You have a blank canvas to start with!! Your so lucky...Browse thru Houzz finding inspirational pics for warms color ideas! It's a cold kitchen that does need warmth. But you have a great kitchen that just needs accessories...Go to a Home Depot or paint store and look at the warm tones and see what speaks to you!! Good luck....

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Just painting the walls with help considerably...Like in the above pic I included...

I do like that soft yellow.

You have a lovely kitchen to work with. If you are replacing the appliances, stainless steel will add sparkle to the kitchen. I would paint the walls a camel color to tie in with the wood cabinets in your laundry room. You can also add colour with art, dish towels, blinds/curtains, small appliances and an area rug in front of the sink in the same color tones as the laundry room cabinets. Have fun.

A warm grey would look fabulous!

I agree with the light yellow, if you want something cheerful, or a warm gray if you want something light but sophisticated. Or, if you are really bored and want your white kitchen to pop with contrast, you could go with a darker gray on the walls. Some of my favorite kitchens on Houzz use charcoals:

There are many ways to bring color to your kitchen. The easiest way is probably to purchase all of your kitchen accessories in the same color. Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend red unless you really like it, this is shown in the first picture.

Another way is to paint the walls. You have already received excellent color suggestions of gray and yellow. Gray may not give you the color pop you were looking for but it is a sophisticated choice. Yellow may not be for you as people seem to either love or hate yellow. Have you considered green? Green is generally considered a soothing color.

You could also change your backsplash (or your countertop or both) although this is now getting into more costly options. Both the countertop and the backsplash seem fairly new so I don't think I would go this route.

You could also paint your cabinets. Time-consuming and/or costly but offers a dramatic change.

You could bring in some color with the furniture that you select for the dining room and the art that you place on the wall above the buffet.

You could also change the flooring. A black and white checkerboard floor brings a lot of visual interest to a black and white kitchen.

If you tie together the accessories you keep on display in the kitchen with the art on the wall in the dining area this will help promote a cohesive look between both areas. (Try NOT to put display items on top of the cabinets as shown in the pictures of the previous owner.) Do consider a new hanging fixture with more visual interest for over your dining room table.

What is your general design sense? Is there a particular decor style you enjoy? I've included pictures of several styles of kitchens, but search the style you enjoy on the Houzz site. This could help in making the decision about what color(s) to add to the kitchen - whether it be simply the purchase of new accessories or the painting of the entire room.

Congratulations! Right now you have a blank canvas that you could taken in almost any direction that is appealing to you.

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Thanks for all the great ideas. I do like yellow, and I will try to find a soft creamy one that works with the eastern exposure.