I 'painted' your cabinets a medium gray and your walls a greige. Think this might give you some options.

the cabinets don't seem bad as is..I would start with replacing the floor and light fixture.
there are so many floor options..tile,stone,laminate,wood have you thought what direction you would like to go on the floor?

I would leave the cabinets alone and just change the hardware. Lights and floor seem to be the worst offenders so start with that. Also, if possible remove the weird cabinets on the bump out, or at least the uppers. It will make the kitchen feel a lot more open.

Just noticed the under cabinet lights on the bump out - very funky ;-)

Yes, the light fixture definitely must go! I haven't found one yet that I really like. For the floors I'm leaning in the direction of tile because it will be very hard to match a hardwood to the rest of the house. There might be hardwood underneath, I haven't investigated yet, but if there is I would ideally like to restore that. I agree that the cabinets above the cabinet bump out need to go as well - will open up the space a ton. I'm open to adding color - I've seen some nice grey cabinets and some blue ones that were used with white uppers. Thanks all for your advice!

You are fortunate that everything is in good shape. When I see your countertops/backsplash I cannot picture gray walls. Gray has been a trend....one that will hopefully end. Look at all of the threads on these boards that deal with folks trying to " fix" their gray mistakes.

i would consider hardwood floors. Last year we got new hardwood that abuts our 28 year old floors. The installer /finisher made a perfect match. It appears that there is no window in your kitchen? Keep everything light colored. Add color with accessories.

I vote painting the cabinets a creamy white and get new hardware.

I'd remove the small cabinet with the small light bulbs underneath, paint the cabinets off white

What color walls would you recommend with an off white / cream cabinet?

I would choose a wall color from one of the backsplash colors. It is very busy and has a lot of colors. Be sure to choose wall color and cabinet color bases on the backsplash. If there is no white in the tiles do not paint your cabinets white. You may need to select the lightest tile color to use on your cabinets.

I suggest painting the walls, ceiling and ceiling light fixture exactly the same color as the cabinets. The cabinets will blend with the walls and ceiling and make the room feel larger. Notice how this narrow kitchen looks somewhat large with the same color walls and cabinets. Yours would look even larger. With a caveat...the cabinets and wall color should be a "white" that complements the backsplash..like white with a hint of gray.

I would take down that one cabinet in the foreground and that would help to open up the kitchen.

A one day very budget friendly option is N-Hance. Look online for this as it will save you money (more thru a big box). You can decide how dark you want to go. A friend did this and it looks very good.

N-hance:

Here is a sample of "white" with a hint of gray on the cabinets and walls matching. I'd go "white" with barely noticeable gray hint.

You do not mention how long it your future remodel will be. That time frame relates to how much to money spend cosmetically .

suggestions;

1. remove the hanging cabinet- add funky pendant lights

2. replace the one counter island top-with a remnant from a stone fabricator -in a dramatic stone.

3. flush mount light in the center of the kitchen-replace

4. check out BM paint in the OC colors. Paint will improve the space dramatically

brown will fade out the dated wood color

5, If you are years away from remodeling-refacing the sides of the cabinets and replacing the doors would not be expensive-[specialized vendors do this]

opening the space adds light--delete that cabinet over the island

good luck!

Deb Reinhart ASID

I agree with removing the cabinets above the peninsula. If you need additional storage, you can reconfigure them so they're less intrusive. Ex.

Make that spot the beverage area.

maybe something like this?

I would only do two things and not do any other improvements, especially a floor. Why rush? Create an idea book and start researching your dream kitchen.

1. New light fixture in ceiling , nice but inexpensive
2. Remove that lonely cabinet, it adds too much weight and
makes the space feel closed in.

Enjoy your new home and get a feel for what you want. You might invest in removing a wall and adding a flush header.

I agree with Ellen. My priority would be removing the hanging cabinet, replacing the light fixture, and perhaps painting everything a lighter color. This will transform the kitchen for not much $, so you can save more for the next renovation.

Changing cabinet hardware makes a very big difference.

New kitchen faucet is a good update.