Here is a kitchen that you can use as an inspiration. It has everything you mentioned you wanted in your room. I think you have great ideas to make your kitchen suit your style.

Hi Michelle,
Assuming you do not want to change the layout, there are a few things that come to mind.
On lighting ... There are tons of new flush mount ceiling fixtures that do not hang down nearly as far and are less noticeable. My personal favorite is a bit harder to find, though you can order it through Home Depot (for example). My current favorite is the Pixi Flatlights - 2' square, 2700k, hangs down around 1" from the ceiling. Awesome general lighting.
It appears the floor color is a medium brown - my suggestion would be to select a base cabinet color that is either much lighter or much darker or the floor will blend into the cabinets - and there would be no drama. It would be nice to change the counter top, but that can run in the $1000's, so if you are keeping it then I would suggest a glass subway tile back splash. Consider an assortment of colors that include very few black (so your appliances are not alone in black) and a few that pick up the existing counter top color. Then the balance in white tiles and what ever other colors excite you. There are some fabulous new greens, creams and blues coming out now. Regard the back splash as the "feature" of the kitchen that ties everything together - spend some time with it. Avoid a contrasting grout.
If you can swing it, I would replace all the wall cabinets with taller units that reach the ceiling and get rid of that gap between the ceiling and top of cabinet (Where the dark force lives). My suggestion would be white cabinets with fronts that resemble the bottom cabinets. The color really depends on your overall look. If you do replace the top cabinets, then add under cabinet lighting, which, once you have it, you will wonder how you got along without it. FYI, top cabinets are less expensive to replace than base cabinets and in your case will add 8-10 cubic feet of storage.
On hardware, it generally try to match the sink faucets - have always like the richness of brushed nickel (over brushed chrome). I would not recommend high contrasting black handles, they stand out too much. Given your door's frame-style, simple round knobs will work, are not expensive and should be on all doors, top and bottom. Personally I never liked the trend in handless doors - felt like something was missing.
Good luck on your kitchen update adventure.