How about a cool marmoleum checkboard or plank floor to bring some color in? Very retro-cool and also so "now!"

I like your inspiration pics very much. I think a pencil liner is also a good idea, but if you go with color subway then you're going in another direction altogether.

The apothecary jar of M&M's doesn't hurt either. ; )

Oh, and you can maybe go color in the stove, like some of us did? Believe BlueStar comes in many colors too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lacanche.

I am going for a look that seems similar to yours. However, having grown-up with harvest gold counters and appliances and then buying a house with an avocado sink, I'm a little skittish when it comes to color.

For me, getting the pencil liner in black is stepping out on a limb. But I figured everything goes with black, so if my tastes change so can my accessories without too much expense.

My subway tiles will be Subway Ceramics in Avalon, a soft white. My walls will be a pale yellow. Many of my accessories will be yellow or red and hopefully retro charming. I have a great, vintage-looking fruit print curtain with yellow rickrack that I can't wait to hang in the window.

I've see a number of kitchens with subway tiles who have a green paint that resembles jadite. But if you want jadite subway, it looks great and is a classic 1930s look.

Have you seen Rejuvenation's catalog or website? They have some great pictures of their light fixtures in different settings--one of which includes green subway tile. You might find some ideas there. I bought some period lights and hardware that I'm very pleased with from them.

I look forward to seeing how your kitchen comes together.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rejuvenation

If you're doing open shelving you could always incorporate burst of color with pottery and other favorite items. If there's one main color as your highlight (turquoise or whatever) you could do a pencil liner in that.

Of course you can bring in color with paint, pendants and accessories, but if that's not doing it for you, maybe you can use a soft colored glass tile for the back splash instead of white. I love white kitchens, they look bright, clean and crisp, but I'm also a lover of color and think white cabinets, white counters and then a white backsplash may be too much white. Here's a link to the kitchen gallery, and in the menu to the right is a link to the backsplash gallery. There are tons of pictures there, and you may enjoy taking a look. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen galler

I think an advantage to an all-white kitchen is that you can accent it with pottery, art, in whatever colors you choose, and you can change them up if you get tired of it. So, turquoise in the spring, red at christmas, you know. I know most folks don't "decorate" the kitchen at holidays, but if you're going to spend a lot of time (and money) there you might feel it's worth it.

All of which is to say, there's advantages to keeping a neutral color scheme if you have a good design eye for accents.

Another thought: In a sea of white, a mere pencil liner might also be too little a drop of color unless it's reinforced throughout with other accents, so you might even forego that element without losing much (but you'd gain a very neutral canvas for any color).

Sorry if I confused the issue. I'm sure you'll make a beautiful decision, but I just wanted to let you know that there's plenty of ways to color up a kitchen besides tile, and they won't require a chisel to change.

Run, don't walk, to the bookstore and take a gander at Jane Powell's Bungalow Kitchens and Peter LaBau's The New Bungalow Kitchen.

In Powell's book you will find many gorgeous examples of exactly the 1920's (pale yellow and black), 1930's (purple and yellow), and 1940's styling (jadeite and red) that you might be seeking with your vision.

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I used pale yellow subway tile and couldn't be happier with the result. Another thing that might make your aesthetic sing is a vintage or vintage-look stove? Here's my baby:

Or: how about a vintage enameled farm sink in yellow, jadeite green or white?

I like the idea of pencil tiles-- also, don't under estimate the power of colorful kitchen art (vintage posters, framed pages from old cookbooks, etc)

I love your idea, and all the suggestions presented sound lovely, Marmoleum, glass tile, and so on. I wanted to underline the suggestions already made for, rather than cementing in unchangeable color details, adding them mostly through accessories, especially art. Specifically, how about choosing a strategic place for displaying a painting and leaving it open--counter below, no uppers? Right from the beinning, designing in artistically strategic places for displaying colorful items on shelves? If colorful pots and pans appealed, then a storage wall covered with spring-green tile and framed in by cabinets on each end would be a great focal point with real zing. And so on.

Oh my goodness -- thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has posted. You have given me lots of good things to think about.

@pirula: Thanks for the floor idea, but one of the few firm decisions I have made so far is to keep the red-mahogany-stained oak floors we have now. I love them. My stove decision was actually easy too -- I have rescued my grandma's old Philco (literally off the curb, after her house was sold), so am excited to use that. Oh, and I definitely agree about the m&m's (except I don't think the jar would stay full very long in my kitchen!)
@chachashea: Your kitchen sounds beautiful. Very bungalow-y, which I love. I like the idea about the green walls. For some reason, I had fixed on yellow, but if I could find a close color match to a jadeite green in wall paint, that would make a great color statement! I've also drooled over the Rejuvenations website too, and am contemplating several of their beautiful light fixtures. This one I especially like: http://www.rejuvenation.com/fixshowC622/templates/selection.phtml
Admittedly, it doesn't bring in much color, I just love the look of it.
@remodelfla: I had thought about what you say about the open shelving. I do have some nice fiestaware pieces I am hoping to put out. I guess I am just afraid that won't be "enough" color. I am really on the fence about that.
@lukkirish: That's what I'm afraid of too, that it will be too much white. I don't necessarily think all white is wrong, per se, it's just different than what I'm going for.
@evilbunnie: Yes, it is a very small touch to have pencil tile (especially once I got the price quote!) My thought (and you can probably tell I am unsure about this) is that it will stand out and make a statement in a field of so much white.
@circuspeanut: Yes, that's exactly the kind of thing I love! I actually do have the first book checked out of the library and have been obsessively poring over it. I am hoping to get that bungalow "feel" without sticking too slavishly to the elements of it.
@danielle00: That's a good thought, too. (and portable if we ever move!)

I did take a look at the FKB -- wow, lots of inspiration there! For some reason, I couldn't find the ones suggested above (maureeninmd and bayareafrancy), but I did get a look at jgarner53. Her kitchen gave me a really interesting idea: Could I have white subway tile between counters and cabinets but NOT go all the way up to the cabinet, thus displaying colorful painted wall in between and breaking up the white color field? In jgarner's kitchen, she has black countertops and the white subway tile has both a black pencil tile running through it and a black cap tile. I wonder if I could either a) have a colorful pencil tile and cap (most expensive option), b) have just a colorful cap and no pencil (not sure how that would look), or c) have a white cap (least expensive option because the tile could be found at my local, not-very-expensive, tile store. Any thoughts on how all-white tile and then green or yellow wall would look between marble counter and white cabinets? Any pictures of that kind of thing would be ESPECIALLY wonderful!

Thanks again -- I'm starting to feel like MAYBE I can pull this off without too much (more) hair-pulling.

You can't go wrong with the all-white look, so long as you incorporate enough shiny drawer pulls and a big shiny faucet.

I would avoid the bright colored pencil tile as it locks you into that color.
The attraction to me of the clean slate offered by the white kitchen is that you can change it up when you get bored!

I think you're on the right track, and your inspiration photo with the before & after shot bears this out. A bright red mixer, a bright blue le creuset pot on the stove, a few bright green pellegrino bottles, and as pirula pointed out, the big jar of M&M's is cool too.

I'm so glad you think my in progress kitchen sounds very bungalow-y, 'cause that is exactly the look I'm going for! You've made my day.

I will say that my black pencil liner will be brought out of my sea of white by my soapstone counters. The black cap jgarner53 and tito(the link with the pencil liner) looks great in my opinion.

Oh, and go find a copy of Arts & Crafts and the Revival Magazine from this past fall. There is an article on a kitchen with a very similar vibe. She used some Rejuvenation Art Deco lights and knobs and had a great turquoise checkerboard floor and blue walls. Lots of color.

Mission Tile West has a Revival line of subway tile that comes in some great retro colors. I don't think it is cheap though. I'd love to have the guts to do a bathroom in the colorful Art Deco colors of subway.

And do check out circuspeanut's kitchen. Wonderful use of color and very bungalow-y.

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorful subway tile

I also wanted a white kitchen, but not formal or fussy. I also wanted some color, but wasn't sure quite how I was going to do it. I used three pencil liners (does that make a chunky crayon liner? LOL). I've posted a link to a not so great photo of one wall with it. I also have cherry and blue cabinets (there is one photo that shows a little of all 3 in my album if you go over a couple from the linked one) and painted my walls a light caramel/mocha color. Mine's not bungalow, but there are some similarities.

There are lots of ways to go about combining white and colors -- just gotta find yours.

Here is a link that might be useful:

If you look at your inspiration pictures, note the color is introduced in either the wall paint or accessories, not in the "permanent" elements like a BS. All the permanent elements are white.

Based on your inspiration pics, I recommend sticking with the classic white cabinets/counters/BS tile and getting colorful accessories or other decorative items (someone mentioned pottery...a great idea if you like pottery.)

I am going to echo what buehl said. Your inspiration shot a is a very carefully staged vignette that was pulled together by a real pro. Although it doesn't read as a minimal stark white space, when you take away the tchotchkes it's completely monochromatic. Look carefully at the set dressing though, and you'll notice that things are not where they would logically be if people were living there.

It's a beautiful picture and certainly attainable, but I'd be very, very hesitant about putting any permanent colour anywhere.

I noticed the same thing as buehl. If that's what you really like, I agree. Make sure you get what you really like.

Evilbunny, said everything I would have said. You've described a timeless classic looking kitchen. Carrera, white subways & the rest will give you lots of versatility for mixing it up with whatever accents you love in each season.

i have definite ideas about color. in my white kitchen there will be color. but it won't be planned. it will just happen. my cookbooks will wander in and make their home on the shelves. my glasses and antique cookie jars will also find their place behind glass fronted doors. the black and white photos of me picking peaches in the summer of 1968 in our backyard will sit on open shelves in their gold frames alongside the pics of my sister pitting cherries from our cherry tree. pages from my mom's cookbook will rest on the walls, so i can look at her handwriting and remember the pineapple upside down cake that way, since i have no photos of it.

you can plan for color but i'm just going to be sure i make room for it to occur naturally. good luck!

Liz, you don't mention an island (unless I missed that) - just the cabinets and counters. An island is a great way to intruduce colour in some of the shades that you love. Someone recently posted a photo that had a beautiful green island in a kitchen with monochromatic colours:

If you already have a vintage stove, then choosing a custom colour for your other appliances might not be the way to go, but as pirula said, it can look great. We did that with one of our oven doors; the cabinets are painted a light sage green and the oven door is a rich red:

Although our kitchen is a definte colour, the overall effect is quite soft, so I wanted that *pop* of colour too. Besides the oven door, I have used touches of red through my accessories, even including the tomotoes we eat regularly! Art, for sure, as many have mentioned.

Check out atticmag's website - some great inspiration shots there as well.

Good luck!
Eliz

Here is a link that might be useful: Attic Mag

LOVE the fish painting.

WOW -- you guys have given me so much good stuff to think about. All who pointed out that my inspiration shots don't include any colored tile or other permanent elements other than the wall paint -- that was really eye-opening. So thanks, rob p, buehl, sailormann, lascatx, and debsan. I am now thinking about going a different direction with that element. The white cabinets, white subway tile, and marble counters with a warm green or yellow on the walls, and bringing in color with things like displayed items, and possibly also kitchen table and chairs.
@kateskouros: What you describe sounds just lovely. I'm sure your kitchen is going to be beautiful!
@elizpiz: I wish I had room for an island, but it was either an island OR a kitchen table. I really wanted the old-fashioned kitchen table, so that's what I'm getting! However, I've yet to buy it, so I will definitely think about a colorful one. And thanks for the attic link. Great pictures there to get ideas from.
@chachashea: I can't wait to see pictures when your kitchen is done!
Another thought I've had is that I am getting one custom-built cabinet piece, which will sit next to the table and house things like laptop and TV, with cubbies for mail and bills and magazines and such. I was going to ask the GC to paint it white to match the cabinets, but now I wonder if I should have it painted yellow or green (whichever I don't paint the walls). That might be really nice. As much as I love white cabinets, my eye is always drawn in pictures to the painted pieces in old kitchens too.
Now for the backsplash -- I wonder if it would be too boring just to continue the white subway tile and paint, and then mix it up a little bit higher up on the wall with a picture, or a starburst clock, or something like that.
One thing I'm still mulling too is whether the white subway tile should go all the way up between counter and cabinet, or stop short to expose paint color. What do you all think? Too "unfinished" without pencil or cap tile in black or another color, or could this work where the tile is all white?

Thanks so much again!

Liz

If you want Kraftmaid, try Just Cabinets, they seemed to be the easiest to work with and good prices when we got ours a year ago and they were rated well in Washington Checkbooks.

http://www.justcabinets.com

Pirula - OT from original post - but if you check in again, I do have to give a shout out to my girlfriend, who is the artist of the fish painting. She is extremely talented and paints in her spare time. Here's another one of her pieces that is off the kitchen.

I will pass on your compliment to her!
Eliz

Thanks, pcjs. I use Checkbook all the time too :) My GC has a cabinet distributor that he works with so we are going through them.