First thing—do you like the layout? Do you use that seating? Would you rather have more cabinetry there to have more storage? You’re talking about putting a lot of money into your kitchen, and your cabinets look like they could use an update. I would not expect cabinetry replacement of your current cabs to come with a huge price tag because there isn’t a lot of it. If you don’t use that seating regularly, I’d take it over with cabinetry and consider other configuration changes as well. It doesn’t look to me like it makes a lot of sense to put a lot of money into tops and painting for those cabinets.

If it were my kitchen I would do the following:

• clear all the clutter, everything from the countertops and look at it like a clean slate
• I’d replace the blinds above the sink with a woven shade for some texture.
• new countertop and backsplash
• vintage runner
• new paint (color TBD by what counter and backsplash you choose)

This won’t be a lot of money and will really refresh your space. Good luck!