This is the rest of it really. It is off of the living room which will be a darker gray. And my profile pic is the color ideas for the rest of the house.

I don't really know what to suggest. You don't want to keep the wood tone, but the obvious choice to handle the backsplash would be a cream, which you also don't like. Other options involve getting a lot darker, which I think risks turning your kitchen into a cave.

What about a light sage green?

Something like this could give the place a new feel without going too dark -- would be ok with stainless too.

Not clear how you intend to do this -- painting cabinets is very labor-intensive (you have to TPS treat to remove grease, etc., then sand, then prime, then sand, then prime, then paint, all while the doors and drawers are off), and having it professionally done isn't cheap...

I'd get new handles -- you can fill the knob holes before you start your painting process, and then drill for anything you want. Arched pulls might update. Also, I think I'd remove the grim wood piece over the window -- if you need hanging storage, do it on your blank wall with shelves and hooks.

I do like the green. And the knob idea for sure! I know once different appliances go in, the cabinets will look better. I know I would do a poor job on refinishing them and not worth the hassle. Maybe once I get the feel of the room for the first few weeks I can decide. Thank you so much. Any ideas appreciated!

get stainless appliances, not black; they go with any color cabinets and will bring more light into the area.

I definitely agree with the stainless appliances. They aren't super reflective, but will help (more than black) to bounce some light around, thereby brightening your kitchen. I would look at a taupe colour for your cabinets. If I am accurately gauging the colour in your backsplash, then I think a light taupe colour could help lighten things up while tying what you've got together, and it's neutral, so (in my book anyway) it will be easy to live/accessorize with.

I agree with everyone about the stainless appliances. I'm a little puzzled by your refusal to replace the backsplash- it would be a relatively inexpensive fix to replace with something more flexible like a simple subway tile. I personally do not like tile counters because food particles get stuck in the grout and are hard to get out, but I understand keeping them because countertops are an expensive thing to replace. I do like someone else's suggestion of a pale sage green, but personally I would go with cream.

Thank you everyone! It is very odd about the backsplash and tile. It was a flipped house, so the guy who lived there did the work himself. Just not in budget to make it really awesome right now. I realized I don’t really have a dream kitchen... So keep ideas coming. I like the taupe idea... that would go with the rest of my color scheme. In the adjacent rooms.

And I’m sold on the stainless steel appliances.

Found this pic with the floor.

Wow- it really looks like a garage sale kitchen. Eeek!!

Your new countertop can be laminate - a black laminate if that is what you like. Most people do not have a dream kitchen. One works with what one has in the budget they can afford. I am a little confused about what you want to do - it sounds like you are not comfortable painting the cabinets, which is fine. Hiring a professional will cost quite a bit or you can work with the wood. The difficulty is that the countertop and backsplash are the most glaring problems. If you go dark on the backsplash, please consider some under cabinet lighting and also realize that dark counters and backsplash will be a difficulty come resale time.

This kitchen has dark counters and stainless appliances with older cabinets - maybe you can get some inspiration from it:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/before-and-after-phvw-vp~89850046