We recently bought a new house. I die a little each time I look at it; it needs some help desperately! The pictures attached are from the previous owner, so please disregard all decorations.

Since we just bought a new house, our budget for the kitchen is small. The red is awful, especially next to the greenish tinted countertops (Christmas year round is not my thing). Both need to go.

The cabinets are just basic grade. I have thought about painting them white because it seems to be the "thing", but worry about the up-keep. They are in great condition, as are the appliances. I looked into having them professionally stained a different color and that's almost as much as replacing them. I thought about adding crown molding to the top and adding some hardware. I attached the inspirational pic for that. I also would love a greyish subway tile backsplash, but worry it wouldn't match the yellow undertones of the wood.

We also have this floating desk area, as shown in the picture. Some day we'd like to tear it out, but for now, I'm not sure of a nice way to incorporate it. Currently, it seems to be a catch-all spot for clutter, which I hate.

The dining room is attached to the kitchen. I love my dining room table and hutch (pic attached, but please disregard the poor lighting and kids stuff), but it is very large and bulky making the room feel very crowded. The color of the natural wood on the table is beautiful, but I feel it competes with the yellow in the cabinets.

I love the natural wood, almost rustic look, with a few bright colors to make things pop (love the bright blues, navy, bright green or coral). The dining room is also attached to the family room so I need a color that is neutral enough to help things flow smoothly. A couple I love are BM Morning Dew OC-140 or BM Glacial Till AF-390.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!