The cabinets can be spruced up by adding cabinet crown molding to differentiate height. Some nice polished nickle pulls. And since you like modern you can go with a mosaic glass tile in linear pattern. The kitchen is very bright, so it can handle a dark counter top, cement, or the ubatuba I picked would look sharp against the warm cabinets.

I would also remove the two area rugs and replace with one large one;)

the first thing I would do

mjjk- were listening:)

The first thing I would do is lose that plate rail molding on top of all of the cabinets. I would take down the bridge completely above the sink.

Here are a few kitchens with cabinets similar to yours. I think a statement granite with a lot if movement would go a long way in becoming the focal point of your kitchen instead of your cabinets.

When you replace your appliances, look into a slide-in range. it makes your granite and backsplash look a lot better.

Remove all the fake plants on top of the cabinets and give the room a fresh paint color. I think a light slate blue-grey would look good.

Except for some easy changes mentioned above I suggest you save your money until you can do the remodel. Why spend money on new counter tops and backsplash, neither of which is cheap, when you will be redoing the entire kitchen before long.

Declutter, get rid of the country look, take out the bridge over the window and all the fake plants, get some hardware you like and a snazzy striped or zebra rug and you will be in the 21st century in no time and with minimal investment.

Cabinets could be modernized by fresh coat of paint & new pulls. (Depending upon the finishes you choose for your appliances and countertops.) I love the idea of glass tiles installed horizontally. Take your time and choose items you love. You'll be happy with your kitchen another 20+ years.
Good luck.

Another reasonable update- when you take down the fake greens, put up some rope lighting for some night ambiance;)

Is the photo from the previous owner?

You can also choose one or two sets of double cabinets (uppers) and have the front panels of the doors cut out and replaced with glass. I did that and it really updated the look of my 12 year old oak cabinets. You can tape some tracing paper on to them to see how it might look first to get the idea.

Yes, the really Granny stuff is from the previous owner. Most comments are what I intended to do immediately. Some of the design ideas I have seen include a top level of class-front cabinets which reach all the way to the ceiling. Crown moulding is what I would minimally do. Was thinking of a combo of glass, stone multi-sized and textured backsplash(which I have in my "sold" house).

Would love to wait to re-do whole kitchen but not likely to happen for about 4 years so much do something in the interim.

This is a FL kitchen but not sure I like the color. I cannot decide whether I like this wasabi color. Opinions?

Sorry Sunnydrew, I see did not see your post. This is what I was describing in my reponse - the extension of the upper cabinets to modernize. I did use a specialized cabinet paint to do my "sold" house cabinets but was not 100 happy with finish. The look in that kitchen was 1930's (school house lights, etc) so the not perfect painted cabinets fit well but not sure I would do it again.

Thanks all for your most inspired and gracious comments!!!

Thanks for additional info about the previous owner's things in the photo. For the four years before you redo the kitchen, I suggest figuring out how much you want to spend per day on updating the cabinets. So for a dollar a day as an example, I get $365*4=$1460. For $1460, you can get new laminate countertops and new backsplash plus some new lighting, and of course you are already planning to replace the appliances (not in this dollar-a-day budget). If it is worth $5 a day to you, you can probably do granite or quartz countertops. Lots of options for you to choose from.

That's an interesting way to figure what to spend on updates. I agree with some others, just do the minimum now, granite counters would not be worth the investment for 4 years. Wilsonart makes some great looking patterns in laminate.

Cost per day for temporary home improvements is a lot like the cost per wear of clothing or the cost per mile of driving. It focuses attention on what it is that you value about living in a house: do this temporary thing or that temporary thing or this combination of other things.

I like that too!

I'm a sucker for white cabinets, but with the white floors, counters, and appliances, it might be too much white. Are you thinking of updating the countertops too?