Here is pic of my kitchen...so sad :-( LOL That fan is gone, it has just a plain ol' boob light now and I keep a trash can under the cabinet instead of the walkway. But this is the extent of my kitchen, 2ft of counter space on each side of sink and stove. This is stand in the dining area looking into kitchen. And that is the washer/dryer you see sticking out pas the fridge.

here is my dining room in relation to the kitchen

WOW...my kitchen looks really gross!!!

Just as a caution I'll point out that the inspiration picture is flooded with natural light. They have almost an entire wall of windows. Your kitchen is quite dark so introducing black cabinets will make it even worse.

Would there be any way to add a solar tube(s) to your kitchen?

My neighbors have the same model condo as I do and have black cabinets and it look fine. I'd love a solatube...my sister has one in one of her bathrooms and it's like a light is on all the time...

I have your inspiration picture pinned too! I toyed with using black stain on my stripped oak cabinets when I DIYed a small refresh in 2004 but chickened out and played it safe and refinished them in mahagony instead. If I do it again I will use black or navy stain instead of paint it is more durable and shows some grain.

Anyone using that inspiration kitchen certainly need to be VERY tall! Those cabinets are VERY high up as is the top shelf. And it's in a totally different space than yours. Go find a kitchen designer and find out what is actually possible in your space. And remember, that black cabinets, just like a black car, show every tiny bit of dust.

I think black cabinets would look great with the Mexican tile (is that what it is?). Maybe a pale gray or beige for the walls?

I have a sola-tube in my hallway. I love it. But it's not the same as a wall of windows. The sola-tube means I can walk through my hall during the day and not need to turn on the light. It doesn't really create an open, light atmosphere. It's more like having a really good ceiling light that's always on.

Since you have no windows for light in your galley kitchen you'll always have the light on and so I think you could go with the black cabinets because the light is going to be on any time you're in there so why not. I just love your inspiration kitchen with the quartz (?) or marble (?) white countertop. I'd do it in a heartbeat!

One of my very favorite and efficient kitchens was a galley kitchen in an apartment that I rented for 3 years.

I think your inspiration picture is one that you could use in your condo. You might want to add both the solar tube and more lighting. It looks like the window in your dining area is a decent size. Maybe have a KD do a mock up for you.

I also like the idea of navy blue stained cabs with your floor. I think a less busy white counter though than in my inspiration.

Oh, it's lovely!

I had a black painted island in my previous home. Black shows dust, especially when the sun shines on it. That was my only complaint about it.

I have two sola-tubes. One is in my back hallway and I love it. The other is over my pedestal tub in my master bath and I love it, too. No regrets.

Here is the view of the inspiration kitchen from the other way. So pretty.

It is very pretty

But they had totally different space to work with. They went with minimum uppers and lots of open shelving. They have tons of light coming in. Different textures. Contrasts. Lots of white. Metallics. Architectural details, bigger space, what not.

Just their hood would take precious space in your kitchen. Looks huge..

They deal with different size room there, and they have other things going on making it much easier

What I do wholeheartedly agree with-black would look smashing with your floors(also most blues, and certain grays. Whites, I can envision less, at least not whites-whites)

If you're ready, or can afford, to loose much of your upper storage, then you'll be closer to your inspiration. The more light you can get in the better. Etcetera.

Your kitchen is not gross by the way, it's just normal. While theirs is like, wow, what a space. But they had that space. Or opportunity to build it.

I like your dining room.

I'd take whatever elements make sense in your kitchen, and if it's black, let it be black, but it will demand all these things going on-expances of more open spaces, lots of light materials next to it, all the shebang but on much smaller scale.

In any case it's exciting. I had two inspiration pics myself..I mean the ones that really got to me because I collected tons of very different images. My kitchen looks like neither of them lol, but I did a steal a color(an idea of color) from one of them because I was smitten. I looked at it constantly like I was drinking that color. Couldn't get enough of it. I was smitten with the other too but it wouldn't work in my space. I still think about it of course. Very warm, bold, careless, rustic feel..

Over the years I've seen a number of well done, small, dark kitchens that are almost like jewel boxes, wonderful to be in. Agree that you have to turn the lights on anyway, so just install good lighting.

As said, make sure you identify which elements you love in this inspiration kitchen that you can have in your space and design from there. It'd be a very different, personalized space that should make you do a happy dance when you're done.

Just replacing all those unintegrated dark and light masses with all dark or all light would do wonders and make it look larger and far more handsome and elegant. (Currently, the light laundry area past the kitchen is pulling the eye right to it!)

That knee wall on the left and whatever that is beyond the sink counter are sending ominous signals, but if you could redo the entire space, taking even a little for the kitchen, it could work wonders for your workspace. Just 20-24" added to one side could be a revolution. :) Btw, if a hot water heater is down there someplace, it might be replaced with a unit more the size of a briefcase, and just think of the kind of storage space that could free up -- enough to get rid of some uppers.