I really like navy and walnut together and I don't think it would be too dark. Here's a design board I did a while ago with a nautical theme. I changed out the counter top to walnut for you.

As I said, I was thinking nautical, and tan pants with a navy jacket and white shirt is kind of the old school yacht club "uniform," so I paired the navy and white cabs with a tan floor. The walls are a darker taupe--that's BM Kingsport gray on the walls. If I'd been starting over fresh, I might have done tan walls with a darker floor. With a marble backsplash, you could certainly go more gray.

Anyway, I hope this helps you visualize.

Oooh, I think you should do it! I love navy and walnut together. I don't think it would be too dark, especially with the white perimeters. My island is almost black with walnut and no one cautioned against the combo.

It sounds gorgeous! I don't think it would be too dark.

We are doing our island in BM Polo Blue with lighter quartz counters but our kitchen table is stained a darker walnut colour with cloud white walls. I love deep navy and creamy white colours.

Lovely! We have some accents in our house painted BM westcott navy. Its dark (darker than any of the pics posted above), but there is definitely enough contrast with wood. And I don't think the scheme you're describing sounds too dark overall.

Check out the Young House Love showhouse kitchen!

Here is a link that might be useful: Young house love showhouse kitchen

Navy and white is a fresh, underused combination in kitchens. I like the idea.

Oh, my that's a great color combination.
Something I learned, though, is that the underlying hue of the gray can change the way the navy looks. Please make CERTAIN to do large samples in all the different lights your kitchen will experience.

I've recently been really drawn to the dark navy that has almost some royal blue in it. Can't explain. There's a milk paint color I drool over, but I'd have to have it matched, because I'm not looking to have that area myself, chip.

I really look forward to seeing your kitchen. I always sigh when I hear someone's ripping out a period kitchen and its walls. After all, why was a period house purchased in the first place? But done right, it can really enhance the beauty and flow of a home.

Promise the eye candy, OK?

Thanks for all the encouragement! I'll definitely post photos when done.

@renov8rr, do you have pictures of your kitchen yet? I'd love to see how that turns out

@CEFreeman, yes, I've noticed just in photos online that the same paint color can look very different in different rooms. I'll need to get some test pots and try out a few different colors. How do people normally handle that? Do you need to paint on a sample cabinet panel that's the same wood as your actual cabinets? Does it need to be primed first, or can I just use some scrap plywood?

We are waiting for the cabinets and island to be installed. I will post when it is done. Also we are keeping the walls cloud white as well and the bottom cabinets are in a creamy beige called clunch.

I just painted big squares of different paints right on the walls. Then, my drywall man gave me "the look" because he had to skim coat the squares or they difference between unprimed drywall and the painted squares would always show through my paint. Who knew?

So... I'd do what most wise people here do: Paint on big pieces of cardboard. Not only does it not screw up future paint jobs, but you can move them around in different light. Sure, if you have an extra cabinet door that would be great.

Keep in mind that the sheen of the paint used can also make it look different. So if you're going for some kind of a gloss, the flat samples are going to appear different.

I saw a credenza painted in the dark navy blue I was thinking off. Thought of this thread, but didn't save the link. If I can get ahold of it again, I'll post the pic. GORGEOUS.

Love the color combo. Our bedroom is BM Hale Navy, with dark wood floors and white trim, bedding. I think it would be wonderful for the kitchen.

Love your colour scheme. I would really recommend checking out some of the dark blues that Farrow and Ball has...they truly have some amazing depth.

Here is a link that might be useful: F&B strong colours

The HGTV Smart Home had navy cabinets. It's a gorgeous kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: HGTV Smart Home

I really like your idea to include navy in your kitchen. Re testing samples, my local hardware store sells sample white boards just for this purpose for $1.50 each. They're nice and thick and have labels on the back so you can write down the color. Much better than painting on the wall since you can carry them around the room to test the color in different lights. I used cut pieces of drywall once and that was not ideal.

I think the navy with walnut top is too dark. But that's just my opinion, and obviously everyone likes different things. Having said that, I think it also depends on the size of your room and how much light you have in there. I have navy and white. I wasn't afraid of the cabinets and the tops, but I was afraid of painting the entire walls navy. I have a long kitchen, so plenty of room and light for dark paint, but it still scared me. After I bit the bullet and did all 4 walls navy, I ended up loving it. Anyway, you asked for opinions, and I just think navy and walnut is too dark together.