My ideas
Light cabinets with darker hardware. Derek, can you live with more rustic shapes (e.g., more traditionally shaped hardware, “framed” cabinets, instead of smooth)? I don’t think we would want cabinets this light... dhh -- with darker cabinets, I think this would work. I like that the cabinets aren't too knotty, but have clean lines and homogenous color. Way too light though.
Ignore the grey cabinets to the left. Given the variation in the floor color... do you perceive the cabinets to be a potential “wall of tan”? I am trying to figure out what you mean by that...
Q