slandreas, I would leave them as they are. Painting the planks the lighter, glossier color of the cabinetry should make the planked section appear to slightly advance into the room (just the opposite of the image below in which the center section recedes) and the wall seem a little more dimensional. If you use good quality v-groove planks and are meticulous about your edges then a line of caulk should be all you need. I know this picture is not exactly what we're talking about but it shows somewhat the same effect of drawing the entire center section into one floor to ceiling plane so that, as is the case of your kitchen, whatever unbalanced bits are within it become less distracting.

I like grayed greens for a neutral in most instances where choices have to be made before all the pieces are in place . There is no paint that takes the place of natural sunlight so unless you have that the lights will have to be on no matter the wall color.I find all of those colors pretty beige and not something I would choose for my clients these are the types of colors that I find much more neutral than beige and they look awesome with wood . Make sure your lighting is all LEDs in daylight color so between 3500 and 5000K and remember pot lights in vaulted ceilings never reach the living space so you will need to have dropped lighting form the vaults . You might want to check out cable lighting it allows light in vaulted spaces to be at human levels Sea Salt is very nice cut 25% BTW.And a pic of cable lighting in a vaulted ceiling

What about a sideboard type piece of furniture that could store pet stuff? And nice decor or artwork above. There are products out there, look for "pet feeding station" or similar. You could also put together a simple "hack" with room for bowls or crate

Not enough detail. Please include a photo of the kitchen and the wall in question.