I'll leave it to others to answer the more technical aspects of you question. I just wanted to share with you what I experienced in my kitchen. I have cherry cabinets.

When building, I just said carry the same color through from the family room into the kitchen. It was a shade of tan with some green undertones. The cabinets stood out against the pale color and the woodgrain in the cabinets went really flat.

After we lived there for a year or so, I realized it wasn't right. I picked up this rusty orange (took quite awhile to find) and it not only made the kitchen more cohesive, but it also brought out the graining in the cabinetry so the cabinets look even better.

I have natural cherry furniture. Previously, rooms were painted yellows, similar to Annie's top color above. After a while, I tired of the continual Fall tone, so I repainted in an offwhite cooler color. It immediately toned down the redness in the cherry.

Annie: I've always liked the color of your kitchen. Very pretty!

Thanks, Joyce!