The kitchen, as grandma used to say, is the soul of a home. Morning coffee always tastes a bit better there, and late night snacks feel somehow less sinful. But let’s talk about the cabinets. Take, for instance, Portland gray kitchen cabinets. They are more in the spotlight than that one cousin at family reunions who just can’t resist telling everyone about his latest accomplishments.

Whereas red or blue cabinets deliver a slap in the face, gray cabinets carry with them a quiet dignity. They are sort of like the kid who sits in the corner of the classroom and whom everybody underestimates until he aced tests. Portland gray sits smack dab where warm and cool meet. It speaks subtle sophistication. Do you want your kitchen to echo the modern vibe of a posh loft without any hint of snobbery? Then get yourself some Portland gray.

Of course, signing up for gray cabinetry is about more than just looks. There’s a practical side to the matter. Every time you set off to clean white cupboards, it is like embarking on a doomed fight. It is like trying to keep a toddler out of trouble. If you get gray, however, you have that color which forgives— more so than a magician’s ink and paper. It’s not maintained, but then who wants that?

And pause—let’s take time now to enjoy just how much gray plays well with others. Match it with butcher block counters to throw in a hit of old-time flavor. Or just add quartz and glistening hard-ware for a high-end finish. Its — dress it up, dress it down, never out of place.

Replacing ho-hum brown wood feels to be a lot like sliding from dial-up onto fiber optics. It’s the same transformative magic, but for kitchens. All at once, that stew is not only cooking away on the stove, it’s dancing to some ghost jazz because the backdrop is perfect.

Not that cabinetry is likely to overwhelm anyone in a hurry. You don’t have to be an interior design guru to appreciate the subtle tones Portland gray offers. You need to step right inside and get involved. And before you know it, you might be the trailblazer amongst your friends: the unsung hero. Your kitchen, just a touch grey, will go from drab to dazzling new.

In the crazed shuffle of choices which confronts us daily, perhaps to choose gray is just the quiet in this storm. So why let New York City have all the trend-setting fun? Portland is consolidating its position, one cupboard at a time.