This is what gray walls look like under your current lighting:

And this is how I expect daylight bulbs will affect the room:

Beautiful kitchen. Try changing the lights as groveraxle says. Then prime the walls with white primer. It will give you a good start for any new cream or blue color.

Do you have a central ceiling light fixture?

I love your kitchen, it's so very cozy.

I understand you prefer different colors yet if your granite stays(as far as I understand)-that's your restricting element..you can't departure too much from it, such is a nature of a stone-strong and a bit bossy.

So you still need to keep warm..say, cream walls..I like your backsplash as is, and to change it for something else you'll need to rip it out, otherwise you end up with two backsplashes..but for example you're fine with that, with taking the ledge one down-something like tile that will draw one of the colors your granite has, would be best.

I'd add hardware-easier to open, first of all..and it does personalize the kitchen a lot. You can take it several directions here. ETA: actually you have hardware. sorry. I didn't see it on my monitor. In any case, hardware is one of the things you can do to refresh things. One of the easiest ones.

And I wouldn't give up on my favorite colors-yours is blue? you can introduce it in accessories, small appliances, dishes in your glass cabinets, and whatnot. you can also use it on bar stools

I believe certain warm greens might work very well as wall color too, but as groveraxle said-they're going to accentuate your reds and yellows a bit..less so than if they were blues and grays, but still.

Very nice kitchen : ) .

I agree with most of april's points.

A lot of what you're going to be able to accomplish depends on what you're willing/able to change. Are you keeping the countertops and backsplash? The other thing to consider with the island is where the blue is in that kitchen, in the center with the upper cabinets and on the island, vs. your kitchen's orientation. I would do what april suggests and find other ways to introduce navy blue into your kitchen, with dishware in the glass fronted cabinet, a tea kettle, utensil holder, and -- though I very much like your bamboo blinds -- a Roman shade with a navy blue print.

I also don't see the greys you want working well with the existing brown and cream tones. I know grey is trendy right now, but that also means that it's on the way out. The greys that would work are the warmer ones, the "greiges", and that just adds more to the beige-y, taupe-y look you want to change.

You might try something a shade or two lighter than BM Simply Irresistible. I would also paint the wood trim white, the same shade as the ceiling (which may need repainting if you go with a lighter cream shade on the walls).

Thanks all for your feedback. Certainly changing the color of accessories can bring in the blue colors I'm thinking about. Do you suggest anything in blue? Painting the center island that has the cooktop? I could also remove the 3 inch back splash and do something like subway tile all the way up the back wall where the kitchen window is. Could that help brighten the space up along with new bulbs?

I know lots of people paint cabinets, but I wouldn't paint the island unless you know you're going to love this look for a long time AND you know that you or someone else can do a really good job.

Is the goal to make the kitchen brighter? If so, paint first -- a warm off-white, lighter than the current color, then remove the bamboo blinds and find a Roman shade that's mostly white with some blue, like something here,

https://www.blinds.com/p/blindscom-classic-roman-shade/501686

If you don't need the blind for privacy or glare, look for a faux Roman shade instead.