Hey there! Thanks so much for all your advice! I’ve got a designer coming over tomorrow to advise on a lot of the things on this chat. Here’s a quick photo after I moved some things around this afternoon. It’s a good start.

Obviously, the more people who see your kitchen, the more opinions and advice you’re going to get. Glad you’ve got a designer coming. Share this thread with her/him so they can see what so many of us think is a good (inexpensive and non-invasive) idea: repaint the walls.

I am intrigued by the suggestion of darker walls. See what the designer suggests since the majority of us are voting for same color as the cabinets.

I wouldn’t change the hardware. You have a pot filler in a specific metal, so buying new hardware and faucet is unnecessary.

The picking apart of this room is unnecessary. It’s so pretty! Yes, the hood is a bit big, so let’s hear what another professional suggests.

Please try to enjoy your new room. I love it. And the backsplash is fine.

I too have an accidental cream and white kitchen, and I now love it. The "things" I used are ceramics in cream and white (like pots for live plants). See what your designer has to say, but I'd focus on the wall color and a different shaped hood. It's really quite pretty, and a kitchen the vast majority of people would be thrilled to have as theirs.

@Rachelle Burst with the little countertop styling you did, IT LOOKS GREAT. Keep us posted about your meeting with the designer tomorrow.

I think your kitchen looks absolutely beautiful!

I like the idea of painting the walls the same color as the cabinets. Then what do you think about painting the crown molding and the ceiling a soft off white that ties in to the white background color of the marble countertop?

As everyome has already said - you can make this ”mistake” look ”intentional” = AMAZING!

tons of cream/off white/ivory cabinets in kitchens with white background marble countertops - and many that ran the marble up the backsplash!

I also don’t know how you feel about it, but it looks really weird to me how the upper crown stops next to the hood. I don’t know the solution, but I’d ask the designer to fix that if you change out the hood.

I really can’t add anything but to agree with rebunky. I would definitely NOT repaint the cabinets as some have suggested. They are lovely as is. I would add some glass fronts to a few of the cabinets. Please show us end result. Your kitchen is gorgeous as is IMO

Wow!! What a pleasant transformation is ‘rebunk’s’ paint suggestion!! No window, why a dark ceiling? lighten the paint as pictured!
You will love it!

The beige paint is bringing it down. Paint the walls, moulding, and ceiling the same color as the cabinets. It will all look so much better! Beautiful marble. You are almost there!

First , I like your kitchen , it’s functional and lovely . Live with it and please do not overdecorate . Buy a big bellied vase and put some flowers on the table ..a silver tray and some wood boards where needed and enjoy your kitchen . Have a party with lots of champagne and enjoy all that space ! use it and if you think it needs to pop more in 6 months or a year …you can always put some runners on the floor or paint the exposed walls a gray color to match the counters veins . But lucky you !!! You have a new lovely kitchen , enjoy it !!!!!

After seeing rebunky’s edit, I would paint the ceiling brighter white and call it a day. Beautiful! Don’t be talked into tearing your new space apart!

What I found (by accident) is that if you paint the wall behind the cabinets, the same color (or close) to the cabinet color, you won’t notice that the cabinets don’t go to the ceiling.

@rebunky yes, wonderful paint suggestion and relativey simple compaired to any suggestion(s) to redo the cabinets (which I wouldn't). Your option makes the cabinetry flow. Looks great @Rachelle Burst, what do you think? Hope the appointment with the designer helps out as well. Looking forward to hearing about what you learn today.

I love the idea of painting the wall the color of the cabinets and painting the ceiling a lighter shade of white. (The ceiling was already in the scope to do anyway!) I think this will all flow beautifully!

@Rachelle Burst hope you're feeling better about everything, it's already a beautiful kitchen, a few things...like the paint and it will be just stunning!

Maybe you feel like it's flat because it kind of is. You are missing the texture of your belongings in there. Your personal things that makes it your kitchen instead of a just finished kitchen. Many rooms feel kind of not quite it when they are finished and not detailed with your things yet.

Rochelle, whatever you do, I'm looking forward to seeing HW it turns out after going through the comments section :-) it's nice to see so many people trying to help out. Please do share with us the results once the kitchen is ready. Sending you Much love (and patience!)

@Rachelle Burst - please make sure to update this post with what you do (paint walls to match cabinets + ceiling white + adding in some wood elements + plants + the stuff that makes it a ”home” for you + whatever else you decide). I‘d love to see the changes - so, definitely add some photos! Even though the changes are relatively small, I think they will make your kitchen stunning! Your marble countertops + running it up the backsplash is beautiful! What type of marble is it?

Your kitchen is lovely. Please don't paint any of the cabinets blue or grey, or put a wood counter in the middle - ugh! It's lovely as is.

I would want the cabinets to be painted the same white as the counter background…not to clash with the cabinets. I like to have runner rugs in front of the sink area and in front of the main prep zone since I tend to stand there for a while….Oriental rugs add some pattern and color which you can select from for canisters or a few countertop accent pieces…maybe new window treatments in the adjacent room. My Oriental rugs have a bit of some darker colors and don’t show an occasional spot…they can also be professionally cleaned when needed.

Part of the problem with what I/we are seeing is in the lighting and photography. The bright overhead lights in your photos accentuate the cream vs white and not in the nice blendy way of the more professionally done photos above. If you like those, use those as your guide and (obviously) it will be beautiful.

I would start with cheaper fixes with paint...the wall color same as your cabinets (mine is like that, nothing gets lost and no whites are fighting), and paint the hood black...if it's coming out anyways, might as well see...

What about a simple matching wood cabinet hood with a wood band in the same color wood as your flooring?

I also painted the thick trim the same color as the wall because I thought it looked better to not draw attention to it. Then it allows the wood on the hood and marble backspalsh to be the focal point.

Wnen I started reading Houzz kitchen threads due to a kitchen refresh, I often ran across the phrases " only one star in the kitchen" and " too many clowns" ( as in stuffed into a clown car) for busy elements.

To me, your hood wall with its incredible backsplash is the star here. Also to me, the angled cabinets, especially when combined with the hood, are overwhelming that end of the kitchen and that drop dead gorgeous marble. I'd change to two cabinets flanking the hood on that wall, preferably cabinets with glass. I don't think the colors of your kitchen is any problem. I think the scale/proportion of your back wall is.

And I agree there's something unsettling about how the hood is affixed/ placed.

i agree with many other posters:

paint the walls to matcth the cabs

i would also paint the hood the cab color

would consider glass door panels on either side of the hood, ?? if $$ allows

add wood elements, bowl of green apples on your counters

then see how u feel, and go from there!

I'd like to say thank you for everyone's opinions and advice! I read most of these on my phone and can't say "thank you" to each one (but can "like" the post on the phone), but here you go! I'm in a good spot now. The designer recommended the back wall to be the cabinet color, the ceiling to be a lighter color, a new hood design (tapered), and a dark color island with pendants that match the color. I'll send updates once I have them.

@Rachelle Burst, isn't great to know that the designer came back with many of the same ideas the houzzers provided. It's a great forum for that. Do keep us posted. An already beautiful kitchen is going to be just stunning when you incorporate these changes!

Add some warm handmade or antique pieces to your island and countertop, but only if you give them a "job" -- wood knife block, basket of fruit, cakestand, or wood tray on countertop, Leave a handmade rustic wood cutting board on the countertop next to the stove (with small silicone pad) to add texture and utility to countertop but without clutter. `Choose colored small appliances like Kitchen Aid stand or Le Creuset on one burner to send a warm message that this is a working kitchen. Add a small antique lamp in the corner of the countertop to add a glo to a dim space.

Golden Road Kitchen Renovation · More Info

Love the flowers and bottle of wine to invite friends into the kitchen"

Oak Hill Addition · More Info

Beautiful bowls and trays. Not the garlic in the Italian bowl. This kitchen has very smooth, cool white finishes, but handmade pieces bring warmth to space.

Garlic camping out in mortar and pestle. Small sweet lamp and handmade cutting board add unexpected warm touch to cool white subway tile.

@housegal200, great ideas for countertop styling...stealing!

Following

To OP: Not too much "styling" so you retain the beautiful clean look of your kitchen. Anything you add should be usefu--great cutting boards; bowl of fruit; lamp; mortar and pestle as garlic holder. Avoid "decor" items.

@housegal200 and I agree - anything taking up space on my countertop has to relate to cooking. All this decor is stunning - for professional or realtor photographs - but they’d annoy me on a daily basis.

I like looking at the photos, of course!

@Red Ryder: I agree. Everything on a countertop should have a job!

Update on wall paint with photos. Hubby painted the kitchen wall (only one for now, the rest will be later). Have not done the ceiling yet either. I like it for matching the cabinets, but the hood is looking washed out to me. Surrounding photos attached. I think I want to paint the island a darker color then see where we are.

See above post…

If you want a truly finished space--not just kitchen--paint all your walls the color of the cabinets. It's beautiful and warm. Don't paint the island until everything else is pulled together. This is an open space, so you want to make sure there's flow and harmony with the walls first in all areas of what can be seen as you stand there. Right now you have a lot of visual "blocks" that break up the color flow--wide fridge, stove, living room color, sofa, massive TV etc. The range hood is just fine.

It’s hard to determine what this kitchen needs with so much visual clutter. I would clear the counters off, find a place for everything. Remove the dish towels from the stove, etc.

Agree with housegal, paint all the kitchen walls, then proceed to the island. Painting the back wall the color of the cabinets made a big difference.

When you get there, a thought could be to paint the island a darker color, as the designer suggested, to pull in the taupes/grays of the backsplash and maybe paint the hood the same color as the island wood...? I would go slowly, doing all the wall first however.

The hood looks fine. Paint all of the kitchen walls. Continuity will make a big difference. Hold off on the island until everything else is in place.

The wall your husband painted looks great. The crown now blends and the marble looks amazing. The crown on the cabinets looks good. I think you may still be uncertain as only the hood wall is painted. The other walls are still reflecting the taupe color. Same with the ceiling. It is competing with the walls. The room would feel much different with a lighter ceiling. Maybe one or two shades lighter than the wall color but in the same hue for a softer transition. The ceiling then won’t be where your eye goes first. I would wait to change the island. Live with the cream for a bit once the walls and ceiling are all painted. You may love the quiet elegance. You can always change the island later. I think the hood now compliments the marble. Did you check with your contractor about the LED setting. That too can make a difference on how color appears. Your kitchen is beautiful.

One last thought. If the crown is white throughout the rest of your home it can be white here as well now that the cabinets and wall are the same color.

The crown throughout is almost the exact same color as the cabinets, so they will blend with the walls as they do in the kitchen.

For clarification, would you extend the cream walls around to the breakfast room and butler’s pantry?

Would you please clarify your point? I’m not sure I understand what you are saying. Thank you.

Ignore the bot.

Rachelle,,,I was going to suggest exactly what rebunky did in a photoshop for you. don't know if you saw it further up

this was their photoshop.

I think everything looks pretty good, even your backsplash! what gets me is the gap on the sides of the hood. (the cabs should have been brought in closer?) Or maybe it's the hood size.

or just the shape.

You see how much better the first photo looks when taken cab to cab in that first pic?

here are a few other examples

Look at this hood. the spacing is like yours, but somehow this fits the style of the cabs

I also like how they filled in the gap to the ceiling

I'm not saying you have to match these hoods, but I would look at a diff shape. Something about that curved hood surrounding by all of your angles and sharp edges doesn't quite match.

I'm not suggesting copper. Don't know why your friend said that.

but a zinc colored type of metal might look really nice

I also like the addition of some wood accents that you've done w/the cutting boards and island piece. very nice!

I think this zinc/color-tone of the hood really makes your stone pop. very diff pendant options and a woven loom counter stool

love this one w/the darker brass straps. these are similar to the hardware shown in your kitchen.

I also like the cabs going up to the ceiling, or closer to your crown.

btw, a true zinc hood can be costly. however, you could get it painted to look like zinc and have it look just as nice

Or, try one in stainless steel. this is from amazon

In answer to your question, yes, I would paint the cream through the the kitchen, the wine bar area, butlers pantry, and the breakfast area. I did like the photoshop that shows a lighter ceiling for the ceiling. With that in place the wall and cabinet color become more prominent in a quiet way. What really matters here is how you feel and what you would like the look and feel to be. The chimney hood is designed to stand alone and is a feature all its own.

ANy update?

Maybe adding a pop of color to the cabinets or going for a whiter shade could do the trick.