Better lighting brightens the space . It appears you need more storage is there any way to get some of clutter put away? When you hang stuff in front of a window you cut out light. The lighting you have can have the tubes changed to LED that will give you better light and save money too. I kind of like the copper counter have you tried just polishing it ? Agood declutter and a home for those hanging pots and new tubes will make a difference for very little money . All the stuff hanging on the cabinets gobble light so the less there the better. Can you post a pic of the other end of the kitchen not seen yet?Just post here in a comment it is usually hard to add pics to the original but all can be dealt with in comments. Make sure you wait for the picture to not be grayed before hitting submit

Agree with Patricia. In addition, replace backsplash with a plain warm white tile. Undercabinet lighting would really help work space. Entry door with plain glass would help.

Replacing the dark backsplash will make a huge difference. It sucks the light out of a room.

Agree with an aggressive purge (anything not used within the last year can be donated I think, special occasion glassware etc) and replacing backsplash with creamy white tile will go a long way - extra lighting is great

i love purging - it always makes a room feel better and it’s free :)

I don't see the countertop or the backsplash as elements that require adjustment.

You have a serious issue with either lack of storage or too much stuff to store. Only you can answer that question.

The hanging pot rack is an issue as is the rolling butcher block as there is no room for either element.

IMO the elements that require adjustment is the lighting and the flooring.

Thanks everyone! This is my mother's kitchen and she was actively using it yesterday when I took these photos so it's a bit more cluttered than typical, but YES it is too small and does not have adequate storage. To answer some questions, the copper has been polished regularly. She is just tired of dealing with it as she is 82 and it's quite a project. If I can convince her to purge, we will do that! She's a depression baby so that's tricky :) The pictures encompass the entire kitchen. The end is the washer and dryer, utility sink and a kitty feeding station. Love your ideas and I will work on those, especially the lighting and decluttering. If she insists on a countertop change, what do you think about color? She wants quartz for ease of care. If we did that, should we take the quartz up the wall as backsplash? I feel like there is so much going on here that making it simpler seems helpful, but I'm not a pro :) Thank you so much!

Also, to clarify - the first photo is the kitchen facing the dining area. Photos 3 and 4 are taken from the dining area and the end is the laundry area.

Understand the maintenance issue so that's a good reason for change (make sure you take the copper to a metal recycle place to get some $$ toward renovations).

Also understand the tendency to keep things "just in case." For my purging, I started getting rid of seven things a day. They can be big like furniture I don't use but crowd a room or small, like cleaning out a drawer. I set my goal to do it by 10 am every day. Some I thrash, some I donate, some I sell online. It's been amazing, my own version of Swedish Death Cleaning. For things to which I'm emotionally attached, I pack them in a box, put the box in the garage. After time, it's easy to let it go. If it's something especially emotional, take a picture of it before it goes out the door.

When you replace the counter and backsplash, you'll have to clear everything out anyway. Box up all the stuff in the cabinets at the same time, put it somewhere, then when the counters are replaced, you'll have a lot of space to put the things used everyday.

Yes to quartz, yes, take it up the backsplash to keep it simple and get it done. I'd go with a light, warm color.

Any woman with a cat, a dog and a glass of wine on the counter is someone I want to meet and make happy at 82.

Quartz and a white tile backsplash would be fine for new countertops. Quartz isn't recommended for the area behind the stove because it is not heat-proof.

Adding lighting could be done before changing the countertops.

If the wood cart can be emptied out and repurposed elsewhere, the owner would be able to get into those huge pantry cabinets that are currently blocked. That would help with decluttering and making the things she uses frequently more easily accessible.

BTW, if the owner does not have a regular cleaning service, she could consider making copper countertop polishing part of a newly hired cleaner's biweekly or monthly jobs. That could be a lot cheaper in the short run than paying for new countertops and backsplash.

Alternatively, try test-covering a small (12 inches or so) infrequently used part of the countertop with clear or white Contact paper to see if it stops the need to polish.

Please post an update when you are ready.

Can I just say, I love the kitty photobomb in the last photo.

I like the thought of a simple white backsplash. Personally I'd want to save the counters, but I understand the maintenance issue so a simple quartz would be great.

Is part of the clutter due to things being down low (e.g. on the counter) where your mom can reach them? Are there things that possibly could be stored up higher, but it's hard for her to reach them? I'm asking because I noticed how tall some of the cabinets are compared to your mom, and thought a pulldown might help. Something like the Rev-a-Shelf pull down (link) might help, but it cuts down on the useable depth of the cabinet and it's pricey if reaching things is not the problem.

I agree with the need to purge (that's a lot of pans even for an avid cook!) and I also understand that it's difficult. But I do think she'll feel lighter with less clutter.

Following along-hope you find a great solution for your adorable mom!

If you are working with your mother and she wants to put things where she finds them easy to get to, mark the lowest and highest shelves she can reach easily. You can use blue tape to mark (say) the knee high shelf on bottom cabinets and the middle upper shelf on top cabinets. The blue tape acts as a reminder or guideline when rearranging things.

Then put the stuff she uses in between: everyday water glasses, plates and bowls, coffee mugs, favorite pans. Other stuff can go on the bottom base cabinet shelf. For safety, you can avoid using the top shelf if it requires a stepstool to get to.

Might be useful - upper cabinet pull down. Various price points.

Indeed, she is under 5' tall and soooo cute! :) We were just talking about her ability to reach things and how to solve that issue yesterday. We ALL crash our heads into that pan hanger and would love for that to go away. lol You are helping my case! Thanks so much for these great ideas. I appreciate the idea and photos of the cabinet pull down. It will be super helpful to explain it to her. The tape I hadn't thought of. That would enable me to do the work while she hangs out and supervises. Perfect! Here she is in her typical habitat - with some kind of critter in her hands. <3

She's so cute! And her home is great; I hope you can help her make it work better for her!

Take a peek at the Rev-A-Shelf site. There are many options for storage for uppers, lowers, and doors. (And as noted above, you may be able to find similar things for a lower price point.)

Here are just a few ideas that might help.

Glider for pans and lids:

Pullout Shelves:

Pullout for bakeware

Door storage (uppers or lowers)

IKEA has lots of storage items for cabinets, drawers, and walls. I have a a folder holder intended for desks to hold my cookie sheets, muffin trays and cutting boards (not from IKEA though!).

IKEA storage

By age 82, the eye requires 3 - 6 X more light to see the same way as a young adult. A white backsplash will make the room lighter coloured, but won't help her to see any better. I agree with Beverley that the room needs more light fixtures e.g. under cabinet lighting and more overhead lights too.

What is in the cabinets behind the butcher block? That is prime storage space for the things that are used every day. Less-often used items can go on the upper shelves over the peninsula, which seem to be quite high up.

Does she have a safe stool to reach higher shelves? Look for one with a side handle and a single large step. For example, this one link

I would worry about the over the stove microwave. Imagine her lifting out a bowl of hot soup, reaching forward across the stove, and over her head. Often seniors don't have reliable shoulder motion. A hot spill would be very bad. Save money by painting the backsplash a light colour with enamel paint (several Houzzers have done this succcessfully). and get a drawer microwave.

The safer her environment, the more likely she can enjoy life here for a long time. One fall or scald can change things quickly.

Interesting info on the eyesight! I will pass this along to her. We will definitely be changing the overhead lighting to LED with better quality light. We are also looking for ways to add lights.

Unfortunately, the whole world is built for taller people so she has always struggled with everything being too high. She has a good quality step stool, but I personally would prefer she not even be using that. It does not have a side handle so I'll look into that. Thank you so much for putting so much thought into this feedback!

The butcher block is a rolling cart so she pushes it away when she needs access to the space behind it. I'm hoping to get that removed once we reorganize/purge the cabinet contents. Paws crossed!

Good point about the microwave. I have no idea where we would put a drawer version, but perhaps we can see about a smaller one that could be countertop. Then we have that space dilemma, but safety should be first. She is still very active in her kitchen - cooks meals twice a day that I need a week of psyching up to do!

We got our mother a small one for her countertop. It took up space but at least she didn't drop things trying to get them out of the one over the stove. If she never uses the one over the stove again, maybe you can turn it into storage for little used items, lol. Keep us posted.

Those cabinets were installed really high. The usual cabinet height is 18" above the counter, with 15" suggested for shorter people.

You can purchase shelves that hang under the cabinets, with sliding brackets that go on the shelf. No carpentry required. Or have shelves built that would give easy access to the things that are used every day.

These can go below the upper wall cabinets or the peninsula cabinets, or preferably both. Search for "under shelf storage" and you'll find lots of options.