I couldn't follow what you meant by "light/white wood, paint/backsplash and countertop", and then "white-on-white-on-white". Maybe don't type forward-slashes and hyphens and instead say the colors of each thing specifically.

In any case, choose the backsplash last, after everything else is installed. But given what you've said about the lack of natural light, I'd choose the lightest countertop. The names you've provided don't help much, as most of us haven't memorized all the WilsonArt colors. Post photos of them please, along with flooring and cabinetry choices.

As a general rule, I say go with a light countertop. They are easier to work on anyway and with a small dark ktichen I would definitely go light. That said, pictures of your actual materials would be helpful as mentioned above.

I don't know what the specifics are but I have a small dark kitchen - it's in a high rise so kitchen is at one end of the living area furthest from the windows.

I am going with a dark granite counter. My kitchen is always going to need artificial light and I am making sure there is plenty of it including "decorative" light to enhance the contrast between dark granite and cabinets etc.

If your kitchen is dim, you are always going to be relying on good artificial lighting anyway. Once I turn on my kitchen lights, it's bright and striking :-)

My previous kitchen was a small galley with little natural light. When we remodeled, I was certain I wanted lighter cabs and a darker counter. However, after looking at a ton of inspiration photos and model kitchens, we ended up choosing espresso cabs with a white granite countertop. This combo actually reads brighter in that small space, because the light countertop reflects light and draws your eye. The dark cabs give the room an overall cozy feel while letting the counter be the star.

In our case, given the small space and lighting, there was no way the kitchen was ever going to look open and airy. We worked with its natural limitations instead and ended up happy!

Frieda, I understood OP to be saying KD recommends either light tones or white for all surfaces but she's afraid of an all white kitchen for her situation.

Magic, I recall some discussion of Spring or Winter Carnival on this forum. Try searching Kitchens with those terms to see if you can retrieve them.

I have a small, but very naturally well lit kitchen in the country. All surfaces get dirty in mud season with animals, light or dark, right?

If you haven't scrolled through Houzz kitchen photos, filtering for wood cabinets, putting every kitchen you like without thinking into an ideabook on your houzz page, do that. Then, look back and see if there are countertop/cabinet patterns.

I think it comes down to how each counter works with your cabinets. If you could post photos of those, you'll also get feedback.