Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again.

I have been looking at a lot of kitchens online. These are NOT my colors, but fyi the LRV contrast is probably similar to to the contrast in this image: https://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=88035

It's not bad, I just think it would look sharper if the uppers were a bit brighter.

I think this looks beautiful.

Anonymous wrote:OP again.

I have been looking at a lot of kitchens online. These are NOT my colors, but fyi the LRV contrast is probably similar to to the contrast in this image: https://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=88035

It's not bad, I just think it would look sharper if the uppers were a bit brighter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I am happy to answer questions about how it happened, but the main thing is that I have decided to lean into softer-than-expected contrast.

Maybe this is the universe reminding me to release attachment and expectations that anything can be perfect. I'll probably stop noticing very soon.

The first couple of cabinets are now in place. He really did build some very nice cabinets, and there's no question this will be a huge improvement over What Was.

I appreciate you all reading and advising. It does help to talk it through.

Wonderful. May you enjoy God's blessing for showing a spirit of kindness, gentleness, peace, and self control.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Specifying 25% lighter is kind of Loosey goosy.

Perhaps I'm just thirsty, but if I order a Jalapeno Margarita 25% less sweet from 3 different bartenders at the same restaurant they may all go about it in different ways -- Less simple syrup? More Tequila? Additional lime so the extra acidity can counteract the sweetness? Any may work. All may be repeatable from batch to batch, but none are prescribed standard deviations of a 25% less-sweet Jalapeno Margarita that would be known by all future bartenders. Your order will get different results from bartender to bartender unless you're specific.

When mixing an off-white paint 25% lighter, which tint are they supposed to dilute or enhance to brighten? By what ratio does that adjustment need to be made to equal an end result that is 25% lighter while still maintaining the expected color?

Method aside, 25% will be subjective to each person.

For next time, if I had a mix code (previously used custom color) that I tried, liked, and wanted to repeat, I would provide that code rather than starting with the name of the color I don't want and asking for a subjective adjustment. Whether the service provider is solo or part of a larger company YOU have the answer all along - the code on the can you like - which you didn't provide. Why rely on them to reinvent your wheel?

This - I can understand being frustrated but you requested a custom color without specifying the custom formula. Why wouldn’t you include a photo of the paint can you used to clarify the color? I had a custom color on my cabinets, and the builder wouldn’t finalize the order until they first had a sample of the color with number/formula to send, and then a sample door of the color that I had to sign off on. That seems pretty standard procedure, because asking a contractor to build you new cabinets seems unrealistic. Why do you not just want them repainted?

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I am happy to answer questions about how it happened, but the main thing is that I have decided to lean into softer-than-expected contrast.

Maybe this is the universe reminding me to release attachment and expectations that anything can be perfect. I'll probably stop noticing very soon.

The first couple of cabinets are now in place. He really did build some very nice cabinets, and there's no question this will be a huge improvement over What Was.

I appreciate you all reading and advising. It does help to talk it through.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think “25% lighter” is a real thing. If you had a custom sample made, you should have used that color code. Sorry. I’m really surprised that they wouldn’t have explained that when they made the sample.

Anonymous wrote:op, not sure it's a consolation but I think the subtle low-contrast look is less trendy and will look good longer. I love the subtle contrast in your link--I prefer it to any two-tone cabinet kitchens I've seen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Specifying 25% lighter is kind of Loosey goosy.

Perhaps I'm just thirsty, but if I order a Jalapeno Margarita 25% less sweet from 3 different bartenders at the same restaurant they may all go about it in different ways -- Less simple syrup? More Tequila? Additional lime so the extra acidity can counteract the sweetness? Any may work. All may be repeatable from batch to batch, but none are prescribed standard deviations of a 25% less-sweet Jalapeno Margarita that would be known by all future bartenders. Your order will get different results from bartender to bartender unless you're specific.

When mixing an off-white paint 25% lighter, which tint are they supposed to dilute or enhance to brighten? By what ratio does that adjustment need to be made to equal an end result that is 25% lighter while still maintaining the expected color?

Method aside, 25% will be subjective to each person.

For next time, if I had a mix code (previously used custom color) that I tried, liked, and wanted to repeat, I would provide that code rather than starting with the name of the color I don't want and asking for a subjective adjustment. Whether the service provider is solo or part of a larger company YOU have the answer all along - the code on the can you like - which you didn't provide. Why rely on them to reinvent your wheel?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. We picked an off-white color for the (new) uppers, and a sage-type color for the (new) lowers. BUT we worried that the contrast between the off-the-shelf colors might not be quite strong enough. So after testing a ton of different samples (on our old cabinets -- which had white), we requested that the upper (off white) color be mixed at 75% formula -- so it would be 25% lighter than the off-the-shelf off-white. Just to be sure, we painted all our old cabinets our "new" colors and lived with them for a while.

The contractor made beautiful cabinets, and he painted them off-white (uppers) and sage (lowers). The disconnect is simply that he somehow didn't see or remember that we'd requested a 75% (25% lighter than standard) formula. So the contrast is softer, more subtle than I'd hoped.

The cabinets I linked to (which should show off-white uppers and gray-blue lowers) are not my colors! I only put them in to show what a "soft-contrast" two-tone looks like.

Now I understand. From what your description it sounds like there is a contrast but not as much as you want. I'm sorry and I'm sure it's frustrating because you worked on getting the colors just so. When I painted my house I also toyed with 25% lighter for my gray walls. I painted a few shades to see which one I liked. NOBODY except for me and my husband could actually tell the difference between the full color and 25% less. So at the end of the day, it didn't matter. I'm sure your kitchen will look lovely.

Anonymous wrote: Specifying 25% lighter is kind of Loosey goosy.

Anonymous wrote:op, not sure it's a consolation but I think the subtle low-contrast look is less trendy and will look good longer. I love the subtle contrast in your link--I prefer it to any two-tone cabinet kitchens I've seen.