will probably go with a white based quartz countertop with an artisan glossy white tiled backsplash. Also, my poor husband is color blind, and I just can’t help but not trust his opinion, lol.
Hi Cori! Normally I can’t reply too much to questions as I do refer to my E-Design business for personal things, but off the bat, Worldly Gray and Mindful Gray make me nervous. Worldly has a vague green undertone that isn’t as obvious in Mindful. I’d rather shift you to the likes of SW Agreeable Gray and maybe bump the cabinets down to Dorian Gray for a bit more contrast :), keeping in mind that i haven’t seen photos of your countertop/flooring/exposure, those are just my first thoughts as the Worldly Gray/Mindful made me nervous when I read it!
You are the best. I had a feeling you were going to say that, and I’m so glad you did. I really needed that validation that my gut was right, and I’m so thankful for your reply. Now I’ll just order more sampilize samples, or maybe I’ll paint all the cabinets with Cyberspace!!! Lol. Thanks again!! I hope you realize how helpful your content has been to so many people. If we weren’t already so over budget, I would have hired you. But alas, the hubby has drawn a line in the sand.
-Cori
Hi! I am considering painting our kitchen cabinets and getting quartz counters. Are you happy with the way Sw Pure White looks with lg minuet? Is there another white that may be better ?
Hi Holly! I TOTALLY love it and don’t 2nd guess it. I mean, I couldn’ve also checked out BM Oxford White or BM Chantilly Lace, so you can check those out too, but I WOULDN’T go warmer 🙂
Thank you!!!! The choices are mind boggling !
With needing to stay home so much right now, I am ordering samples of quartz counters. Are there any quartz counters besides Minuet that you believe work well with Pure white cabinets and natural hickory floors.
Thank you! Stay well in this crazy world. 🙂
First, I want to say Thank You for being a wealth of information and sharing it with us. I know you are probably barraged with questions, but I hope you may have a quick moment to answer this one…
When selecting a white cabinet paint, if you already have a white subway tile – is the goal to match the tile? For example, could you use a SW Pure White with a subway tile that tends to lean a little cooler (less creamy), or do you need to pick a white that is a little more similar in color to the tile?
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
That’s a GREAT question – yes, you definitely want to connect with the subway tile, otherwise your cabinets could end up looking a bit dingy/off/yellow/etc. in comparison 🙂
Hi Kylie, I just love your blog so much! I’ve been following for a while now nerding out on all the paint info and it’s just wonderful! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us all!! We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and chose Minuet as our countertop. I feel like Pure White is a little more stark than what I want for an all white kitchen and am considering Snowbound for our cabinets. It’s a galley kitchen with no island so it’s going to be a lot of white. The color and counter appears to match well when I hold the samples next to each other. That said, would it be okay to paint the cabinets Snowbound if our trim is Pure White? I really appreciate any insight you can provide.
Wellll, Snowbound is tricky as it can flash a bit pinkish at times, and then other times, a bit creamy. Long story short, I wouldn’t as it’s SUPER unpredictable and will also make your wall color a real bugger to choose!