I would not paint it lighter. I think a deep, rich color would look nice with the dark cabinets. I would pick the rust/orange color from the curtains, but that's just me - I like a lot of color. BTW I love the grillwork piece over your stove.

In that light color, it looks like subway tile, I would keep it that way.
Personally , I would not introduce another color variation in that space.
I also love that iron piece over your stove, it fits in perfectly.
Your children are adorable !!

Artlover - I like a lot of color, too. We took out a wall in our remodel in order to have open space and it's been a huge change for me to decorate this way. I've been trying to bring in pops of color instead of painting my walls as many different colors as they were before. My biggest fear with color for the backsplash would be that it would feel too dark. But I love the burnt orange idea. My shelf on the opposite wall is SW flowerpot and I could do a board in that color to see what it might look like there.

Mitch - Other people have told me the brick looks like subway tile. Maybe I should put a gloss over it. :)

The piece over the sink is from Target. It's 'wood' of some sort. I'd struggled for a long time finding something for that spot and I love it too. Except it is hard to dust!

OK - I've got my big girl panties on today. ;-) Any more feedback from anyone? We slowly did our changes and now that we're pretty 'done' I feel like something is missing to put it all together. I'd like to change out the recliner at some point, new kitchen table, bring the light down, I did get a new lamp... What am I missing/needing? Maybe the backsplash isn't the problem I think it is.?

I really like the transformation-- including the painted brick as is. I love the contrast with the cabs and granite and I think the lighter backsplash really helps to lighten up the space.

If you would like more color (and I agree that the rust in the curtains and FR rug would be great) I would consider(hold on to your pants LOL) repainting the new cabinets. I know you just painted them in the taupe but I think that are in the location where a splash of color would have great impact. Don't fear, I think they look fine as is-- but if you want a color twist, I think it would look great.

You didnt mention what style of table/chairs you are looking for, but if your chairs will be upholstered, you could also bring in more of that color in the fabric.

I think your brick looks nice the way it is. It looks like subway tile. I think it's a great trasformation all the way around!

I like the brick painted the color it is too. You've got enough color going on there. Love what you've done with it.

Thanks for the feedback and compliments. Something just seems 'off' to me and I can't figure out what it is. Maybe it's the oak trim - but I can't (won't) change that because it's thru the house and in great shape. Possibly my wall color is too warm and the new cab color is too cool and they just don't 'go' well. Sigh. Is it normal to completely second guess yourself when you're 'done' with projects? We pieced this all together, using old cabs, keeping what we could and I feel like you can tell. This is one of those 'get new counters, then the cabs look bad, change the cabs, let's open up the space, as long as we're doing that, xyz...' kind of scenarios.

Funkyart - LOL - My SIL and I were just talking about if painting my 'new' cabs would be the answer. Unfortunately, they were factory finished and I picked the color out. They compliment the old cabs really nicely (and if you're ONLY looking at the cabs, it looks great!). DH might strangle me if I suggest doing that, altho it's definitely something to keep in mind if I keep struggling with this.

Sigh. Interior designer, I am not. :-)

Wait until you get the new table. To me that's what looks "off" in the picture. And just a little thing - maybe oranges or persimmons instead of lemons in that jar. That'd be a good way to introduce some orange/red/rust to the kitchen.

And yeah on the taupe. They're nice but at least in the pic they don't seem to go so well with the other colors (namely the yellow-ish walls).

Thanks for the comments, pbrisjar. I can definitely change out the jar contents - great idea.

The walls are all SW Ivoire. What if I changed out the kitchen walls to a greyer beige? Could I still keep the ivoire in the LR portion? It's all open and not a huge space. The taupe cabs do look more like the close up pic than the overall. With the flash, they take on a purple tone that's not there irl. The k curtains were supposed to tie this all together.

Maybe I need to start a new thread and try to include some clearer pictures. Or hire a professional. Or quit obsessing. Or be committed. Or something! :-)