You may want to consider re-doing/adding to your kitchen lighting. I just did that in my kitchen with great results.

your cabinetry is very pretty and looks to be in great shape. also love the exposed brick wall and that deep window ledge over your sink. pretty room.

I think it's the tile choice that is making the room feel a bit drab/dingy.

My advice is to consult with a lighting specialist. It is a nice kitchen and I think it will be money well spent.

would anyone paint the cabinets white? Thanks for the suggestions on the lighting!

I just painted my cabinets white and absolutely love the look!

Have you considered putting up a microwave/hood fan over your cooktop? It would free up some counter space and help with exhaust fumes;)

I agree with Milo's, under cabinet lighting would make all the difference

You may be able to install glass fronts into the upper doors surrounding the window and have them lit from above. It's a great way to open things up. We did it in our kitchen and it looks great.
http://houzz.com/photos/95074

even halogen flood bulbs in the pots would brighten the room considerably.

painting is a GREAT idea -- good preparation to the cabinet doors would be required and if you take them to a professional paint shop to have them sprayed with lacquer you would be very happy with the results.

if you're not wanting to change the tile floor, your colour choice for the cabinets is crucial. mmilos is spot on regarding the area around the stove. the knotty pine? trim doesn't seem to go with the cabinets so if this were all painted it would be better. this is a wonderful area to focus on to give some POW to the kitchen. unless you have a downdraft stove you 'should' have ventilation above. nice stainless hood for example. home hardware [surprisingly] has a great shaped dropped hood with square chimney for about $300.

you don't appear to have any backsplash in the rest of the kitchen so what an opportunity to style the space with a great wall of awesome [up-to-date] mosaics, stainless sheeting OR investigate the metal laminates ( formica has many interesting choices and so do many other companies). they are not available in the hardware stores but WOW! they are worth the search. i've done a couple of kitchens with copper and stainless laminates and get appreciative calls years later because their friends are still raving.

i agree w/ mmilos remove the shelves along with the tiles, you need something in this space to highlight your beautiful granite, not shame it.

Paint the cabinets white....this is the trend now! It will make the kitchen much brighter

I'm a believer in keeping a kitchen bright. My recommendation would be to do one of two things:
1. Paint the cabinets white, as well as your window frame and casing. This will compliment your dark granite counter tops nicely and will flow well with the white doors in the rest of your home. Since your oven area has what appears to be the same type of tile surround as your floor, I would remove the granite lip against the sink wall and add the same tile there to tie it all together. Ideally I would change the tile altogether to something more modern and remove the shelves, add cabinets, and a hood.
2.Otherwise keep the cabinets as they are (although a darker stain would pop more) but remove the granite lip against the wall as well as the window frame, then add a light color subway tile backsplash (white marble or travertine). I would also continue the tile into and around the window casing which will make the window seem even larger and brighter, and the same backsplash should be used on the wall by the oven.

I would start with inexpensive under-cabinet lighting. I have these battery operated ones and love them. See if that does the trick. If not, then I'd start down the avenues the other posters have mentioned. But try quick and easy first in case it helps.


http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Motion-Sensor-Undercabinet-Lights/dp/B0084HHEL4

What a lovely kitchen. Do add some lighting and light accessories before you consider painting what looks like a very durable surface. We installed under cabinet lighting and find that it is perfect in the evenings. Also, if you have lived in your home less than a year, you may find that it is very bright at other times of the year. Our kitchen which has a similar color range is on the south side of the house and it is very bright in the winter. Living in Arizona, we get plenty of indirect light all year. The softer colors are a relief after being outside in the bright light.

I think if you remove the cupboards over the window it will allow more light to get through. Do you have a backsplash or is it painted, I can't really see. If you use a high gloss tile it may pick up more light and bounce it around a bit.

A skylight in the middle of the room for more natural light. Taking out some cabinetry and getting a larger window. I love that oven nook, it's very unusual l - I've not seen one like it, before!

I agree. Take out cupboards above window, move microwave and add a lighter colored backsplash.

I think that my choice would be very different than everyone else’s-again.

The way I see it whoever installed the recessed lighting in the kitchen screwed up-badly. If the house were a new home, I would be talking to the builder tomorrow. But I am betting that they were retrofitted in an existing home. Those recessed lights are WAY to close to the cabinets. This is preventing them from shining on the countertops. Look at the picture of that beautiful kitchen in the post above mine. See how far from the cabinets the cans are compared to yours? Also under cabinet lighting is a great asset when you have dark counters.

If I were in your shoes, I would start by adding under cabinet lighting and looking at moving the recessed lights out at least 18-24 inches. The big issue with moving the cans is that you will end up with quite a bit of sheetrock work, and I HATE sheetrock work!

In my own home I recently added 12v Led lights under the cabinets, in the custom built vent-a-hood, over the kitchen sink and in all the toe spaces under the cabinets. Yea, it is a lot of lighting, but my kitchen was way dark to begin with. Plus I actually built the light fixtures myself using what are called 50-50 LED modules. (They are used a lot to convert neon sings to LED.) I ordered the parts direct from a guy in China and did all the work myself. Since I was using 12v I did not have to have meet near as stringent electrical codes and I was able to do the entire kitchen for about $250. And all that accent lighting really looks cool in the dark!

Oh, and the cabinets over the sink. I do not feel that removing them will make much difference at all in how much light you receive. I would not bother with removing them. Not unless I were to be redoing the cabinets and just wanted them gone. Too much work and $ for too little return.

I agree with typoagain. You should (if possible) improve/add to your kitchen lighting. I recently did just that in our kitchen and it dramatically changed the look.