You could try a traditional barn paint, such as milk paint. I've used Original Milk Paint before and it looks great! Not sure if can be used on an exterior, but it will certainly give you that color!

Wow, that was awesome Mark, thanks for that and everyone else. I thought about the desk facing the other way actually, to avoid feeling enclosed I do have really great views there so I thought about a small couch and maybe a bookshelf on the back, but having the dining table in front is probably not the best either.... complicated :( Here are a couple more pics, today was a beautiful day so I managed to get more of the views

I recently painted my doors, frames and skirting with a white gloss water based paint. I have had no issues with it. it has been done about 6 months. Has not peeled, chipped or anything like that, it wipes like any other gloss paint. It did not smell and went on fine. I gave everything two to three coats. The doors three very fine coats with a fine napped roller. Quite pleased with my efforts except where my husband dripped ceiling paint down one and did not notice grrrrrrr. He hardly ever paints (unsupervised) thought he would surprise me by doing cornice while I was at work, so the grrrrr was on the inside. The water based gloss does not yellow like the oil based paints.

Lighting - pendants over the servery bench should be another feature that complements your chosen kitchen surfaces. So whilst I love the copper pendants in picture 1.. They could work depending on the rest of your decor and would be a highlight in a neutral white/timber kitchen = Good! If you choose copper you would complement it with a couple of copper bench top items. These are beautiful! (I collect copper because I love it, my kitchen pendants are silver, I renovated to sell in the next 3-5 years) You will see a picture starting to form in your mind and there is nothing wrong with making a statement with your lighting. I found that when I wasn't sure I would get a very strong sense of what was right and what was wrong for a space, then common sense or passion would determine the outcome! Here are another couple that might work, look her on Houzz under lighting, search pendants, then have fun looking!Timber tones with black or white to complement your cabinets... or Statement white pendants for a bit of quirky fun! Your personality can be reflected in your lighting and accessories creating that point of difference from the predictable white on timber look. Plus don't forget the power of greenery to punctuate the theme!