SFGate

Interiors International, Inc. A pale dove grey will chase away the yellows.

sayswho I agree with Interiors grey would be nice... accent with dk blue accent pieces maybe.

Scott Design, Inc. Benjamin Moore Whispering Wind 1416
Benjamin Moore Pink Coastal Cottage 1164

onthefence I have no color suggestions but want to tell you that's one of the most beautiful kitchens I've seen in ages.

Tres McKinney Design You have a really unique and warm space. The dining table and chairs give it an old world feeling and the vintage style appliances add a unique charm. It will be a challenge to make this room a bright space with the dark wood ceiling which is one of the attributes of the room. Although it may seem counter intuitive I do not think lighter paint colors necessarily will meet your goals. The pale yellow cabinets look weak and do not stand up to the heaviness of the ceiling. I would consider painting the cabinets a sage green, antique red, or smokey blue depending on your color preference in the rest of the house and then having the walls finished in an integrated colored plaster finish in a cream color. The white window trim looks a bit stark with all the natural wood. You might consider refinishing and staining them the same color as the French doors opening into the adjacent room.
Another option would be to paint them in a caramel color similar to the color of the antique pine dining table. A skilled decorative painter might also give the windows a Faux Boise finish. A pair of iron light sconces, one on each side of the window would brighten up the space as would a large mirror, painting or print on the wall next to the window. You might consider a longer rectilinear chandelier with more lights or a pair of lanterns over the dining table. I would eliminate the valance over the kitchen sink as it makes the ceiling look even lower. All you need is that beautiful verdant view. If you really want light cabinetry then you will have to paint the ceiling white or cream or white wash it. If you love the ceiling as is then you will have to work with it and not fight it.

Interiors International, Inc. @sayswho thank you and the blue with it is a good idea.

onthefence The blue accents seem like a great idea. Not sure if it's my monitor - but the bakers rack to the left of the oven looks blue - and wonderful in the room.

mdpalmer, what color are the tiles at your sink countertop?

Shannon Searles I think you should consider Benjamin Moore Georgetown Blue, Drummond Blue. or Nimbus Gray for your walls. Using any one of these colors will liven up the space and reflect some of the gray in the travertine. France is full of blues and yellows, I encourage you to be bold!

patty526 Agree tres, especially with the whitewash, but would be large...yet modest on island lighting. The room is beautiful, shutters would be nice inside.

mdpalmer Thanks everyone for comments! Much appreciated. The photos I used aren't current - they were part of the series of photos used for the listing/sale of the property. The furniture shown is not ours. I've already removed the draperies, which provides more light and lets the room breathe. The brownish salmon colour above the chair rail and the brown-red below have been painted to match the cupboards - it's so wrong... I can't believe I did it.
I've looked through my Barbie Camper of BM paint samples to find the suggested colours but all of them have 2000 series numbers or, alternately, they start with two letters. I think the soft grey would work well especially with the pine antique desk and the shabby-chic, faux-French, milk-painted kitchen table. I'm also thinking the tile counter tops should be swapped out for off-white corian.
The lighting needs serious help too - the fixtures are charming but ineffective.

mdpalmer the countertops surrounding the island are tiled - the colour is close to BM kennnelbunkport green...

mdpalmer Changing the cabinet colour would be great - I just hadn't thought that far ahead. Still dealing with unpacking the contents of two houses as we try to consolidate our homes. Odd as it may seem, this house looks more like a French farmhouse than our house in the south of France! Go figure.

mdpalmer Tres McKinney Design - could you point me in the right direction for the millwork colour please?