Firstchange every bulb in that space to LEDs in 4000K you will be amazed at how much different the space will look Cahange the bulb in the hood too. I would not put anything on those windows . Mount the frames solidly and choose some fun art work that makes you smaile while you are working. Change the knobs and pulls to something straight and stainless some lime gree stools and if possible some under cabinet lighting.

Need to see the space with all the lights on -- could be that brighter lights in more places would make a big difference. But it's hard to really brighten a space with acres of black counter. At the very least, if you redo the backsplash, try to remove the 4" of black counter that goes up the wall, to increase the area that's made lighter.

Nickel seems good in this kitchen, but you could consider replacing the tiny knobs with larger pulls (using the knob hole as the upper pull hole)...

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Maybe just match the size of the current ones on your drawers...

Hi nl. Here are some ideas for you.

1) Do I stick with brushed nickel, or would a different finish work better?

Brushed nickel is fine. You also have a bit of stainless steel, and that would be another good option.

2) Can anyone recommend a Roman shade that would look nice?

Shades are just going to make the space look darker because they will block some of your window space. If you don’t need them for privacy, just get a valence.

3) Does anyone know of a thinner profile frame?

IKEA makes frames, several of which are quite flat.

4) Working on getting my husband to DIY replace our backsplash with white subway tile.

You have two backsplashes, the 4” counter material, and tile that never should have been installed above it. Just have your husband remove the tile, repair the wall, and paint it. You’ll be lighter, brighter, and more updated. as a result. Alternatively, he can remove the 4” and the existing tile. A neutral ivory or cream would be a better choice than white.

5) Open to any and all other ideas 😊

Lighting is so important in dark spaces. Do you have under cabinet lighting? If so, absolutely use it.

Well, you may not want to hear this, but I have some extremely good news concerning the "modernizing" dilemma that you face, and that is that white kitchens are past their peak, and the new trend is dark and moody. You have a kitchen that was probably the product of 1990s trends with cherry-colored wood and dark countertops. By 2006 when you bought the home, the trend toward cream, elaborate french country styles was in, but white was about to pick up pace. The new kitchens of 2020 are often natural wood or of rich coloration. We are seeing a lot of quartersawn oak, as well. The wall colors are trending toward white and not neutrals. Read more at this blog post by color expert Maria Killam: https://mariakillam.com/how-to-update-90s-granite-and-make-it-disappear/

All that to say that I understand perhaps what you like and that this may actually be opposite of where the most modern of trends are at the moment. Perhaps this kitchen seems dark to you, and you're feeling the need to brighten it up. You might want to really consider your lighting plan. it looks like you took these photos with all your lights off, and it does appear that you have fairly good lighting in place already. If you don't have undercabinet lighting, that might be something to consider.

Here's another option that might be a possiblity for you: some of the most upscale of kitchens utilize a fair amount of glass-fronted wall cabinetry to add depth and and airy feeling throughout the kitchen. You could consider replacing your center panels in one or more of your upper cabinets and then adding interior cabinet lighting. That would totally transform the way the feel of this kitchen is right now. To be a genuine candidate for this, you need to have enough storage so that you can keep pretty, styled collections in the glass-fronted cabinets.

On the nickel hardware, there's no other place to go with your finish because of your appliace, sink, and faucet choices. Everything would start looking like a mishmash if you mixed finishes. If you wanted a new style of hardware, that would be your choice. It's a bit hard for me to see on my computer screen due to the dark exposures and distance what your current style of hardware appears to be.

Subway tile will be claimed a perennial classic by some, but it, too, is on the wane. You're seeing some large-format tiles being used for backsplashes to avoid horizontal grout lines, and you're also seeing more colorful backsplashes. You could absolutely do white if you wanted, but consider glass tiles to help with light reflection, possibly. It is going to look odd to have two backsplashes there, so if you do replace, remove the short black one and tile all the way. You need to be careful about removal, because sometimes countertop installers get sloppy with fitting the main counter to the wall if there is a thick backsplash, so you could have a large gap that wouldn't be covered by thinner tile, who knows.

If you have at least 42" of walkway space, the frames should not be a problem. Even up to 36" might be fine, but be careful if your clearance is less than that.

Thanks everyone! It’s a rainy day in Boston and I took these pictures with the lights off to avoid shadows. We have under cabinet lights and we just replaced our recess lights with white leds and LOVE the difference that made.

@nlmackay You posted your reply before I finished editing, so be sure not to miss this line above: "You need to be careful about [backsplash] removal, because sometimes countertop installers get sloppy with fitting the main counter to the wall if there is a thick backsplash, so you could have a large gap that wouldn't be covered by thinner tile, who knows."

Removing the small, dark backsplash and tiling all the way would help brighten your area.

Thank you so very much, Belaria! I just measured the walkway space and with my son sitting on one of the island stools, there’s only 24” of walkway space. Is that way too narrow to have pictures on that wall?

Also, here’s a picture of my hardware.

@nlmackay That amount of clearance would be similar to having frames mounted on the side of a doorway as you walk through it. If the frames were perhaps above everyone's shoulder height, it might work, but you'd need to mount something flatter below them to balance the space. If your husband is taller than you, he may be thinking his shoulders might hit, where you can imagine your shoulders clearing whatever level you are hanging those, so keep all the home's residents in mind with that decision.

Close up your wood looks to be maple. You could sand down and have those re-done in a natural finish to get a lighter look, and you could definitely look into something called "refacing" where you purchase new doors and drawer fronts and swap them out. Any visible frames would be sanded down and finished to match the new faces.

The wood is definitely cherry, not maple. I’m not the best photographer so it probably looks off in the picture. Thought about sanding but afraid they’d look pink 😕

@nlmackay Sorry, I see the pitch pockets now. I had casually glanced at a bit of color differentiation in the stain from rails to stiles and was thinking maple with the stain absorption rate, but the wood is that beautiful cherry grain, and the finish looks to be in excellent shape. Refacing would be an extreme option, so I'm glad you're not planning to touch those beautiful cabinets. Black countertops are a classic choice with cherry wood, but the black does absorb a lot of light, so you have to compensate in other ways.

Rather than painting the cabinets, would you have enough storage room if you removed the cabinets flanking the windows not necessariy with open shelves, but just open?

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Thank you so much! They are beautiful cabinets...if only they’d make a comeback! LOL! Do you think if I changed the pulls to something like this would make an updated impact? https://www.amazon.com/homdiy-Brushed-Nickel-Cabinet-Handles/dp/B073TX8RHM

I just removed my Roman shades from a very similar window. I thought they "only" covered a small amount of the glass and was surprised at how much brighter the kitchen looks.

How about wallpaper on that wall? Just from the corner to the doorway. Something with a white or light background, and a strippable vinyl that is wipeable, and has a bit of a sheen to reflect light. Or a playful wall mural. Lots of options.

Maybe even a bit of silvery metallic in it. What is your paint color?

Good idea with the wallpaper, thank you! Also good to know about the Roman Shade. I hate how in the winter when the leaves fall we can see a house in the distance...but I dont want to darken the kitchen any further. Our paint is Benjamin Moore Collingwood with a Simply White trim.

Lovely kitchen! I would:

- replace the lights over the kitchen with something lighter (glass?).

- add a cheerful runner on the floor

- add a coordinating picture on the wall

- add some greenery on your window ledge.

Also, do you use 5 stools? Reduce it to 3 and it will feel more roomy.

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Thank you very much for the suggestions! We are a family of 5, so we do use all of the stools. We originally had 4 and they fit perfectly...but along came my daughter 😊

Also, I love the idea of glass pendants! Do you find they get really dusty?

I skimmed through and didn't see these mentioned. Forgive me if I missed them.

The grey wall color isn't doing your cabinets or floors any favors. It looks dreary. Kitchens with wood cabinets and light walls can look very fresh and inviting.

Lighter counters would make a huge difference as well.

Yes, glass gets dusty. We clean ours about every 4-6 weeks, but it only takes 10 minutes.

I love those pendants as well but I too have concerns especially about clear glass for pendants. In our last house we had pendants with frosted glass and they showed nothing. In my current kitchen which I am remodeling (you know like when it's not wreckless to have people working in our homes) shortly, I selected open lantern pendants. I don't mind cleaning but I don't always do the greatest job on glass and I thought clear glass would be a real problem for me. Many people are better at maintaining streak free and smudge free glass .

We have 1-1.5-inch canvases on our (wide) stairwell and the dog and kids are always knocking them down. Howww? Definitely check out IKEA or put them higher than the kids.

Your kitchen is very nice. No shade. I like your paint. I’d do a subway tile splash from counter up to bottom of uppers (remove riser!). The glass doors are a nice idea too.

a visual

You've got classic style cabinets and high end stainless appliances which you are lucky to have. If it were my kitchen I would change out the counters and backsplash to something white.

The glass pendants offer up lighting as well as down...a big plus for your dark colors..also a bright accent color on the wall across from the island could bring some life to the room..giving you a color to repeat in the decor....towels ..placemats..etc

Unless you have a lot of open windows and doors it is unlikely that dust will be a big problem...

Thank you all for some many great ideas! Would you recommend something like this for a pendant?

Those seem the right size? But i think they could be a little more interesting..more detail ...glass with little bubbles? I like the look of slightly larger ones since they are essentially clear glass

There are also some cool ones ...that are two or three ....mounted on a horizontal bar..your kitchen is pretty sleek..it could use a little sparkly detailed element

The ones barbara suggested are very good

While the glass pendants are nice looking they can be difficult to clean and they attract dust. I'd go for an open lantern pendant for a light airy feel.

We have a long feather duster we use for keeping our lighting dust free ...unless you fry a lot and have a poor exhaust system this should be enough...but the more interesting glass fixture ..like bubbled or textured glass is easier to maintain than simple clear glass bulbs,for sure..the uplighting will however make your kitchen much brighter than a shade type like you have now..

I think lighting will help, as well as considering a lighter backsplash. Idea for art: I bought thin frames at Michael’s and put this poster hanger stuff on the corners in a narrow hallway. They’ve never shifted and it helps with dusting. I put those on all my frames now. The other option would be to hang thin frames using command strip frame hangers...they have thin ones now too.
The kitchen is lovely so don’t change too much! Good luck!

Under cabinet lighting could lighten up the kitchen and backsplash?

Forgot to ask-what direction is your light coming from in the windows?

Totally off topic, but where did you purchase the painting above your fireplace? I know I have seen it before,...

Hi ratherbesewing! The painting is by Sarah Brooke and I actually found it at Homegoods. It’s huge and I love it! Not the best pictures, but I had these on my phone (dont mind my daughter’s bday banner!)