I understand the panoramic picture, but can you take a few pictures of the kitchen that are not panoramic.

Sure - thanks for the feedback.

I agree that the floor can use an update. It looks like you have wood in the other parts of your home. Wouldn't the vinyl planking clash?

Is that all the counter space you have - that is in the pics? Is there any next to the fridge? Is there another eating area in the home. I am thinking you could benefit from a larger island with some seating and that would provide more storage - but might not be room with the table. Is there a pantry?

I'd keep the cabinets white and paint the walls a bluish gray. It looks like tiles are missing near the stove, so I'd put those in. Change the cabinet hardware to brushed nickel/stainless steel.

These might be useful: A rolling island that has storage. A wall mounted corner wall cabinet for the wall near your seating, for additional storage. A foldable dish rack. A wine rack. Small storage bench to go under the window, it can hold your clean dish towels. Pretty baskets for the top of the cabinets, to hold stuff that you use occasionally.

Yeah, the flooring definitely needs an update. The house is old (1920), small-ish (1100 sf), and the rooms are somewhat oddly situated. The kitchen itself is the largest room in the house and has a grand total of 4 separate entryways into it (from the back room, from a bedroom, from a bathroom and from the living room), which makes situating things a little challenging. It also means that there's very, very little counter space (and no pantry), which is why I'm using that Ikea kitchen island, otherwise I'd lose my mind.

The flooring in the living room and the first bedroom is the original pine. The bathroom is terrible, terrible vinyl (bathroom is going to be gutted and remodeled completely). The kitchen is as you see here. The other bedroom has a dark wood, thick plank flooring. And the back room (a room that was originally a porch) has red marmoleum. So, it's definitely a hodgepodge. I was wondering if I should try to match the flooring, but it's just so random already, I'm not sure that's something worth worrying about.

I was actually considering using a lighter "slate" type vinyl plank flooring in the kitchen, and thought that might help keep things feeling lighter and not clash too badly with the other flooring the house has going on. Does anyone have any slate-style vinyl planking that they'd recommend? Is this type of flooring fairly easy to install?

Also, I like the idea of bench seating. Is this something that can easily be installed? I'm a single woman in my 30s and basically have to do everything myself, so ease of installation is always a plus.

I was also thinking of doing a super light blue/gray color on the walls as well, and keeping the cabinets white. Cabinets are getting an update with stainless steel hardware within the next week or so.

I'm hoping to be able to update the backsplash area by the stove as well. Currently, it's just a piece of plywood/particle board mishmash with the same material as my countertops placed over the wood. (The joys of an old house.)

My personal style is light and bright, but with pops of color because I absolutely love color.

Thanks for the all the suggestions - I appreciate it!

Our Kitchen Visualizer tool is just the right tool for this type of dilemma. Visualize your space and play around with backsplash, cabinet color, floor color etc. Please click here

If possible, when you gut the bathroom, change the door to open into a different room - I realize that may not be possible. There are some DIY tutorials on building a banquette on Pinterest and you can google it too, which would give you both storage and possibly room for a bigger island because it would push the seating all the way to the corner. However, I do not know if a novice DIY could take such a project on. Perhaps the carpenter working on the bathroom will want a little extra work?

I have used a curtain on a bookcase or a bookcase with baskets to give a little extra storage in a room at times. Baskets above the cabinets is a great idea. I also have a shelf on a nearby closet I store infrequently used items. I also moved my cookbooks to a bookshelf in another room too - and got rid of a few because I tend to use my computer for recipes. Your Ikea cart is very pretty - but it is not giving you much storage for the space it occupies. Perhaps you could add a shelf or some baskets to it. Consider an island with cabinets. You can repurpose a piece of furniture too.

Small island with storage:

Kristine, I have had experience with the click laminate and vinyl plank flooring that Home Depot sells, both easy to install although my ex was in charge of the DIY, lol! The price is reasonable but probably not the best quality. The vinyl plank seemed to scratch easy but that might not concern you so much if you're a single person living alone or if you want a short term fix.

Building a banquette seating may be something you could tackle if you have some basic DIY skills. There are lots of examples along with videos on Internet, youtube, and Pinterest, so check some out and see what you think you can handle. Here are a couple of examples. First one is made using a shelving unit on its side, and second one looks framed in place.

Thanks again for the great ideas and tips! The more that I think about it, the more the banquet-style/bench-style seating is looking really appealing. Maybe even just getting a bench (or benches) for seating (that could be tucked under more rectangular/square table, which would then fit into that corner better and open up the space a bit more. That would likely lend me a little more room so I might be able to consider a larger island with more storage. Thank you again for the great ideas!

Is there any possibility of opening up that wall between the kitchen and the living room?

Hey, keep us in the loop.

I'd go for a new island, one that offers maybe a stainless steel top and is suitable to accommodate a few stools. Stools are a great way to introduce color too, whether it's fabric or even metal (which can be repainted anytime you want a change). Good luck! What about updating your countertops and/or backsplash?

@ecpt - I've thought about it, but it's just not in the budget or DIY nature of what I can do right now.
@shirlpp - will do!
@Lisa Williams - I might look into this once I can figure out my space a bit more. And you're absolutely right about introducing color via smaller items.

Updates: I've replaced all the kitchen cabinet pulls, which has made a huge difference, I think. It also showed me how badly the cabinets needed a new paint job, so they got that in addition to the pulls. Next up, trying to paint the hinges so they blend into the background more. (Has anyone had success with this before? I've looked into stuff online and I've seen tutorials on cleaning the hinges via crockpot, then roughing them up and spray painting.)

Next up - updating the look of the countertops via some marble-like vinyl sheeting. I can't afford to replace them totally, so this will have to do for now, and it's something I can do on my own. (*knocks on wood*)

Also, I plan to re-cover the backsplash with some of those smart tile peel'n'stick tiles, so that will update things as well. Will likely be in a gray/white color scheme.

I'm currently getting samples for some lighter flooring - I'm thinking I'll go with a very light/blonde maple laminate. The floors are such a hodgepodge in my house, so I figure that if I don't try to match anything, that'll be my best bet for having it look good.

I'm selling my current table, and will be replacing it with a square/rectangular one with a leaf - it'll be white/wood and with a minimalist design. Chairs have already been ordered and assembled. I'm excited! It'll be much lighter and brighter!

And then paint for the walls - I was thinking a very, very pale, light blue with a teal undertone - I don't want sky blue. More of a robin's egg I think? Any thoughts on this idea? I'm still not quite sure what to do about the walls. They're currently a cream color. I'm a little nervous the blue might seem *too* blue, you know?

I've attached a photo of a quick before and after shot of the new cabinet pulls. Please pardon the mess. Things don't usually look this discombobulated.

My kitchen is painted sparkling sage which is a valspar paint...depending on light sometimes it looks blue...sometimes green. I have a lot of teal in my house so it looks good with that...The trim around your doors is very nice!

In terms of vinyl plank clashing with the wood in the rest of the home, there are many colors and patterns that would not clash, depending on which color scheme you want. Here are some examples from the Modin collection, which has a 9" x 60" plank size:

http://www.flooret.com/modin-vinyl-plank-flooring/

Maltan Vinyl Plank · More Info

Nordland Vinyl Plank · More Info

Wychwood Vinyl Plank · More Info

Stavern Vinyl Plank Flooring - Wood Grain · More Info

Update: sold the round table and replaced with a white, minimalist table. What a HUGE difference! The space feels a million times lighter and brighter. Now to just figure out what the old vinyl floor is made out of - I'm a little concerned it might be made of tile that contains asbestos.... :/

I would say no to vinyl. How about a dark slate, that would look nice. You also need a longer more permanent island for function.

I'm also a female DIYer. Not single but might as well be as my hubby is the worst handyman ever! If you are still interested in bench seating you can use kitchen cabinets that are meant to go above a fridge. They are just the right size and give extra storage.