White counter, stainless undermount sink and a cool faucet. That will change the look of the room.

Quartz countertops MSI Calacatta Vincenza. It's a good price point and you can select a wide variety and color of backsplashes.
https://www.msistone.com/quartz-countertops/calacatta-vicenza-quartz/

Goes with practically anything.

your kitchen has a lot of yellow; floor, cabinets, wall, counters. the counters you are working on, the wall is the cheapest and easiest place to de-yellow a bit. white to match the counter/backsplash will make your kitchen feel more spacious.

i sorta like your backsplash... its interesting. is there any blue in the accents? to match a runner or mat to....

Thanks, everyone!

jhmarie your photos are very helpful in seeing what we could do.

Question about blue accents is interesting... no we do not have blue accents... we just bought this place and trying to do some renovation to make the place is bit modern on a low budget. The cabinets are on the newer side.

auntthelma has a pretty maple kitchen with white appliances if I remember right:)

Two thumbs up for changing the floor to oak to be consistent with the rest of the house.

The kitchen has much potential without spending a fortune. If going the quartz route, I'd stay away from a marble look. I think it's too formal for the overall look of your kitchen. I'd go with a pattern that's more laid back and casual. I'm not sure if the undertones are right for you space but maybe Caesarstone's Nougat, Quartz Reflections, Blizzard or Intense White: CaesarstoneThat back splash may still be available so if you replace the counters, you can buy some to fill in the gap left by the current laminate backsplash. It would not be the end of the world though, if you can't find a decent match and have to fill in the space with 4" quartz. A skilled tile setter (or skilled DIYer) could also carefully remove the decorative tiles and replace them with plain ones to replace the rest of the field.

Whatever you do, I'd also suggest removing the tile on the entire window/door wall and just painting. It's possible, that you might be able to salvage some or all of these tiles to "patch" the back splash that's staying.

Here are some inspiration photos that might help:

I like AuntThelma's idea... something white maybe white marble.

All the pictures and ideas that you have shared are so very helpful. Much appreciated.

jhmarie - I do have a maple kitchen. My previous home was an oak kitchen - very small and tucked into a corner of a very small, very awkward house. It was actually a 100 year old 'sink room' added to the old house when plumbing came into the homes. We changed the gray formica to a white Corian and the room was sooo much nicer. I expecially loved my SS sink with the cool Victorian style faucet. Pictures of the oak with white below.

https://www.veronaquartz.com/product-page/calacatta-capri

Hi,

I'm really in love with this color!! I just don't know if they have a distributor in my area..