Hi gilmoregal, I understand your question. We had the same issue. Because there was no space between our cabinets, crown molding and ceiling we went with the same color. I struggled because I tend to like darker trim but wanted to go with cream cabs. So, we decided to go with Cloud White (BM) for everything. If you will be having crown molding throughout your kitchen with cabs going to the ceiling you should use the same color. Otherwise I think you should feel free to use a complimentry color for your trim. I'm sure I could have said that in fewer words. Good Luck with your painting. You're that much closer. How fun.

There is no right or wrong answer as long as you are systematic.

If the kitchen is separate and you have a physical break between that room and the other rooms you could paint that trim to match the cabinets and it may not be that distinguishable from the other rooms. And if it is...thats ok too.

If the house is really open and it would be problematic to start and stop --I would be consistent with the trim throughout even if the cabinets were slightly different.

O Boy, scrap what I just said. Now I know why I don't answer many questions. Palimpsest you amaze with your knowledge and your ability to be so concise.

No rules, all personal choice. We have a similar-but-not situation in our kitchen right now---we actually did match our cabinets to the trim in the kitchen and throughout the house (the trim and ceilings in an old house with lots of built-ins were painted Acadia White by the old owner). So rather than try to find a different white, we just had the cabinets done in Acadia White too.

But...our trim and doors are all in oil-based paint, and that's no longer available where we live, so the cabs and new trim are all in water-based, which doesn't yellow like oil-based does. In our kitchen, that meant our doors and windows were one shade and our cabinets and trim (which we replaced) were another shade. Though it's all officially the same color, the old paint is much creamier/yellower than the new paint, which is much whiter---probably similar to the effect you'd have. It did bug me in the beginning, but now I'm actually used to it and it looks normal. (We're eventually replacing the doors so didn't bother repainting them; the windows will stay mismatched since they're a PITA to repaint and current paint job is in good condition.) I think the key is consistency, though, as palimpsest said. As long as all the trim is the same color and all the cabinets are the same color, it's less critical that it be exactly the same color, I think---though personally I do prefer when it is.

Palimpsest's second option proved to be our case. I have white cabinets to the ceiling and rather than ordering crown from the cabinet maker, we got crown to match what continues around the breakfast room and family room. We considered ordering matching paint, but we bought white paint locally and took it around. You'd have to know it was different and be looking close to know they were different.

Sounds like you have cabinet crown and ceiling crown. In that case, I don't think they have to match. I think they might even look better if they are slightly different but go together -- just as long as it doesn't look like you ran out of paint (palimpsest's first scenario where you don't see trim in other rooms).

I don't know whether this will make anyone feel better--I found it rather intimidating. A well-known interior designer (of the Arch. Digest type of clientele, anyway) used Seven different shades of white on the trim in the main rooms of his (large, Neoclassical) apartment. He had some kind of system or hierarchy worked out and said that they all just read as "white" but it gives the trim more dimension. In the pictures it didn't look stripy or anything so I guess it worked.

Not that I will try this myself.

Here's a recent kitchen reveal from a few days ago. Bright white trim, biscotti glazed cabs, and cherry island.

I think it is the New Colonial Granite, limestone backsplash, and pretty paint color that tie it all together. Notice the cabinet crown.

Very beautiful kitchen!

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0913561715347.html?49

Here is a link that might be useful: mratner's kitchen

Thank you for your help! With my layout, I think it will work to have the kitchen cabinetry 'creamy' and the rest of the trim 'crisp'.
One more decision made....