Love the photos and suggestions! Littlesmokie, I haven't read that book. I'll look for it in the library. I'm heading back to the F&B paint store tomorrow with my tile samples. I went to the store that carries FPE and just got completely overwhelmed. I can't make rhyme nor reason out of their system. I don't understand why they don't offer a deck of their sample colors. Pinch Me, though I love P&L tiles, their website is almost completely useless. My husband found the P&L catalogue online at http://digitallibrary.interiordesign.net/doc/Library/Pratt-_-Larson-Ceramics/2009063001/ which is so much more helpful. Their Victorian glazed tiles are even more delicious in person. The crackle and glazes and colors. Gorgeous! If anyone's interested in the funky green tiles I'm using, they're P&L R-gloss tiles, colors R-135, R-136, and #-137. If you want to go darker, R-108 is a deeper version of 137. For my counters, I hope to use soapstone. I think I can swing that in the budget. If not, I'll go with butcher block counters. Here is a link that might be useful: Online Pratt & Larson catalogue

Hi jmcgowan, Can't wait to see your F&B Pointing painted cabinets. Pointing was one of our top choices -- such a beautiful color! Our kitchen isn't that big by kitchen standards these days (it is 274 square feet). So the calm continuity of the same color on cabinets and trim works well in our ''smaller'' space. In general, however, I do like the play of different shades of white layered together in a room. So I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with picking a different white for the trim. In some cases it might add the depth or slight contrast that the room needs. My sense from your drawing is that your kitchen is quite a bit larger; perhaps that is why your architect thinks that in your space having different trim and cabinet colors will work well. I'd encourage him to tell you a bit more about his thinking on this. Again, he may well be right. In any case, once your cabinets are installed, if you decide you want to match (or not match) you can make that decision at that time. As for the counters, we had some rough ideas about what our counter top colors/material might be before we ordered the paint color for our cabinets; but we didn't know for sure. That was a bit of a gamble.

Is Dover White going to work with Anew Gray? I can't tell from the online color chips what they really look like. If the color undertones work together, I would suggest you paint the beadboard a color that is a lighter version of Dover White. The main thing is to keep the undertones from clashing.

The hardwood you hopefully have in an adjacent room, like the dining room. A nice medium deep brown Thus must ask..................what IS the flooring in the rest of your home? Also, what are the counters?