you just don't like the countertop and backsplash or are they in bad shape?

I think you can accomplish a fresher look by painting the room a pastel color in a hue you love.

you are highlighting the floor by using that rug. Is the pantry cabinet attached permanently?

The cabinets are gorgeous. The countertop looks built-in with its wood trim. Have you had someone come out to give an estimate for a new countertop?

Strong pastels such as turquoise, robin's egg blue, sky blue, salmon and coral may work as accents. Bring home some hand towels to see.

A very large artwork where the big clock is could bring in colors you like.

If you turn on the lights it won’t be so dark.

A blue encaustic pattern tile with a white counter would liven up your kitchen and work with the floors and the cabinets.

(Excuse the tile above the cabinets! I couldn't edit it out)

Saltillo tile floors in NY is sort of silly. They make much more sense out west with big windows with sunshine spilling through them, arches, and whitewashed walls.

Consider using white Corian counters and backsplash, and while you are at it, consider installing under cabinet lighting and plugmold. These are simple, clean, bright options that leave you plenty of room to experiment with pastels if you still want to. Good luck!

For sure not that busy encaustic with those floors IMO . The rug all wrong and change all the bulbs in a ll fixtures and pots to LED 4000K right away the room will be a ton brighter thensee what yoi want for backsplash which IMO is an easy fairly cheap fix . A nice simple large format subyway type tile in a color that works with the floor maybe a nice really pale green , take that clock down and get some art for that wall no one needs another thing to check the time

try painting the room before you settle on a change in coutertop and tile backsplash.

pick a white with an undertone (pastel) that you like. Paint the walls and ceiling all the same white color, in your low light kitchen, the undertone will show more color, in the bright light it will look white. Large format canvas art to replace the clock and a new runner for the floor.

the BM White Ice will have a fresh blue undertone, I'd try that or the Meadow Mist for a great compliment to the existing floor tile. you may decide the rest is fine... and a lot less expensive.

Could you add a skylight or solatube? Or is there a second floor above?

A couple other options for brightening the room in winter:

1- add over-cabinet lighting. You can try it out with a couple strings of white fairy lights plugged into a counter outlet.

2- Add a central light fixture that is semi-flush. When the light bulbs are 6 or 8 inches down from the ceiling, they will illuminate the cabinets from top to bottom, unlike recessed lighting which is far more down-directed. 2 or 3 LED bulbs will be enough. Keeping this fixture on for a few hours a day in winter could still be pretty cheap since the LED bulbs are about 10 watts each, not like old 60-100 watt incandescent bulbs.

Rockville, MD Kitchen Renovation · More Info

How nice

Pain the walls the white of the counters. Leave the door stained. Choose art, in pastels, to replace the clock.

Not that rug.

Consider looking for inspiration images of kitchens with Saltillo tiles and similar cabinets to yours before you do anything else. Those images may help you chose the direction you want to go in. They will certainly help you visualize what different options might look like in your space. Here are some more pics from me. Maybe look at them with an eye toward finding colors and an overall feel that you like, as opposed to the details (e.g., cabinet door profile) first. Then you can think of ways to translate the principles to your space. The first image shows the white/wood/saltillo combination well.

In case it’s a budget issue, I would really try to change out your floors. Saltillo tile is a very particular look, and it’s not helping with the lack of natural light.

New counters and backsplash may not make you happy enough on their own, especially if you’re stuck with controlling floors you’d rather not have.

If it were me, I get a natural rug that is more square and covers more of the floor (i like seagrass look with these tiles)

I don’t think your rug is working. I like @la_la Girl idea for a rug. I might also see how much it would be to get rid of the texture on the ceiling, smooth it flat, and paint white. I think satillo tile is hard to get rid of. My neighbor had to jackhammer it out. I also like the ideas of solar tubes. I think the encaustic backsplash tile is too busy. I love your cabinets. The wood is beautiful. I like the pretty photos that @elcieg posted, You can look on websites like artfully walls. Sometimes they have 25% off. I think you can make this kitchen look great.