Not sure what you mean about counters , we need some idea of floor plan , right now I would say the first thing to buy is a counter depth fridge . Post a detailed floor plan with maybe a couple of inspiration pics and also an idea of your style and the spaces around the kitchen . Right now i see a huge need for storage

I follow a blog called ChrisLovesJulia that did a 6-day small kitchen makeover that reminds me of your kitchen. Thought I'd share it in hopes it brings you some inspiration for your space.

AFTER

BEFORE

They have multiple blog posts on the materials they used and how they did it on a modest budget too.

Also, to piggy-back on Joni Koenig Interiors comment regarding your refrigerator. A counter depth fridge would really help your space.

As for your laminate counters, please do not do the 4" backsplash that countertop companies say is "included in the price" for laminate counters. Don't do it. You may not save money by eliminating the 4" backsplash but your kitchen design will look more professional without it.

Hope this helps!

I have thought about a smaller size fridge, however, it's currently not in the budget. We already have the countertops, they were a gift from my in laws when we moved. I'm not in love with the countertops, but it would cause too much family drama not to use them.
It is a very small kitchen, with 6 upper cabinets and 4 base cabinets and not a lot of counter space. To the right of the fridge is a small cabinet; we are removing that for the dishwasher, putting a new cabinet it and the fridge will be moved to the left. We are planning on adding a small trashcan cabinet on the right of the stove.
Since I'm not entirely happy with the countertops, I'm thinking of painting them with Rust-Oleum countertop paint. The counters will be dark gray, the cabinets a light gray, white walls, and a black and white marble styled floor.

Oh, I didn't realize you already had the counters installed. I assumed you were in the middle of the order process but you are beyond that --do not rock the in-law boat! ;) It is a really nice gift for them to pay for.

Honestly, the counters are a nice neutral color. Wait to alter them as your last option. I think after you have cabinets updated with new flooring in you may feel different about them.

I absolutely love the gray kitchen you posted! :) that's pretty much what I'm going for!

What budget are you looking at?

Not knowing your in-laws and their personalities, I can say that when I give a gift I want it to be useful and *enjoyable. Did you choose this as the best option of many or did they say "this shall be!" ? I understand not wanting to rock the boat but sometimes it's worth it to give a little bit of push back to get what's best for you.

If you like natural wood, look into Lowe's bamboo premade counters. It was a lot cheaper than laminate for us, and it's a natural product that would work with the look you like. Maybe mil won't object to saving money, getting a better product (debatable depending on your personal priorities) and giving you a gift you love!

For flooring, peel and stick vinyl tiles work well but you need a proper subfloor in order to keep the warranty valid. We applied them in a bathroom and four years later they still are going strong, no peeling or lifting at all. Husband installed it all in one day.

Hi Jennie, Paint will go a long way on your cabinets - we just did ours recently and it made a world of difference, even on 80's oak cabinets. I would recommend a lighter color to help brighten this tight, dark space. There are some medium grays in the laminate photo, so you could pull one of those to use for the paint color. You might consider painting the trim and window frame white, if that's practical.

I'd be interested to see the reverse view of the kitchen. I assume it leads to an eat-in area with a table and chairs. Some organization would help you quite a bit in this kitchen, too. Mountain a paper towel holder under the cabinets instead of having them out on the counter, for example. You have a bunch of clutter in here, and it makes it a little tough to see potential.

Is there a light over the sink? If you take additional photos, turn on all the lights, even if it's daytime.

Also, do you have a photo of the black and white marble styled floor? The stark contrast of black/white might be too much for such a small space.

Unfortunately, our house has turned into a fixer upper, so our budget for the kitchen is less than $500. We already have countertops, dishwasher, and a sink, but they need to be installed.
We do have an eat in kitchen with a slate tile table.
I will try to get some more detailed pictures of the kitchen and dining room side this evening.
Below is a picture of the flooring I'm leaning towards.

From what others have shared on houzz the Rust-Oleum countertop paint is a short term fix. Most say they get about 3 yrs of wear out of it. This counter top may not be your vision for your kitchen but the good is that it is neutral and workable.

If you look at the gray kitchen Glo posted, it looks to have a counter top similar in color to the one you have been given. What makes it all work together is the right flooring color choice, warm gray color of the cabinets, no upper cabinets to give it a more open feel and lots of natural light. Unless you plan to have a lot of layers of lighting, your kitchen as planned is going to be very dark. Is that your goal? The black/white won't add any style points for your space. The cabinet color needs to be decided on and then the flooring.

Are you getting new cabinets or planning to paint the ones you have?.

With the refrigerator moved away from the sink it shouldn't be quite as bad as it is now. Congratulations on getting a dishwasher! If the new cabinet over the refrigerator is full depth and you panel the outside it will be much better. That won't completely build in the fridge but it will be a big improvement until you can get a counter depth one. The very best thing in my kitchen is the deep cabinet over the refrigerator that makes it look built in. They have been making full depth over refrigerator cabinets at least since the 1960s when my mom remodeled her kitchen. Should be a standard feature by now!

You may want gray but you have beige. Use it. I'd look for a beige paler than the counter. If you want trendy look for a tone darker than the counter for the lowers but with the white appliances I'd stick to one light color. It will look nice and fresh and yours.

Do not paint a perfectly good new counter. It will not wear well!

In my first house when a seam in my kitchen floor peeled up we found sheet vinyl that went wall to wall. Removed the mouldings and scraped up the old flooring, that was the hard part. In a day we cut the new flooring to fit, stapled around the edges and replaced mouldings. That way if we replaced it there would be no scraping up. Maybe we were just lucky but the vinyl lay perfectly and didn't make any funny noises. I'd never have any sort of click together in the kitchen because of water damage. Not talking plumbing leaks, just normal oops when at the sink. For color and pattern? Don't match the counter, that's for sure! Whatever is there now is very blah with the counters. I'd probably want to punch up the contrast and go quite dark as pale cabinets with mid tone beige counter and white appliances is fairly monotone. Then I'd put put up a roman blind that's mostly beige and white with some dark color to it.

I hope you like this

Sara J, I love the second picture you posted!

My goal is to increase counter and cabinet space and to finally have a dishwasher. I don't want to go dark because it is small. I have things to add to give pops of color.

I'm worried if I keep the beige countertops, the kitchen will look monotone. I'm not sure what floor to put with it. The floor has to be replaced due to water damage.

You must be thinking that the kitchen would not be changed by at least seven years, so the colors should be Classic, will also have a lot of organizations within the drawers, the use of lighting and flowers in the kitchen decorating, it is possible to be a dishwasher and refrigerator with a smaller size and use must oven or superficial commentator and thank you very much for the opportunity to give you my opinion

Are you getting new cabinets or painting the ones you have?

If you provide the measurements of your kitchen, showing where the windows and doors are, people will be able to provide you with better advice. Also pictures of the rest of the room.

We are planning on painting or staining the cabinets and getting new hardware.
The kitchen and dining area have not been painted since we moved in.
There's water damage around the door that is in the process of being fixed.
We are planning on getting bench seating for the dining table.

Our bearded dragon is on our table while we fix the water damage.