New floor. Demo tile and DIY a laminate or LVT. (Stupidly easy.)

Remove 4" backsplash and put up a nice but cheap tile.

Get rid of the awful trim at the top and clear it out.

Add hardware!!!

You might try posting this question in the Kitchens forum.

Thanks so much for the advice! Trim is actually gone already, old owners took it out before they moved (yay!) and we are going to get new hardware, just not sure what color to go with (hubby says black, I was wanting silver metal like our old home - but that was also a white on white kitchen with stainless appliances) ... and not sure if removing flooring is in the budget right now because kitchen is actually really large and opens into a family room with tile too :(

Not black! Metal!

Removing the tile is quite easy. You get a big demo bar thing and go to town. The only cost is the new flooring.

@Milly Rey - Thank you!! I will tell hubby I was right on the metal hardware :) - and yes, we redid the tile in our last home ourselves and are eventually going to redo the floors entirely in this home as well, but just not able to now. Budget is literally a few hundred, end of story ( and that includes the lights hubby is doing and hardware) BUT I do have a bday coming up so maybe I can ask for an early renovation as a gift haha :D ... any idea on what lighting style might look nice over a breakfast nook area and dining room?

I think a few hundred will be eaten up by lights and hardware. Save whatever is left and put it toward the long-term goals.

Any thoughts on complimentary lighting/hardware that would help the make the black and wood look more appealing?

@jhmarie - Thank you SO much! You’ve honestly made me not feel so bad about my new kitchen (I’ve been bummin’ a bit) and given me a lot to consider - the wood cabinet kitchen photo is really pretty, and I LOVE your kitchen btw! Makes me feel much better about what I have to work with, Thank you!! :)

Lights, hardware, backsplash. You can do all that for $500 or less. Just pick the cheapest hardware that you like well enough!!!

I'd paint the walls a shade of blue- it will work with the oak cabinets and the gray tile floor.

Love the idea of painting the grout lines white. There is a grout sealer sold on Amazon that not only seals the grout but it can stain/paint the grout too. It will really freshen up the look of the floor. Honestly I would NOT rip it up. It's not bad, and if is not cracking or anything I would just leave it. Ripping up tile flooring is a very labor-intensive job and then applying something over it you could run into problems if the floor is not completely level. If you end up convincing your husband down the road to paint the cabinets white I also think that the gray tile you have will complement that nicely. I would also think of resale value- tile is going to give you a better return than laminate or vinyl planks. Plus water in a kitchen- IMHO the best flooring you can have is tile. It's easy to clean and will last forever. So I'd keep that.

Adding hardware that is brushed nickel would look nice! I couldn't see any lighting aside from recessed lights, but if you have a chance to find a semi flush mount in a brushed nickel (or whatever finish you choose for your cabinet hardware to match) that may brighten up the space.

im not sure how easily this could be done but that trim on the top of the upper cabinets could be removed and that would definitely make the cabinets look more up to date. When you go to paint the cabinets down the road you could add crown molding to the upper cabinets (where that trim currently is) and paint it white to match the white cabinets. But just look and see, the trim up top may be nailed or screwed in and easily removable. That's the only thing really dating the cabinets, otherwise they don't look bad!

Some blue hues I would recommend painting the walls:

Benjamin Moore Beach Glass (a gorgeous blue/green that would look SO nice in your kitchen- very popular "in" color right now)

Benjamin Moore Mount Saint anne

Benjamin Moore Van courtland blue

Benjamin moore Saratoga Springs

benjamin Moore buxton blue

Benjamin Moore Coventry gray (def more of a gray but it has blue tint and would look nice with the flooring).

and if you aren't afraid of a deep blue, I think Benjamin Moore Van deusen blue could work as long as you had adequate bright lighting and eventually swapped the black appliances out for stainless steel

The current wall color is dated and makes the cabinets look dated- it also clashes with the flooring. Blue and blue/green are more "in style" now and would work with the existing pieces you have. :)

Milly Rey made a good point- look for affordable hardware. Amazon has some amazing knobs and pulls for a fraction of what Home Depot or Lowes will charge.

lastly- do not store anything above the upper cabinets. Nothing decorative. Just leave it empty. It will de-clutter the space and make it feel more spacious! :)

Found this on Pinterest. See how the wrong wall color made this kitchen look so dated (top photo)? The blue walls in the bottom pic really work well with the oak cabinets. I believe that blue is Benjamin moore beach glass, too! Great color that pairs nicely with the oak cabinets, black, gray, and other colors in the room

Thank you for your kind words.

Here are two more wood kitchens refreshed in a different style from mine. This first one has a lot more darker colors than I would use, but it works. I am not fond of gray, and cool grays don't usually work with warm cabinets, but the large amount of white beadboard makes it work. This look could be achieved with the beadboard wallpaper which is very inexpensive ($20 a roll at Lowes). I don't usually like faux products, but I have used this wallpaper on a few projects in my house and I really like it. It makes a good temporary backsplash.

http://www.21rosemarylane.com/2015/11/kitchen-inspiration-gray-paint-color.html

This kitchen also refreshed with a farm sink, but used a tall apron style and did get new doors made - this is more difficult then using the short apron Kohler, but she preferred the tall apron look. I love the hood and area behind the range:

Also, if you watch HGTV, turn it off, or at least don't watch that much. It is a marketing tool designed to make you not like your kitchen. I find older cabinets give a person a chance to get creative.

You guys have been awesome, thank you so much! I’ve got to agree on the paint transformation btw, that is a really nice shade and compliments the wood SO much! I am feeling so much better about the wood in the kitchen now (even... liking it??!!) and will definitely check out the beadwork wallpaper - good idea!

HGTV has been turned off. It constantly bummed me out and made me wonder if something was wrong with me because I can’t afford their 700k+ perfectly up-to-date homes that are shown.

Oh as for lighting, there is an area with hanging lights over the breakfast nook/eat in area, sink, and also over the open dining room area - those are the ones we are replacing :)

I like these...https://www.amazon.com/Cosmas-783SN-Nickel-Cabinet-Hardware/dp/B00894YQAY

And these: https://www.amazon.com/Cosmas-5560SN-Nickel-Cabinet-Hardware/dp/B008UVZ1QO/ref=pd_sim_60_3/135-1946099-9777344?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B008UVZ1QO&pd_rd_r=DQ3K9BE0YS0GK860AZWM&pd_rd_w=o0Xg1&pd_rd_wg=5oKL5&psc=1&refRID=DQ3K9BE0YS0GK860AZWM

because they can go in any direction as far as style goes.

And these lights, https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Light-Pendant-Brushed-Nickel/dp/B00RXWIMS0/ref=sr_1_6?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1508555211&sr=1-6&keywords=pendant+light&refinements=p_n_material_two_browse-bin%3A5740655011%2Cp_72%3A1248909011

but it's a mini pendant and I'm not sure what area needs a light fixture...I just think this style can go in any direction too and it's fun to have something with a little sparkle with black appliances. We could probably find less expensive for you, too...may be a little different, but you have to be somewhat flexible with a small budget...

Paint color for your kitchen, I would do a lighter sage green walls...that always looks good with oak...

Congratulations on the home purchase!

And don't watch too much HGTV...

Jhmarie, so funny/ironic you posted the pic with the dark gray walls, because I just remembered a friend who purchased a home with oak cabinets and painted her walls Benjamin moore Storm AF-700 and it actually looked amazing! She had light gray tile flooring and black appliances as well. And she brightened it up with lots of white and bright accent pieces. So the white beadboard wallpaper is a genius (and inexpensive) recommendation. I actually love it so much I'm going to save that idea for my house.

Hillaryndillon, it's completely understandable to feel that way! You want to LOVE your house and when you see all these awesome ideas on HGTV it's easy to get discouraged. You have a very nice kitchen. My advice is to move in, clean, unpack. Live in it a couple months before making any decisions. See what works/doesn't work. For example gray walls might seem nice but depending on the direction the room faces and the lighting, a gray could be too dark/drab for the space. You won't know until you're there for a little while. It took about 6 months of living in our home to really decide which rooms we want to repaint. Seeing the rooms at different times of day/different lighting can make a huge difference.

Also you may find some oil rubbed bronze light fixtures on sale or clearance.. and that could jumpstart an entirely new design direction (you may want to do ORB cabinet hardware if lighting is ORB)... so see what I mean? Don't rush it. :) I made that mistake before and it stinks when you just want to CHANGE a space so badly that you get excited and do it without really getting to know the space and also researching design ideas. One thing I wish I'd known about sooner is "whole house paint scheme"... google it or search on Pinterest. Really great ideas on how to use color (paint) in each room of your home so it coordinates and looks thoughtfully planned out. I had never heard of it until I used this forum. Lots of ideas on here. Good luck :)

Another thing that might help is an area rug or runners.

green wall color

Congratulations on your new home! Lighting and hardware will certainly help. It may be the quality of the picture, but I believe your cabinets are maple and not oak. I'm not seeing the usual grain pattern of oak in them. If you can wait until you move in and take more pictures with better resolution, I'm sure you'll get lots of advice for hardware and lighting options.

The picture you posted, is it from the listing? That is not your stuff on the cabinets, counter, or frig, correct? Move in first! Take good pictures from all angles. You have a nice, neutral kitchen. It is always better to live with a nice kitchen for quite awhile before ripping and changing. It may not be exactly what you would of picked, but don't waste money doing something you will hate in 2 or 3 months.

I couldn't even see what you were talking about with lights.

Yes, take everything off the tops of the cupboards and anything on the counters. I can see some splashes of red on your counter...cookie jar, red utensil holder...etc. And also a red throw rug in front of the sink.

You know, your kitchen is really more update than white cabinets and stainless steel. There is nothing WRONG with white cabinets and stainless steel, but it is almost a cliche on HGTV and in magazines.

I will admit, I am not a fan of the floor, that is because it reminds me of my bathroom floors that I got talked into by my husband and contractor while I was at work. It will look good they said. It is what is in style they said. It will be easy to clean they said. Well, it wasn't what I wanted! Point I'm making is: Don't rush. Think about it. I wouldn't even change your floor if I was you until you REALLY find what you want.