First change every bulb to LED in 4000K

Agree with Patricia that I would go for strong, white light bulbs where ever possible. May add lighting if it is in budget. There isn't any paint in the world that can add light where there isn't any. I happen to like 5000 K lights, but 4000 k or 5000 K will brighten things up.

As counter intuitive as it seems, white is a bad color for rooms without good light. White goes gray and dingy without light.

You are far better off painting a saturated color.I would pick a color I love that works with the flooring and then add bright white trim and doors and a light table top. The contrast will make the whole room look brighter and the color can stand up to the shadows.

Thank you both!

Great advice on both fronts. I would like to change out the sconces as well - perhaps a brass/gold to match some of our MCM inspired furniture elsewhere in the house.

What do you think of having that back wall be a navy blue? If we did that, what would be good colors for the LONG wall (that has the top half heavily textured)?

We just hung a large mirror (horizontally) on that back wall - we had it from our previous house and hadn't found the right place for it in this house yet. It already seems to help make the room feel less closed in!

The mirror is a good idea. When you are able to get new furniture, a regular sized table rather than the pub height will also make the space seem less closed in. You can get great deals from individual sellers or consignment shops.

You have an opportunity to get a lot more light in there by replacing the door with one with full glass.

Lovely kitchen! I would paint the roof window trim white or, at least, the same colour as the walls or ceiling. Daylight will reflect the brightness of trim.

the 3 ways we describe color are:

Hue is the color - blue, green, yellow, orange . . .

Chroma / Saturation is how colorful vs neutral or gray the color is

Light - how light or dark the color is.

In low light conditions our eyes cannot identify color as well, everything looks more gray, so we need higher chroma.

Navy is dark, but has a lower chroma or saturation. Go with something richer. Blues and oranges are beautiful together, so you could use a blue in the dining area and extend it through the kitchen. I might go with a lighter shade on the textured area and darker below, but I would need time to play with colors to find the one that works in both rooms.

I had picked out some art that works with Pantone's color of the year - Classic Blue and had pulled a picture that has a color palette with your colors and blues.

I think some of the lighter shades on the textured area and a deeper color on the lower area and the dining room non textured walls could work well.

Great suggestions, everyone - thank you! I'll keep you posted with how we progress. :)

When you get the $, how about a built in bench seat on the end wall w/comfy padding and a regular height table? Couple chairs on the other side.

UPDATE/IN PROGRESS:

Hubby was not a fan of a bolder color so we went safe on the light green. He built the benches for the breakfast nook and we are waiting on a table - also working on the bench pads. Changed out the sconces.

What do you think so far?

Breakfast nook is almo

Nice job. The paint looks lovely

I think that painting the wood trim of the skylight white will help more of the light get into your space. I think the wood absorbs a lot of the light, while the white will reflect it into the room.

The room is already much improved.

UPDATE/PROGRESS 2.0:

• Here is our next iteration, however we are still not crazy about the kitchen layout and colors.

We are feeling challenged by:

• Should we spend money now to remove the wall that has significant ductwork and electrical work, and would likely need a pole? Or wait for a more comprehensive remodel budget?
• How do we determine complementary colors if we were to do low cost updates to the cabinets and floor? How about the countertops? I know it will look so different if we take out the wall...

Thanks in advance!!!

UPDATES AS OF JANUARY 2021:

• existing (and weird) pass-through updated to incorporate design element
• additional design element created by hubby and father-in-law to break up long wall (turned out there was a pocket door that had been covered up!!)
• long wall has been dry-walled by professionals

ASKS/SUGGESTIONS WELCOME!

• what do you think of this rug?
• what color should we do the LONG wall?
• should we do an accent wall or two back in the breakfast nook?

The nook is essentially windowless but does have a skylight.

Thanks in advance!!

I'd paint the long wall the same white that you have on the lower half of your back wall. That would set apart the table area, and the white would look better next to the kitchen colors.