Kat - Thanks for the compliment. Our perimeter counters are soapstone and the island is marble. The marble still makes me nervous and I continue to etch it (which is not highly visible on the honed surface, but I still know they are there). The inset cabinets were an absolute must for us. We did tear down construction in an older neighborhood and wanted to have some elements of the 1920s-1940s style consistent with the neighborhood. With the kitchen being visible from the front door, it needed to be both pretty and fairly authentic. Sure, I lost a little storage space by doing the inset, but the look is exactly what we needed.

The problem with such a question is that, say, BM Cloud White might look totally different in your kitchen and your light than someone else's. What you want to decide is what sort of undertones are you looking for? Do you like the yellow undertone of a "cream" but don;t want it too obvious? Would a green or blue or grey undertone suit your kitchen better? Whites can even have an orange or red undertone. The best thing to do is to bring home as many chis as possible, pick three or four favorites, and purchase samples that you can paint onto large swatches of paper or cardboard. eta: I had chosen Martha Stewart's "Popcorn" for my kitchen, but it was so wrong, way too yellow. A KD at Home Depot helped me choose MS "Whetstone Grey" but at half-formula and it is absolutely perfect for my kitchen, very much a light greige. It is the perfect color for my counters and backsplash, but it will not necessarily be someone else's perfect color in their kitchen. This post was edited by greenhaven on Wed, Apr 23, 14 at 8:05

athomeinva- I will take a look at that color. Our cabinets are going to be in Woodmode's Antique White which is a creamy white. My breakfast table and sideboard are distressed black with reclaimed wood tops in a dark stained finish. I will also be adding a black iron chandelier over my table so the color will need to look nice with black accents. trailrunner- I just love the warmth of your home! What is ironic is that I started out thinking that I would choose a sunny yellow in my kitchen since I use pretty dark colors in most of my rooms, mostly earthy colors. However, what I'm finding is that I keep coming back to the deeper hues. To me they seem to bring a sense of coziness that I love. I do have white wainscoting around the room so as to break up the walls should I go with a darker color. I have a couple of weeks before our cabinets are repainted so I am trying to choose a wall color in the meantime. I really appreciate your help and your pictures!

I also had my golden oak cabinets painted - BM Cloud White. I love it. It's creamy and delicious. I also considered (all BM) Simply White, White Dove, and Mascarpone. White Dove seemed a bit too gray and Mascarpone a bit too yellow. It was a tough call between Simply White and Cloud White. Simply White is a bit brighter/whiter. If at all possible, have one of your old doors completely painted in the color you're considering. Move it around the kitchen; let it sit there for a while, throughout the day, so you see how the changing light affects it. It made my choice predictable, with no regrets.