Not a yellow by name, but I was very happy with Farrow and Ball's Farrow's Cream. (If you give them the name and number of the paint color, just about any hardware store can produce the color in your desired brand of paint. I like, many, am a fan of FnB's paints as well as their paint colors. But I also think it is not heretical to copy the color if you don't want to buy super premium paint) Here is a link that might be useful: farrow's cream

I finally got pics of the place loaded into Picasa so thought I would share a few with you to get a better idea of my issue. These are from the day I actually saw the cottage for the first time (and signed the agreement!). Disregard the furnishings of the PO. The outside: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jKm1gHJaL48NY0pqtQ_Paw?feat=directlink Here's one end of the kitchen/DR combo room. PO had this as a LR/Kitchen combo. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PRSaJk9hooU21zOV6Qj0sg?feat=directlink Here's the other "kitchen" side of the same room: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tHQZu_yO1NzBSHWX6shJnQ?feat=directlink Here's the long hallway from the kitchen: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ygg8ZBYHid6l39VQDIDcqw?feat=directlink The more I look at these, the more "go off-white" feeling I have. It just strikes me as right with the dark wood.

Yayagal, I'm with you on the white spectrum being to the warm side. Put those pictures now on your other computer into a tiny USB smart drive that can be used anywhere. Then we won't be denied our "fix" while waiting for you to get back to the lake...when will that be, SPRING? OH SIGH.... :) It is surprising what a tiny bit of color can do. And even reflected light onto white (other colors but white especially) can do to a room. I learned that when I painted one wall in a room a nice broken lavender. (Broken color is easier on the eye than a smooth paint coat). I put it on the wall opposite the window, and the other walls and ceiling were white. When the ambient light fell on that light lavender, it bounced it onto the white walls and ceiling, and changed as the day progressed. Awesome. Folks might think that yellow, for instance, is a "warm" color, but not necessarily. It can be an EARTHY yellow, like ochre, or it can be a hard chemical CHROME yellow, which is a brazen color and does not fit with a warm pallette. So finding out the formula for your paint is a good recommendation. Going back to the basics is important if you wish to have a cohesive environment.

Keeping in mind that my laptop does not show colors very accurately: I like your floors, they are a good combo with the cabinets and a little on the warm side with the swirls of neutral colors. So you want counters that harmonize with both the floor and the cabs. I agree that the paint is too cool for the cabs and floor. If you want to stay with blue, look for a warmer toned blue; but I also think that a soft creamy white, or tending toward a light beige, even maybe a warm greige, would be better. I would strongly favor a light, quiet (not a lot of swirls and speckles) counter. I have granite myself, which was a choice based on budget (it was cheaper!) and looks, but I don't have the idea that a lot of people have that granite is necessarily "higher end". The important thing is, does it look right with the rest of the kitchen (and house)? There are many advantages to quartz and in many kitchens quartz is the best look. I think that may be so for your kitchen also! I think a somewhat creamier white would be good, maybe one with quiet tan/gray veining to echo the floor colors. A compromise (and usually economical) choice might be honed steel gray granite-- if you really want to stay with a darker counter. Search the kitchen forum for pictures showing some kitchens that used it. It would be not that dark, would emphasize the gray in the floor, and would work with the backsplash and appliances. Don't worry about matching the appliances. I don't agree that they will be "sore thumbs" if you go with a light counter -- how many times have we seen beautiful black/white/wood combos in kitchens? A lot. In this case, it will the be appliances, backsplash and hardware that bring the black accents instead of the counter. Plus, you never know when the refrigerator will bite the dust, in which case you can switch to SS or white if you wish. (also, appliances can be reface in another color if needed!)