I think a backsplash would certainly help. Maybe some pendant lighting over the island.

I was thinking the same thing about the door! I knew something should be different, but I couldn't quite explain what it should be

Also, switching out a few of your upper cabinet doors with something with glass inserts

I'm intrigued by changing the pantry door. Would you do wood, painted a neat color or frosted glass? I really like that idea. A little confused where to go with backsplash. Should I do whole window wall too? Cream color subway? I will look at pendants to.

Creamy-white subway tile...yes! Thank God we don't have to talk you off the busy backsplash ledge. ;) I would, however, skip the pendants over the island. Recessed spotlights would be my choice with a great chandelier over the table!

Paint? Your kitchen lacks color & warmth. Also, I get a Roman shade for the window above the sink, either bamboo or fabric with some color (maybe ,a deep red since you have touches of red ). These would be very cost effective options.

Agreeing with Bailey regarding the lack of warmth and color, but I'd be inclined to choose fabric over bamboo for the window covering.

If you look in the last pic you can see back of front door. Would it make sense to paint back of that door and pantry door Aqua and then paint walls a light taupe color? I can make a Roman shade out of fabric with both Aqua and taupe in it.

The red accents actually belong to previous owner

I would not paint the back of the front door Aqua. Maybe carry the taupe color there. An aqua with taupe tape Roman shade would be perfect. Carry the color through with other aqua accents like colander, coffee pot, etc.

First off you already have a backsplash. So you must decide if you want to remove the 4" piece & do a tile backsplash. Next I would not do the whole window wall if you decide to go tile route due to the molding on the top of the cabinets, a whole wall look is for a more modern style kitchen, yours is traditional. I would change the pantry door. Only do glass cabinet doors if you have items to display & you can give up the storage space. Paint first. Get a roman shade as suggested (look at theshadestore.com for ideas for fabrics, their choices are great).

This home owner decided to use the colors in the granite trim to choose coordinating backsplash tile.

Not the aqua accents you have in mind but just a picture to show the color contrast would be really pretty with your cabinets.

Not really recommending you get something that busy for the tile, just showing that the granite edge can be used without removing it if the colors coordinate.
I love the idea of carrying the window tile all the way up.

Consider a shelf over the window.

Hello Christine R!

Your kitchen right now has great bones with the cabinetry and granite, the rest is a blank slate for you. The cabinet wood looks like maple with a Sienna stain. St. Cecilia Light granite has a multitude of colors to pull a palette from: cream, dark grey, tan, light grey, and some neutrals that can be pull green if desired, and some hints of red/russet that can be played with as well. Its a beautiful stone. As far as introducing blue, even in the aqua range, it tends to fight with this stone color and can become discordant.

You can either leave your 4" granite lip 'backsplash' and install tile above it or remove it and tile from the countertop up the full 18". I've done it both ways for clients and both looks are beautiful.

The tiles that I've used with St. Cecilia Light are travertine, honed marble in the beige range, and glass tiles or a combination of travertine and glass. Depending on your style tastes - traditional, transitional, contemporary, etc - you will have completely different finished looks. I've included some examples. I would recommend a neutral colored grout as well.

One thing to consider with backsplash tiles is what type of cooking you do. Travertine is beautiful but is porous and can hold grease and cooking stains. The honed and polished marble is easy to clean. The mix of stone and glass tiles hold up well in a stove area.

And I love the idea of tiling around the window. A board mounted valance will work the best once the tile is installed as it can be drilled through to support the window treatment.

Paint color is a must in this space as well. You can go with a dusty, grey-green which would look great with the cabinet finish since red and green tones balance in a 1 to 1 ratio, as long as it works well with a tile that has a bit of green in the mix. Or you can go with a neutral in a deeper range. And since this room is open to the family room and shares a ceiling, you could always paint the ceiling area in both rooms a 1/4 tinted version of the wall color. Ceilings don't always have to be white.

I don't think accenting the pantry door is a good option simply because its not a beautiful door and its not something I would recommend calling attention to. Let the backsplash tile and a coordinating window treatment add the character and attention grabbing aspects in this space. Otherwise the door will always grab and hold your attention.

Hardware is another area you can add a wow factor if you desire on the cabinets and pantry door.

Are you a DIY-er or are you hiring someone? Most of the things I've shown are from Lowes and Home Depot and fall into the DIY category.

My suggestion is this - always start with a color palette otherwise you are aimlessly shopping and that can lead to disaster. Go to any home store and find a granite sample that is very close to yours. Take it over to the paint palette section and pull all the colors that are in the stone. You should wind up with 9-12 color swatches. Now you can choose the tile. Sometimes the sparest color in granite can be the best choice for tile. Once they are paired up they 'speak' to one another from that color perspective.

As far as your front door, faux-wood painting would be a great option. It's easy and cost effective. I usually start out with a base paint color that resembles the wood tone I desire. Then I choose the gel stain that is darker that will give me the graining tones.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions please let me know.

Thanks!

Karen Haggard, CID

Roman shade or cafe curtains underneath

Wow! So many great ideas. Karen - we are DIY. It's funny you suggested gray green. I did think of Sherman Williams Ancient Marble as a possibility. Is that what you mean? I was only thinking aqua because I have that color in an area rug but could use that elsewhere because you are right, it might clash. Thank you sooo much.

Hi Christine,

Yes that is exactly what I mean by a grey-green. Its toned enough with grey to make the green act more like a neutral.

You're welcome!

What do you think of a beadboard backsplash?

Hi Christine,

Beadboard is an attractive back splash but I only recommend it in areas of a kitchen that don't get any cooking and sink use. The grooves make it hard to keep clean, and since its wood and typically painted, the finish will not hold up to a daily spray and wipe down.

And I'm not sure I would pair it with your raised panel cabinets.

Karen Haggard, CID

Thanks Karen. I will stick with tile. I can't wait to paint. I think that is going to make a huge improvement. I have vacation in 2 weeks and will be painting then. I will send pics when done. I am going with the ancient marble. I was flipping between that and nonchalant white which is next lighter on the strip. With my off white sofa, I think the ancient marble will look better

Sounds great. And enjoy your 'staycation' while you paint!

Christine, I felt like I was looking at my own kitchen when I saw your pictures. In 2008, I did a full kitchen remodel and picked cabinets, I think called "cinnamon" and the santa cecelia granite. My floor plan completely changed and I gave up cheap mismatched white cabinets. A part of me still regrets not going with another white kitchen, but the cabinets I have still look pretty new, and I use my kitchen a lot. I think the white would have started to show some wear. At least that's what I tell myself.

I have struggled to put my personality in the kitchen. I would definitely go with something like one of the first two backsplashes that Grey Heron Interiors suggests. I did a small, multi colored square tile and it is too busy. I am going to try to lighten it to make it more monochromatic with paint or whitewash. I went with squares because my flooring has a twelve inch square tile pattern and I was all about matching shape patterns at the time.

Consider paining your walls a soft neutral color. I think you can use that little pantry door to add some personality. Painting the walls a different color will make the door pop. Then bring the swag decor you have above it down a bit lower, keep the wreath and add something below it. A piece of word art might work. Groupings of odd numbers are of more interest. My kitchen had an old chimney stack behind a wall that was cost prohibited to remove, so it was worked into the layout and It makes a nice accent wall, with the star, berry basket and 'welcome' decal (see photo).

Someone mentioned putting a shelf above the kitchen window and that is a great idea. So many things you could put up there.

I use white, beige and cranberry colors in the room and at the fabric store, I found material that is a popular pattern on furniture these days and covered my window seat cushion with it. I have pillows in my living room and family room with the same material. Happy to carry that through the house. I had wanted a white table and chairs but hubby picked ones with a similar tone as the cabinets. A little too matchy matchy for me.

Have fun adding your personal touch to the room. I look forward to seeing your changes!

If you don't want to put a shelf above the window, you could consider stenciling a large expression like "Home Sweet Home" to fill up the space.

Beautiful kitchen Divinemrsm. I was too sad to respond the other day as we lost the house. The appraisal came in short and the seller refused to reduce his price and we didn't want to pay more then appraisal.So it went back on the market. :( I was so excited to try out your ideas. Fast forward to today and we found a new house! This appraisal should be spot on. :) We should be able to move in a month. I like this house even more except for kitchen. So I need more of your creative ideas. Cabinets are expresso finish and counters are crema pearl. I can't tell the difference between the two stones. I think the paint in this house is better. I think I want to add nice hardware. I have taupe drapes that will match drapes on slider in family room. I am changing out fridge as I already bought one for other house. I appreciate all your help and hopefully this sale goes smoothly.

Wait until your sale goes through, and you have lived in your new home for a bit. You may find other priorities or change your mind about what you do and don't like after being there for awhile. It looks like a nice, neutral space for you to move into.