Are you open to both painted and wood? Do you really want one or the other?

What style are you going for? The Formica says fun and playful to me. Is that what you're going for?

I like the idea of white. I think it goes very well with the rest of your ideas. Very light, airy, and in keeping with the open shelves and Formica pattern chosen. I am very partial to white kitchens, however, so that is my go-to preference when I waffle!

I really enjoy a sense of humor in the house. When I realized that I could not commit to soap stone, cost mostly and the fact that I may not spend the rest of my life in this house, I wandered the wilderness. I was so sure I wanted soap stone. Then I found that funky formica and the design just opened up. I really like it.

I am going for playful. I could also use a mix of painted and wood -- the shelves will be green. But I am rather stuck on what the rest should be.

White is an option -- off white really. Matching the woodwork?

Suzanne

I see. For some reason, and I'm not a wood cab fan, I see maple in your kitchen. I like earthy greens with maple.

If I were you and planned on keeping the trim color in the kitchen and wanted painted cabs, I agree with choosing the MS color.

I'd do cherry or maple but get a stain with some pigment-veering to the reddish end of brown-the grays you have need a perk up...you said you discarded cherry-why?
If you get it right-not the mahogany red but a medium deep cinnamon/auburn with a slab or simple 5 panel door, that could be great...

I discarded cherry because I thought it would not go with the greens that I have, but this idea of something called cinnamon is intriguing. And yes, yes, yes, I do need something to "perk up" my walls. Exactly!

you guys are the best!
Suz

I like the idea of some painted and some wood...But I might prefer something a little darker than the flooring. Maple doesn't always take well to staining, though, so you might try something close in appearance, but that stains nicely.

The creamy color you have for the other woodwork would be nice with the maple and the green walls. Adding a piece that is, perhaps, a shade or two darker than the Creekside Green could be fun. Or maybe toward bluish, since I know that laminate goes a little that way. We have it in the kids' bathroom with glass mosaic tiles that include gray and a marine blue/greenish blue (and gray walls). It's hard to get pics with true colors, because there is no natural light in the room...It's not as green as the first and the 2nd is close, even though blurry:

Suzanne, I recently saw that beluga laminate in a coffee shop where they had paired it with rich medium brown cabinets, similar in color to the Ikea Adel medium brown style, and I thought it looked fantastic.

This is so personal!(My vote would be white) Honestly, you can't go wrong with either choice. If you go with the wood, just make sure that there is at least a two shade difference between it and your floor color.

I started typing and then I realized this is really time for a Sweeby test -- what's the look and feel you want for your kitchen? You have several obvious choices, but which one you may be happiest with depends on what you want your kitchen to look and feel like when you walk in every morning and evening.

If you decide to go with a stain, a good resource to check out is Crown Point Cabinetry. Their site very helpful as it shows clear samples of different colors of paints and stains, along with door styles, etc.

I also like the white matching your trim, but that's coming from a person who loves creamy, white cabinets. You also might want to check out the GW finished kitchens blog for ideas, there are so many folks on this forum that have done fun things with color!

Here is a link that might be useful: GW's Finished Kitchens

Here is a link to a Sarah Richardson kitchen where I am almost sure she used the same counter tops. It is more modern but it seems to be in the same color scheme you want.

http://www.hgtv.ca/sarah101/episodes.aspx?sectionid=432&categoryid=4976351129275603882&postid=195858

Sorry I couldn't post a picture. I could only find it in a slide show.

I agree with lascatx - figure out the look and feel you are going for and then go from there. I think creamy white could work, a maple-ish color or even something really fun and crazy like a bluish-green or a blueish-grey. Maybe do a mix of creamy white and blue-green-or grey.

In my curent kitchen, I painted all the dark (DARK) cabinets a light green 6 years ago and love it. The color is Behr's Rejuevnate. I knew we would someday gut and totally renovate this kitchen so I wanted to do something fun to perk it up and brighten the area. I would have gotten depressed in the dark kitchen if I hadn't painted. It works with the existing blue laminate too. Here's a before and after pic (sorry they are of two different areas):

Off topic NewSouthernBelle but I grew up with those ovens, and that fridge (or a narrower version of fridge) Still love the ovens, think the narrow freezer in the fridge is a PITA.

I really like that green.

Palimpsest - that's funny. The fridge died a few years ago so we replaced it but honestly I am a little hestitant to replace the ovens when we do our major remodel. The ovens are kind of ugly but they cook fine and even self-clean.

Thanks everyone!

No more tests! I did the Sweeby test more than a year ago and please don't put my back there again!! ;)

What I want: a friendly, warm, and inviting space with a sense of humor, a good dose of calm, and a bit of perkiness. My 10 year old and I have had a few very tough years and i want efficiency, comfort, and a place for everything. Storage is at a premium -- no closets at all on my first floor -- and so I have tried to fit in all the shelf space that I could. And as I put in my other post, I want a kitchen eating space so that my daughter can eat breakfast while I rush around the kitchen getting her ready for school.

I posted about cabinet color because I was stuck. I had it all picked out and then the floor could not be stained as originally planned and with a lighter floor, I just couldn't see what I wanted.

Thanks for the pictures and the advice -- rhome, especially your pictures! I like that glass tile. My dishes and bowl have a dark blue on them that I was hoping would look delicious on my open shelves. I think it will!

I am still teetering between a white and the wood but i have something to look at this week. i am hoping for a decision very, very soon! I want this project finished before the year is out!

Suz