That first photo looks nice, esp. if you like a sun-kissed look. A few years ago I looked at Windham Cream for other rooms in my house and I found it a pretty color, but too yellow for me. I already had a bad experience with Philadelphia Cream so I'm very skittish about yellow.

I just looked up your Cambria because I wasn't familiar with it. It does appear to have bits of green and gray, so you have a lot of options. Personally I like greens with stained wood, but the first one looks a little minty, the second one a bit better.

I suspect that the two colors in the first kitchen (first two pics) are actually the same paint in different light. It isn't unusual to see that kind of color shift in yellowish tones. It sounds like you like both looks, so that may not be a problem for you, but it's something to think about--and highlights the need for testing the paint in your own kitchen, and preferably on more than one wall of your kitchen.

I do like a sunkissed look I guess. But do you think Windham Cream is similar to what is shown in the pitcure? Or should I be looking at a different color?

I'm open to hearing about other colors too! I really want to get this nailed this week so I can paint the little bit that I have to before the cabinets go up.

To cawaps' point, the unfortunate thing I've found about paint colors is that the colors we see on the computer screen generally aren't the same colors that we would buy, so we end up commenting on a different color than what we think.

The approach I took was to go on GW, Houzz, and a bunch of other sites to get about a dozen exact color names that I might want to use, then to buy samples of each one to paint on the wall. I was looking for a light-blue grey color, but the one I picked wasn't even in the Top 10 of the ones I thought I would have liked based on looking at computer screens.

It's one thing to like what you see in a photo and then what it looks like in YOUR space. Doesn't mean the look you like isn't valid, but you may need to achieve it with a different color. I'm actually drawn to sunny yellows (e.g., your first photo and Fishies' cabinets), but I know that yellow can go rogue and get very crayon-y. I can offer no other advice than to buy samples to focus on and narrow down your choices, then start painting large patches on walls. Better yet, paint large, movable foamcore boards. Take your time: consider the colors in daytime, at night, on sunny and cloudy days. Good luck!!

I have natural maple cabs with a gray floor and gray/gold/tan granite similar in feel to your Cambria. We painted the walls BM Bridgewater Tan, which is that darker, toffee color in your Cambria....might be too much since you have wood floors...how about a soft gray, which also looks pretty against maple cabs....we had already painted our cabs when we had a color person help out with the rest of the main floor..she suggested BM Himalayan Trek for the kitchen--which we may do eventually.

I agree with the above. Narrow down your choices, buy some paint samples and paint them on various walls in your space. That way you can see what the lighting in your space will do with the color.

Paint color is tricky. I had such a hard time!

I like the lighter colors as well. I was looking for a light beige and I had a tough time finding something that wasn't too yellow, too pink or too gray. Undertones are tricky. The color will change based on the lighting and also the other colors that are in the space.

Good luck!

All great advise as usual from our GW members. My vote would be to go green. I love all beiges, but I think it will look washed out next to your cabinets.
For fun, if you have a sample piece of your counter, you can have the green color matched. Not saying that this would absolutely become your choice, but it might get you going in a whole other direction.

I went to BM during my lunch break and got a bunch of paint chips and samples of Windham Cream and Moon Shadow (which is supposed to be a match for Restoration Hardware Sycamore Green). I'll try them when I get home.

I dont actually think that Cambria Victoria has any green it in, but I think it will "go" OK with green walls. Its more gold/brownish to me, but when you see a huge slab of it, it does not register gold at all. In our last house we had the same color (Victoria) for countertops and we had RH Butter walls and that went fine, but I was looking for a lighter yellow this time, or a different color.

Basing colors off of what you see on a screen is very tricky - first, you have to hope that the people taking the photo color corrected it (the first two images look like they were done by someone who knows a bit about photography, so it's likely that they were color corrected). Then, you need to have a calibrated monitor - most people don't do this because it requires a piece of software and a calibration device that costs a few hundred dollars to ensure that what you see is what was represented in the image. After that, you need to take into account that the luminosity of the monitor is different than IRL (this was the hardest thing for me to figure out exactly when sending images to my lab). And finally, you need to take into consideration that light is a bit different in different parts of the world and that differences in window lighting and when the image was taken can reflect a color differently.

So, all of that to say - get some ideas of what colors you think you like. Go look at the chips in the paint store. Take them home and look at them in your space. Narrow it down and buy a few samples of the ones you think that you like - when we painted, we started out with 4 samples. We got to the one that we felt most closely represented what we wanted and then went back to the store again to get a few variations that were close to what we liked the best out of our samples. Ideally, you'll find a color that allows you to keep your existing colors that are in the adjoining rooms and will complement your new kitchen cabinets, counters, etc.

I have Windham Cream, and on my monitor it looks very much like the first picture. But I agree that you need to see it in your house during different times of day.

Well I tried the colors out last night.

The Windham Cream is too light. Its very nice, but it does really just blend into the natural maple cabinets. I might use Windham Cream in my windowless mudroom though. Maybe it will brighten it up?

I then tried both the Clay Beige and Moon Shadow (a color match I think to RH's Sycamore Green). Moon Shadow looks dark on the wall, but it really looks nice next to the natural maple. And I wont even have much spaceon the walls for the green paint anyways. If I did it, it would probably just be in the kitchen area (just around windows mostly) and on 2 walls in the eating area. So it probably wouldnt look that dark.

And I also loved Clay Beige. It goes very nicely with the maple and the countertop. I took some pictures but I dont know how well the colors will show up.

Here is a picture taken at more distance.

Is the clay beige on the right? I am into neutrals right now and I think the color on the right goes really well with yours cabinets and countertop!

Yes, Clay Beige is on the right.

The maple will probably age yellower...mine did. I think the clay beige will ex excentuate that, I prefe r the greenish or even a grayish green//blue.

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I love the first picture, sun kissed with soft yellows and golden tones. The blue green of the island breaks it up, but golden rooms are pretty regardless. Of the two samples you posted above, I like the soft muted green on the left. I think the one on the right would look good too. They all feel completely different, so that's what I'd go by.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 12:24

I prefer the greener color on the left. I had something similar to that (BM Camouflage) in my kitchen when I had golden oak. Even though I didn't like the oak color, the green looked good beside it. I still have Camouflage in my bedroom and it's been great. They should have called it Chameleon.

One more color to throw in the mix. I had gotten a paint chip of BM Affinity collection Tranquility (a blue color) and DH found it at home and likes that. But he said to just pick a color (he likes the green (Moon Shadow) or this Tranquility color.

So what do you think of Tranquility? Should I buy a sample and try it? Or do you think I should stick with the green?

I really like the green too.

I don't think the blue relates to anything. The greens and clay color do because they are earthy, and also seem to pick up tones in the counter.

I love the green colour - I have honey coloured maple shaker cabinets w/ brushed nickel hardware and we just did a mini-reno - put Desert Green granite countertops in, along with green glass BSw/ light taupe grout - walls are a speckled green/taupe/honey colour. Floor is a taupe/honey Pergo vinyl tiles. New SS appliances, double Blanco sink and Hansgrohe faucet.
The green is a natural contrast to the wood - very soft colour you've chosen. At the very worst, it's only paint - an easy and cheap redo if necessary.

I vote green (fair warning, I almost always go for green!)

Moon shadow is one of the colors I am considering also..

Ok, we've decided on the green. I did buy a sample of Tranquility, but it does not really look that great with the countertops. The green wins!