To help brighten things up, install under cabinet lighting (you can get plug in LED strips from Ikea that are about $50 & you can put in yourself). Maybe even add them above the cabinets. Remove the valance above the window & all the decor from the tops of the cabinets as they are competing for attention away from your nice kitchen. Paint the island base to a light neutral color i/o black. The table with the cloth looks more like it's in the way than useful. Do you use it for anything? Maybe a flat weave rug in it's place will be better use? Add a lamp on your kitchen desk & keep the surface as cleaned off as possible (can all that stuff get put in the cabinet?). Maybe add a long mirror somewhere so light can bounce around- where the clock is?

I do not think your table is enhancing your space. It seems more like a traffic hazard. But if you must keep it, a light coloured tablecloth would at least not darken the space further.

I'd take down the dark window ruffle too. If you really want a ruffle, make one out of sheer white material. It should be about 3x as wide as your window for proper fullness. And the bottom should reach the bottom edge of the top window trim.

Since your kitchen is new, you likely won't want to embark on major changes. But eventually you will be replacing appliances and freshening finishes. When you do, white appliances will do much to lighten your kitchen. If that doesn't appeal, then at least stainless which will bounce some light instead of eating it the way black does. Putting a light colour on your island cabinets will help a lot too.

The hall out of your kitchen would do better with white furniture too. And if you don't have a 2nd floor, you might consider replacing one or both of your recessed lights with a light tube.

Paint the island a lighter color. I don't think that table adds anything except an obstacle to walk around. Consider a backsplash, something that will reflect light (glass tiles?). Maybe small throw rug in? Consider changing the bulbs in your ceiling to daylight LEDs. Loose the valance.

I'm drawn to the bowl of fruit on the table. Those colors pop - they're warm and inviting. Instead of pale yellow walls, think of using a warm yellow. This is my old kitchen. The walls are what I like to call Italian yellow...nearly school bus yellow. The adjacent archway is a vibrant red. I used colors pulled from an apple. Use red and green accessories. I also agree with other poster...remove the valance over the window and remove the table obstructing the flow of traffic. Paint the island red and brush off some of the paint to expose the lack underneath. Use some nice artwork to add further warmth.

You can also use a semigloss paint on ceilings to add a more reflective quality.

Agree with previous posters. I think your kitchen would look bigger and brighter with less "stuff." I would delete the little valance altogether and remove all the items on top of the cabinets. Clear the countertops as much as possible. Definitely remove the little table and the box under it. Clear off the top of the desk. There are way too many places for the eye to stop. I would replace the black door knobs with stainless since the contrast with the white doors also stops the eye. Paint the door hinges white or replace. Minimize wall art. I would get counter stools which have a back lower than the top of the counter. Clutter makes a room look smaller and busier. And under cabinet lighting will brighten the room. Good luck.

If that table is used for folding clothes as they come out of the laundry, just get one that will fold up and go in the laundry closet. Replace it with a large bright and pretty rug. Be sure to put an anti-skid pad under it. Sometimes the natural "brightness" of a space is covered over by putting too much stuff in it. I think that's the case here. I agree with all jdforney said. In addition, if you have corner cabinets on both sides of the sink, consider replacing the doors with glass ones and lighting the interiors of those two cabinets, using them to display the items that are looking more like clutter on top of the cabinets. Clear the walls as much as possible. Find a table top calendar and clock to set on the desk instead of covering the walls.

Ditto JDForney's undercab ltg. Our K is dark & it makes big diff. In old K we had inexpensive Ikea LEDs that had off-low-high settings & were fine, but w/ reno, we went w/ dimmable strips. Re Jennifer's suggestion, we considered light tubes, but I didn't want to cut tile roof. Neighbors w/ shingle roofs did & tubes made big diff.

Under cabinet lighting will make a huge difference and also give you good task lighting while working in your kitchen. There are lots of LED options that look great and are easy to install. You might also try switching out the bulbs in the recessed cans in the ceiling for some that will give you better, brighter light.

You are getting great advice, all I would add is that maybe a pendant light over the sink would increase both light and interest, move the bowl of fruit to the island as I agree with JL Ford that the colors are great but the table is not useful, and do you need the extra non-matching stool on the right of the island? If you need it for function there's not much you can do (maybe paint it white), but if you can do without, remove it for a less cluttered effect. I'd also have the desk chair and the stools be the same color, either the white of the stools (brighter) or the red of the desk chair (which is a lovely color too).

This is a lovely kitchen particularly for a 1920s house. Enjoy!

Add a ceiling light fixture in the middle of the kitchen. The recessed lights are pointing down, however, you need light that goes sideways as well to illuminate the whole kitchen. Undercabinet lighting would also be a huge improvement.

Agree with most of the above: lose the valance,above cabinets items and little table. I would also suggest turning the island and extending it out towards the pantry area with a new top. Paint it a lighter color such as off white or something more colorful like pale yellow or whatever your favorite is to draw your eye to it. The walls could be a darker or lighter tone of the island color. The increased size of the island will make it more of a focal point,especially if you added some great pendant lights above it. I would love to see the desk and cabinets above removed and just do an art wall with some thing tall and slender in that corner. I think you could really make this kitchen pop with a little color and a few changes!

Wow, great suggestions, we do have under cabinet lights, which is a great help. A couple suggestions , should I just not have any valance, one suggestions was a white sheer valance, or should I just leave the window with nothing ? Will remove the table all together. Rug suggestion was great. Can't really remove the desk as I use it a lot, but will clear off top as suggested. The walls are a yellow, just didn't show that well in the picture. Have off white subway tiles back splash. Going to check out painting stools, if I paint them red to match desk chair, would that look better ? Also lighting ,will check out daylight led for recessed lighting, should I add drop lighting above the center Isle ? Color suggestion for center Isle ? Thank all of you so much, it always helps to get ideas from a different point of view THANK YOU .

Personally I'd do no valance; if you need a shade for privacy or to control sun filtering in, maybe consider roman shade or simple honeycomb/cellular shade. But if you don't need it, I'd leave it bare, personally.

No valance, it chops up the wall too much.

thank you , will go with no valance, privacy not an issue. As far as the items above the cabinets, can remove some to give a less cluttered look, but it helps for extra storage. So many excellent replies thank you.

I'm in the minority here but the items above the cabinets don't bother me, if that is your style go for it. It adds your personality to the kitchen. If this were intended to be a modern streamlined space that'd be one thing, but clearly that is not your character and not the character of the house.

The style of the house lends itself to a more traditional style, maybe not the trend, but I do like the look of a more country style kitchen.

My kitchen is generally sunny, even with only one window - but late fall and winter bring early dark nights and a string of gloomy days. Definitely get a light over the sink - I cannot imagine not having one on a dark night or gray day. Last fall, I put DIY under cabinet lighting under the cabinets running from my sink to my stove, since that is my major prep area. It has made a wonderful difference. (Pics in my idea book.) I hope to have one outlet added under the cabinets when I get my new counter and backsplash so I can hide the cord.

I do have a light over the sink and under cabinet lighting, I guess the fact that the kitchen is long ,just seems like wasted space, but am working on suggestions that were posted, thank you for your feedback.

I like all of the suggestions....Is your island black like your appliances? I think if you paint it white and paint your stools red like your desk chair.....would look like a cozy kitchen.

Your cabinetry is very pretty and brand new and I like it because it is a lot like mine, only yours is nicer:)

With a pantry and many cabinets you have a lot of storage. You might consider down the road removing some upper cabinets next to the window and putting in more windows, or if any of the other walls are outside walls, adding another window there. If there is potential access to a deck, french doors.

The cabinets could be reused in a study, office or library area or basement bar area. That would be expensive, so wait a while and see if it still bothers you in a few months.

I would like to add windows to my kitchen but I cannot give up the few cabinets I have.

Thank you everyone, have already removed the curtain, much better , this will be a work in progress, will post pictures when finished, table is gone. Great suggestions, sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees, all of your comments have been a great help.