Ideally I would like to leave them the way they are, I might clean them up a bit. Someone suggested painting them white but I'm not sure if I want to go that route because I have seen some painted cabinets and I personally don't like the way they look.

ok, well if we're keeping the pretty oak, i would get rid of the panelling that's above it on the soffit. at the very least, i would paint it out in your trim color.

new knobs would be a nice thing. the current ones look like brass?
counters, i would get something that has a bit of yellow or orange in it, but not a whole lot. just a touch, so that it makes sense. maybe see how a white securi (sp?) granite looks with them? a dark walnut butcher block could also look pretty.

for the floors, i would look at vinyl planks or tile. if it's something that you want to continue throughout the house, keep that in mind, so that you don't pick something discontinued.
with that large amount of grain in the cabinets, i'm not sure i'd want to do a medium toned floor. i think it might all blend in and look blah. i would go either super light, or super dark.

changing your handles and knobs would make a big difference. I had the same handles as you have now and bought all new 2 years ago.

don't worry about choosing a backsplash until you've decided on counters and floors though. let that be the last thing you choose.

My husband just bought all new knobs for the cabinets... I agree with both of you that the small stuff makes a huge difference! I did find a tile that I liked but my husband isn't sure he likes it. It's light with specks of brown/black in it. I also found a countertop that matches the tile and the cabinets. My husband thinks it might be too busy but I think the opposite (of course! :) ). What would you do for the back splash? I was thinking about tying in the darker colors of the tile and counter tops and putting up a natural color tile, but again, not sure if that is too busy!

If you are changing the floor and the counters you should change the cabinets also. I have people call and ask about cabinet refacing occasionally. The only good reason the reface cabinets is because you made the BIG mistake a few years ago of putting nice, expensive, new counters on your old cabinets. At least have a local cabinetmaker give you a price. I think you will find that the cost of new cabinets is not much more than what it will cost you to reface in a few years. Look for European cabinets with melamine interiors and soft-close doors and drawers.

Thank you all for the suggestions and help it really does help a great deal!

Bear in mind that if you decide to remove cabinet trim above sink, that may entail having to repair ceiling and adding or removing wall texture behind. What about the little shelves there? Do they go up under that "valance " looking piece of cabinet? What is the age of this house? Mid century? I would take a look at the new line of GE appliances. They are very cool looking and reasonably priced. They come in black or white with a stainless trim...kinda retro. I saw in HD and snapped a photo for myself. There's quite the writeup on them on the GE website and about their new hip designer. The colored appliances are making their way back. I think this is a nice blend of color and stainless. The whole set goes for around $2500.( This photo I took doesn't have the dishwasher in it though.)

Those shelves go up under the valances. This house was built in the 60's. Will check out GE my only hold back is that I want the french door fridge...