Hi Irina, I hear you, warm grey can be lovely teamed with antique white, but your kitchen is not particularly spacious, has a lot of corners and no windows to throw a lot of light in. If I were working with you, I would try to persuade you to stay with the existing colour if the finish is still in good nick. Why? Because repainting panelled cabinetry in a high traffic area can be a fiddly, repetitve and expensive task if it is not absolutely necessary. Have you already purchased the benchtop stone for your kitchen yet? If so, what lead you to that choice? Did you compare sample pieces on site next to your existing fittings? If it already purchased and it doesnt go with the cabinets, get lots of little tester pots and try out a few shades with the new stone. Which Caesarstone white are you going for? Pure White or Snow? Pure White goes nicely with Taubman's Bassinette or Cotton Sheet (Bassinette being slightly brighter for a dark area), also with Dulux's Snowy Mountains Quarter or Casper White Quarter. While Snow lends itself to a warmer white, ie. Dulux's Antique White Quarter strength. You also have the sheen level and the light available to contend with in your kitchen. If you can get away what is already there, you could always change the door handles/ knobs over to stylish pewter or nickel which would offer some kind of contrast. Sorry if i just completely confused you!!

i have not looked into the splashback pricing yet, as i am still stuck onto the colour fr the cabinets. we have to decide it tonight. I have been looking at warm whites, as suggested earlier in the thread. Antique white USA in 1/4 strength i think will go with the grey colored stone. I have read tht in full strength it throws cream tones. NOt sure if this colour scheme will work. i still have to decide the wall colours for the kitchen. We have finalised hog bristle1/4 for the living area with natural white for ceiling n trim.

Yes, changing the handles, if different sizes, will leave screw holes in cabinets. These have to be carefully filled and painted to match cabinet. If the handles you really want are bigger, then the original screw holes may be covered by new handle. If you really want the special handles, but spending priorities are needed, then I would source the cheapest possible handle, which is the same size as the handles that you really want. Big picture, is you may ruin your cabinets, which are a lot more expensive than handles.

I assume the cabinets are laminate though -- it would be difficult to repaint them , PLUS a decent amount of colour will take the focus off them . The walls seem to have a blue tinge to them -- to me ,that adds to the colder , austere look . If I was going to repaint anything , I'd actually opt to do the walls in a warmer English Cream , or even a slight Apricot tinge would be more my taste . And then , the right hand wall in your 'new'pic 1 ( I think it heads to the rest of the house ? Theres a door there ) I would wallpaper in a textured paper , again with apricot tones ,maybe something like relatively simple apricot and cream diagonals 12-15mm wide on a woven textured paper ? ) . And 'double down'with the splashback tiles on the 'front' of the island . So that whole room would be English Cream or maybe a slight apricot tinge , instead of the slight steel blue tinge , with the warmer brown tiles , the pretty neutral floor , the slight coffee cabinets -- and then orange appliances and stools and pendent lights possibly . Obviously , you'd then need to go warmer tones for your dining furniture -- wooden frames , or black gloss and dark glass table , and creams , apricots , orange upholstery ? Mind you , once your present furniture is added , that may be enough ? It looks coldish and too neutral now IMO , but nice furniture will divert most of that attention .