Shelves on the peninsula wall and maybe over the window. You can use rustic looking materials like reclaimed wood or metal.

I agree, accessories and different accessories will make all the difference.

Get rid of the oppressive gray walls. Do I also see a backsplash painted in the wall color???

First, reconsider the gray. Cool grays and warm wood tones do nothing to bring out the best in each other. Your cabinets will work well with a rustic slant. Try a cream, soft creamy beige or sage green. The green can have gray undertones. I just realized you have a gray backsplash. That is fine as some gray will work. I have some grays in my countertop and I have similar cabinets - but lighten up the walls. The gray backsplash reads a little blue gray which works well with wood tones when it is an accent color, but not so much a wall color. I don't think a sage will work with the backsplash though.

Add rustic shelves wherever it looks best on the wall to the left of the window. I assume you are not changing the countertop since that would be done before the backsplash. Otherwise you could do a farmhouse sink. The Ikea Domsjo is a fireclay farmhouse sink which is overmount and might work with your laminate countertops. It is also the most reasonably priced farmhouse sink in fireclay. I have not used it but there are many home bloggers who have so you might want to do some online research about it. You can curtain your sink with or without a farmhouse sink - just make sure you either don't use that cabinet a lot or use a type of rod and fastener that slides easily.

Rustic shelves - use the top two shelves for decor only so you only have to keep the bottom one really super clean. You can use all three for decor too.Vintage trays and china work well in a rustic decor. I used some of these ideas in my basement kitchenette:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~65270573

Rustic Shelves:

You can also do a wall hutch:

Curtained sink:

auntthelma - do you have a pic of your kitchen in an idea book? There is a person on the kitchen section of the gardenweb working with maple and could use a good example of a refreshed maple kitchen:) Sorry to borrow this post:)

If you have it in the budget, change the countertops to a granite or quartz.

It would really depend on what your budget looks like.

If you are looking for inexpensive ways to make your kitchen look more rustic, I agree with others on this post. Hang some open shelving on the wall by the peninsula, change out the stools and paint your wall a nice muted green or blue.

If you have a little more room in your budget, there are a lot of things you can do to make the kitchen feel more rustic. Having the cabinets refinished to either a warn cream paint or an espresso stain would really change the look of the room. Changing the tile in the kitchen to a slate look porcelain and the countertop to a quartz would be great as well. However, none of these options are inexpensive, so it really all depends what's within your budget right now.

Good luck!

jhmarie, in response, here is a picture of my current kitchen in maple with Cambria Windermere counters.

Also, a picture of my previous oak kitchen with Correan (I forget the name) but white with light marbling counters.

Oak below:

Auntthelma - Thanks - I will note where they come from on the post.

Thanks everyone for your helpful feedback! We are going to check into sandstone for countertop and a different backsplash for sure. Love the farmhouse sink idea and shelving- I thought of covering stools with a fabric and having pendant lighting over bar area as well. Also maybe a rustic metal range hood over Jenn air countertop stove?

Your present vent is not bad, but a pretty hood is always a plus.