Preferably not more than 10k! What would you suggest lighting-wise? We do have a box for a fixture over the island, which we're currently not using because we can't find the right fixture. And would you recommend not painting the cabinets white, or only painting some (like the tops only)?

I don’t think you should paint your cabinets. I agree with live_wire_oak that improved lighting will make a huge difference. You could also replace the wood section of the island with something lighter and replace your desk chair and bar stools with lighter finishes and materials. The black leather is doing nothing for your space.

If you want display cabinets, You could also replace the panels in the upper cabinet doors with glass and light the inside. That would visually lighten your space without painting cabinets.

Under 10K is no professionally painted anything. It’s redoing the recessed lighting to be in the correct locations, adding under cabinet lighting, and some type of pendant(s) over the island. Then ceiling repair and painting. It’s a new DIY budget wood island top from Floor and Decor or IKEA, , that fixes the weird table stuck on thing. And the services of a local custom cabinet maker to create the matching support for the island extension that can include seating. You’d do $50 saddle stools and maybe DIY paint them to personalize them.

Going up to 20K would let you you add crown molding, the refrigerator built in with side panels, and all new $50 a square budget countertops, with your fabricator’s big single stainless sink, and DIY painting the island a color that meshes with the whole. It’s different backsplash after the removal of the short splash. Maybe swivel stools for this.

Going up to 30K would add all of the cabinets professionally painted with a factory tough finish, and a premium $120 a foot quartz counter, like Cambria. Maybe a retrofit Kohler Whitehaven farm sink. Plus fancier pendant lighting, and sturdy professional grade bar stool seating.

Your kitchen is very nice. Please find another location for wine storage. Above the fridge is probably too warm. I would address lighting issues over work areas. Remove track over corner desk (creating unwanted shadows when sitting at desk) and heavy fixture over sink, looks like it should be in a bathroom. Add new sink and island light fixtures as well as under cabinet lighting, including desk area. I agree with others to find new stools that are not so heavy looking.

If you could some of the things like painting then you could do a nice look in under 10K.

1. Paint all cabinets white. (cost is just the paint if you can paint yourself). Remember you only need to paint the outsides. Insides can remain wood as is.

2. Relocate the wine rack somewhere else and turn that into a simple cabinet on top.

3. Add 2 island nice pendant lights like this one https://www.houzz.com/photos/the-nantucket-show-home-traditional-kitchen-phvw-vp~5456460 (these costs around 250 each in that range).

4. I would just change the slab on the countertop on the island only that way you can do it within your budget. Go with a white looking quartz that matches the other one but I would remove the wooden eat-in table and instead make it one large counter with bar stools. This is where you would spend a lot of your money.

Having that kitchen painted professionally would be the entire 10K budget.

DIY painting is for those who are OK with weeks of labor. Sometimes years, if life interferes. It requires the purchase of about $300 in materials, including a spray gun and air compressor, and a lot of practice. If you don’t have a pro supply house that will sell you a professional finish, you are left with the less durable consumer grade urethane enamel choices. For an island, that means lots of touchups in the future, as it gets more wear and tear than perimeter cabinets.

I wouldn’t paint it. I would fix the racing stripes of recessed lights. Those were done without any thought to a good lighting plan.

Thanks all, this is all very helpful! For better recess light placement in the main part of the kitchen, should they be placed over the edges of the countertops, and focused where tasks are occurring (instead of in the aisles)? And what would you recommend replacing the desk track light with -- 2-3 recess lights?

No one has mentioned the gap between the ceiling and the cabinets -- if that's not a big deal, we can fairly easily add some crown molding to the top of the cabinets, and not try to get all the way to the ceiling.

Given the cost, and the fact that we do generally like the wood look, we are leaning against painting all the cabinets. Any thoughts on painting only the upper cabinets white? Or only the island some light color?

(For whatever it's worth, we have actually already added under-cabinet lighting in the main part of the kitchen, it just wasn't turned on in this picture.)

Your cabinets are a lovely wood color. Painting them you'll never have as good as a factory finish and you won't like in the long run how the finish will wear if you paint them. Even more so if you have kids. I can tell you from my own experience, white kitchens show every mark compared to stain. Besides the lighting, lighter colored stools would help. Your kitchen is screaming for more of an interesting countertop, too. Which is where I'd put the money before painting. And if you re-do down the road, loose the 4" lip if you do a backsplash.

The others are correct. Do not paint the cabinets. A PROPER paint job for existing cabinetry is expensive (pro) or extremely time-consuming (DIY). You cannot simply "paint the cabinets" because they will chip and peal immediately. Do a web search on what a proper job entails and you'll get a feel for what you're actually in for. Second, if you paint the cabinets white,, your cream-colored (?) countertops will look horrible. Invest your 10K in electrical and lighting upgrades. You'll be surprised how much that can change the look of your kitchen (which is lovely, by the way).

If we redid the counters and took off the 4 in backsplash, how would you recommend fixing that gap? Our current subway tiles above are 3 in tall.

Re backsplash, if you were to re-do your countertops, have your installer either carry the countertop material up the wall (i.e., remove the subway tiles), or put in an all-new complementary backsplash. It doesn't appear that you would have too much square footage to cover.