dmwbcc: according to an independent kitchen designer who had or has her own TV show, you just choose any light colored counter, and it goes with the light colored cabinets. I'll quote half of an article I saved a couple years ago: Be big where it counts. Aim for long runs of counter space for preparation areas. Forget triangles: they can leave the chef feeling cramped. Even in small spaces, focus on making the cook feel that there's room to spare. Keep it light. We can all love bold, dramatic, cutting-edge colors. But face it: most of us are looking for a kitchen that stands the test of time, and that makes you feel good every time you enter it. A need for enduring style and timeless choices guides you to choose a lighter shade of pale for the fixed elements, such as cabinets, and then go nuts with a bold accent colour on the walls that is both inexpensive and easy to change if, by chance, you should find that it is less pleasing later. But do it two ways. Just because it's light doesn't mean it has to be white. Torn between a desire for something new and a need to appeal to the greatest number of people when selling the house, settle on light, but not white. Once installed, two light colours pick up the variations in both the counters and the backsplash, and create a subtle two-tone effect. I can't say it's bold, but it's way better than plain!! Don't give in to granite. Although it has a reputation as the practical choice for stone countertops, you don't need to give in to the speckles, the flecks and the hues that this material offers. And dark is out of the question. If counters are dirty, you want to see what's on them, please. Marble, a classic no-no, is good: kitchens can develop a patina like a bistro with counters bars and table tops in carrera marble; you have to be willing to live with counters that will develop stains over time. There's a choice for light counters: engineered quartz stone! A composite, it comes in beautiful shades, and won't stain, crack or discolour like natural materials. It's stunning. Minimize allowances. The rule says you need 42 inches to open the refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, or to get around a counter, but you can push the limits by reducing the clearance (down to 36 inches) in favour of achieving more counter and storage space. Lets face it, preparing meals is not a group effort, and you don't need space to choreograph a dance routine. No one has ever complained after their kitchen went in: it's only a problem on paper. ... The designer is Sarah Richardson. She says any two light colors play off each other and make the whole. She says for you to look for light color quartz. I've found there are about 20 manufacturers of quartz, although only a small number of them are highly available everywhere. I found that Cimstone made the largest variety of light color quartz. Go see their web site to find out who would be able to show you samples where you are. E.g. Barents, Grimsey, Arcadia.

Yellow can be so pretty and it can be ugly. Its really hard to get the right shade. My previous kitchen had yellow that I loved loved loved WHERE THE SUN WOULD SHINE. In the part of the kitchen with no direct light - it looked GOLD :( I don't know the color you're considering, but I would just make sure its just a hint of yellow, not too much. Yellow and pink are 2 colors that (to me anyway) seem like the walls are reflecting or bouncing off each other. A little goes a long way. Especially with artificial lighting.

I have white cabinets, black granite, and a combo of white subway tile and beadboard. I put the subway tile behind the backsplash and the sink, then beadboard everywhere else. I was worried that it would like blah, but it looks awesome. There are so many different textures in that kitchen that it all comes together. The trim and brackets under the cabinets just pop even though it's all white. I have the Lowe's tiles. We were going to buy the beveled edge ones, but we didn't want to wait on the ship time. We compensated by using a darker grout to make the tiles pop.

Thanks, everyone! Wow, I really appreciate the thoughts, and the example kitchens, both of which are gorgeous. I'm going to be installing undercabinet lighting. And I may install recessed lighting and/or a pendant over the peninsula, but I'm waiting on that. I'll keep looking toward light counters... some of the granites that I have found i like in photos (kashmir white for instance) aren't readily available in my area (I think that its quarry closed down anyway). I've been having a difficult time finding a light granite that I really like but going out to look again today. I don't want to go too gray as an undertone but would prefer balance of warm/cool in the mix of colors. Or just quartz... So any suggestions on that, based on your experience, also appreciated! (Organic white Ceasarstone- check, I'll look at that one!) If I can't come up with a definite on the counter by tomorrow, I have to give a cabinet color.... given my Super White trim, and the fact that the kitchen has no light, I'm thinking something that blends with that but is not so stark white. Decorator white sound good?