a nice marble countertop would be really nice. maybe gray and white- and refinish the cabinets to a light gray. would be a nice idea to also change the knobs on cabinets to kinda update it a little. maybe get rid of the hanging pots and clear up the counters more to give it a more open feel. the less you have out and around the cleaner and larger the space will look.

I would definitely NOT paint your cabinets gray. It would clash with everything in your home. Start instead by removing all the visual clutter (stuff on top of cabinets, things on counters, pots above island) and retake photos. Are you relatively handy? How much money can you spend on this?

I wouldn't invest any money in this kitchen until you can do a full upgrade. Putting new countertops on those cabinets would be throwing away money. Just declutter for now and save up some more.

A new island (without sink, but storage for these hanging pans) in a solid color with a wooden top. And a light countertop for the L, pick a light color from the tiles you want to keep (do you really want to keep them or it it the budget?). Paint the soffit in the same color as your walls.

We agree with decluttering for now.

I would change the lighting and the flooring first. Then consider counter top. Don't paint the cabinets.

I agree that new countertops now, only to tear them out later, seems wasteful. But maybe it's ok to get a new counter top and island top, if you do as suggested and retain the current cabinets as is. I like the way the dark hardware and floor grout blend with the black appliances. That's even trendy now, so I wouldn't change that. I wonder if you would benefit from updating the lighting in the room. I love under counter lights. Maybe you have those already. Since your kitchen is so open to your family room or living room, perhaps lighting similar to what you would have in a living room would help the two blend together. Maybe delicate Colonial style iron chanderliers and wall sconces for both rooms? When you choose a countertop, lean towards elegance like marble-looking quartz. One nice touch along those lines that I accidentally stumbled onto is to use a large decorative rug on the kitchen floor instead of workspace rugs. That means you can't throw them in the washer, but if you get an inexpensive Oriental (or some other elegant style) one it's usually thin and a Roomba can clean it daily to keep the crumbs away. Make sure it has a touch of black in it to repeat that color and it's effect. Maybe caramel and black? With the lighting over the island, the hanging pans won't be necessary. But I get that a cast iron pan for display is nice, and even trendy again now. How about resting on the stove top ready for use? I get that the island is separating your kitchen and living areas, so you need something there and maybe not ready to remove it entirely, which would add to any decluttering challenge. Can you refinish it to match your cabinets? Decluttering advice is painful to me (guilty), and I agree that kitchens in use are cluttered. But I also agree decluttering would augment the picture I am painting of adding elegant details to blend your kitchen and living spaces that are so open to each other. The flip side is to soften the adjoining living space. The kitchen is a little more elegant and the living space a little more cozy. Since they are open to each other, treat them more like one room. Whatever you do, I hope you love it in the end!

Wow!! This is fantastic! I am so grateful for all the wonderful advice, photographs, links, etc. I am taking it all in and will get some estimates from local contractors --are any of you local? I live in Frederick, MD-- but I am leaning towards the idea of keeping the vintage style with nice upgrades as several of you suggested. It probably makes the most sense since I don't have a big budget but still want a more functional and beautiful kitchen. I love the idea of the island in a dark base and wood top, the marble looking countertops, new lighting, etc. I realize more than ever how cluttered it is!! It's easy not to see how things really look unless you become an observer! I will send pictures once I declutter more and will love ideas/pictures on lighting and flooring. I do not want hard wood floors although they would look great, because they would get easily stained with water marks from my puppy. Besides, we have a lot of wood everywhere so I feel that ceramic or something like that would add some interest. Thanks so much everyone!!