I see a fair amount of white on white.

pick something besides a battleship gray. will you be doing an island? navy blue or a deep blue/gray is a nice choice for an island. two-tone cabs are also an option.

these are a very nice combo.

these are SW Iron Ore and City Loft (which is a very light gray)

This is also a beautiful combo. not sure of the darker color. looks great w/the gold hardware and white oak floors.

SW Comfort Gray

Pure White

SW Frosty White

but, if you want grays, then try some of these. Silver Strand is a nice shade,,

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/inspiration/gallery/interior-rooms/kitchen I love this cayenne SW 6881 and wool skein SW6148 combination, especially because it lets you bring some gray/blue/or even navy into the kitchen for countertops to 'cool things' down a bit, and accents. The cayenne has just enough orange in it to prevent one from getting 'red eye', looks more modern and really makes the cabinets look special. The wool skein brings in softness and a comfort to the area, and the blue counter lets the stainless steel appliances blend in nicely. If one wanted to do an island and base cabinets in the cayenne, with even a blue/ or blue gray countertop, and than do the Wool Skein on the upper cabinets and the walls? your kitchen would be very fresh, bright. By looking at this example you could have many options with these colors to choose other important kitchen/home surfaces, appliances,plumbing and electrical fixtures. This is a very cheery kitchen area!

that's a great combo, but no way that's wool skein in that picture. those uppers are far too white. maybe they mean the walls.

white is timeless and if you like to add colours you can always add them with small appliances ,towels ,pictures etc...

I like the white upper cabinets with the darker base cabinets -- especially that muted blue in the pic Kristie Garner's just posted.

Alternately, also consider two shades of the same color and sheen, with the darker shade on the base cabnets.

I thought perhaps the cabinets are a semi gloss Wool Skein and the natural light would make them look different, while the walls area matte sheen, and therefore look a bit deeper in color, especially where the window light does not shine directly on them-aka the exterior wall? But it's computer modeling likely so ?? Thanks for the comment. If her kitchen does not have alot of natural light, the colors will look different too. It will be interesting to see what colors she likes! :)

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-4-best-white-paint-colours-sherwin-williams/

How light is your kitchen? I would have loved to have had an all-white kitchen, but I have a huge (5') bay window over the sink, that is west-facing. The light in the winter (no leaves on the trees) is blinding in that room, and I've tried custom blinds/shades on that window but they're difficult to install and to reach to put them up and down. White would have been way too bright, so I chose SW Repose Gray. I painted the walls the same color but 1/2 strength. It suits my very traditional, 70 year old house very well, and is light without being blinding.

You say you are taking cabinets to the ceiling which is 10' tall. You do realize that getting to those upper cabinets will require a stepladder, not just a kitchen ladder/stool. 9' is a good height for a kitchen ceiling if you want cabinets to go to the ceiling. I have 8' and it's quite adequate - still have to grab the kitchen step-stool to reach the top shelves.

When I made changes to my kitchen the first time (33 years ago!), it was not a total gut but changes were made. I didn't take into account "access" and no pro ever mentioned it. I put in this huge bay kitchen window over my sink - it's quite deep and the side windows are casement and open/close. Or DID open/close! No one told me I would have to climb up on the counter while straddling the sink, to latch these windows or pull blinds up/down! It never occurred to me, either! All pros but clueless about function. My only excuse is that I was in my early 40's and had only recently started doing design work - maybe 3 years experience, and none in a kitchen. The GC and subs were all far older and very experienced!

As a result of that experience (casements are now closed and will never again be opened as they stick and one must climb up on a ladder on the terrace to hammer them shut), I am now all about function. I see these two-story rooms with pot lights and my first thought is dusting and how does one change the light bulbs? It's hard enough with an 8' ceiling and pot lights or even a hall pendent. All these fancy pendents over islands and cook tops - most with glass. Who's going to clean them and how often will they need to be cleaned?

One must LIVE in ones home. Form means a great deal to me as I'm a designer, but function must be taken into account, and in kitchens and baths, it must trump everything else.

Thank you so much for these comments. It is so helpful to hear all of these considerations. My husband and I are both 66 and doing a total remodel on our kitchen and using a wonderful kitchen designer. We both cook and need some areas which are separated spaces to do our menu items. We are looking at issues related to aging and the large amount of cooking we do for holiday and friend get togethers. Issues like: where do we set heavy pans when removing them from ovens, what items need to be closely placed together to make it easier to cook for big dinners, the ease of moving large dishes of food to table, etc. I am really trying to be mindful about all the things I didn't have the time to think about when we built our home 28 years ago and my life was filled with kid activities, work and lots of cooking!!

Vevmom, you're 9 years younger than I am. I'm assuming you still have your health; I did at 66. At almost 75, I no do. I still cook for myself, and do Christmas Eve for a small family, and a few other occasions, but my days of doing big cooking are gone. So is my husband; I lost him 13 years ago to prostate cancer, 27 months after he was diagnosed.

I don't mean to sound like "Debbie Downer" but things start happening as one ages, and they are rarely good things. While I think you need to take some of your concerns into account, don't totally design this kitchen about this level of cooking as you most likely will not be doing it 10 years from now - possibly not even 5.

If you need a place to sit down heavy, hot pans from the oven, I'd think of a place to use stainless steel, even if only a small section or perhaps butcher block (harder to keep clean and sanitized). I absolutely would have my island covered with stainless - it will solve many of your problems.

I used to cook for a crowd - anywhere from 40-150 women every single week for the women's guild at my church. I was using the church kitchen. Believe me, in commercial kitchens, things are not close together as the presumption is that different people are doing different tasks, so there needs to be separation of space, not closeness. And yes, my best friend (my co-chairman for the 3 years we did this), and one hired lady, plus her brother, the church sexton, who did all the clean-up.

I would keep some space for both you and your husband and divide the tasks. Then it all can end up on that big stainless-covered island for serving and later for clearing. Choosing the color is the least of your worries right now in the planning stage.

Thank you for all these great suggestions. I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. To loose him when you were 62 must have been so very hard. I know life can change on a dime. While I realize that we may not be cooking large dinners for ever, our house is the hub of our family, as our children and grandchildren live close by and are here often. I realize that can also change over time. It is such a luxury to have the time to really think about this.