How about something like this? It is from Home Depot (obviously). I have a friend with something similar and she raves about the fact that it is scratch-resistant, waterproof and stainproof. Your pictures kind of creeped me out. You all looked like ninjas :)

It does look sort of like a garage floor (with ninjas). If you don't get around to replacing the floor before you move in, you can always invest in some fun rugs.

That is porcelain tile.

Ha! I was wondering why everyone was hiding in hoodies. Everyone was so gangsta.

I also have a north-facing kitchen. A better lighting plan has made a huge difference! I also enlarged the slider from 6' to 8', but the LED cans are the clear winner in brightening the room.

Remove the valance from the window, as it's cutting out half of the, already meager, natural light.

Look at off-whites with little chroma and high LRV. Lori's site has a wealth of information. She posts off and on here about color and how it works. Makes my brain hurt but I was able to pick one that I really love. It's not on her list, though. I wanted some yellow.

I spent months dithering, because I never chose a white/off-white. The good thing is, you can take your time. You might not want to, but isn't a real emergency :)

You could also a lighter or colorful rug under the dining table and something coordinating next to the sink. I agree with others that you should leave the floor as is right now. I think it looks nice, but can see that is dark. In addition to maybe adding some can lights in the kitchen area, I'd add under counter lights too. I have black granite counters and it really lightens the room up.

We see scope creep or regrets a lot on here. You think that you're just freshening up an element but, since the flooring is changing, why not move this or that? Or, you redo something and then realize another element really bothers you. But, now you've gone to the expense of a new thing and can't change the other without ripping out the new, and they don't sell it anymore!

Since the new kitchen is functional and looks nice, we always advise living in the home for about a year to get a good idea of what works and what doesn't. Then, you would have saved for a year to make changes and not have regrets about rushing into things. The bonus of waiting is taking the time to have a whole plan. Your needs and wants have been thought out well and budgeted. The combination of elements flow together. And, it works well with the rest of the house. Easy stuff like painting the walls can be done at any point.

if you don’t have under cabinet lighting it can make work spaces very very dark, and I thought at first they looked like 2 spectres (as in death) lol, if anything is making the room dark it’s the dark counters

Don't use gray wood-grain vinyl plank flooring. It will soon be out of date.

I agree with Beth, get the lighting revamped before you do anything else. What's on the back of the island, stone?

The counters will be easier to replace than the floors. I would replace the counters (which IMHO are the bigger culprits of light suckage). Black counters are also a bigger maintenance thing - they show fingerprints and crumbs easily. Remove the window treatments, add undercabinet lights, and paint the walls a lighter color. Then decide if you still need to rip out the floors.

When you are re-painting the walls, also re-paint the ceiling. From the photo it looks a dull color. Try Benjamin Moore Cloud White in flat finish for the ceilings.

Oh, and the black dining table. Not helping. Replace that too.

I’m no expert, I’m guessing a light grey like the backsplash, or a light tan like the stone, or white like the cabinets.

Scope creep ;)

DH, you can replace them w/whatever you like. white cabs and a neutral floor, leaves you w/tons of options. go to an actual stone yard and walk around to view the slabs.

Benjamin Moore Pale Oak or Dove Wing might work.