Laura Ashely (Valspar) Pale Gold 3, Sand 3 and Sand 4. I was introduced to these colors by a realtor when my husband was trying to sell his house before we got married. These were colors she recommended he use to get the house ready for showing. I have Sand 3 in my family room and foyer, Sand 4 in the upstairs guest bath, and Pale Gold 3 in my kitchen and breakfast room.

My experience has been you aren't going to find a paint that will look the same color on all walls at all times of the day and night. This of course is due to lighting and what the paint is reflecting off of. I guess the key is to make sure you do all four walls and then look at them day and night. Remember, once you get furnishings, etc. into the room, the paint will not be the primary focus. My new office is painted Nantucket Gray which is a very pretty color by day. At night, I'm not so crazy about it. I didn't have adequate lighting in the new house at the time the house was painted so I had to chose my colors using the similar lighting at my present house. I did pretty good on all my choices except for that one. Since I don't have the option to repaint I'm devising other ways to ensure it's not the focus and to use bright white lighting that will keep it as bright as possible. I chose BM's Rich Cream which looks yellow, very pale, yet when the afternoon sun hits the laundry room, where it is also, it's a very, very bright yellow. That's OK though because bright yellow in the laundry room is a good thing. I don't get direct sunlight into the main living area where the RC is also, so I never have to worry about that room turning bright yellow. As long as the color I chose looks good in all lighting, not necessarily the same in all lighting mind you, then I can live with it. Does that make sense?

I have been through at least 100 yellows looking for my lower cabinet color. Some really pretty light ones that are not (in your face) YELLOW are Benjamin Moore: America's Heartland 197, Cornsilk 198, Pale Moon , Ambiance 309, Weston Flax HC-5, Santo Domingo Cream 274, Harp Strings 213 Some of them seem beige on the swatch but when held next to white will definitely read buttercream. Vellum 207 is really nice but is deeper and I don't know how much saturation you're looking for.. We are going with Hawthorne Yellow HC-4 but that is more yellow. Our kitchen faces south and many of the yellows I mentioned above just looked too beige IN MY KITCHEN. In other rooms, they were yellow, but in my kitchen they were washed out. Also, we are going for a different look. Hope this helps a little... OH, if any of those aren't yellow enough another one might be Hay Stack 317. However, it's yellow for sure. Hawthorne yellow is a bit less vibrant I think. Good luck. Yellows are HARD! Mine change color all day long. Ones I loved at 9 am seemed to be a totally different color at 4 pm, etc : ) Oh, and get the 8x8 or 5x9 swatches online for FREE from Benjamin Moore. They will ship them for free too. Much easier to see the colors. I have hundreds of them. It's under the architect/designer section of the website but you don't really have to be either of those : ) Actually once I got down to the ones I really like I would order four of the same color and tape them together and hang a big piece of it in my kitchen. Fishies

First of all, that is a *gorgeous* space, I am envious! And thank all that's holy that you rescued it from the dreadful taste of the previous owners--all those different woods and floor, four or five different shades of red, ugh! I love the new flooring, it's beautiful. I think were I in your shoes, I'd first try adding a lot of cool tones to the room(s), to see if I could tone down the warmth of the wood that way--and yes, do you like the countertops & hardware? That would be the first to go for me, if I could possibly swing it; I'm not a fan of granite/quartz anyway, but I especially don't think those tops work for the cool beachy casual sort of look you want. Maybe a white or light gray granite/quartz at least, if you like those materials? Perhaps soapstone or concrete? Or a pale (or bright! That could be fun) solid-color laminate, even; I know a lot of people dislike laminate but I'm fine with it, personally. And some silver or nickel hardware? Of course, you could try re-staining the cabinets rather than painting them. Do you want to DIY this or hire someone? A pro would be able to tell you the best way to tone down the warmth of the wood. None of which means I think it's wrong to paint them. I'm not a big fan of wood cabinets, personally, so if you want to paint I'd be all for it. A cool white or very light gray, maybe? The island in a different color, a darker gray or blue, or even something like a barely-lilac lilac (as in, gray with a hint of lilac; I don't like lilac as a rule but I think in this space it could be interesting, and different from the other grays that are everywhere [including my house, lol, because I have always loved gray] if you're looking for that. Something about that island bothers me, though. I feel like the outside of it is really...unfinished looking. Like it needs some pilasters, or beadboard or planks or tile, even, just...something. Maybe some vertical trim pieces every six inches or so, to mimic the Mission-style doors on the cabinets? It just looks to me like the carpenter was meant to come back to finish it but didn't. And honestly, I'd probably rip out the stair railing(s) and banisters and replace them with square ones, like @Horner Millwork suggested. The contrast between the Mission kitchen with all the right angles and those little round banisters & spindles looks odd to me. Then you can get new ones in whatever paint or finish you want, and I think it will look a lot more modern and sophisticated than those grandma-looking ones on there now (no offense to grandmas!). Maybe even a metal? I don't know what the rest of your furniture looks like, though, so I'm just spitballing that, basically. I hope that helps! Can't wait to see what you decide!