Might sound crazy but a subtle two tone might work not colour blocking but a gradual subtle shade diff a soft off white blue grey teal on top that will not fight against the very bright white window frames and keeping a small room light.. and then getting to a soft blue grey darker teal colour with a soft graded border. And consider painting the unit soft white with an all surface soft white mat or soft sheen paint. Pop up a large piece B&W family photo or a family picked piece of wall art or something wacky like a giant gold fish on a white background framed in a thin bright orange frame and job done...or look up dark snugs/dens with rich bold colours can work well if done correctly .. good luck..

When you say your wall colour is “strong white” do you mean Farrow and Ball Strong White? Looks lovely. I’ve got the same dilemma-Dove Grey units in an east facing room which gets not much light. I’ve tried a million samples and can’t find that “right one”. Thanks

Thanks for all the comments. In reference to drawing attention to it, it's a fair point but isn't it a bit like a skirting board? Dark wall, white skirting board, stands out. We all do it. White walls with white skirting board would look odd, no? Personally, I like the dark grey pelmet (by the way, ignore the units below, there's no worktop on them at the moment) partly because it's not doing what is always done and partly because it does act a bit like an underline. My more important other half, however, prefers the light grey. She's the boss so she wins :/

Now I think you have a good point there. Choosing a deeper neutral sounds good. I’m a fan of colour and I have a Dulux minty green in my kitchen, F&B Cromarty in my sitting room, Dulux Egyptian Cotton in the bedroom and aqua in the other bedroom. All these shades are soft though so not garish, apart from a navy feature wall in kitchen. Dulux do some lovely neutral shades like Perfectly Taupe, Chic Shadow and Polished Pebble. Of course colours are affected by the light in the room and those sort of shades can look a bit grim in a dark north facing room. PERFECTLY TAUPE CHIC SHADOW POLISHED PEBBLE