I think the off white would be great with the dark contrast of the counter and the red accents of the counter appliances. I like your wall color.

I too saw the episode that mayhehe is talking about and I found pictures of the kitchen on HGTV website. The colors were perfect and made the kitchen look high end. I wanted to repaint my cabinets to grey after I saw the kitchen.

Although I really like a lot of the black cabinets that I have seen, I think I would have to side with your hubby on this one. Your kitchen already looks dark. A couple of weekends ago, HGTV ran marathon episodes of the new Sarah's House. She painted the kitchen in two shades of grey - on really light and one medium tone. Although I am not normally a fan of grey, the two colors she used were beautiful! I think that might be a good compromise for you - would go great with your appliances, accessories, counter tops and the tile; wouldn't make your space to dark, and would work as a "neutral" if you ever wanted to change things.

Decor, thats exactly what we would be useing, is the rustoleum. we just have to pick a color. yes, i plan on re painting the kitchen no matter what color we do the cabinets. and re doing the knobs too.

Doreen, your kitchen looks really nice. i was thinking about the lighter colors too. but i don't want it to look "too country" either. It's a hard decision for sure.

Search this site for Rustoleum Transformations. Lots of people are using their new cabinet and countertop products and getting great results. "Instant Granite" is another thing to search for. Results look good and have depth and reflection like the real thing. The backsplash material you've posted looks very busy for a small space. I've seen it used and at a distance it always reminds me of a spotted animal skin. Go to the website rustoleumtransformations.com for details on product and see what colors they offer that you like. Lighter walls might compensate for expresso, but they might have a red that would work for you too.

Your kitchen has a similiar set up to mine. I painted my cabinets a creamy white (BM cottonballs...there are sooo many whites. You could also consider grey, I think that would also be nice with red accents.