Oh! OH! I know this one!!! Try a light gray-blue color on the walls. We have maple cabinets in our kitchen, and in the absence of natural light, they could look fairly orange-y. We painted the walls Benjamin Moore Quite Moments (or maybe it was just a singular "Moment" -- anyway, one up from Healing Aloe). It's a nice color, very changeable but goes with lots of stuff -- most importantly, though, it totally turns down the orange. People thought we'd installed new cabinets! (End of my Horshack moment!)

On re-reading your post, maybe you want to bring out the orange. In that case, I STILL KNOW THE ANSWER -- kitchen was originally a periwinkle blue and that orange popped like a pop-gun popping at a pop concert.

Or green. I'll shut up now!

I think I would go with a shade of blue to compliment the "orangeness" of the cabinets. keeping the towels/art/etc monochromatic so the focal point really becomes the vanity. If it were my bathroom, I'd use depression glass as a pretty way to store my cotton balls and other things I keep out in the open-- also to add more variety of color as you can find them in purples, greens, blues..

Nothing with an orange undertone. Try a slate blue with a hint of gray. Avoid the country blue color at all costs, though.

I'd think gray. Gray would look beautiful and warm with the orange.

agree with gray or blue. not sure why anyone ever ever paints the walls of a bathroom the color of urine

Change the paint color to something in the blue or grey family, but before you do that - change your lightbulbs.

Cool white is nice, but can be a little harsh, you may have to buy a couple bulbs in different 'colors' before you find one you like. They are returnable, totally worth it.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls_color

teal! light or dark!

I'm no color expert, but we solved a similar dilemma with Benjamin Moore China Blue. It's a bright but light turquoise color. We have orange-y woodwork, which might not have been my choice, but I think playing with the complimentary colors (blue and orange) makes for a really happy, modern look.

I vote for a rich blue, something between peacock and navy. Then change out the shower curtain for a white one and keep all the decorations white, glass or metallic. That would be a nice change from the brown tones in the rest of your house without being a wild color. If you still want more color, a bold fabric shade and some artwork would be nice.

I have the same cabinets in my bathroom. I ended up going with Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware after testing a range of colors in the blue/green/silver family. Good luck! Love to see how it turns out!

Brown results from mixing orange and blue. You could also go with anything in the "chocolate milkshake" family if you wanted something more neutral.

I have similarly colored cabinets in my bathroom and kitchen...I painted both bath and kitchen a really deep, navy blue with an eggshell finish. Both have windows so it doesn't look overly dark. It looks awesome.

You have great looking counter tops! I say pull a few colors out of that to test near the color of the wood. Go for a cool, complementary color. If it were any other room of the house I might suggest throwing caution to the wind and using a terracotta red and really playing up the western and southwest feel of the cabinet.

The light bulb idea is also important. It will change your whole perspective of the colors in the room, and since it is a bathroom, how well you can use the space functionally!

Colour theory would suggest blue should cancel some of the orange tones. That said, I'd lean to green.

I'll echo the votes for something from the blue/grey/slightly cooler green end of the spectrum.

I will add to the chorus of those calling for a blue-tinged grey. We have the same colour of cabinets and countertops in our bathroom, and I hated them until we painted the walls a shade of grey with a blue undertone. Totally made the 'orange' in the cabinets look crisp, and now I love them. Good luck!

Turquoise walls with white shower curtain and towels. It will open up the space, make it feel brighter and lighter.

We painted our kitchen March Wind by Sherwin Williams - we have the same orangey cabinets and the grey helped make them seem more modern. They still look orange, but not as much since the grey helps absorb some of the orange reflectiveness off the cabinets. We also changed the light fixture to a more true white (it originally cast a more yellow light).

Go to the opposite of the colour wheel.

I'll echo the chorus of blue. Going with a greyer blue should off-set too much contrast, which might look a little 'fun house' in such a small space. If you're looking for green, think the same thing - look for something in the blue-green family, and turn down the saturation with a more greyed off tone. I'd stay away from greens that were too bright or limey.

I've never had good luck with green. Such a good color in theory.
I'd go really dark slate blue (there has been some on here lately. I'll look for a link.)

Whatever color you go with, consider painting the wall with the vanity and toilet on it a shade darker than the other walls. I'm not taliking a huge difference, but a subtle one which will trick the eye into thinking that the space is less narrow than it is.

Not sure if you want to keep the orangey vanity or not, but you could always paint it.

Blue is like a default color for bathrooms. It ALWAYS makes sense, perhaps because of the association with water.

If you're thinking about the green paint swatches that are lined up in the photo, I say go for a "brighter" green. Those feel too sage for this room to me, especially if this bathroom is used to get ready in the morning. Also, hoping that the dark shower curtain is going to be replaced. The yellow brown combo in this bathroom is nine times worse than the orange wood, imho.

Be aware that the existing yellow affects how your paint swatches look in the room. You may not have a full understanding of how the new color will read until that yellow is gonzo.

Sorry....I'd do that colour if your house is modern architecture. If it leans more towards Craftsman style...I'd use Farrow and Ball "hay" with slate blue accents-like towels.
And since it's such a small bathroom, spend $100 bucks on a gallon of Farrow and Ball. You'll only need one gallon and you won't believe how tremendously fabulous the paint is. Goes on like butter. And the color has unseen depths. I recently used it and it was suddenly a joy to paint rather than being a chore.

Brown does not look good with orange cabinets. I know this because we have cabinets like this in our kitchen (and both bathrooms). The previous owners painted 2 walls in the kitchen a color that I can now say from experience is baby poo brown.
They had 4 kids, so perhaps it was self-preservation.

Just looking at the way you've decorated your space, it looks like you've already chosen the colors. I see a light blue picture frame with a blue photo inside, a piece of art adjacent to the mirror with blue, brown and slate tones, and a small blue (or is it green?) shelf above the toilet.

So maybe the answer (blue) has been staring you in the face all along? :)

Depends on the look you are going for... for an earthy look, try a muted olive/fern green color. For something a little more contemporary, try a medium tone plum color. There are a bunch of paint preview tools where you could check out how things would look...

http://abitofbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2013/01/this-weeks-big-small-find-paint.html

NAVY blue will complement the orange tones (complimentary colors are always reliable for a polished look) and the intensity of Navy will match the strength of the tone of your wood. Matching intensities will harmonize the walls and vanity making the most of the small space in the bathroom.

teal

I think a pretty, pale spa-like grayish-green would look great in the space. Benjamin Moore's Morning Dew and April Showers, and Behr's Fortress Stone are the ones which come to mind.

I once had an office that got little light and had two walls of built-in bookcases that were a very orange-y wood that I disliked. I went for opposite on the color wheel to tone them down and chose a bluish lavender, a color a NEVER would have painted an office under normal circumstances. It worked really well. It mitigated the orange totally and no one said what one would expect my friends to say had I painted my office lilac. The paint I used was a Benjamin Moore color that doesn't exist anymore, but these charts will give you the idea:
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/paint-color/blueorchid

Since it is orange, play it up! Orange is a vivacious color and--hot! This New York color consultant suggests Benjamin Moore's Antelope Canyon.
http://www.debraklingcolourconsultant.com

why not sand and stain the cabinet a dark walnut color? which would still look nice with a pale blueish gray color which would go well with your counter top and floor. if anyone in the house wears makeup, beware of painting the bathroom green

If it was my bathroom, I would actually paint the wooden cabinets a deep grey to complement the granite top and silver handles. This way, my colour options broaden out more than if I stay with the orange timber. I would then paint the walls in a semigloss acrylic in a colour such as Farrow & Ball's Pavilion Gray, which is a kind of ' greige'- you know, half grey, half beige. With this neutral kind of background, I would then go crazy with colours in accessories - bright shower curtain, towels etc.

I agree with the grey/blue being the best color! I feel a sage green would almost be too light for the countertop and the different colors in the floor and counter.

Paint the cabinet white or black and them you can paint the walls any color you want...take in consideration you floors and the counter top...If the only thing you can change is the wall paint it a caramel color or a light sade of milk and chocolate.

I had my powder room (in my previous home) with a similar color cabinet - I painted the walls white and the ceiling and 5" drop grey. Looked amazing! you can see a small picture here : http://www.inspirationrealisation.com/2011/03/ocd-obsessive-coral-dependency-pt1.html?m=1

Aren't those color cards behind the sink? My eye was first drawn to the one on the left. I think it would make the space calming.

Might be a bit green for a bathroom. I always think green throws one off with makeup and makes you feel less good about your teeth...

@Ddotlking - I was waiting for someone to suggest accentuating the orange. The reflected light of that colour will certainly make the orange tones in the cabinetry glow.

Based on Leah's description of neutral colours in the rest of her home it would be a departure!

A dark grey would look beautiful against those cupboards, countertop and white floor trim. Try SW Sealskin - its a deep, soft, delicious color. I'd also frame your mirror in white (there are lots of DIYs out there for this) and add a stunning light above the mirror.

Oh and add a textured white shower curtain and fluffy rug - vwhala! :-)

I solved a similar problem with Sesame from Benjamin Moore. It's a pale citrusy green with bronze-ish undertones. Another good Ben Moore green is Timothy Hay.

Be careful with blues when trying to tone down orange tones in wood. Unless the blue is muted with a warm undertone it will end up making the cabinets look even more orangey. Orange and blue are contrasting colors so they tend to intensify one another.

I have the same color cabinets, they're handmade and match the rest of the cabinetry in the house, I can't get rid of them.

Benjamin Moore Crystalline (gray-green) from the Aura line is what I used. I also retiled with slate green. It looks great.

^ P.S. I actually do not like to work with Aura, however the Bath and Spa formulation is unmatched for performance in a steamy environment.

Also, @jukesgirl, all Benjamin Moore colors still exist. They don't display them all but they don't discontinue them. I bought a gallon of White Opulence (excellent white with a hint of pink), which is no longer on the color cards, a few months ago.

I'm using the Ikea kitchen cabinets that seem to be this exact style and color. After looking at a zillion photos from others using them, I'm convinced the paint color that Ikea used in their store display here is really the best. It's Benjamin Moore's "Smoke Gray," 2120-40.

When I'm in a different city, I drop by the Ikea to look at what THEIR kitchen display experts have chosen. Interestingly, there are different configurations for all the other door styles, but for this style, every single store used the exact same gray.

My second-favorite one uses a beautiful deep orange. Many people have used light green, blue, brown, and gray, none of which has ever seemed satisfying to me.

Also, a mango yellow/orange looks great with that stain color; or for a more toned-down look, I think ochre is really nice. If ochre is the right word - a sort of muted brownish-yellow?

You could go to google images and enter "Adel Medium Brown" or "Ikea AMB kitchens" or the like, to see what others have tried.

PS In the displays that use the Smoke Gray paint color, the countertops look best when they're black or deep gray.

I was quite unclear! I meant the LIGHT greens, grays, etc are unsatisfying. The cabinets seem to call for a deep paint color, otherwise they look out of place, IMO.

I tried to find the photo of my "second favorite," the deep orange one. I'm pretty sure it's either on Ikeafans or Finished Kitchens (Gardenweb). But sorry, didn't find it!

I agree with all who say blue and grey. I love Benjamin Moore's HC-165 Boothbay Gray, which goes on very grey and turns quite blue when it dries. I love Benjamine Moore paints. And, you can order free color sheets from them! Larger color sheets -- not those little squares you get at the paint store -- help me narrow down the one or two colors I ultimately buy to try on my walls.

Boothbay Gray is the color I had on my walls with a similar wood color in my furniture as your bathroom cabinets and I got tons of compliments.

I had something similar going on and used Sherwin Wiliams' "Coastal Plain" on the walls. It's a mid range bluish green and it's lovely.

I think a slightly bluish gray on the walls, lighten up the shower curtain, add an inside-mount either fabric roman or bamboo shade to hide whatever's going on on the top half of your window, paint your window trim white, and add a frame around your mirror. Since you want color, I'd bring in turquoise in your artwork, towels, and accessories. I think all of those will coordinate both with your cabinets and the wall color. Good luck!

My first suggestion is to change the light bulbs and see if that makes the orang-y cabinets a different color. Use full spectrum Reveal bulbs, or if you prefer CFL, I mixed the warm ones with full daylight ones and came up with a light spectrum that is very nearly natural daylight.