The kitchen would benefit from a facelift. I would paint the cabinets, and replace the countertop and backsplash and floors. If budget allows also upgrade the appliances.

CarmelDecor

I did some photoshop color tweaking of the cabinets and this was the best I could come up. I'm not even sure if it looks good though. Does it? Is there any hope for this countertop?

I would stain the cabs to a cherry or let. Walnut. Done. Otherwise it will be a domino effect. The backsplash is nice. Do you have under cab lighting??? If not, get it done. What specks of color is in the Quartz???

And you need 2 pendant lights over the island.

I would change counter tops and paint cabinets

Good job Phil. Maybe a touch redder. But I think that one this is painted & accessorized correctly, this is a very cool kitchen. Ang we may consider painting the cabinets a very creamy color. What's the exact name of the Caesar stone?

Thanks guys. Yes, there's some under cabinet lighting (I included another picture that shows it better). Agree pendant lights would be cool. Everyone seems to agree about darker cabinets, but it would help if anyone could show me pictures of specific colors that they think would go well with my countertop....

I don't know anything about the counters currently other than they are silestone.

Or...what if you just changed the top of the island, then painted the island a different color from the rest??? That would save you having to rip out the whole backsplash too.

I'm never personally a fan of having the island be different, plus I think the rest besides the island would need changing regardless.

Not sure why you said we'd have to rip out the backsplash - I guess you mean it would get ruined if we changed the countertop?

Here's my photoshopping with a little more red. Thoughts?

Looks like Sierra Madre. Analyzing...

From their website the closest I think it could be is "Amarillo Palmira" however that doesn't seem like a full match either.

Here's a closer up img of the countertop

No to the red. Once counters are glued down with all that adhesive, they're almost impossible to not cause damage coming out. Okay...here's what I would do...paint all the perimeter cabinets in Soft Linen by BM. Then the island in Wool Peacoat". Then over the cabinets & on the ceiling I'd paint Wool Peacoat at 50%. I think the linen color will soften everything. It seemed that the dark cabs, the more I looked at them, made them look like a drab autumn day. And then I'd get those pendant lights & new appliances.

Blanco Maple for the island sole stone.

I'd go in the opposite direction with the cupboard colour, I'd go light (cream, beige, etc). If you were changing appliances to SS then dark cupboards might work.

SW 7047 Porpoise, this is more a grey brown, worth getting a test pot. Hard to tell actual countertop colour, but that might look better on the cabinets, seems a shame and very expensive to change countertops and backsplash and I think this colour looks a bit more modern

Oasis mentioned these colors: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/linenwhite and http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/woolpeacoat

Attempted to do some more photoshopping...

Is this close to what you had in mind?

A switched version:

All one color:

Or all the same light:

The above colour much better, I think I like the lot painted in that colour, what about all the bottom cabinets and island painted that colour and dove white on the top cabinets, try that

It's like you need to open those top cabinets up with either glass or open shelves either side of microwave. Just to add another dimension, so many cabinets the same, just a though, may change the whole outlook, still stick to the colour you have just posted similar to the one I did

Just an idea

Nice pendants

Painted cabinets never look nice for long. There is so much contrast between your black appliances and the rest of the kitchen, I would suggest you paint the walls, change out the backsplash, change the cabinet hardware to something darker, and add a rug or two to the floor. That would be the most cost effective change.

I like the first version Phil. I will have to say that painted cabinets, unless done right, don't last as long as a wood finish. But newer paint technology for cabinets has polymers in it that helps longevity.

I like the darker stain on the cabinets. I am also not a fan of the island being a different color! Those are nice countertops and I would try to keep them too.

I think it would look great with a darker granite countertop. You could check that out. Also if you are looking for new kitchen cabinets then you can really get creative and make it your own!

It's not at all a bad idea to put glass in a couple of those cabs, Phil. Not all that hard to do really. We have done it a couple times.

Just last week we had painters paint over solid cherry cabs. I tried to talk her out of it...SOLID CHERRY. But I got over it. She has a granite with a lot of orange in it. We did SW Alabaster on the cabs & SW Mindful Gray on the island. The painters used Fine Paints of Europe & they swear by it. So there's a lot of whites & grays out there. Undertones is what you have to look for. So SW has color consultants to help you with your particular needs who will come out for a consultation. Cause it's hard to spec colors from an iPhone (even though I'm pretty good!!!

Highly functional kitchen. Looks like everything is in great shape too. Maybe just sand and reglaze the cabs in a slightly darker stain, change out the hardware, get SS appliances and paint the walls and ceiling a light muslin. Island pendants would be great but the chunkier ones are going to be too much in your space since the island goes longways and the ceiling is so high.

So there's pros & cons to which way you want to take this. And with trying to keep expense in mind, maybe try to do a walnut stain first. And then if that doesn't work, go to painting. New appliances will put a whole different & better slant on the whole kitchen, plus the pendants. I think that would be my next step. Then re-evaluate how you feel. That's money spent the most widely for now.

Wisely

Annie Sloan painting technique and paints are meant to be good