My kitchen will be painted this week. Like most, I LIVE in the kitchen, lots of light, light wood cabinets, and I sit, cook & play here.

Your pup is so so cute!!! Have been meaning to comment on that.

I've decided to give you all a CP, btw - Chops Pick! My picture (with my pup) shows the "before"

Looks beautiful, love the view from the window. I think its a beautiful color.

Wow! Pretty cool! Or really, pretty warm and bright! Thanks for sharing the pic.

I'm in the home stretch of having all my interior paiting done. Here's a picture, not the best but its warm & bright at at the same time. I dig it. Now to do to my "punch list" Thanks everyone again!

I like a little more sheen in the paint itself in the kitchen, which is the only room where I have used a higher gloss paint on the trim...more reflective and easier to wipe. Otherwise I like eggshell finish on the walls. Color is such a personal choice, you do need to follow your preference...and you can always change it later if it doesn't inspire you!

Agree with ChefJune, go with what you love. I painted the trim in my daughters' room the famous Decorator's White at the suggestion of the painters who work for my contractor, and I hated it for 4 years. It has to be what you love & gravitate toward; others peoples' favorite colors may not be yours.

I'm glad you're going with your heart, SexyLambChopx. 6 years ago I painted my kitchen Provencal gold, and I still love it. Kitchen is large by New York standards (7 x 14) but small to everyone else. Lots of light from a huge window. The gold doesn't close the room in. I hated the white.that was there before. I called it "Copypaper white." It had no soul.

I have to agree with the gold/tan camp. Our kitchen is open to our living room so it's all one color and I chose a muted gold that I have loved for the past 5 years. It definitely changes with the light and is very versatile!

What amysarah said. Paint good size swatches on the wall (it's a good idea to paint on more than one wall if possible, about 12 or 18 inches square ), and check it during the course of the day as the light changes to see how you like it. One of the nice things about paint and color is how it changes, but if you have aversions to certain tones you may not want those tones to be brought out when the sun goes down. (I'm very particular about color) Some whites have green in them, some beiges go lavender or gold. I have a taupe in my hallway that I just love, it goes lavender in the evenings. We had to re-paint after water damage and my contractor "color-matched" the original color. It was a shade or two off (too wheat-colored) and I asked him to repaint. Difficult customer!! Luckily my contractor puts up with me.

Thats so cool, I really love that color. I have it in my living room also and it looks different than my kitchen because the light is different. I also work in my kitchen and I love looking at the color it's so beautiful. I agree with boulangere please post pics when you finish.

I'm swallowed up by the thought of choosing "a color that makes you happy!" And I hope you'll post a photo of the winner.

OMG, sdebrango. That's one of the contenders! Waiting right now for swatch and small paint sample!!!

I painted my kitchen a shade of yellow from Benjamin Moore its called Oriental Silk, its almost chameleon like. It's a warm yellow not brash and looks beautiful in natural light. My kitchen has a huge window so I get pretty good light by Brooklyn standards.

I buy "So I say find a color that makes you happy." I guess that's where I'm looking for approval or validation, no matter what the norm or whatever is in color. Peeps don't understand how much the kitchen space means to me for work & play. Painters coming in 25 minutes. I'm going to take a chance. Not a tragedy - a luxury about fussing over this. All the responses mean so much to me, and thank you for not rolling your eyes.

When I did my last kitchen, the floors were blue grey tiles, and there were light blue glass tiles in the backsplash, so I painted the walls a very pale blue. (I can't remember the name of the color.) It was counter-intuitive for a kitchen, but it made me really happy. The color was light and the kitchen had a peaceful feeling that made me just want to hang out there. I also had a big window that looked over a garden, and the blue brought the sky in. So I say find a color that makes you happy.

Even the mention of mustardy yellow makes me salivate. I'm in the process of choosing colors for my kitchen re-do as well, and one wall has that written all over it. It's warm, it's French, it's well, a yellow. Lucky you!

So appreciate the feedback. @rapearson i kinda liked my painters suggestion, kinda minx-y-like in color. @greenstuff (no pun intended) but you're right on about the green. I will pick a light color that works well with the natural light.And right on! about the point, "You can paint over it" - don't usually stress over this but I am or did. Love foodpickle and Food52.com

Hard to suggest a specific color without more info, but I strongly recommend testing paint in the actual room - depending on light (both natural and from fixtures), the other colors nearby, etc. it can look very different than it does at the paint shop. Also, the effect on a large area is very difficult to gauge from a small paint chip color.

The other thing is think about the color in relation to other colors/finishes in the room - floor tile, backsplash, counter material/color, cabinet (wood tone or paint color), any fabrics, and so on. Again, I always test at least a couple of colors in situ to see how they all work together. A painter can do it really quickly - as long as you have your selections ready...it's well worth it.

Ben Moore makes small testers in many colors, so you don't need to spend a ton on testing; Sherwin Williams will make up a small inexpensive sample that's just the medium mixed with pigment - i.e., not actually wall paint, but good enough to test color.

I like the gold/tan idea for a kitchen! Make sure to hold the swatches up in there as the light in a room makes the color look different.

Years ago, in the 40s or 50s maybe (?), there was some conventional wisdom that yellow was the best color for kitchens. Bright and cheerful and goes with colors like the blues that Sadassa_Ulna mentions. I have had yellow in the past, and it was indeed nice. I've also had a pretty pure white, which worked for me. And right now, I have a creamy white that's close to Navaho white, and I just hate it. I've considered mustardy, like you mentioned. But I do not believe that green is a good color for kitchens unless you are extremely lucky in your choice. Despite their being the color of a lot of food, most green paints just do not go with food. Have fun, and remember that the best thing about paint is that you can paint over it.

I like the gold/tan idea for a kitchen! Make sure to hold the swatches up in there as the light in a room makes the color look different.

Oh, Sadassa. Thank you for your resaponse. Yes, tomorrow morning is my last time do do swatches. I just don't want to play it safe with a white cream anymore. I work from home now on my laptop in the kitchen and it's my favorite room in the house. I look to the left to green grass and tall trees and can watch my dog on the deck. I was thinking maybe, don't laugh light evergreen or the painter suggested a color that was yellow minx (looked like light gold/tan). Is your ceiling really blue? Does it make the kitchen feel smaller? I have wainscoting, too.

I like saturated blue dishes and bowls because no food is blue; for the same reason (in part) I chose a sky/French blue for my kitchen, including the ceiling. In general I really like it and haven't tired of it, its been a few years now. I do have good strong lighting, so it works when the sun is down. Blue also feels clean.
Whatever color you consider, keep in mind that colors look darker on the [vertical] walls, so always hold your color swatches upright when looking at them...
Do you have time to do test swatches on your walls?

Thank you! Natural light inside - no florescent bulbs. I'm familiar with Navajo white, believe it or not. I was hoping to bring in some color to reflect my cooky personality and match the outdoors in. A big concern as well is cooking smoke, as well, that eventually compromises whites that makes it look like a hospital - like I have right now light a dirty white/yellow. In your opinion, any color (mustard, green, etc. light) work?

Personally I think the kitchen and bathroom should be the brightest rooms in the house (in part for safety reasons). Navaho white is a compromise. You don't want a hospital or marshmallow white. Also consider what type of lighting you have in there when the sun is not shining in. Flourescent tubes can make some shades look deathly.