Vertical one bottle wide wine rack on the end next to the dishwasher. Replace a couple of door panels with frosted glass. A couple of colorful anti-fatigue mats on the floor. A chrome knife rack on the counter. Some small pieces of art above the top cabinets. Maybe look at changing out your door and drawer pulls as well. Just some thoughts. Just seems to be a lot of featureless white and browns as it stands.

Paint the cabinets, get a more modern-looking range that doesn't extend up in the back. Put a piece of stainless on the wall behind the stove up to the hood or black tile. Cabinet-depth refrigerator is a must. getting a DW/fridge/micro/stove without black plastic trim and handles would help too.

All those plugs...if you can't hide 'em, make them look cool. Get stainless steel plates, and lutron plugs. You can even get them with built-in USB outlets now.

These Bertazzoni appliances give you great style for the money

No. Do not put any kind of wine storage near a dishwasher or refrigerator unless it is IN a refrigerator.

Black backsplash, modern faucet and bar stools, and modern chrome pulls.

Paint the cabinets gloss black and install white glass or white porcelain counters/backsplash.

If you are looking for lighting ideas for the dining room, In Galilee lighting we carry unique styles of chandeliers made of fused glass and blown glass.

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If he is considering new floor tile, that may be the jumping off point, as it will be the biggest decision and the most costly (ceramic that look like wood is a nice choice). Then the backsplash tile can be selected and would suggest grey glass subway. Other changes: new pendant lights in kitchen, new faucet, modern hardware, new paint color (work with floor - ie: tile below would be nice with a light grey or a deep cream). Adding industrial type bar stools and maybe removing the inserts in a few cabinets and adding glass or wire (see below).

As much as it may be an inconvenience, we would strongly recommend relocating the microwave to another part of the kitchen, and installing an actual range hood over the range.

Although some microwaves include a ventilation component, it's not nearly comparable to a full-size range hood - microwaves are a lot louder and not as powerful.

There are dozens of designer range hoods you can choose from, that will not only provide effective, quiet ventilation, but also make a design statement that will instantly attract attention to the cooking area.

Please feel free to visit our website, www.FuturoFuturo.com (online catalog with prices, current stock status, multiple photos, and online purchase options), or check out the ideabooks in our Houzz profile for even more design ideas, as implemented by other Houzzers and kitchen professionals!

You could use a white or cream linear glass tile here and it would look fantastic. We have a random linear matte/gloss mosaic, you can purchase samples from the links below from our houzz store.

Ice White:

https://www.houzz.com/products/12x12-ice-white-glass-mosaic-single-sheet-prvw-vr~40063421

Cream:

https://www.houzz.com/products/12x12-cream-glass-strip-mosaic-single-sheet-prvw-vr~40063149

I think the simplest, cost effective solution is to remove the 4" granite backsplash and install a stainless backsplash. Stainless steel backsplash photo....