I would remove the valance, the wooden valance and the blinds. I did the same and it brightened the kitchen up quite a bit. It also exposed the light fixture over the sink which now gave me more in a small kitchen. Do you need the blinds for privacy?

I agree. Remove the wood and fabric valance and mini blinds. Maybe a solar shade?

Hey There: Yes, please take the curtain and the valance off and replace the blinds with faux wood blinds in white or aluminum blinds. You are right in front of your sink and you must be able to wipe them clean. Fabric blinds will not work in your case...

I agree with making sure the blinds are easy to clean. I wonder if there is something that can be used from the bottom up so in the morning you could let the light come in and still have privacy

Thanks for all the comments. I do like the idea of removing the wood valance. Unfortunately I cannot do that since cabinets are fairly new and the valance is glued in place. If I put up a white blind, do you think I should carry it all the way up to the top or just do an inside mount? There is 7 inches between top window molding and ceiling.

It is me again @stidmama: Yes, we do offer bottom up top down operating aluminum mini blinds for our clients.

I may have misunderstood, but you are going to remove the blind up there and replace it with a faux wood blind? If you don't have a privacy problem, I would just leave it off.

We recently removed the wood valance from over our kitchen sink - what a difference. The carpenter took the wood molding/trim from the wood valance and attached it to both side cabinets so that the side cabinets had trim on the side making it look finished. Ours was glued and nailed in. Hire a handyman or carpenter - it's a small job but totally changes the look. We added a pendant light over the sink and I made the curtain. This was a kitchen done on a small budget - again, dated cherry cabinets that are in great condition - replaced the floor, backsplash and countertops.