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AMN I would pick a fresh, warm cream that does not have yellow in it. I think any of the lightest whites/ivories/jute colors from this link would look great: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-your-home/color-combinations-to-warm-up-winter

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design I agree that it needs to be very light, but not white. Then I would paint the ceiling the same color so that your crown moulding would show up better.

Beth Schweitz Not sure of the color of your back splash, or floor for that matter, but a warm light gray might work well.

caricampbell A light taupe (warm gray) would be nice and more interesting, I think, because right now your kitchen is very warm/brown and you don't want it to be too bland. A light cream would work, too... either pull a taupe/gray tone from your backsplash or pull the cream tone from your counter for a cohesive look.
What is the type and color of your flooring?

ahillswife Mocha cream by benjamin moore is a nice light neutral cream.

ahillswife Benjamin Moore Elmira white is also great. HC-84

sue3 a color complementary to the overall color of your counter would be nice

lucykr Light warm grey-taupe!

rluchinski Live a little! I would not go with a neutral. I'm a colour junkie. What colour do you LOVE! A rich green or blue? Or a cozy gold? There's not a lot of wallspace and your woodwork is a nice rich tone. So many possibilites!

adifatta Thank you for all of the suggestions. The floor is porcelain tile, imitating travertine. The blacksplash is more of a brown color.

karenvan Youve got such a tiny amount of wall space for paint--I would put a major splash of color there, like Dunn Edwards Arabian Red. It will be bold but not too much since there will only be a little bit of it, and it will make white mouldings pop!

barbara21 I painted my kitchen oyster from Sherwin Williams and was very happy with the color. Lately I've seen alot of gray. I heard pewter from Benjamin Moore was very popular.

JAN MOYER Not to toss in a monkey wrench, but what color/what room is adjacent and open to this one? Rarely does any room live in isolation, particularly a kitchen with a great room and its nearby upholstery.... or even dining room. Take your cue from there, and complement!

dash1128 Start with undercabinet lighting which will highlight the color of the countertop and especially the backsplash color. That may make selection of wall color easier.

beakon I would go with an orange/peach color to make the cabinets pop.

Jean Tuck I think the backsplash is to dark and a cream colored counter would help keep the natural light that flows into that room from the window.

designmepro just try to balance everything inside the kitchen. if you see that the flooring is already dark colour, then might aswell make the walls lighter colour and blends it with what colour on floors.. and make sure the sunlight at day time is pleasantly striking ..if you dont like a lighter shade of colour.. you can also choose different textures for wallings.. enchance it with different styles.. like floral..or striking designs .. depending on your ideals... all this are just suggestions...

jhoff5 I think a nice bright color like red would be great, there is so little wall to paint. A major improvement would be more lighting. I just added recessed lights and undercounter lights to my kitchen and it made a huge difference. I also have a pendant over the sink and 2 pendants over the island. I don't leave them all on at once but when they are on they really "highlight" (pun intended) all my new countertops and painted cabinets.

georgiagmagpie Benjamin Moore Danville Tan. Nice tan with olive undertones.

Kathryn Peltier Design It's a little bit hard to say without seeing the other end of the kitchen and how much wall space there is, but considering the photo you've posted, I would go with a very dark taupe (select a color in your granite). You have white trim which would show up beautifully against a dark color, as would the cabinets. It would really give you some drama and some dark tones which you currently don't have. Don't let dark colors scare you!

tleigh1955 I think that a darker color in the taupe with the crisp white mouldings would look nice. I would also invest in some better lighing. The view that I have is very dark and taking away from the work that has been done. Lighting would pop out everything more.

esmorelda Pick a black or some dark color from your countertop. Add contemporary ceiling lights. Dramatic!

judydecorating First, I would do rope lighting above the cabinets, you can use a dimmer to turn on/ off, also, I would put a pop of color to make the cabinets and crown molding stand out..if you are close to another area like a dining rm or Fam. rm, use a color that is the same color or compliments the room close by. If your using an accent color in the kitchen for decorating, such as art, rugs, towels, etc, use that color to pull it all together. That area is screaming to be noticed.

ohwhatawave 1)There's a lot going on in the room, 2)you do need to pull in colors from neighboring areas, 3)what kind of light are you getting in there? If it's a north or west facing window, you desperately need warm colors. If it's south or east facing, then you can go with cooler colors--maybe bright white or bright green. When remodeling--you do need consistency throughout the house, so tie these colors into other rooms and vice versa. Also, paint must be viewed in the space on different walls at different times of the day before making a final decision. It will change depending on the lighting.

Susan Shea agree with a light oyster color and under cabinet lights. It's too dark as is. Also - I'd ditch the vertical blinds.

noankwaters Check out BM Stone Hearth or even Cotswald.

Susan Shea Or even a touch lighter with BM Ashwood. Slap a few colors right on those cabinets and see what you like best. PS: meant ditch the blinds - leave the window undressed.

Maureen Fuller I know the taupe, putty, grey and shadow tones are hot now, but I think they wouldn't do the warm cabinets justice. Are they maple or cherry? If so, there's very little grey to blend with in either of those woods. In my new home the existing putty tones the previous owner used were depressing and too dark, not to mention that it clashed with the wood cabinets. I painted those shadow colors out in favor of a creamy white and it made me feel much better. Choose a tone that works with the dominant wood, and what will make you want to be in the kitchen.

ewalden01 How about BM Bonewhite for trim and then a color between olive and sage for the walls?

jccbaker Go stand in front of the paint chips wall at your local store. Close your eyes and think of your kitchen cabinets and counters, etc. Open your eyes and reach for the first color that draws your eye. That's the color! It's your kitchen, it needs to make you feel good.

JAN MOYER I must be the really OCD decorator!!....if I am standing in this room, looking into another room, (or two) what do I see? What color on the walls, what shades of upholstery, rugs etc? Or am I painting the whole first floor? Or it is a very rare and totally enclosed kitchen with no adjacency to anything?

Gabberts Design Studio BM Fresh valley would be a nice, crisp cream color for your kitchen.

Hometown Building/Intercept Paint color is important, but agree with a couple other comments, your lighting needs serious help. Review options with pro on under cabinet lights. soffit lights and additional ceiling lighting. Over light it and control with dimmers.

judydecorating Definitely under and top lighting...you need to make your cabinets stand out..I still think you need to use a pop of color TBD by what's going on in the rest of the house. The home should flow with the same feel throughout without extreme definition.

Lili I say maroon :) there's so little wallspace that you could totally pull it off without it being overwhelming - not everyone can do this, and I say if you got it, flaunt it!

kroze Sherwin Williams has a color called Autumn Tan which I recently used in my kitchen. The painter told me that everyone in my area is using this color because it is so rich and versatile. Everyone that sees my new kitchen raves about the color!

Doreen Schweitzer Interiors, Ltd. Shades of green are always good with stained cabinetry and work well with the earthy brown tones in the tile as well. Is there more wall area showing in other parts of the room? If so I recommend SW6414 Sherwin Williams Rice Paddy or 2145-40 Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green on the walls and a soft off white on the ceiling. If there is very little wall showing and you want more color you could do a very light shade of green such as Benjamin Moore's 2145-60 Limesickle on the ceiling if it is not flowing into other rooms. Adding some color brightens up the room more than a neutral shade.

favoritedog We used BM Camouflage which is a light grayish green. You could get some color charts from BM and bring them home and decide which color looks best. You can also go on their website and view rooms with the different colors.

soab2013 Usually we try to match the colour of the walls with the surrounding, having bright light oak coloured kitchen I suggest soft white paint for walls, keeping in mind, flooring colour is unknown, light bright degree colour will be the best choice. You should not forget your window size is small and the white frame around.

Eng. sharif barjous

kroze My window frames are also white but my Autumn Tan (which is a very light sand color) complimented and brought out the tan in my granite counters. I notice from the picture above that they also have similar granite with various shades of brown and tans. Any shade of white with my granite would have been very disconnected to the overall scheme. Adifatta's cabinet and counter colors are very similar to mine.

But, as always, it boils down to personal preferences and tastes.

Pam Brittain i think because there isn't alot of wall space I would go with a rust color or something in that family of color,

yslund How about a dark brown even on the ceiling. Would really make your kitchen rich and the lights would make the other surfaces pop.

danals I have the same colour cabinets and used Benjamin Moore Cotswald ! Love it!

channone I would go a medium grey or the eco color in the HGTV dream home which is a bright green color.

lisafranklin not much space, do BM almost black will tie all in perfectly

summergirl73 I would go with a rich urban style grey ~ like a charcoal or platinum grey. Muted colors will not do your fabulous backsplash justice IMHO ;) .

Barbara Holland Can you paint the ceiling? If so I would go with two shades of the same color, or a rich black tone on the walls and a taupe/tan ceiling. Of course it depends on whether you want to/can paint the ceiling in the rest of the room, if this is a great room concept.

kicksychick Choose a paint colour that is a close match to one of the lighter shades in your backsplash tile.

gypsyrose17 Put some spot lights under your cabinets, that will also bring it up a notch. I purchased some that stick on (can also be scrwed on) and are battery operated.

Jane Pollard unfortunately the dark color of your beautiful backsplash darkens the entire room... you need to put some LIGHT in there... something with a little LIFE... whatever color you chose (NOT grey or taupe, please) paint the ceiling the same color... it will make your entire kitchen come more alive and your crown moldings will pop!! get some of the 'small pots' of paint and try a few colors but don't put them near one another.... that way you can see what the colors look like in all lights, but definitely a light tone...

kroze Jane, you are so-o-o-o right!

Kathryn Peltier Design @Jane Pollard and kroze: it all depends upon how much wall shows elsewhere (we don't see the other end of the kitchen at all). If she is asking based upon the photo posted, painting this a light color will just further segment the space. Adding a light, bright color does not always translate to a light, bright space. In this case, that little strip around the windows and above the cabinets isn't going to do anything but create another distracting band. None of the light goes back there, so making it a lighter color will just be a shadowed and grayed out color. At least darker would create contrast. Again, if there is ample opportunity to use color on OTHER, LARGER walls in the kitchen, that's fine. But if the other wall space is minimal, and she is trying to tie it together, then it would be much better to go darker and monochromatic, instead of creating another little band except in a different color. It's very hard to judge this without seeing the whole room and whatever other room it leads into.

kroze Jane and I were commenting based upon the information we were given. We did not guess about what else might be in the room. Maybe it would be beneficial for adifatta to consider replacing the window facing with something that would match the cabinets. That would give one less contrast to deal with.. It would be cheaper than replacing the backsplash. I agree that there are too many color variations, especially the dark backsplash.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that none of the light goes to the little strip above the window. I would assume it is a well lit kitchen.

nalleshouse Take the deepest color from your backsplash. It will unify the room and make the trim and cabinets pop.

kroze I would like to see some photos of where these dark colored walls work. I once used a deep terra cotta color in a room that was huge (20 x 25). That worked because it brought the walls inward. To put dark gray or black in a Kitchen sounds very cave like to me. I am open to this idea, but would really like to see where it has actually worked well. Anyone have any photos to share?

adifatta Here are some pics of the entire room. Please excuse the mess as it is a work in progress. I think you will find there is better lighting. Entire room is recessed under and above rope cabinet lighting.

Barbara Holland THAT'S PRETTY! Now that I see how the ceiling is dropped I definitely still think you could paint the ceiling- but just the dropped part, and maybe with a pop of color you would like to carry through the accessories in the room. Looks like everything is pretty neutral, which is calming. However, if you like black, I would take the far wall to a soft off-black and paint the trim wall above the dropped ceiling (that little piece above the white trim) a black color, too. If you like any of the sample paints I see by the window, I vote for the deep taupe color at the bottom right.

Kathryn Peltier Design Wow, very nice adifatta!!! It helps to see the whole space and the lighting is SO much different here! I see you've been playing with paint colors on the dining area wall. Are you leaning in any direction? Are you definitely changing the taupe paint color that you have in the dining area, and is that the same color you want repeated in the kitchen? I still think that back wall (sink wall) needs to be dark (as nalleshouse says, the deepest color in your backsplash; or, seeing how great your black stools look, I would seriously consider a very dark gray/almost black) to visually blend with the backsplash. The dark color can be JUST on that wall, because there is actually so little wall. Again, I don't think you want it to be a ribbon of something but rather a cohesive look. What are the other colors throughout your house? I think the neutral palette you have going would look fabulous with a blue-green or gray-green on the rest of the walls, if you like those colors, On the other hand, that pumpkin color you've got sampled on the dining room wall pulls the cabinet color in there!

Thanks for the extra photos. What do YOU think adifatta?

Kathryn Peltier Design This isn't, perhaps, the best correlation because this is a white backsplash and cabinets, but it's sthe best I could find in a quick search. Just look at the black by the sink window in this photo. I think that that is how adifatta's window would look. I wouldn't advocate going black on any other wall (other than the little sliver over the breakfast bar, as Barbara Holland suggested) because there are other colors and tones going on in this kitchen. I like how it works in the all-white cabinet photo though!

Kathryn Peltier Design Another darker wall (but light backsplash)

kroze Thanks Kathryn. I appreciate the photos. The problem I see for adifatta is that she already has a myriad of colors in her kitchen. Personally, I would want to downplay the contrasts. But as in every project, it is fully up to the tastes of the remodeler.

gypsyrose17 Paint it the same color as the columns, I think maybe it is too yellow compared to the other colors which are the browner side of tan.

Kathryn Peltier Design @kroze: Yes, I agree that there are a lot of different shades of the same color + the cabinets. That's OK, but that is also exactly why I think that back wall should blend in with the backsplash and not fight it :-)

Maria Billingsley of J Hettinger Interiors Go a darker taupe green, cabinets will pop, back splash will pop and it wold be stunning
Dark green-gray living room: Ralph Lauren paint

rluchinski Orange!

rluchinski Orange!

Debi McCann Keep it neutral, maybe a soft cream your crown molding and cabinets would pop but flow also. Pendant lights (2 or 3) and matching drop ceiling chandelier , simple brushed nickel would be nice.
Or maybe a one larger 34" wide chandelier over bar/stovetop area. Looks Great!

Jane Pollard what colors do you have throughout your home??? you need to keep them in mind to keep a balance and compliment those other rooms near your kitchen -- you don't want to have a shock every time you want into your kitchen!!! you most definitely want something that will make your white crown moldings and pillars POP but nothing too strong to be gauche. I usually begin a consult by looking thru the rest of the home plus a person's closet... yes, that's where you find what a person is comfortable with!!

sandrapratt From this picture it is hard to decide on a color. I do believe that you need lighting below the upper kitchen cabinets & the rope lighting running across the top of the upper cabinets. Once you do this I believe that color picked from your counter top would be the way to go.

kroze I agree Sandra. Lighting is very important to the overall effect. I recently remodeled and put LED tape lighting above and below my cabinets. I have since regretted not putting it in the glass front cabinets. So I am bringing the electrician back out to install it. I wasn't sure how I would like the LED tape lights because they look SO small. But they put out BIG light. I'll share a before and after photo.

sandrapratt Kroze the light made a big difference! Great Job on the remodel. I love the new island.

Jean Tuck I love the new look conducive to chatting while working in this area.

kroze Yes, we've actually added a couple more island chairs because it has become a hub of conversation.

blindsdirectcanada I think by adding a Mock roman valance to the top of your blind would really finish the look and add a splash of colour.

http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/drapery-toronto/top-treatments.html

https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=1&gs_ri=hp&tok=zk1TpuGesh4c2BwXt-BJPA&cp=7&gs_id=p&xhr=t&q=mock+roman+valance&safe=off&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41248874,d.b2I&biw=1262&bih=951&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=OLf5UOPjJeXQ2AWijIDQCw

Jane Pollard add a 'POP' of color on your island chairs by adding orange pillows (or some other bright color) that brings the flow of your other rooms into the kitchen... and please do not go with any dark color on your walls... keep it classy... you've done so much beautiful work!!!