On a budget ànd knocking out walls?

If the cabinets are in good shape, try looking for good examples in wood, set some money aside for a decent countertop and new backsplash. Make sure outlets and plumbing are safe and up-to-date too.

How long are you going to live there? Because if you can take your time, you could take baby-steps. And if for resale, please invest in durable materials.

I see nothing objectionable there, it does need some color, Get a colorful big runner in place of that one. Try painting the walls beyond.

Start with the areas that need fixing up the most. That kitchen looks pretty nice as is :)))

You could paint the cabinets, that is a great way to give a kitchen a face-lift on a budget. You would use an oil based primer and 2 coats of paint. ProClassic is a very hard paint that would have the laminate look with a semi-gloss or gloss finish.

It is difficult to tell from the photo but it looks as if your cabinetry is cherry. If this is correct then it has a simpler grain that could be painted but unless it is done well you will hurt the value of the cabinetry.

I like the door style of your cabinetry and cherry is a rich looking wood and the color tone in the photo looks like a warmer medium tone. If you are on a budget I would keep the cabinetry as is and change the countertops, hardware and backsplash. Changing those items will give you a completely different look and can bring out the beauty in the cabinetry.

I would not paint the laminate since it is a work surface. I would put my money into replacing the laminate with another laminate because laminate is a very inexpensive way to dramatically change the look and there are thousands of laminate colors/patterns to choose from.

Instead of painting over your tile I would consider randomly applying a tile decal on your existing tiles until you want to make the investment of retiling. Here is a link to some fun tile appliques... http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Stick+On+Tile+Decals&Form=IQFRDR#a

The kitchen looks fine, start in another room.

I see the outdated tile "trim" - my suggestion for now is to remove and replace the backsplash and get a new faucet - these are both easy DIY things. Add a rug and paint the walls a cheerful color - an accent color / deeper tone of something you will use in the public rooms / color you want to carry throughout in your color story. Blue-grays are about the only thing that can make oak turn really orange, so I'd go blue-green if you like blue.

Something like bm rhine river on the walls - and a blue-green glass subway backsplash? Change out the hardware and the light fixtures and those elements and it will feel like "yours"

Next step - you could paint only the upper cabinets the white of your countertops (usually a job for a pro) - take some out and tile the whole wall / change out the hood / add some open shelves if you want a new kitchen feel for less . . . you might like to follow John and Sherry at YoungHouseLove . .. they've got a couple of old kitchens they did and are in midst of phase 1 of their rework now. .

What kind of a budget ?
Get them sprayed - they are way too nice to roll for starters. Second of all I agree with a previous post saying it would be too much white.
If you are determined to go that route, maybe try a soft white on top and a few shades darker on the bottom. But definitely have the doors sprayed. Yes proclassic is a good paint but Monamel from general is superior to any paint I have ever had to use . Tough enough for exterior doors and no need to prime. It's a newer version of the old school oil based malamine and has a nice finish

The kitchen is fine, use the money in an area that really needs help!

Changing the counter tops to granite and changing the back splash to something decorative would do wonders to your kitchen. You could also update the faucet and the lighting and it would feel like a brand new kitchen.

Your cabinet hardware should also be changed out. Consider mixing knobs and pulls.