Hi Carambula--I had the EXACT same problem and went absolutely nuts choosing a paint color. I have a very open floor plan, a caramel leather couch, mahogany cabinets. Everything I put on the wall looked pink or grey or really yellow (and I tried a lot of samples!). In desperation I tried a color I saw in a magazine and it worked! So try Kelly-Moore Swiss Cream. Not too dark, stays warm, not grey and stays on the right side of pink. I don't have any pictures yet, but can try to take one this weekend if you are interested, since I've finally unpacked my camera from the boxes!

Hi Pattyann, Your place sounds lovely. I know all about kids and their color choices, although they don't have to be teens. My son wanted a green and "bwue" bedroom. Oh lord. He chose the "Chinese Blue" and honey it is BLUE! He also chose an incredibly obnoxious green, but I drew the line there and talked him into a softer green. Anyway, it's not what I would have chosen, but I really kind of like it for a boy's room. Anyway. What I have read and have found to be true in my experience is that you can use different colors in an open concept space, so long as you stick to the same color strength/tonal value. By that I mean that they are all the same darkness/lightness. That way, they all go well together in general. It probably also helps if you stick to the warm vs. cool family. I was very worried that my "Off White" bedroom, which is SO off it's a warm gray that I just love, and my cream master bathroom weren't going to work together. But it's just beautiful and really interesting and I truly believe it's because they're of the same tonage (how's THAT for a word?). When I was painting my son's room, I kept looking into his white bathroom, which I was planning to paint in a really light/soft green and blue to placate my own desires. As I would look at that white room from his now painted room, it just didn't work. His room is medium toned with dark trim. So, in a stroke of insanity I decided to paint his bathroom in the same Chinese Blue. And do you know it's gorgeous and it all goes so well together! Again because the tone from one room to the next is about the same. The white tile, medicine cabinet, toilet, sink, and trim, as well as good lighting, keep it from looking dark. It's also a very small room, but truly doesn't feel any smaller for the dark paint. I hope fatlester and funcolors see this. They're both amazing with color and have actually studied it. I've only read many books and painted for myself. So my advice is do as many colors as you like, but keep them all about the same shade of light vs. dark, and it should go together beautifully. If you want to use just ONE color, then yes a beautiful neutral would, I think, compliment your other colors rather nicely too. Good luck! Ivette

Take a look at SW Repose Gray, Mindful Gray and Dorian Gray. They are in the greige family but have a hint of green. With your honey oak cabinets and green countertops I think you would like any of them. The Repose is lightest. We have used it in two bedrooms, a hall and home office. It works great with gray carpet, wood trim and white trim. Good luck and let us know what you decide and for sure show us before and after pics!

I think what Sophie means is that the gray black and white trend is on its deathbed and you might want to think about using some color, or at least some neutrals that won’t scream 20-teens in five years when they are out of style. There are a LOT of posts on these forums from people who chose gray finishes and then are surprised to find that their rooms feel dark, or colorless, or boring, or cold, and a lot of colors just don’t work with them. Once the cabinets, counters, and floors are in, you’re kind of stuck with them for a long time. Honestly, some of the photos posted for help, I would have sworn were black and white photos That said, if you have looked at a lot of kitchens and you love gray on gray and are not just seduced by the images we’ve all be bombarded with over the past few years, go for it. I haven’t personally used Simply White but I’ve heard it described as a warm white, and also as a stark white. Depends on your light and the colors around it. Grays also come in a lot of different flavors, and can be blue-ish, greenish, taupe-ish, so how they work with any particular greige (also variable) depends on which colors you’re comparing. Sorry if this is really vague. Pick a few greige and grays that you think you’d like to work with and compare painted swatches (on poster board at least a foot square) side by side. In natural light and artificial light at different times of day. Post photos of the comparisons for opinions. Also include photos of your counter, backsplash, and floor materials. You can always repaint the walls if they’re not working, but once your island is painted, not so easy to fix. Choose paint last.