white is bright and very much in vogue right now, are the cabinets in bad shape? if not add some great pulls, under cabinet lighting, remove the valance at the window.replace a couple of the upper doors with glass and add a light inside that cabinet, the one beside the cooktop. Lighter bar stools would help but these looks newer so no need to replace them. Is that a drop ceiling ? IF so...get rid of that ! Hope this is a start for you. I love white kitchens by the way !! Houzz has thousands of pictures, add them to your ideas book if you haven't already.

Hi---I'd remove all the upper cabs-add an exhaust hood over range and open shelving. You have a big pantry so plenty of storage... Soft green or blue tile for backsplash. Change out the ceiling light for something spectacular. Pics for inspiration. CheerS!
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least expensive: Add under counter LED strip lights. Upgrade hardware pulls or knobs.
Mid range $: add a new counter top. I like soapstone for ease of install and daily use, but granite or man-made materials are fine.
Higher range $: Reface the cabinets and at the same time have drawers substituted for all base cabinets. add new floors and backsplash
Highest $: get a kitchen designer to take the space and design it from scratch with custom Cabinets.
You can spend a Thousand or 50 thousand so it is up to you.
The basic design you have is good given the space.

I love white kitchens. You might include a floor plan to help us. Just looking at the pictures, I'd move the fridge away from the range top over to the wall that I'd guess is the pantry. Hot and cold appliances shouldn't be in competition with each other; cost of fuel if no other reason. Leave some cabinets between fridge and ovens. With the fridge gone you could extend your counter on the other side of the stove for ease of cooking. If possible get rid of the dropped ceiling and add some attractive lighting. I can't see the color of your back splash, but something with a little color would be nice. The stools are dark, but if they're new just live with them. This looks like a very nice, functional family kitchen that just needs a little color and updating.

Look at putting some recessed can lights in the ceiling and get rid of that large overhead light. Next change out your backsplash. Your kitchen has a lot of cabinets and countertop space but not much backsplash. So you could do a glass mosaic blacksplash without too much cost. Then add some under cabinet lights so it pops. If your budget allows and you do not like your cabinet color or the style of your doors think about Cabinet Refacing. The cabinet boxes look like they are in good shape so refacing is a good option when not changing the layout of your kitchen.

You have a nice size kitchen with a lot of potential! Good Luck!!

oh my gosh, what great ideas. thank you so much for your suggestions.
I don't know how to include a floor plan, any suggestions on how? Is there a program?

Jamielap - You could just draw an outline of the kitchen floor plan with dimensions. Take a photo of it and send that.

Hi jamielap! Because your kitchen is on the smaller side and seems a little on the darker side, I think your current backsplash is too dark, and the tiles are too large. I would even suggest something with an iridescence, to brighten up the space and make it seem larger. Below are pics of smaller, light colored iridescent glass tiles that might be some nice options for you.