I would start with darker blues. Look at Hale Navy, Gentleman's Gray or North Sea (NOT North Sea Green). Or, when you say "fun pop of color" are you meaning a brighter or lighter color?

Thank you Cassandra! I love all of your color suggestions. I seem to be drawn to slightly lighter shades of blue, however. I came across Benjamin Moore "Labrador Blue" (1670), which is more of a teal actually. I also am liking Nile Blue (CSP-560). My biggest concern is turning out to be choosing all the right combination of colors to best highlight my pop of color - walls, cabinets, trim and ceiling. I want to keep the kitchen/great room open and airy feeling. I find it all so daunting and I have the whole rest of the house to figure out as well! (not that I'm complaining - I am very excited about it, I just don't want to screw it all up with the wrong colors). Thanks again for your help!

Ok, sounds fun! I like those blues, too! I really think you can't go wrong with white and blue- it's such a classic combination! I would start with Chantilly Lace, personally, for a white. Paint a sample on poster board and place it in different areas around your kitchen and home. Don't forget to look at it with your flooring, too. Depending on the lighting and natural light in your home, you can go warmer with Simply White, or go the other direction with Distant Gray (which is still very white). Once you decide on a white (it's easiest to use all the same white, with differences in sheen if you want a distinction in trim, etc) compare it to your blue choices. It doesn't hurt to bring a few of your favorite blue paint chips to a store to compare to decor to see what would be easier to decorate with. I hope some of that helps!

Thank you so much for your great advice -- all of it is extremely helpful! We actually used Distant Gray on the walls in our last kitchen so I know exactly what you mean by it still being very white. :)