I would start with a wood tray to contain your peppermill, vitamins etc. (as in your inspiration picture). I would then hang wood cutting boards on the end wall (ideally a thin shelf, but it might be easier to just hang on hooks). Would we be able to see the side of the room where the toaster oven is? I think there might be a way to group your appliances better so your opening isn't impeded.

In addition to what was stated above, you could hang some gold framed art on the back wall and put some colorful wall paper that relates to the art in the back of the cabinets that have glass on the front. To make it somewhat like your inspo pic, you might want to consider the piece of art having some charcoal color in it and the wallpaper in the cabinets might be papered in a charcoal grasscloth.

Pretty. I would change the light fixture as I find the exposed bulbs harsh.

Your space is nothing like the inspo so what is it exactly that you love from that inspo pic. For me change that horrible lighting to start I know not popular but a nice LED track to light the whole space would be good. Simple no fancy heads just good lighting. If you must display your dishware it needs to be placed perfectly in those glass cabinets . Get great piece of vertical art for that back wall . BTW that inspo pic would never actually function in a real working kitchen with all that stuff under the hood. Yes a wood tray could work . Maybe a light like this could work than maybe a brass tray for condiments and awood bowl with fruit . Is ther e awy to hide those appliances or maybe some nice blue ones

Yes, to artwork on the rear wall of your kitchen. Might also suggest replacing your current tile floor with wood flooring similar to your inspiration photo. That would go a long way towards warming up your space.

Add paneled fridge and DW. Replace cold gray tile with wood floors. Repaint walls in a warmer color. Better lighting.

Agree w the comments so far. And if your budget will not allow for a new wood floor - look up Flor.com and check out their sisal look options. It’s practical for a kitchen and would give some texture and wood tone to the floor.

And I mean doing it as a runner with minimal grey floor showing^^^

^ agree with a sisal- look runner, I think that and the overhead lighting change will make a big difference - then add in the details that have been suggested

Biggest bang for your buck - color match your wall and ceiling paint color to your cabinets. Your cabinets are a lovely warm and your walls are a cool grey. New paint will help immediately. They will also help downplay the grey floor too. Now your cabinets look like a bit of warmth floating in a sea of cool. Painting your walls and your ceiling and then your floor will look like a moment of cool in a sea of warmth.

Paint and get brass hardware and faucet. Then evaluate if it is light enough.

Lighting - Am I correct in suspecting this is a kitchen in an old condo or coop? Is your ceiling concrete or drywall or plaster? If you can easily add additional fixtures I'd make your kitchen with three bass fixtures down the middle - or at least two brass fixtures. No matter what light fixture you use, make sure you have warm rather than cool bulbs. It will help a great deal.

Here is a pic of my galley - I live in a NYC coop. I also didn't want to remove the grey floor. I was able to drop the ceiling 1.5 inches to add three boxes for three fixtures. I had all new warm white cabinets made and color matched the counters, walls, and ceilings to them and used brass hardware and faucet. One counter is corian the other I used walnut to give some warmth. I too was going to get a natural runner but decided in the end that my kitchen was warm enough without the PITA of having a runner to clean.

Your inspiration has copper or gold fixtures and wood accents. Start with that. Great project!

Suggest two lights placed on a dimmer for improved functionality and ambiance. I think brass would warm things up and suggest changing hardware also.

On left counter try adding something decorative, but useful.

Adding large art on the far wall will create a more personal space.

Kendra’s you are spot on, especially regarding the PITA rug! I might add replacing plain glass in cabinets with a reeded or bubble glass so if dinnerware is not ‘perfect’ 😉 you still have the translucent effect of the glass.

There's no mention of budget in your question but if you can replace the tiles with hardwood floors it would warm up the look of the kitchen along with wood accessories, a brass faucet, and brass hardware on the cabinets. A brass lighting fixture would reflect light in you windowless kitchen rather than black like your inspiration picture with a warm white on the walls. A lot has to do with how you accessorize the kitchen as well as how you place items in your glass cabinets.

If you don't replace the tiles consider a long runner

The elephant in the room is that your actual kitchen will never have a focal wall similar to the inspiration one, so there's that. What CAN you do? A big tall 4 foot high piece of fabulous art on the back wall for sure! It's a pretty easy thing to mock up in Canva or Paint, so you can try different prints out before buying - I'd look for a landscape or a soft abstract with organic colors, but art is personal so that's just a thought of what the inspo feels like to me. Your wall paint ought to match your cabinet color for more creamy warmth like your inspo, and it needs a green thing too, whether that's a low light houseplant or faux stems or trimmings from the backyard in a vase. A slightly warmer lightbulb would be better atmosphere. Lastly, add some natural brown materials like a woven jute rug or wooden cutting boards. I think you can get more of the feel of your inspo even though your architecture/layout is not similar!

Yes to warm white walls that match the cabinets, per Kendrah. Yes, to large art or mural in warm tones on the far wall. Echo colors from art with baskets or pottery to contain utensils, wood cutting boards.

"Still Light" Original Artwork By Gretchen Trees · More Info

Note warm wood touches. In a small kitchen, though, only put out pieces you use--fruit bowls, utensil holder, wood tray for salt and pepper, oils, etc.

Add a small antique lamp where you have paper towels (and put the towel holder under the sink)

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Tidy up the dishes in the glass cabinets after you paint the backs of them or wallpaper them.

The boys always use the checkerboard marble like tile.

While I'm more of a fan of reeded glass for the sake of being messier, in a narrow kitchen like this, I approve of the plain, clear glass that is currently there. It really makes a room feel bigger when you can see the space inside of those cabinets. They eye has somewhere else to see "beyond" - even if they aren't always tidy. For this reason I would not paper the back of them either.

I would not go big with art on the wall next to the fridge, because of how far the backsplash protrudes into the space. Plus, I don't think you do yourself any favors by making the narrowest wall a major focal point. It just highlights the skinniest part of the room emphasizing the tunnel factor of the space.

I would, however, take cue from "the boys" and hang a very small vintage framed mirror - or two one above the other, on that skinny part of the wall or on your backsplash to the right of the sink. A tiny bit of mirror does the same thing as the glass cabinets - it makes you feel like you are seeing beyond the room, giving it more of a sense of endlessness.

Thank you SO much everyone for your input. I read all of them and the ideas are great. Yup, my space is nothing like the inspo photo, but my goal is to capture the essence of it. I don't have a budget, although I prefer not to do major changes such changing the floor tiles. Reno is tiring.

1. Faucet- would changing the faucet to a Brizo Litze (matte black/brilliance luxe gold) clash with the current chrome hardware?

2. Wall - would a limewash paint in a deeper shade of cream (slightly darker than the cabinet) be too busy since it's next to the marble tiles?

Kendrah- "your cabinets look like a bit of warmth floating in a sea of cool. Paint your walls and your ceiling and then your floor will look like a moment of cool in a sea of warmth". Beautifully said. Yup, this is an old NYC condo.

3. If anyone knows of any led bulbs that can change from warm white to daylight, please let me know! I prefer warm lighting, but when cooking I like to see what the food looks like under white light.

Thank you again for all your great ideas. You guys are so creative!

I suggest you keep it simple with the wall colour for the small space, same colour as the cabinets but in a matte finish will look different because of the different paint finish. If possible, I would remove the tile backsplash next to the sink at the end of the counter (it exceeds the depth of the above cabinets which make it look odd).

If it's the black you like, replace the faucet and a track light on stems would give you good lighting throughout the kitchen's work area, and you can get warm white bulbs.

As mentioned before, your accessories also make all the difference.

In your inspiration kitchen, cabinets are the same colour as the walls.

Yes, a limewash deeper than your cabinets will be too busy. Stops and starts in color and finishes chops up the room into visual pieces making it look smaller. Cool in a larger space, overwhelming in a small galley.

Remove one of your doors and take it to Janovich and ask them to color match. True, it will look slightly different because the door is glossier than the wall paint, but I think that is ok.

I don't see the faucet you suggested going with the Nate kitchen vibe, nor with your current cabinets and splash, plus I think that an all metal faucet really works well in a smaller kitchen. Light reflectivity just helps. BUT, if you love the faucet, go for it.

I'm a fan of 3000 K lighting in my kitchen. Many here will say you have to go to 3500k or 4000. What borough are you in? There are TONs of great light bulb stores in Manhattan where they will screw the bulb into a socket for you so you can test out the quality of the light.

Kendrah- Thanks so much for the advice. So helpful! I'm in Midtown Manhattan. The only bulb store I know is Just Bulbs (58th & 2nd), but I hear mixed reviews about them. Do you know of other good ones? Btw, your kitchen looks beautiful and polished.

lisedv- Good eye on catching Nate's wall paint! Just to recap- the wall and cabinets should be the same color, but the wall can be in matte finish. Did I get that right?

Yup, accessories can definitely make a difference. Where do you buy things that are vintage/antique that are affordable (physical stores, please)? I can't handle ebay/etsy. I tried searching, but ended with a headache!

Do you have an Ikea near you?