You've asked a key question, how do you make it all relate? Although your kitchen is not to your taste it is what is on trend right now. If you want to paint, maybe make a mood board for the whole space for yourself so you end up with a cohesive whole. I agree the cold white on the wall unit is jarring against the soft warm tones of the wall color (and the kitchen).

You could use the same Manchester Tan but in a different finish and it will look like a slightly different color but coordinating. But I would agree to go to another color. Darker colors will recede, lighter colors will come forward, but not necessarily be so dominant like the cold white. You could go a shade or two darker, a coppery brown, or even a charcoal. See the first palette from the blog below to see how her colors work with MT.

https://landoflaurel.com/2019/10/02/6-no-fail-whole-house-paint-color-palettes/

You're repainting the cabinets including the vent hood but what about the island? what will you do with that.

The area with the wall unit - what is that and what furniture, colours, etc are in there? Is that area coordinated with the kitchen in any way? Are you keeping the same ORB light and hardware?

By the way - I love the upper windows on either side of the vent.

@blfenton Wall unit was a honey stain so the white is just primer. I don't really have a problem with the walnut stain of the island like I do with the cream cabinets that have yellowed over time. May paint the hood the same as wall color - depending on the wall unit. Cabinets used to have painted wood knobs. Changed them to burnished brass which ties in with the candelabras in the light fixtures but willing to change cabinet hardware. Keeping the lighting fixtures, recently installed.

We moved/covered everything for the spray painting so no pics of decor/furniture. Currently have cream and navy accents in the space, but I rotate soft goods and accessories frequently. These are things that are flexible to me because they are more easily changed than paint. Right now I'm on the cabinet painter's schedule. I had already decided on the wall unit paint color before I hired him but will add a new comment with more detail. Thanks for your compliment on the windows!

@jenny Interesting that you mentioned the option of doing the wall color because I wondered if the different finish could add enough tonal interest. I am definitely considering that.

In fact I mentioned the same thing to someone who said "No, you want the wall unit to pop." Do I??

I think I am leaning toward a more tone-on-tone muted feel right now. I thought I knew how to achieve that but more on that in my next post. I'm drawn to the Spanish style in your link and also modern Mediterranean and California casual styles. We live coastally but I'm not really into a cottage vibe.

I forgot to mention the white is just primer. We are in the process of painting now and ran into a snag which is making me question my original plan. And my life lol. Thanks for your input!

**Okay. This is a longer story. Bleeker Beige LRV 51 and Feather Down LRV 73 surround Manchester Tan LRV 63 on the wheel. I thought the difference of about 10 in either direction might be enough to create contrast but not too much. I have used both colors in other parts of the home and felt confident in going with one of these for the wall unit. Settled on Feather Down because I wasn't sure I wanted to go darker. Figured I could go even lighter in the kitchen cabinets such as White Dove. Possibly change the trim to White Dove as well.

Here is where it gets tricky. Painter uses a special BM lacquer that can only be sprayed, not rolled. Arrives at the house with this product in Feather Down. Even when dry, it shows up as a creamy yellow like the cabinets - exactly what I'm trying to avoid. It looks nothing like the Feather Down in my dining room. Granted they are different finishes and different lighting but what I don't understand is the big difference in undertone. Feather Down in our dining room leans a touch green, not yellow and if anything looks like a sort of light greige.

Now I'm stuck. I'm wondering how the undertone can be so off from one paint product to another in the same brand, and how to get an accurate match. Do I need to go in a whole other direction? Should I just go darker with the Bleeker Beige? Try cutting the Man Tan by 50%? It won't be accurate unless it's the actual lacquer cabinet paint @ $70 a pop bc it doesn't come in smaller sizes and has to be sprayed not rolled. Sprayer has to be cleaned with every color change as well as sand the piece, prime and start over. Rinse and repeat. On top of running to the larger store that carries this special product. I have asked painter about changing products but he is unwilling to use a product he's unfamiliar with. And naturally we're under a time crunch lol

Has anyone ever heard of or used this BM lacquer cabinet paint?

Any thoughts on what to do next? I am so lost.

I would consider one of three ideas (this is me talking if I was in this situation) I would either paint the wall unit the same colour as the walls, or the same colour as the cabinets or a dramatic colour such as navy or a sage. You also have to decide if the area on the other side of the peninsula is to be treated separately or is the whole area to be treated as complimentary.

I wouldn't paint the wall unit slightly off (lighter or darker) from the wall paint. That wall could wind up looking like you couldn't decide which off-white colour to choose.

@blfenton Hm, good point. I def don't want 50 shades of white. The Bleeker is more of a taupe than pictured but Idk if I want more browns. It's a good idea to save whatever white for the kitchen cabinets.

Starting to lean toward the same color as wall (or a fraction of it?) for the unit. I do agree that a totally different color like navy would be pretty but I like to display blues in it so I think I'd better keep it neutral. I did navy in my powder room but it would be a real commitment on that monster.

This has given me much better direction. Big thanks for taking the time to help!

Sorry but IMO the kitchen style and that wall unit do not work togtehr so what is the big need for the wall unit which BTW is a dated look and tha one has a king od Spanish look . I would paint it like the walls anf hope it kind of disappears if you must have it.

@Patricia Are you married? Just a little tip: Sometimes one must compromise with a partner to maintain a healthy relationship and after 30 years I think it’s been a success.. A perfectly designed room is not what keeps one warm at night.

The wall unit was custom made with a designer, so my husband is not willing to throw a five figure solid maple quality piece of craftsmanship into scrap after a few years. Painting it was our compromise because he prefers to see the wood grain. Clearly I am already aware it’s dated and that is why I’m trying to figure the best way to get it to recede in the space which I already mentioned.

That is also why I included the disclaimer in my first post because I have seen how threads get derailed. OP has one issue and it is not long before at least one person seems to derive pleasure in rudely insulting their house which is their HOME that they’ve worked hard for; it’s not just a job site. Imagine not having disposible income (or your clients money) and truly consider how you as the homeowner would deal with this problem of the color you've successfully used in another room is coming out completely differently. Perhaps you did not take the time to read the details before commenting and that’s fine if you don’t have the time to thoughtfully consider a solution. Feel free to scroll onto another if my post is too long.

Oh and PS painter is coming back soon. This is the real world where real people have to work on a time crunch. I would happily love to play at redesigning the room and even entire house we built if I had CAD skills and no budget.

I would paint everything in your kitchen the same color as the walls. I like the idea of the kitchen receeding into the space. Your lanterns are fantastic and will pop a lot more. I also think the dark bands on your hood are handsome and a strategic use of accents. You can add more kitchen color in the way of counters and tile later on.

I would paint the wall unit a slightly darker neutral color. I love the color that is on your hood now. Perhaps that would be good for the wall unit? I might also like the wall unit to have a really rich darker tan on the back wall of all the shelves and cubbies and a lighter color on the body of the piece.

Love your disclaimer about not giving useless suggestions unless the commenter has the money to fund it for you. Brilliant!

@kendrah That idea crossed my mind, about doing the backs of the shelves a different color, depending on the base unit color. I like it. Appreciate you weighing in and for also adding some positive feedback. Thank you for your kindness.

Typically I paint living room built ins the trim color. Since you already have a walnut island I would find a new neutral you like for the kitchen cabinets.

I disagree with Patricia that a wall unit is a dated look. There aren't many ways to display items that you have collected/inherited over the years and want to see them every day. I designed mine to include the Frame TV from Samsung.

See that round brass plate on the lower left ... I saw that being hand-carved by a young boy in Morocco when I was 10 years old, when we went on a family vacation, a long time ago! Nothing dated about having a place to display things that are important to us.

For yours, I would streamline the paint colors. One for all the cabinets/trim and one for the walls. You have enough going on in the space without adding color-blocking.

I used BM Chantilly Lace for most of my cabinets, built-ins, trim and doors. My walls are BM White Dove, so not a huge contrast.

I don't think that the cabinet is dated at all I think it also ties in with the windows on either side of the vent with the rectangular shapes and the curves of the scroll work. But that doesn't mean I would play it up with painting it a different colour. I still think that you have to limit your paint colours because of the other elements going on in the room.

I'd pick up that same minty/sage-y green for the wall unit as you have on the base cabinets on the right hand side. Will tie everything in.

@chispa That is a sweet story. Thank you. Display is definitely needed, especially in an open concept home. I have very few walls for artwork, even, which makes it challenging to showcase any personality. Unlike your wall unit, mine is bulky. Yours is great, with the frame TV.

So I agree with you and @blfenton that limiting my paint colors will help streamline the elements. As of right now I am leaning towards keeping it simple and painting the trim, wall unit and cabinets to White Dove, with an eye toward changing the tile/granite hopefully in the near future. For the hood and pantry door I'm thinking of doing the wall color or the White Dove and hopefully that will make everything less busy.

I can see so many options which makes it tough to stick with a decison. At least with white, I am thinking if it doesn't work it would be easier to paint over if I had to.

@Sabrina Yes, that is something else I considered - that way I will be sure about the color since we are having so much trouble getting the Feather Down to look like my dining room.

It's also a good idea I think because the wall unit is a different height and depth than the kitchen cabinets. That is what had me hesitating about painting everything the same color. A designer once told me not to try to match everything. Which is why I have been all over the place on this lol. But that was years ago... And I might want to change the green but I get your point: paint them both the same.

I’m with Sabrina - pull in that green from the lower right side of the photo. If you do navy, then the things you want to display won’t look right. The green ties together the two spaces, gives the large unit some “presence” and reduces the everything-the-same-color problem.

I love the green - and the unit is outside the kitchen so trying to match the cabinets feels off.

Ally Kat, it's a very pretty kitchen. I think I'd paint the wall unit the same soft green as the drawers in the lower right of your pic. You can use a few soft green and blue accessories in the kitchen to tie everything together.

I would paint the wall unit the same shade of green you used on the cabinet in lower right corner. Will look nice. As it is, the white is too stark of a contrast imo.

@Cara Filder As I said in my post, the white is PRIMER. Thanks for the input.