hello i think this kitchen has a lot of potential, so first,,BREATHE...what is the budget,number one,if its a quick fix, and if your tall i think it will be because counters are low,and we just do a for now,,which is A have all cabinet doors removed and sent to sprayer(which i suggest because there will be an enormous amount of grease, wax and solvent and no matter how great a diy you are it will bubble,,,)choose a colour you would do the entire houses trim in,i would suggest pale oak(benjamin moore) muslin or white down.,nothing too white..unless you would like a cottage feel,then i would suggest oxford white,or misty depending on the amount of sun you recieve, all the hardware which is nice can be sent to be nickled..thats easy rip up counter thats horrible,backsplash can have a sheet of formica glued over in anything you like options are endless,,i would choose simple stainless, and maybe a maple counter top to keep it real....your floor NEVER a laminate,cannot mannage water but a click floating vinyl in a wood grain or stone floats on top of ifffy subfloor,making a quick fix,then great lighting above..semi flush give off more light then flush,and try to pay a bit more go for fixture rated for 100 watts and install dimmer,HONESTLY this is a better advice then pot lights