I'm with Design Connection, de-clutter the countertops. Especially with the mirrored backsplash, it makes everything look crowded, I'd get rid of that. Put some undercabinet lighting in (see Ikea for affordable options) and change the hardware. I'd do this before I paint the walls, too.

Under cabinet lights will help tremendously since there's no natural light in that area, plus a nice fresh light paint color on the walls help. It's not really that bad IMO. Good luck. :)

Your kitchen is cute! I like your blue & white pottery.Too many things on counter competing with your pottery.I'd remove the rooster and most of the stuff on the counters. I like how you have displayed the pottery pieces above the counters.How about a Moroccan design tile for the backsplash in white?

It's good you have lighting above the cabinets. Do you have under cabinet lighting? You can find a backsplash tile that is glossy or slightly sparkly to reflect light. I would remove about 80% of the countertop items. I like the display of white porcelain dishes next to the fridge, but not above the fridge. New ceiling light, and recessed lighting. If budget allows, get appliances in a consistent finish -- you can always reuse appliances in a renovation. Good luck!

As a temporary fix until you are ready for a remodel, would you consider applying a washable wallpaper (in a white and blue tile design) to the mirrored backsplash? I know that sounds crazy, but when you remove the mirrors, you will have holes and roughness from the glue or mastic or whatever was used to stick the mirrors to the wall. Then you will need to repair the wall before putting up another temporary backsplash. Just a thought.....

I would add some white molding around the cabinet doors. And a company called Aspect makes tiles you could place over your existing glass.

Think about replacing the mirrors with tin backsplash. It's never dated and it helps reflect light.

Very cute kitchen! I agree with replacing the backsplash and clearing items from the counters. A little less on top of the fridge might also be better...maybe even a basket or two to fit the space.

Decelerating will help with the overall look of the clean simple white kitchen you are trying to achieve. You have stainless appliances, nice floors for a contrast against the white cabinetry. I would take the blue pottery down and once everything is removed from your counter tops maybe a jar or plate for color in the right spot. How attached are you to the wall clock? What items are you not willing to part with as to know how and what to display? Possibly a modern shelf to display a few items of your collections where you have the one shelf in corner of kitchen.

Hand towels hung on inside towel bar would be out of sight yet within reach when needed. Painting and updating chandelier will do wonders. Your mirrored back splash I think looks fine as I would spend the money updating counter tops, wall covering or paint and lighting if the budget is a concern . Add a rug for texture and color if needed later. Pics for inspiration Good luck with your project.
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PS although the marble in a kitchen is beautiful I would not recommend but possibly something in another material that has the same lookhttp://www.lifeingraceblog.com/2013/04/living-with-marble-countertops-a-cautionary-tale/

I like your kitchen, nice space. If you want to replace the mirror but don't want to do anything major before you do your real renovation, why not try tiling plywood sheets and attaching them to the backsplash with just screws or nails on the corners? It's temporary but will give you something new. I know someone who rents and this is what she does....she has taken it with her on every move. And declutter the counters. I like your collection of pottery too. Maybe display them all in a row, not is clusters?

Thank you all for your ideas. I know I have too many things on my counter tops. I cook a lot so most of the things on my counter I use and have no other place to keep them. When you say remove the rooster, do you mean the one on top of the cabinets? Do you think it would look better on top of fridge? I'm always rearranging the pottery on top of cabinets, it seems I could never get it right. I do have some stick up led lights under my cabinets that I purchased at Costco. I do need more lighting though. The Kitchen Aid microwave that matches my new appliances was to big for the space. I plan on putting the microwave somewhere else in the kitchen and putting a nice hood over my stove. I would like to put a cabinet above my fridge where the clock is now. I could store a lot of my big platters. Bottom line is I need more storage. There was a pantry where my fridge is and the fridge was in the spot where the self is with the white plates. I wanted more counter space but now there's no pantry. My laundry room is right off kitchen with lots of cabinets so I store my stuff there. I want to expand my kitchen into the breakfast area, not have a table but an island. The kitchen and family room are together and not very large. My kitchen will be very long and narrow if I do this. If I do this I will have more storage. Maybe I could work in a pantry. Big ideas in a small space. My kitchen is 14x14 and family room 15x15. Thanking You all again for any other ideas and advice.

I like the idea of the baskets on top of fridge. I can hide some things in them. Do you think this rooster picture would look better than the clock above fridge? If I take the white rooster down from above my cabinets I don't know what I should put there. Attached is a picture of the opposite wall in kitchen.

replace a few of your upper doors w/glass and display your pottery. Since you are painting them white, you could actually buy ready made white doors w/glass inserts (or just get a carpenter to modify yours and fit w/glass. it's not expensive). This will also open up the space visually. under cabinet lighting a must.

You have lots of good suggestions already - I would just add one more. I would strongly recommend painting the wall above the upper cabinets a color that matches the cabinets as closely as possible. Then I would not put anything back up there. This will visually fool the eye and make your whole kitchen appear taller. Right now the paint above the cabinets acts a horizontal stripe and has the effect of shortening the height of the room. Even if you feel strongly about displaying your blue and white pieces up there, I would still paint that wall white.

Yes I definitely agree with painting above cabinets white. Even if I did keep the pottery it would give it cleaner look. I am going to try living without the pottery to see if I like the look. I think a nice molding on top of cabinets and new hardware. Thanks for the advice.

In the meantime, I would add board and batten strips tot he face of the peninsula and paint it the color of the cabinets so it seems part of the kitchen

Keep the mirror and add under-cupboard lighting.

Thank you for this idea of the board and batten strips. I was thinking of painting that wall and above the cabinets the same color as cabinets. Would a handy man know how to apply that board and do you know if it's expensive?

Materials are not expensive at all. The labor shouldn't be too much either. You do need to do some planning in terms of the spacing and also any horizontal moldings. Mine was more complex than what you would need because it also has a picture ledge - see photo (sorry for the horrid lighting but it's the B and B that matters in the photo). And I did it myself. So any experienced handyman with a decent saw and a nail gun can do this.

I really like the B&B board. The area you did is absolutely beautiful.