Hanging style, go home improvement stores.

be careful you don't give up practicality for style. In my kitchens, which are working ones , I have always liked track lighting, one at fridge, one at food shelves, one at stove, one at sink. under cabinet lights, few bucks at home depot or lowes, stick em up. Another nice idea for the sink, shelf - glass with task lighting on bottom.

Thanks for helping out a first timer!

I recommend a pot rack with integrated spots above the sink -- bronze shown here but also in chrome at big box L for $89. (We have it -- awesome.) Provides both task lighting and a great way to store colorful pots/pans out-of- the-way but convenient. Then, replace the center florescent with a curve of track lighting that lets you direct the mini-spots where you need it most. Or, even a ceiling fan to add some interest and extra air movement. The other thing I'm going to recommend (although you didn't ask) is when the time comes seriously consider replacing that fridge with a counter-depth. You will be amazed at how much it opens up the room.

Any and all advice is welcome, thank you @shopmavena. These appliances were left by the previous homewner so I will be using them until I have cash to replace it. Great tips though, I agree. I knew there was something off but I couldn't put my finger on it haha

Suggestions for cabinet hardware, and backsplash color welcome. Also, should I stain the cabinets?

I did the track light replacement because I was on a budget. They make nice ones now that aren't ugly.

Absolutely do under cabinet lighting

you know Ikea has pot racks for even cheaper I think and you can hang industrial lights (pretty cheap) on any pot rack. though I am gonna check out Big L? I never heard of it. I actually love hanging pots on the wall if you have the room.

what are your colors and style when it comes to things like back splash?

I'm a pretty simple guy. This is a relatively cheap one that I was looking at while browsing this site....what do you think?

I really have no experience with decorating so don't be afraid to be critical. I really don't like going to IKEA though so I'll be avoiding that lol

i would say there is nothing simple about that backsplash tile. It says you do enjoy color, maybe a sense of humor? And you definitely don't want to spend a lot. I like murals behind the stove if possible:

one of many scenes that let you day dream while cooking. See my little raft in the distance there?:)

you can pick your favorite type of coffee, and goes with the red

If some one comes to talk to you while cooking, and mentions this. Hand them a ladle. lol Lots of cute ones too.

All tiles are on Houzz, you may be able to get some less or similar at other sites or stores, these just so some randoms. All together with supplies, behind sink and stove, I would say way under 200. ikea will ship, I also can no longer negotiate the store, so I buy online, actually many people ship - even without shipping fees, Amazon is always pretty cheap, Houzz has some reasonable, Ikea-not much on tile though, ebay, wayfair, I have also been hearing about west elm? Have not been there yet.

If you want more red, are you keeping paint? I will look more, we can also do more on one line, just trying to get a feel. i am not sure how you would like the bumpiness of the tile you picked, things stick to little spaces, big fingers, hard to clean is my thought. have fun and let us know.

"big box L" is Lowes! Only concern about DIY upgrade of an existing pot rack with lights is mixing metal and wiring might result in shocks vs a "UL" listed pre-assembled one. My other hint would be to walk through your local Habitat for Humanity Restore and see what they have -- including tile and appliances. Not long after our Lowes lighted pot rack was installed, a triple light version showed up at our local Restore for $25! I instantly thought it would have been great over an island! Or, centered in a kitchen yours. That said, about the back splash and cabinets: I might glaze the cabinets -- easy to do and adds a nice depth of color to them. Lots of colors available. (We glazed some old leaded & stained glass oak doors we salvaged off old cabinets at Restore that we used as shutters on the window over the sink and also glazed salvaged six-panel doors we used to build an enclosure for our refrigerator. We were able to achieve a very close match to the natural cherry color of our cabinets.) Also, adding hardware to the cabinet doors and drawers will add a lot of personality. Backsplash -- that basket-weave backsplash is very pretty. You might use it as an accent in a field of more neutral tile below the cabinets that you continue up the wall above the cabinets and anywhere the wall is blank. My thought is that continuing the color above and below will make the room appear bigger even if the texture varies. Another change I would make is to delete the microwave/cabinet over the range and replace it with a nice hood (Costco has some at great a great price) that would unify that space by creating a large linear upsweep there to match the one over the sink. Also, consider a slide-in range that looks like a cooktop with an oven below. Electrolux (also rebranded as Kenmore Elite) does some real beauties. That slide-in style deletes the backguard on the stove and the overlap on the counter makes a nice transition that actually increases your cook-top work space. One last thought is that you can find replacement glass front doors online (or at Restore) -- putting those on the wall cabinets near the stove would reflect light and make the room appear larger, too.

You are right, should have figured you meant lowes. lol, I also agree but forgot to say, you want to mix any of these tiles with plain ones so it is not overwhelming.

Thanks so much! I will post pictures of some other areas as I get moved in and start putting things together. I'm starting to get hooked on this site, I'll be doing quite a bit of research over the next year or so

one other thing that you might find helpful: Lowes has a virtual room designer tool you can use to map out your room and layout cabinetry, flooring, lighting. It's free. HD has one through their Home Decorators cabinet site, too, but it was less flexible than the Lowes one. I designed both our master bath and kitchen remodel with it. Also, did a design for my SIL. Worth considering.http://www.lowes.com/cd_virtual+room+designer_189310537_

That glass tile with the red will look great with red paint.

If you have just started looking for ideas, do a search on Houzz "golden oak cabinets" and see all the possibilities. If you have just moved in and do not have a lot of resources, keep it simple. Paint and a few light fixtures will make a world of difference without a big commitment. After you have done your homework and lived in the house a while, you will probably find exactly what you want. Many people with these cabinets have decorated around them or stained or painted them because the condition of the cabinets was still good. Our golden oak cabinets were not in very good condition after 20 years and we had to buy new. Kitchens are very expensive to renovate--even small ones!

thanks Johnathan. I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm definitely not looking to do a full renovation, just trying to give it a little more style. I'm very anxious to move in to my first house. overall the home is in great shape, not a whole lot that I want to do right away, I just feel the kitchen could use some attention. Thanks for the tips on the cabinets too

so outsidecenter, we return to the beginning. If you are a cook, or are looking to put one in that kitchen, get tracks lights, what is up there is not great for working. Other wise, just hang a cute one. get some under cabinet task lights, they even have different color ones that look like those on sports cars now, lol. They now have peel and stick tiles, get those for the back splash both behind the sink and behind the stove. just to prevent sprays and water leakage damaging your walls, it will cost probably $100, and 6 pack for the friends that are gonna help. you are done, live for a year, see what you truly need. have fun!

I agree wit Darzy, I would put a few dropping pendant lighting fixtures to replace the fluorescent lightening. Home Depot offers free "how to" classes a few times a month anything ranging from installing bathtubs to light fixtures to gardening. As far as the backsplash goes I would try to lean more towards a neutral color with a tiny pop. You don't want it to look too "busy" especially if you decide to rent out your house or try to re sell it after a few years. Plus are you keeping the red wall? The cabinets look like they are in good shape maybe stain it with a darker wood color to make it look a little more modern and clean. But the best accent would have to probably be me cooking some Mexican food in there

How nice of you to offer to cook me enchiladas Melissa ;)

ewwwwwww! get a room u 2! melissa, went to your bio are you selling or fishing? Maybe u oughta check out ureeka!

Hahaha I know her personally @havingfun. Great comment though, and I do appreciate your help

oh pardemwah (sound it out, can you tell i went to school in Fl, only state in country where second language taught is spanish not french. lol) melissa, no offense meant. just thought one of us ended up on the wrong site!

Hey, what is the wall beside the fridge? Is there a door to make it a pantry or just the back of a closet cutting in from another room?

in my house that would be the pot hanging wall.

it's the hot water heater in the garage, so not much I can do about that @shopmavena

ok outsidecenter, been awhile, any decisions, besides foodwise? lol. I am wondered I think potracks are great too, but how tall are you? It is in the middle of the floor, one of the reasons I don't have one is my hubby is 6 foot. and once again do you actually cook? Those are the most important part of the decisions. are you sticking with your glass mosaics, they are pretty and do go with the red wall.

ok, so somebody new called obolos started following me. I got these tiles from their site. you do know i tend not to quit til you yell mercy right? bad mix tenacity of a terrier, and bad need to please. lol

did not see individual tile, but could definitely look cool in your kit

these are all aluminum they have several different styles.

hmmm... if that garage wall is wall board or otherwise solid on the garage side, on the kitchen side you can frame it then cutout the wallboard and install shelves for an instant spice and condiment rack. If you don't want to see it, get some nice cabinet doors from Restore and mount those -- even leaded glass ones. Could be a very functional and pretty feature in the kitchen rather than just a wall... BTW, if you decide to do the hood vent, it occurs to me you could pull that whole microwave/cabinet combo and swap it with the cabinet to the right of sink, giving you a great little cooking zone but awesome ventilation and lighting over the stove. (We have an over-the-stove microwave installed over a counter. Love it.)

Also, consider paying little more to vent that new hood to the outside -- either take it up into the ceiling or run a stove pipe out to the left over the top of the existing cabinets. Either paint the pipe to match the wall or enclose the pipe in a soffit. I am not a fan of soffits but you could get creative and make it look like you added cabinets above on that side by installing Restore cabinets or false doors on the soffit. Then, add a real cabinet on top of the cabinet on the other side. In fact, if you add a row of short cabinets above the existing cabinets all stained or painted the same color, that would instantly update the look by raising the eye to the ceiling.

You really to convert this to a time machine.