Thanks for all the comments! I've been scrolling through picture after picture and it seems like there are a lot of ways people do it. Crown all the color of cabinets (my least fav), white and gray crown and then only crown on the cabinets. I have till Monday to decide but I've used this picture as inspiration for my stove wall and I noticed they have two colors and it doesn't look bad IMO?

I love a warm white ceiling, attached is the best whites to use. Be sure to read the information under each picture and choose which you like best. I have used Cotton and I love it. There are others there I would use. I'm not fond of bright white.

Staining would require stripping the existing finish and that is a ton of work. It is also tough to kill the yellow undertones with just stain. But it can be done. Do you have a spot that isn't visible where you could experiment? I might try using some Ebony (black) and see what look that might give you. But I would not want to do all the wood that way, just selected spots like the fireplace surround. I would start with that and that is a "manageable" space. Preparation of the surface is the key to any surface change, so consult with your local paint shop (Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore) and their key person can help you determine what of their products would work best and how to prep for that product. Good luck. I wouldn't attempt this myself, I would hire a pro to do this. A lot of work for sure.

This is how I've done it. Caulked (and like many mentioned) and built it up with a few passes. Taped off the trim but not the very bottom edge of the trim. Painted the caulked wall AND the bottom of the trim. This is the easiest way to do it because even when you look at the most sparkly white trim the bottom always reflects the color of the wall and never looks white anyway so might as well paint it (I have light colored walls everywhere so this has minimal impact on overall look of the moulding). Also taping off the straight edge just above that trim edge is easy and easy to paint everything below and little to no risk of a mess. I'm done, forgot to take pictures.. maybe next time. Thanks everyone for participation and advice.