More photos to share our current home ”design” if you can call it that LOL!

So I would switch to all “daylight” lightbulbs and get rid of the warm white. I’d switch out you hardware to a matte silver, transitional style. It looks like you have concrete countertops that you may be able to have them re-epoxied with a lighter color. Then go on Pinterest and look at how to organize your countertops. It helps if everything coordinates and has the same style. Only keep the small appliance that you use everyday on the counter. You may want to create a coffee station-ideas on Pinterest. In your case I would add grays, greens, off-whites.

It sounds like you are looking for lower-cost fixes right now, not new cabinets or cabinet refinishing. I think you could get a lot of mileage from well-placed recessed ceiling lights, and from changing the backsplash. Best choice would be ripping out the brick-look tile. You could just repair and paint the wall above the short countertop backsplash, with maybe a stainless panel behind the range. Or you could rip both backsplashes out and replace with a white or cream tile. If those are more work or money than you want to invest right now, you could paint that tile a light color.

Are those real wood floors? If so, work with them, don't replace. Some thoughts about your very nice kitchen even though you're not crazy about it:

--If you could remove the two cabinets to the left of the window and can get matching tiles for that wall, it would greatly open up the space. Put open shelves there as long as you have daily matching nice dishes and glassware that gets used a lot. The cabinets look to be good quality but the previous owners didn't take into consideration the wood trim. They should've coordinated cabinets with floor and trim. The tile looks good, though, warm.

--No exposed garbage cans in open spaces. Sorry. Easy to install pull-out Rev-A-Shelves add storage and there's one where you can put garbage can inside cabinet. Yes, you'll probably have to declutter, but it'll remove the eyesore garbage can from your dining area.

--Get a warm gold kitchen floor mat.

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--Dining area: The dining set seems very skimpy for the space. If the table opens up, then open it. Consider covering the chairs with short slipcovers. Replace the kitchen-y butcher top cabinet with a great sideboard--Craigslist usually has a good choice if you do a search for "sideboard" "buffet" "credenza." Adding some older pieces with character can upgrade a room.

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--How do you watch TV with neither sofa facing it? Consider turning one of them around to face TV so that you have kind of an L effect? Remove the ottoman entirely.

--TV wall could be interesting with a wide, low unit or piece of furniture below it. Your living room could be laid out like this as suggested:

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I think the stark white paint doesn't harmonize well with the floors or trim or the kitchen cabinets and finishes. Here's an article about warmer white paints that go well with wood trim:

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200

Oh, lower your art work so the center of the art is 57"-60" from floor, i.e. at eye level.

I would try moving the sofas into an L shape for better tv viewing.

Small changes in the kitchen can make a big difference. Find another spot for the dishtowels inside a cabinet. A large wicker basket filled with white flowers would add contrast. I have seen wreaths added onto cabinets… might break up all the dark wood. The cabinets flanking the oven would be a good place to hang small wreaths using self-adhesive hangers.

If it were me - I would add a large square sisal or jute rug to break up all the wood -

I would take everything off the counters as much as you can and drop in some nice bright chunky cannisters throughout the space (maybe 2 or 3 sets of 3).

You could take the doors off the cabs on either side of the range (since that is the main wall you see upon entering the room) and paint the insides a creamy white and load it with monochromatic glasses & dishes so it looks pulled together and not hodge-podge)

I would be tempted to paint or epoxy the counter but depends how adventurous/handy you are :)

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This is what I envisioned.

I think with your budget you could replace the backsplash with something lighter. But I am having a hard time getting an accurate feel for the color of the countertop to suggest a color. I feel like the very warm under cabinet lighting is giving an amber cast to everything. I would switch that out to a daylight and then take more pics and post for suggestions.
Are your other walls a white or a light blue? My first thought was to bring some blue into the kitchen, but not sure if your countertop is an olive green or not. Do you typically have your appliances grouped right under the micro? I think that right corner of the U would be a better place to place the mixer which is a classic beauty. You want to do scatter groupings of things you need on the counter. Corners are great spots to group, because they are out of prep space. Then I would bring in color via a colorful rug. Pull one of those colors in the rug for the utensil crock, soap dispenser by the sink, even paper towel holder. Cream would be easy and classic, but if it bores you, pick something fun. You can get washable low profile rugs which are great for kitchens. I got a small runner on Amazon for like $20, and I love it.

Don’t let all the critical comments about your entire home dissuade you for coming back for helpful advice on your original topic of brightening your kitchen. I also have an exposed trashcan gasp because a) cabinet space and b) I live in a state known for palmetto bugs which I don’t want in my cabinets

Guess these comments got scrambled into my quest for a living room table.

First, I would upgrade all the lighting to 3500K LEDs, adding some to the interior of the angled corner cabs right and left of the range and installing glass in those doors. Shelves in those can be glass too. Use them for some pretty things. I find knobs to be a PITA; always catching on sleeves and pockets. Would rather have handles, but yours look too shallow to get a good grip on. Change those out to add a bit more bling. Try hanging a pendant light over the sink to replace the builder's special boob light, and find a pretty semi-flush matching piece for the center of the ceiling. Consider a washable rug from Ruggable to brighten the floor. When budget allows change out the backsplash and countertop. I think a white would look great as a counterpoint to the darker cabs and floors.

Thank you again to all! the original dining room and kitchen was a loght blue, and we painted everything ”olympus white” from SW.

the countertops are concrete, and are closest to a blunt gold if thats even a color.

I like your new living room layout. I wouldn't change the kitchen too much but make the adjacent spaces--dining room in particular--look as amazing as possible with great art, color, maybe a new dining set, pendant light over dining table. Work with the wood trim, floors, burnt gold counters in art, finishes of any new pieces you bring in.

Notice here that dining chairs and table harmonize with flooring. Art creates a wall to gaze at while seated.

Here are some palettes for art, rugs, throw on back of sofa that echo kitchen and extend it visually into the adjacent spaces so the kitchen doesn't feel isolated.

Suggestions:

1. Maximize light by painting cabinets (at least uppers) white. 2-tone cabinets can work as long as counter and backsplash coordinate. White cabinets pick up and reflect the available light. In a small kitchen, they add the illusion of more space

2. Improve overhead and undercabinet lighting

3. Consider concealing appliances behind cabinet door fronts. That allows you to showcase the cabinet’s look without appliance clutter

4. Instead of that white cabinetry off to the side, can you add a peninsula? That will give you more storage and potentially additional seating

Do consider a couple ways to utilize the dining area so that it's an extension of the kitchen:

--Put a coffee/tea station where you have the garbage can.

--If you entertain a lot, then get a great vintage sideboard/credenza/buffet and turn it into a bar in the dining area.

--Change out your dining chairs to comfortable upholstered ones so people will want to gather there. As previously mentioned, if your table opens up, the space can handle a larger table. The current set is skimpy for the space, which is way underutilized. I like the feeling of this dining space, but also consider getting a round dining table that expands to oval for company.

My first question to you is what do you mean by "sprucing up"? What is not working for you? It looks like a kitchen that is fine to work in, the layout looks good, the finishes and colors work together. I'm not a good source of information on LED lighting, since I detest it, but if you like it and it works for you, then that's good.

Before I'd spend $1-2K on any improvements, I'd try to determine what is wrong with the space, and then if there's nothing glaring, I'd save the money until you have the funds and a plan for revamping the entire space.

By sprucing-up, we mean making it feel a bit lighter and inviting. the previous owners made updates to the home at different time periods and it lacks continuity with the floors, trim, etc.

We’d love for it to feel more connected to the rest of the home and feel bigger, lighter, and just more inviting. Currently it feels dark and isolated.

Eventually, we would like to knock the wall out sepersting the laundry and kitchen, making that one big kitchen so we can have an island, but that will be if we hit the lottery. Which neither of us play, but maybe we will start LOL.

@Mazey Murphy: Your current dining space setup is an afterthought. Start thinking about ways to make it a place where you and guests will want to linger. Consider it part of the kitchen. Multiple suggestions have been made on how to enhance the dining space with finishes and art work that connect to flooring, cabinets, trim. Right now, you have a garbage can there! Not very inviting if that's what you're going for.

Stop thinking of the kitchen as an isolated black hole problem. Connect to it via the dining space. Here's yet another palette for the dining room--gold and black for a rug under dining set so it echoes the kitchen. Since you don't have the budget for a kitchen rehaul right now, getting the dining space to be beautiful and inviting is the most affordable way to go.

The best first move for lightening the space up, IMO, is to change the undercabinet and sink lights to at least 3000k. or 3500k LEDs (the higher the k, the bluer the light is; I don't care for 5000k - daylight- myself.) I made that change and love what it did for my kitchen. You can get fairly inexpensive undercab lights at Home Depot and Lowes, among others. Also look for a larger LED light for the center of the kitchen.

That will tone down the overly yellow appearance of the tile and counters - to my eyes, from your pics as they show on my screen, most of the problem is too much brown, yellow, tan going on.

Your current floor, if it is natural wood, is well worth keeping; I am hoping that the lighting improvements will help them harmonize more with the cabinets.

I would also change the knobs and pulls to either polished or satin nickel. I hate knobs, personally, so would try to change them all to pulls.

After the lighting, then you can decide if you want to change the backsplash tiles, or paint the cabinets, or make any other changes.

Can you re-locate the garbage pail to the laundry room? Also, have you considered painting out the wood trim all around the house? That would brighten things up for a low cost.

A large kitchen rug would brighten up the space and lessen the ”black hole” look.

Indoor outdoor kitchen rugs in your palette. These could also work in dining space.

Check out sawdustcityllc.com for trash cans for your spot.

cool countertops and splash. If you changed out the undercab lights to a 3500-4000, it wouldn't look yellow and things would be brighter. ditto the ceiling lights.

I'd prob use the money for better lighting.

I'd also change out the hardware to something lighter. nickel or ever a brushed gold. And do handles. right now the small dark knobs are just lost against the dark stain color.

bounce some light off the floor by doing a sisal or jute rug. something a bit larger than a runner size.

That's about it. amp up the lighting to 4000K, and you'll be amazed at the change.

Just a quick update we did without buying anything and stuff we had laying around the house. We have a pendant light en route for above the sink, too! Thoughts???