I have a few ideas to spruce it up and give you some additional work space.

first, I'd paint the baseboard and door trim in a bright white. like Simply White or Super White. The marble-look tile floor lends more of a modern vibe to the space and the wood trim is just tired looking. With new white trim, you can choose to give some color to the wall. in fact, that back wall is perfect for an accent color. (and a cool piece of art like mentioned, above)

I like a charcoal for that one wall. Kendall Charcoal

Then I'd do the other walls in Pale Oak. this is pale oak on the walls next to a nice bright white trim and medium wood floors.

Now for the cool part. along that back wall, you have some extra space you can use for a little desk area, or a coffee bar, or even a little kids area. you could do a floating desk made from wood, quartz, tile, granite, marble,,,whatever you want. support it w/heavy duty brackets, or a cleat, or get two legs. you could also get something from Ikea or a ready made desk or cabinet. Then do some storage above it. shelving, a small cabinet or cubby. Bring in some color w/accessories, or do a framed cork board or chalkboard. here's what I mean:

(I'd also switch out your hardware to something a more modern like handles)

I second adding a large storage piece where the wine storage racks and rolling rack are. Ikea Pax units are 34 and 39 inches tall, 18 or 23 inches deep, and 80 or 93 inches tall. (Approximately off the top of my head.) They come in many colors and door styles, you could even trim it out and make it look built in and paint it to match the walls.

OMG Beth!! Amazing ideas...and Thanks for the inspiration pics too. I can't wait to get started on this project :). I love the desk corner and the accent wall ideas.

Also, Thanks fidlfreek. I do have another blank wall on the opposite side of the wine rack, (where the stroller and clock are), I can potentially incorporate both of these ideas and get some storage and desk space.

Awesome ideas everyone. Thank you!

I recently saw this blog post with suggestions for updating kitchens with those golden oak cabinets, and I thought it had some good idea. Might be worth a look.

https://emilyaclark.com/2018/09/updating-oak-kitchen-cabinets-with-fresh-decor.html

You might change the light bulbs in that room, to a daylight type bulb. The ones you have are making everything have a yellow tint. Just changing those light bulbs will make a huge difference in your kitchen. Very nice kitchen. Lots of room in there. I do love the charcoal wall.

These are the pendant lights above the island. I’ll look to swap them out and the light bulbs too. I really need the orangy look and feel to go away! Lol

RE: the charcoal wall I have a poster with two zebras that I need to get framed first. It’s 30X46”. I’ll also look to see if I can find a more colorful option. Thank you Beth!

i actually thought of zebra as my first choice. if you do that, then do the colorful sconce or something else on the shelf.

and yes, those pendant lights should go! lol. Perhaps look for something in the gold tones to play w/the yellow stools and tones in the counter. looks great w/the charcoal and zebra too.

So after a long debate we have decided to paint the kitchen cabinets. My neighbourhood has a ton of updated (gutted) townhomes with modern finishes and it's what we need to do at this point without replacing all the cabinets. Do you all have any suggestions on the paint color for the cabinets and the island? My living room/kitchen is painted BM White Dove and the accent wall now is BM Kendall Charcoal. I'll also probably do brass handles to match the brass/gold pedant lights (I placed the order online for the pendants, awaiting delivery...). I would prefer to do a White or Light Gray color.

Eddy,,,for whites, BM Simply White is the best neutral, white.

White Dove, is also very popular,,,you'll find a million White dove kitchen cabinets on here.

SW,,,this is iron ore and City Loft (the lighter one), which is a pale gray.

Crused Ice is a very pale gray

I'd prob change the wall paint to a color, or paint the cabs a diff color. if you did white next to white, it's going to look, well, very white. using a diff white is an option, but that might look a little off. Can you try some samples? or maybe use the palest of grays for your walls?

love them! (you need a new frame tho ;) if you can paint that one, cool. or get a wood one that matches the baseboard.

so glad the new bulbs worked. and Pale Oak is one of my faves.

Cool! My 1 yr old loves the Zebras too :) .
Sorry I have a few more questions. My contractor starts painting today and I wanna get this right! Overall I want a high contrast tuxedo kitchen. So assuming I go with Simply White cabinets, should I paint the island in a different color (charcoal?) or keep it white as well?

PS: I will also be changing the trim and baseboard to 6” white trims.

It looks so nice now with the wood. Warm.

Thanks! Are you saying I should leave it as is? I really love white n black kitchens...

I would change the lights to one of the gold ones Beth H. suggested above and call it done. But I can understand having a vision.

The pendants arrive tomorrow. I'll post a pic when I have them installed.

Eddy,,,hmmm, I'm thinking what would work best. I do like the wood element. this may be pushing it, but what if removed the granite from that island and replaced it w/a walnut butcher block? then you could do the island in a black or a dark gray.

If you do plan on painting the island, I'd finish up the sides w/some trim molding before your paint

Another vote for white dove cabs and pale oak walls...it is what I did with ceilings at 75% white dove. I think the pale oak will go well with your accent wall. You could do a dark blue grey island or maybe the Kendal charcoal but that might limit the pop of the accent wall.

Beth I love the butcher block idea. I’ll try and update the island sometime in the future when I have the budget and time. I’m hoping to wrap things up next week.
rantontoo, thanks for the color suggestions. I realized that since I don’t get a ton of natural light in my living room/kitchen I’m going to limit the darker colors and just go with white for the island too.

Eddy, I think the white island w/the walnut (or acacia. check Floor and Decor if you're on a budget. you will need to seal them yourself) would look very nice. or, look for a remnant piece of black granite or soapstone or even a black quartzite (Negresco). that would also look good. just bring in some wood elements w/shelving or a desk over on the wall.

here is Acacia

black walnut

and a thick walnut. amazon has this one. it's 25" wide though

Walnut w/white island. notice how the side panels are trimmed and finished. it's simple enough to do. wood is avail at home depot. cut to length, attach, prime and paint.

Apologies if I have multiple posts but I can’t tell if they are going thru. The app is hanging.

Anyways, I love the butcher block idea Beth! I am short on time tho so let’s see if we can get this done before the weekend. Unfortunately my local HD does not have these on hand..ugh. Which one would look better tho? The Walnut or the Acacia? I don’t get a ton of light.

I just love that you are moving right along and providing the show and tell!

Cabinets are finally white. I like how the kitchen feels brighter. I do have some OCD around paint chipping off tho. Also I need to find a new home for the microwave. I’ll be installing a vent hood above the stove. Also bugging hubby to install the pendants.. ;)

BM Simply White Cabinets

nice job! the trim does give it more of a finished look.

You do great neat nice work?

New pendant lights!

Love the pendants! And the new cabinet color goes better with the floor.

Thanks traci. Great suggestion from Beth!

I need some suggestions on where to put my microwave as Im going to install a vent above my stove instead. Let me know what you all think. Also, its huge and I'm ok with replacing it with a smaller piece.

Eddy, Love! . can't wait to see what you do with the rest of that wall space. as for the micro, i'm having the same issue. want to remove it from over the stove but will have modify my island in order to contain it.

I love what you've done so far - following along to see how it all comes out!

Will it or a smaller microwave fit under the island overhang?

Hi tq it probably will, but I need to keep it out of reach from my toddler.