Flat Roman shade above sink in a print. Modern barstools.

A darker wall color would be another option to compliment the cabinetry.

Is that a laminate or granite countertop? These days it's so hard to tell with the high resolution laminate countertops, at least in pictures it's hard to tell. Your cabinets have a lot of grain that is showing through, not necessarily a bad thing, but not a great thing if the counters are on the busy side too. So, I think it's a matter of choice, you can change to a plainer countertop, which would make the cabinets more of a feature, or you can do something to the cabinets to hide the grain. Really just a matter of preference and budget. Recessed lighting would be nice if you have the budget. A backsplash would be nice, but decide on what you want to do with the cabinet situation first.

Now for my thoughts...look at your cabinets and how they are constructed. If the boxes are really beat up beyond being able to just sand them and finish them, don't feel guilty about having a painter come in. If you have solid custom wood cabinets that are in good shape they are expensive to have done. Yes, you could put cheaper cabinets in, but if they are older solid wood cabinets, you should plan on keeping them. Once you paint them it is really tough to go back, and paint isn't going to last forever.

Its a granite countertop. I thought about painting them. Would you go white or darker like an espresso or chocolate color?

I would definitely change the faucets and add some decorative touches. Maybe a plant or some pottery. It is very impersonal. I think your kitchen should reflect your personality. I have pictures of my grand kids to make me smile while in my kitchen.

If you could remove the soffit and replace the uppers so that they go up to the ceiling. You could also use to different colors on the uppers and lower cabinets. Also, a decorative tile backsplash could be added so that the backsplash goes all the way to the bottom of the uppers. The bar countertop could also have a more interesting shape. Think about a graceful demi lune shape. Just something to break up all the linear lines.
You can have the lower doors taken off and painted in a cabinet shop so that the finish will be more durable . A sexy sink fixture and new cabinet hardware would be good. Also, under cabinet lighting will make you kitchen interesting and you will enjoy the lighting on the counters. If you have glass front uppers, consider painting the insides a contrasting accent color. Glass shelves with interior lighting will also add some "wow".
Hope that gives you some projects!

The surface mounted light in the center of the room fights with the pendant lighting. I would replace that with some 3" small recessed cans. Small recessed wall washers might also be good around the upper cabinets.

Oak looks very nice when it's stained a dark espresso color. Add a lighter stone back-splash to offset the dark wood tone. I agree with Carolyn that some can lighting would help as well. I would also consider LED under cabinet lighting prior to installing the back-splash. If you're considering resale and the return on investment Minor kitchen remodel and cosmetic updates is one of the most beneficial with 82.7% of the cost recouped at sale as a national average.

Changing out those pendant lights and coordinating with a nice chandelier over the table might help freshen up the space. Here are a few ideas:

I would repaint the walls a warm color, Get new hardware, a rug, put a great backsplash in... the lights in the post above are interesting.... put some drama there...

i wrote sconces......i meant pendants...

Citygirl, The cabinets appear to be basic builder grade. Which is to say inexpensive.
I would recommend painting the cabinets a soft white to take advantage of the natural light coming in the room. New bar stools would help as well. Beyond that you are probably looking at a remodeling project.

If you stain the cabinets like Bradford and Kent suggested, or paint them a darker color, some new satin nickel cabinet hardware might be a nice touch. It would complement the stainless steel appliances quite nicely. Here are a couple possibilities.

A new backsplash (perhaps in a tumbled stone or slate) might also be a nice touch.

My thoughts: I agree with the earlier suggestion on removing the soffit and extending the upper cabinetry to the ceiling - if possible. It's a non-trivial exercise, though, because you 1) have to make sure there's nothing in that soffit (believe me, there can be pipes or wires) and 2) paint the entire ceiling because removing the soffit will require patching at that area.

If you paint the cabinets the deep oak grain will show through. It's not necessarily a problem but something to be aware of. If you want to know what it will look like then paint a small section, maybe 1' x 1', and let it dry. Then remove the paint very shortly after before it sets. Also, unless it's an exceptionally good paint job, it won't last.

You can reface the cabinetry and make it whatever you wish. This also allows you to change the door style if you wished to.

Replace just the doors and drawer fronts with a white or soft-white color and paint only the cabinet boxes. The doors get most of the abuse so a factory-painted maple door or thermofoil door will look great, allow a different door style if you want, but painting the cabinetry should cost less than refacing it.

I like some of the lighting suggestions. Since the soffit is so deep perhaps recessed lights could be added in the forward part to better light up the work areas.

I would say paint the cabinets , but it also all depends on the budget you have . Spray Painting the cabinets white would give them a nice modern look with a smooth almost glass finish. With a nice subway tile backsplash backsplash

I would suggest you sand and stain the cabinets two or three shades lighter and perhaps have glass or acrylic inserts installed where the recessed panels are on the upper cabinets. I like what looks like soft blue-grey on the walls, but you may want to change to a neutral light blue that is a bit brighter to freshen up the look. Cabinet hardware in a silver color like chrome will brighten up the kitchen too. White-painted crown molding will give the space a classy look by accentuating the wall/ceiling juncture.

Sheila 6 year old post.