Here are a few photos with that combination:

No rules in stone or otherwise about island color vs. color of wall cabinets. My theory is that white cabinets are so in vogue that people opt for a light island for contrast, but as you see in feeny's examples above and mine below, it can be done the other way around too.

There is no "rule" as to what you can do here. Obviously you need to be careful so that colors don,t clash. Check out what we did on this Condo remodel... http://www.alderandtweed.com/221/

Another idea is glazed or painted island!

One way we tied the two together was to apply the same glaze, a warm umber, to both the island (rosy maple) and the rest of the wall/base cabinets (ivory).

I agree with all of the above comments that there are no rules about where to put the light and dark cabinets. Something we have done in the past is to paint all of the upper cabinets a light color and leave the lower cabinets a natural wood. You could then either leave the island wood, or in your case paint it the same light color as the upper cabinets. The photo I am attaching is of a more rustic kitchen but the same principal could apply to any style.

Agreed - no rule of thumb - todays designs are about what the homeowner loves and what depicts YOUR personality. The designer will make the colour scheme make sense for the room, home and for the homeowner. Some pics for inspiration!

Nowadays home owner are quite enthusiastic in designing unique kitchens.
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I love the green and white combination - Look so peacefull

Looks like we all have similar views - that other than obvious clashing of colors, it what looks good to you and what is going to make you happy in your kitchen. Another couple kitchens for inspiration. By the way love the mixed dark and light cabinetry in the contemporary Feeny and Hebson post.

Thanks everyone! I love the examples and encouragement!! As of today (my mind changes a lot ;o), I want to start phasing in stainless to lighten the area. Dishwasher and then refrigerator our of necessity. I might also try new hardware (stainless and more modern) and if I feel ready to risk more, then paint. I guess I'm a little risk averse. Thanks again!!

I also merely influenced by the design and innovations of modular kitchen.

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