A espresso or black would be a good contrast

I will be in the gray corner ;)

Scooch over, Margo C., I'll be joining you in the gray corner, too...

ooo, judyg - good point. Hard to gain perspective on size with certain shots...

Yes, our kitchen definitely is not huge! Good point! was thinking about bead board. Would that be ok?

How about blue?

Did you paint the cabinets yourself? What color were they before?

Here is a blog site where a lady did a revamp on kitchen islands, they look awesome. One of these might be an idea for your redo. http://downtoearthstyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/kitchen-islands.html

I think a dark gray on the beadboard would be great. I also added baseboard to the bottom of my island to seem more like a piece of furniture.

Green or White... :)
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I would frame out the island with similar style and width molding as on your cabinets. Paint it a color of choice that you love and want for accenting that will work with the adjacent rooms as well. You can always repaint if you don't like it, Inexpensive fix.

LB Interiors had my same thought. Paint it something striking, knowing you can repaint easily if you decide in a few years that orange is your latest craving, or purple or pink. Today, blue, grey and green are chic.

Gray or even a blue gray tone would look awesome!

Thank you all for all your ideas!! WIll post a picture when it is complete!

A mid-toned taupe/grey would look nice...not sure what wall color you have but it appears to be in that color family so a few shades darker than your wall color might be nice!

Bead board will add a nice texture. However, if your are looking for a more streamlined look,you may not need it since your cabinets have strong molding detail and you can let your new accent color on the island stand on it's own. Either will look nice though...

In addition to my taupe/ grey suggestion, I do agree that a grey- blue in the mid- tone to dark color range would also look nice as it is in the cool color family and will go with the stainless steel appliances. have fun decorating! I hope this has helped you!