Remove the items on the top of the kitchen cabinets and add crown molding all the way to the ceiling. Paint and new hardware would a place to start.

Your laundry room looks large and lightfilled which is great! I can't tell what type of storage cabinets you have now, but some times you can find cabinets at a Habitat for Humanity store or on Craigslist that won't cost a lot.

I agree with Emily. A simple update like painting and exchanging hardware could be all you need.

I would love to paint my cabinets white or stain them dark and new hardware is a must lol but my husband doesn't want to paint or stain them because he thinks that it will cover the grain of the wood. Also I am horrible i n matching colors so I don't know what color to paint if i stayed with these cabinets and I don't know if i went with a laminate floor if i should go darker wood than the cabinets... Now the laundry room has to be gutted. ..new installation and drywall and all the other good stuff, there is only one small cabinet at the moment but have been looking on craigslist for more cabinets and a counter of some sort... thanks for the ideas everyone much appreciated

The paint will cover the grain of the wood a bit but the idea is to cover them up and therefore update them. Painted kitchens are very fashionable. Show him some pictures of white painted kitchens to tempt him.

Your kitchen looks nice. We have a similar kitchen, oak cabinets, which got primed and painted in a dark grey. It looks fresh and modern. The holes of the old hardware were filled in and new hardware installed. The backsplash is actually decorative white metal ceiling tiles and behind the stove is a piece of stainless steel. No, it is not a brand new kitchen but we received a lot of compliments. We have a Victorian, so we opted for vinyl flooring, easy to maintain with 2 kids and one on the way. By the way, you can see the wood grain through the paint since paint will sit proud onto oak. I'll try and post a picture later.

Repainted kitchen

Yeah i like it... my neighbor she has the same cabinets as me but stainless steel appliances and she took silver ceiling tiles and ceiling and hers looks really good but i was thinking a pretty pale like mint green for the walls but i do want a backsplash just don't know about floor