apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'd keep the cabinets yellow - they are so unique! What if you painted the walls a nice taupe-ish brown color... it could really warm things up. I can't really tell from the picture what color your countertops are, so that might work. Another option would be a pretty shade of bright (not on the lime side) green. Grey would be my other suggestion, because I just really love a yellow/grey combo, but not sure how great that would look in a kitchen - might be too drab. The only wall color I'd definitely stay away from is blue - it will make the kitchen even more "country" looking.

Depending on whether you want to re-do everything or not, I'd either go with a warm brown for the wall spaces and keep the cabinets as is... or to a total redo and paint the kitchen red with espresso trim (my dream kitchen colour).

I have a white kitchen (landlord special before we bought the house) and I loathe it. Shows every splatter and stains easily. I spend more time cleaning this kitchen than any other place I've lived in. Only go with white if you're committed to a lot of cleaning.

I love how fresh a pale robin's egg blue makes a room look. I used Sherwin Williams' Tidewater for my art studio (sort of like a kitchen!) and it makes me so happy. You could do that on the walls, and possibly keep the yellow cabinets, or go tone on tone with the aqua colors, or even go bold with some terra-cotta mixed in, which i think would look very sophisticated.

I'd go yellow and white... are those wall tiles grey?
Maybe those just need a clean-up from the smoker.

I'd switch out the black hardware for chome bin pulls
http://www.antiquehardware.com/product/02016635/
or glass
http://houseofantiquehardware.com/3-on-Center-Glass-Bridge-Pull-with-Hexagonal-Posts
and i'd do curtians in this fabric:
http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/Item--i-AH-6670-A-YELLOW

My former kitchen was creamy yellow, because it was open to the great room, which was the same color. Always made me happy.

My current kitchen is terracotta, but only has one north-facing window and is a little dark as a result. I love Kuri's suggestion of red. Also a light, watery blue would avoid the country dilemma Scuuster raises -- I'm thinking about going with that for my redo, which I hope to get done in the next year.

It reminds me of that provincial french kitchen look. Which is a good thing in my book. The trim seems like a nice mustard yellow. You could take a look at french country linens or tuscan ceramics for some ideas....

What about a pale yellow?
http://www.couleurnature.com/97-12-6-p-placemats.html

Or a pale olive?

I wouldn't fight the country-ish elements of your kitchen (the hardware, the beadboard cabinets). But I wouldn't add display any milk cans stenciled with hearts birds and flowers either!

Try washing all the surfaces with murphy's oil soap solution- it did wonders on my grandparents 50-years-of-nicotine stained walls.

Check out this thread from the main site:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/at-home-cure/rebeccas-cure-week-15-choosing-my-wall-color-048707

She used Benjamin Moore's Nantucket Gray, which is a colour that I used for several rooms, including kitchen, in my last house. It is lovely in all lights and looks good with lots of accent colours.

I would paint the walls a nice orangy/red. Paint the cabinets an light ivory or white with chrome pulls.White trim where the mustard is now and leave the windows uncovered. I do not know what your light situation is or if you are facing an ugly view. Happy decorating. It is great to own your home.

work that yellow... a light yellow would look nice. yellow on yellow is modern yet cheery!

Go to some of the paint company web sites and try out some colors to go with the cabinets using their on-line virtual room tools. Wall color is only part of the picture. If you keep the wall color soft, you can freshen up with minimal color changes by changing the hardware on the cabinets and by hanging framed prints (and/or resting them on that ledge above the windows). If you use the right type of graphics it will downplay the country feel and is not as intimidating as making a radical wall color change. You also have some room to play with a new overhead light fixture and a rug by the sink.

I say pick a color that complements you, your skin... after all you'll be the person using the kitchen the most.

Thanks so much everyone, your suggestions were really helpful. Not 100% sure what I am going to do yet but I feel a lot more confident moving forward with making a choice now.