I wouldn't paint the cabinets - a decent paint job is expensive. Everything except the cabinets is already light so not sure what you mean by "lighter colors" ? I would add some colorful accessories

It looks like the last remodel (or original outfitting) of this kitchen was thoughtfully done as far as colors. The floors, counters and backsplash work well together and the backsplash isn't terrible like some 20 year old ones are. The white table and stools don't fit. Did you buy this house recently? Painting cherry cabinets definitely cheapens them. If this kitchen really doesn't suit your style, save your money for a complete redo. If you change the counters you'll need to change the backsplash and if you try to change both of those without changing the floors I don't know how that would work without going to darker counters which seems contrary to what you're hoping for. When you do remodel, get the range out of the corner. Either move the dishwasher to the other side of the sink so you can move the range over, or put the range a foot away from the frig on that wall.

What you have is far from the ugliest kitchen we have seen posted on this forum. I get it if it's not your style - I bought a house three years ago with a kitchen that isn't my style, either. I'm waiting it out for another couple years and will have the cabinets carefully removed intead of demolished so they can go to ReStore. But it's not terrible and it's functional, so I try to appreciate it in the meantime. :-)

I think the room looks great except for the dated lighting.

IMO a simple drum pendant over the table would look better than what you have.

I'd use a correlating drum in the kitchen area.

You can probably get Led Lights, it will make you kitchen look more modern, fresh paint on the walls. Maybe?

I would invest in some 4 inch recessed lighting that was positioned to shine down on your countertops. It’s a little pesty to do in an existing house but a good electrician can probably handle the job. Are all your counters the same or is the island different?

Great suggestions here. If possible, switch out the dishwasher for stainless. Change the cabinet hardware…maybe brushed nickel.

The counter is an old off-white Formica and the island is a darker brown granite. Not sure if changing them both to a white quartz would look odd & out of place.

Agree to the new dishwasher and lighting - number 1 and number 2 on my priority list.

I think a white quartz could look great. What's on the floors?

Transitional Kitchen with Medallion Cherry Cabinets and Quartz Countertop · More Info

The floors are ok IMO, they are a sheet vinyl. I’d like them to match the family room which the kitchen opens up to, but then it’s possibly too many dark tones. We don’t have much lighting. Picture of our family room floor for reference

Modern 4" led can lighting 6" in from the edge of the counter will give you task lighting for your work zones. 450 Lumens at the counter. 3 on the sink run. 1 on the frig run over the counter. 2 above the island.

No to painting cabinets. Agree with updated lighting. Looks like the ceiling is heavily textured. Any chance of removing that?

The most obvious miss …is the too white window trim and stools…tone these down with a warmer white paint color and add the new lighting…

I think undercabinet lighting would be a game changer for you.

I agree with @flopsycat1 about the textured ceiling. It is a dominating feature in this kitchen that is more dated than anything else in the kitchen. It also makes the ceiling look lower and darker than if there were a smooth drywalled ceiling. If you decide to install recessed lights (aka can lights) to update the lighting, that might be the opportunity to replace the ceiling with a drywalled one. If you do replace the ceiling, paint the new ceiling with Benjamin Moore Cloud White in a flat finish; it looks great on a ceiling.

No to painting the cabinets. What’s missing is some color.

I agree with the suggestions already re not painting the cabinets, updated lighting including recessed, updating the furniture to warmer and more traditional or transitional style to match the home (what's your style preference?), new hardware on cabinets, SS dishwasher. If you have the budget it would be nice to change out the countertop and backsplash (maybe slab backsplash to match countertops?) - I think warmer tones look better with cherry wood so would avoid stark whites - see pic below. Then maybe add a nice runner rug too.

I think if you add the lighting you can have the wood floor run through the kitchen too.

Good luck!

Canyon Contemporary · More Info

Better lighting would make a big difference.
If possible, put task lighting on the under side of the upper cabinets. LEDs come in a variety of options (strip lights to puck lights), color temperatures (probably a warmer color temperature would suit your cherry cabinets), and color rendering indexes (higher numbers, ie. In the 90s for more accurate colors). Pot/can lights in the ceiling almost always cast a show just where you don’t want it.

Some lighting stores have lighting consultants that maybe be able to answer questions and make suggestions.

Good luck.

This was the kitchen of a family member. Cherry cabinets with quartz counters and white backsplash. I thought it worked nicely.

If the backsplash and countertop feel dated, then you can scour the local stone yards ( bring a door with you! ) to see if there are any creamy options that can be used for both. You will also get pricing for doing both of those.

Agree with all the lighting recommendations and the strong “no” to white.

New hardware can really liven up a wood cabinet. And make sure your next dishwasher is stainless.

You are correct that continuing the wood floor would make the kitchen quite dark.

In addition to adding new lighting, you might want to remove that heavy- looking piece over the window and paint just the island white or a color.

I love Beverly’s lifhting ideas. If you don’t have under cabinet lighting invest in that, and definitely different table and chairs, qstainless dishwasher and brushed nickle hardware as previously suggested.

Painting the cabinets will brighten the entire space. It would take a lot of work but if you are a diyer you could tackle the job. Cabinet preparation is the key. Would encourage you to replace flooring and backsplash when you have the funds. That will also go a long way to modernizing your kitchen. Good luck!

Is it possible to pop off the wood valance over the window? It would break up some of the visual heaviness on that cabinet run. I would put a natural blind over that window to add some different texture to the room and paint the trim so it's not so stark.

Also, colorful or textured indoor/outdoor rugs in front of the sink and under your breakfast table would brighten up the space as well.

There are several things you can do, as per many of the previous suggestions. You need to decide how much you want to spend and go from there. If minimal $, then get a stainless dishwasher, change the screaming white window trim, get new barstools, update the cabinet hardware. All things you can do yourself with no subs involved. Your dining table with those chairs is just wrong with the cabinets - sorry. You could start by replacing the chairs - then the modern table wouldn’t look quite so wrong. Tackling the lighting is a bigger project. The fixtures are definitely dated, but simply replacing the them is not the solution - you need a better lighting layout and that is a bigger job. It’s hard to say what to do without a scaled floorplan. You could add under cabinet lighting yourself if you’re handy. DO NOT PAINT THE CABINETS! Get a solid plan before you start replacing countertops, backsplash and floor.

Definitely scrape the ceiling, get rid of middle ceiling light and get recessed lighting. Pendant lights for over the island. New bar stools, something more textural (light wicker). If you can afford it, SS dishwasher and a pretty roman shade in window with a complementary rug under table and runner in front of sink.

If you are not ready to replace your dishwasher, you might consider this.

Don't paint the cabinets.

The first thing that struck me was the poor lighting. Definitely add more of that.

Textured ceilings are a real light sucker. We scraped our ceilings a number of years ago and I was shocked how much better the lighting was after that.

From chloebuds picture - maybe consider changing the cabinets on either side of the sink to glass-fronted cabinets. What that does is visually extend the idea of the window and will lighten up that entire wall.

You might have to change what you store in there however. :)