All I have to say is that I adore wood and white together. Love it. My favorite combo. My kitchen reno plan right now is sitting almost 50/50 wood and white (technically cream).

Can you add a wood element into the kitchen (hutch or something) to tie the wood elements into the kitchen together and make it feel planned that way?

Well, If it would look weird then I've just created a new weird kitchen that I love! I have a 120" wall of new maple carmel stained base cabinets combined with uppers of my old cabinets that I painted BM white dove. I was going to glaze them but I liked the look w/o the glaze and it saved me work. I made a believer of my carpenter who also is a GC/KD with over 20 years experience.

You can use other elements such as the backsplash, lighting, and counters to tie the look together. Oh, take a look at black pearl or black labrador granite.

pudgybaby- great question and one I've been mulling over myself. There was a kitchen recently where the poster did just that. She had while trim above her sink but the window next to the refrigerator and in her adjoining family room were stained. Look through all of her photos- the ones I'm talking about are at the end.

I think what makes her kitchen so successful is the originality of it, the wood countertops that coordinate with her stained window trim, the stained wood island, painted beadboard trim and the warm feeling it gives off. It all goes together so beautifully!

Here is a link that might be useful: twoscoops kitchen

Thanks, everyone for your help!

Needssometips08: You made it obvious to me that rather than white, I am thinking cream, and as dumb as that sounds, it helps me. Where I can't picture white-white, cream makes a lot of sense.

Owls4me: any chance you could post some pics? Or point me to some that you have already posted? I would REALLY like to see your stained base/white upper combo - it sounds like this could really work for me!

corigimum: thanks for posting that link - twoscoops managed to mix a lot of different woods/paints/counter tops beautifully!

Thanks again. Anyone else have an opinion?

Pudgybaby, Although I've been around these forums over a year I have not posted pictures. I'll see if I can figure it out tomorrow and post my partially done mixed run. Wait until you start to decide on a white or cream color! Lots of great suggestions on this forum and the home decorating forum but you really have to test it in your home and watch the color sample over several days at all different times.

Hope this works.
As you can see, this is a work in progress but it should give you a general idea. I'm using maple butcher block in this area. The bun feet, corbels, hardware, quarter-rounder, finish coat are all still to come.

{{!gwi}}

I think if you click on the image it will go to photobucket and give you a larger image.