Before you choose colors, take some time to really scrub the cabinets down and apply some good quality polish or wood wax to them. I did that when we bought our house and was amazed at how much it changed the tone of the wood.

As for wall colors, we tried a couple of different ones, neither of which made the room feel right to me. I wanted calm and comfortable so I ended up with an off white, Raffia Cream by Behr. It's been a few years now and I still love the color. For the counters, we went dark with Peacock granite and I'm happy with it. Some people say dark granite shows too much dust and dirt, but honestly, I haven't had that issue; maybe because the room doesn't have a ton of light.

Do you need to replace the counters?

I'd first replace the light fixture and get a colorful rug.

As far as paint, there are lots of options. What colors do you like? How is the light in your kitchen?

In addition to what's already been suggested, it would update the kitchen in a big way if you were to change the cabinet hardware (you can get moderately priced hardware at Lowe's or Home Depot). That, along with scrubbing the cabinets, paint, a new light fixture and a rug would help a lot. If you do change the countertops, I would end the one next to the dishwasher at the dishwasher instead of hanging over - that looks unfinished to me. Another possible "update" would be a new faucet.

I would agree with not having that counter overhang on the end except the backsplash goes that whole distance - do you plan to keep this backsplash?

What is the current counter? Do you plan on changing appliances and flooring?

If you can't remove the overhang and backsplash, maybe put a trash can in that space so it doesn't stand out as much as being awkward.

Or a small bookshelf for cook book and smaller items.

If you remove the overhang is there enough room for you to add a pantry or to move the refrigerator to that end? That way you could add a pantry where the current refrigerator is.

I would definitely spend time cleaning and waxing the cabinets you may be amazed. I have seen some truly wonderful transformations.

Are you keeping the appliances? Do they work well? You could try appliance wrap on them if you want to change their color.

Your cabinets look to be in good condition.. Maybe change the pulls and knobs, that can make a big difference. I think your dark counters look good with the cabinets I agree that overhanging counter looks odd but some have offered good suggestions for that. If it were me, I'd probably change out the hardware, and change the back splash to some kind of light subway tile. And paint the walls something lighter, perhaps a lighter green than you have now? With dark cabinets and dark counters, I think a lighter paint and back splash lightens the room up a bit. Minimal cost, but will make a big difference I think. By the way, most of the rooms in my house are painted Raffia Cream, I love the color too!

I notice that the toekick appears to be painted white. I would definitely stain that to a color closer to the cabinet color.

I think the appliances look "tired" -- new faucet, cabinet hardware and countertops would be great.

I wonder if you could pull the cabs out from the wall a couple of inches when u get your new counter. This would give you much more counter space and also beef up the look. I love what justterrilyns son did in terms of function and style. A peninsula or table would help to balance things much like it did in her sons pic above.

The stove, DW and floor tile are fighting the bright white backsplash and fridge. The counters are good with the white (but look like laminate and a drop in sink where you might want to upgrade to granite and an undermount, those would not be the first things I'd do for visual impact (if they aren't in good condition, that's another story). You need to pick a direction -- the warm beige or the bright white. I'm not loving the way the tile photographs and I like clean white in kitchens, so I'd be inclined to replace the tile floor and work on changing the appliances to one finish -- white, black or stainless. Wall paint and ceiling fixture would be easy updates to freshen everything up too. If budget allows, then you could do the counters, sink, faucet and splash, but I'm not seeing them or your hardware as objectionable. You may feel differently living with them.

I do kitchen remodels...decorating on a dime type stuff. I'd sand the cabinets down to get rid of the grain, paint them a cream white, new hardware. Paint the walls, "A touch of grey". Leave the counters, sink, faucet, backsplash, flooring. Blum soft close hinges for all the doors. Keep the appliances. Add a vegetable bin on the end, like this one, under the counter over hang. Nix the light fixture, add canned lights. Done!

I'm sorry, but those almond beige appliances would not look better with white cabinets.

Real quick....

If you keep the overhang I like the idea of turning it into an area for cookbooks. If you end up painting the cabinets, consider having shelves cut and added to the end.

I would NOT attempt to sand the cabinets down to get rid of the grain. They're oak. You're not going to get rid of the grain. You could use a wood filler and fill the grain, but know it's a lot of (extra) work. You'll have to ask yourself if the grain bothers you, but I'd just embrace it. If painting, follow instructions for good prep work and use a quality primer, paint, and brushes/rollers.

I agree we need a little more info.

Sheeisback is right, sanding will not remove the grain. If you do decide to paint, you will need to sand first, but it won't remove the grain. Only a grain filler will do that, and it is a lot of work. If you switch to concealed hinges, you'll need to fill in all the holes from the existing hinges, and get the doors bored for the new hinges as well. Do you like the cabinet color you have now? If you do, then leave it as is and work around it. If not, and you are willing to do the work, you can paint them, or perhaps use a java gelstain to make them darker. You don't have to fill in the grain, if you don't mind the look of it. Really, what is so terrible about the grain of oak?

I didn't read all the comments yet, but just wanted to say that I painted my oak cabinets. I added polyfilla in spots with a lot of grain, and it looks good! Good primer, three coats of paint . Lots of work, but work it. They look like factory finish

Great! Yes it is quite a bit of work, but its transformation is always amazing! What color did you decide to paint them?