We're refacing cabinets with Doormark wild apple (brownish-red cherry) cabinets. We have light oak floor & bordeaux granite (darkish - brown/red/black) countertops. What paint color is suggested between cabinets and countertop? We also have an island with picture-framed sides to be painted. Advise. Thanks.

Sounds beautiful. Keeping that oak floor clean is going to be quite the challenge.

In a kitchen, unless you have a lot of natural light coming through the windows, you want to keep with lighter tones on the walls. You have a lot of warm tones in your kitchen which is good for that room. You want to find a color that will not overwhelm and "outshine" what you have created. That will blend into the background and bring out the lesser/lighter colors in the granite.

Get some swatches from your local paint store, home depot or Lowe's. Sometimes they have color combination suggestions in preprinted brochures. See if there is anything that remotely matches what you have and start from there.

If there isn't a Home Depot or Lowe's nearby or even if there is, see if there is a Kitchen showroom in your area. Go look at what they have on display. There may be something there that will give you ideas.

Go to your local Barnes & Nobles or Borders book stores. They have a magazine section with home decorating magazines. There are magazines specifically geared toward the Kitchen and Bath. Again, you might find something in the pictures that is close to what you have and you can pick up ideas from there.

As for the island, you have a fantastic opportunity to do some "low-key" kitchen murals! Depending on what you plan on hanging on your walls, you may want to tie murals into those. Again, check the magazines. If that doesn't appeal to you, paint them the same colors as the wall color you have chosen.

Hope this helped.

Glad to be of help dcc733. I love decorating. It sounds like you created a beautiful environment. FYI, once you have chosen a few colors that you think you will like, buy them in quart size, not gallon. Pick a couple of places on the wall that the sun might shine on. Paint "swatches". You know, small patches to give you an idea of the color. Live with them for a week or so. See how they reflect the light at different times of the day. This will help you narrow it down to the color you like. You may not like any of them! Paint over them with white and start again with other colors until you find what you do like.

Good Luck! Happy Painting! :)