How far do you want to go with improvements, and what is your budget? Can you give us a to-scale diagram of the kitchen? Your question is so wide open you will get suggestions for everything from painting to gut job. Did you have a particular issue or do you want a whole new kitchen?

I'm looking for an updated look. (I'll update the post to reflect this). Lower budget and we're pretty handy. I don't want to gut the kitchen. I'm strictly looking for cabinet paint ideas and maybe new doors. We're brand new home owners and looking for renovations. This home was built in 2005 and the previous owners made no updates to the home. We want to modernize the look and feel. We like darker tones.

You don’t have any photos collected in your idea books. Are you new to Houzz? You can search for specified ideas: “kitchens with black counters”, “blue kitchens”, find cabinetry makers in your area, specify a style, or request suggestions here. There are thousands of pictures of kitchens, so you will get more relevant photos is you can narrow the question a bit. Lots of us enjoy giving decorating advice whether we are experienced homeowners or professionals.
Doors can be replaced, and cabinets can be painted to match. We know that it’s easy to go overboard in a first house. I’m sure you can DIY a paint job or hire a painting contractor to do it. There are a lot of instructions on YouTube if needed.
Collect some pictures which are similar to what you have in mind: wall and cabinet colors, door styles, handles and pulls. Post your needs here, and we Houzzers will reply.

The problem is not the cabinets. The style and color are fine...except for the slightly staggered look. It’s the floor, the black counters with the partial backsplash, the black appliances, and the fridge that sticks out past the cabinets.

It appears there is wood flooring in the adjacent dining room. Extending those floors into the kitchen, would do wonders aesthetically.

Also, you might consider updating the lighting, including the fixture in the dining area.

Since it’s not feasible to do a full reno now, perhaps live in the house for a year, when your financial situation might be different.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with black counters and appliances. It's pulling that darker element in and repeating it, as in adding black handles and getting the base cabinets darkened up that will start to feel more integrated. When you're a brand new homeowner, and there's nothing wrong with your space, you don't need to rip out flooring. You just need to bring other elements into line, like adding a cool backsplash and some fun lighting. (does anyone remember how broke they were in their first house?)

Which is why I suggested they live in the house for a while, to recoup their money...and then do a renovation. The kitchen is certainly livable, until then.

New counters are $5-6K minimum in a space this large - again why throw something perfectly good in a landfill No need. This requires very little imagination to be super gorgeous without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There are companies that even make thin granite to cover existing tops, which is still a better more environmentally conscious way to address this.

Address the lighting first. As for the cabinets or any other change live in it for at least 3 months to see if you love how it functions. IMO the fridge needs to be counter depth and the cabinet over the range needs to be removed and a proper hood installed, those are the things I would deal with right after the lighting.That tile floor does not work with the flooring next to it at all.

agree - extend the flooring would transform it - pull in the tan color of the cabinets into the eating area with rugs/prints/etc to unify and live with it

Jared, the cream color in your first saved picture is very nice and fresh with the black counters. Unfortunately there are no appliances shown except for the cook top to compare the whole look of the kitchen to yours. I think the black appliances may just be too much black. Fifteen years is not “old” for kitchen appliances, and they are expensive to replace, so you should do other needed changes around the house first.
In this Coronavirus world we are currently in, many stores are closed, so planning and collecting some more photos may be your activities for the next couple of weeks.
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