Kitchen Design Time

I wonder if asking others for their opinion about kitchen design is like asking their opinion about unborn baby names. You know, like you tell someone what you're leaning towards, and they make a "oh, that's nice" face?

But I'm going to go for it. Meaning, I'm going to show you pictures of our kitchen inspiration. Be honest and brainstorm with us. Just don't be sad if we don't ultimately choose your design.

What I like about the first kitchen below (from The Inspired Room) is the charcoal grey lower cabinets and white upper cabinets. I like the way they look on hardwood floors (which we'll keep in our kitchen) and how they lighten up and modernize the look. Stained wood can be beautiful too, but I think we'll have enough of it on the first floor that the kitchen needs to be something different.

I also like the white subway tile with dark grout, but wouldn't be able to handle white countertops. Would something darker contrast too much with a white backsplash?

Another thought is making the upper cabinets with glass fronts, just so things don't look too whitewashed? We are planning to have small cabinets all the way to the ceiling, so perhaps just having glass fronts on the small top cabinets, like this:

Transitional Kitchen by San Carlos General Contractors Allwood Construction Inc

What do you think? Let's hear your honest feedback!