I prefer simpler, cleaner lines, so mostly like the 2nd styles in each drawing. I especially like the area next to the pantry to have more counter and not have the long doors down to the counter. Also, in the first picture, that area next to the oven and pantry looks like it's trying to be a furniture piece, but everything on that wall looks like separate things all shoved together. I'm not sure how to explain that better, and less offensively! I just think there is a lot going on and, like I said, all lined up, shoulder-to-shoulder, doesn't work for me. How do you do soffits with the cabinets changing height at the top? Or would you do away with that? If you drop the ceiling in the butler's pantry, might you want to do cabinets to 9 ft and have the ceiling where the cabinets end? Or do you want to store serveware or have lighting above?

Absolute no to the taupe. Go with the lightest gray-white color in your cabinet and color match that. Check BM Edgecomb Gray, but hard to tell with pic, or Classic gray. This will cool down and balance the warmth in the countertop. If you want to try brighter (off-white) look at BM Steam. But try to match that lightest color in your stone. I would do a similar color backsplash, elongated subway/something simple, with same color grout (or lighter grout). Absolutely change handle locations on cabinets, putty the holes where handles currently are in the middle of doors. Put knobs on cabinets in the corners, handles on drawers (as Filipe mentioned/showed). Current location makes them look extremely dated, plus poor function.

This is what I did in my kitchen, dining, great room....Hickory floors, Homerwood, random plank, factory finished in Saddle. Interior doors, solid wood ( for staining purposes, my builder used mahogany), and I chose the darkest color in the Hickory floor) for 12' bar and doors. Cabinets, walls, trim, painted in the appropriate finishes, Divine's Icing, sample is not showing true...gorgeous warm white. BTW, that a Japanese antique kimono on the wall. Doesn't show the beauty in the photo.

There are probably at least half a dozen colors that would work. Because all slabs of counter material are slightly different it is difficult for commenters to give you specific recommendations. You'll have to look at a dozen or more paint chips, then narrow those down to a couple and get larger samples of them. Look at them at all times of the day and on multiple walls. One or two should look right. Finally, paint one cabinet door as a sample before moving forward if you want to be sure. The type of finish will influence how the color is perceived. Since it's a rental you may not want to take this much time with it, but you have gone to the trouble of installing a nice countertop, so it might be time well spent. I hope you were not planning on just slapping some wall paint on the cabinets - there is a lengthy process for painting cabinets that you will want to follow in order to get a result that will last. Finally, be open to changing the wall color if it ends up not looking right with the cabinets.