Cabinets and trim work should match but the ceiling should be different.

Are you keeping the white appliances? Doing the off whites and whites will be quite challenging in this kitchen. Or any space, really. So, I would go with a white trim and do all the rest, ceiling and walls in the same color of off white. But you have to decide what overall look you want. Wood flooring will also impact the color choice. I think I would do neutral palette, such as SW Pure White which has a Chroma of .44 which means nearly no color at all and it is in the Yellow Hue Family on the cool side so it is clear white. If you want color on the walls, you need to get all your other choices made first. What stain are you considering for the wood floor?

Yes, the white appliances are staying for now. It's a low budget reno.

The hardwood floor is the original floor that's hidden under the current
linoleum. It's a douglas fir (very warm and rustic looking).

Oh beautiful! That makes sticking with white trim and slightly off white in the Yellow Hue family perfect. Then you could bring in aqua mixer and or toaster or other items for your color splashes. That gives you great flexibility for the future.

Well, I don't want the woodwork to get lost with all the white. I like highlighting it and a contrast. At the same time, I don't want the kitchen to feel dark and gloomy.

If I painted the upper cabinets black as well, that would solve all my dilemmas but I'm scared that it will feel too dark because of the overhead piece that connects the upper cabinets.

Thanks so much, Flo! So, are White Dove and Swiss Coffee out of question then? :)

I don't think you should do any black in this kitchen. It won't link to any other element. I will take a look at White Dove and Swiss Coffee and see how they compare. bbl

What brand of paint are you using? Swiss Coffee is a common name in several paint company's colors.

Well, I should have provided another pic of the kitchen...

I already painted the cabinets above the fridge black and I absolutely love it.

Focal ? to remove sink's uppers, and place striking tile all across? This type at Lowe's for maybe 2 a foot.... maybe light wood shelves there?

This is what I'm currently at. These are the cabs above the fridge.

Please disregard the red inside. It's not meant to affect any color schemes. The cabinet doors will be black and the red is just for a fun pop of color when we peak inside.

Does the room gets lots and lots of light: sun and electric? So much contrast that it should make a good 'shape', etc... make sense?

Don't like that it goes to ceiling...

everdebz I absolutely love the idea but the husband is firm on not removing a single thing in this old house and keeping everything original. I'm only allowed to change colors.

There's lots of light pouring in the morning and then from the dining room in the afternoon. There will be two sconces installed above the sink.

Oh boy. What is going beside the refrigerator? I am surprised at how much black you are doing? Your color palette has to move to cool side with white appliances and do a black and white palette and no creams on the walls. A patterned backsplash similar to what everdebz posted is the way to go to pull these two colors, black and white, together along with the wood floors. A wood element on your countertop such as a bread box, or salt and pepper grinders, to connect the flooring would be great.

Flo, I hate creams! What you see is the kitchen as we bought it. I don't want any creams in here. The Swiss Coffee that I have on the trim in the rest of the house looks very crisp. I love that black and white tile but there's no room for it under the cabinets with those little odd shelves above the counter.

Once I strip the doors that go to the mudroom and basement, there will be plenty of wood element to tie with the floor. I will probably also use a butcher block countertop on the built in cabinet on the right.

OK, I am getting a better mental picture of your vision. Took a bit to figure out what you were saying. With black base cabinets and that cabinet above the refrigerator being black, it will be very important to bring some black into the backsplash. Could be a simple horizontal stripe or white subways with black grout. I don't have a sample of the Valspar Swiss Coffee to analyze, so I will try to see what hue family it is from another resource I have. I would get a sample of the slab you will be using for the countertop so you can compare to any paint colors you might consider. Your upper cabinet color will be very critical since they will be up against the countertop. A bit tricky. Each slab of marble is slightly different, so you need a good sample of that to get your other colors in order.

I did our bathroom in black/white/wood color scheme. The baseboard, floor and the doors will be the same in the kitchen. And that's the door trim in Swiss Coffee. It's not a cool white for sure but it goes well with warm wood.

I actually love where this going. Pick whichever crisp white you like best and stick with it for all white elements (changing sheen as needed). What year is the house? 40s/50s? I miss my vintage 1952 kitchen! Some of my neighbors had excellent black and white kitchens. I'll see if I can find some photos.

The refinishing of your wood is spectacular! Kudos to you on those! Yes, the Valspar Swiss Coffee looks good. I think you could use that for the upper cabinets, in a satin finish, on the trim in a semi-gloss or the satin and then the walls and ceiling in the flat Swiss Coffee. That could work, if the Swiss Coffee works with your Carrera marble. Have you selected your marble yet?

Flo, I'm sorry for any confusion! And thank you so much for taking time to read through my ramblings and making suggestions. I will need to paint cabinets before we get the slab. Hence, my agony. I don't know how long they can keep the slab for us but I guess I could decide on the paint and actually paint right after we go look at marble slabs. I still need to strip all the paint from every piece of wood in this kitchen and it is a nightmare in this heat.

I guess I could put that decision off for now and focus on other things...

Oh, no problem zmat. It is hard to post things and venture into this world so I give you loads of credit for even posting the questions! There is a thread here on the paint colors for use with Carrera marble, so you might want to quiry that and get that input. Of course, your wood and lighting is important to how you "see" and "perceive" the colors in your space. I will see if I can find that thread and let you know.

jslazart Thank you! The house is from 1928 but the kitchen was "updated" in 1940s. It's been fun discovering all the paint colors they used over the decades while I'm stripping woodwork. They are various hues of greens, grays and creams.

I forgot about another wooden element in the kitchen. Great grandpa's handmade table and a chair.

I just searched on Houzz for "paint colors that work with Carrera Marble" and found several threads. The main thing to watch for is the exact paint brand, because there are differences from one paint company to the next all with the same color names, such as Swiss Coffee. The Swiss Coffee that people are saying goes to yellow is the BM Swiss Coffee. Hope that helps a little bit.

Yes! I noticed there are several Swiss Coffee colors from different brands. I will look up those threads, thank you. I didn't think of it as matching the marble but rather deciding if the window trim color should be the same as the upper cabinets and same for the ceiling paint.

Thanks so much, Flo!

You are very welcome. You mainly want to make sure the trim and upper cabinet color doesn't clash with marble. The Carrera marbles tend to go cool white background so you don't want trim color that goes yellow on you. You can't tell until you put them right up next to each other. Hence, important to get slab sample from slab you will be using. They vary quite a bit, so get that sample! lol

Had saved this comment: "“Swiss Coffee for 1920's warmer palette and chestnut moldings. A warm white that doesn’t go too yellow or almond — crisp white with warm undertones.” Julie China.

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/maplewood-house-renovation-transitional-living-room-new-york-phvw-vp~15292570[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/maplewood-house-renovation-transitional-living-room-new-york-phvw-vp~15292570)

Everdebz, that's reassuring, thank you! That's exactly how I would describe Swiss Coffee - crisp white with warm undertones.