Thanks stephanj, I will go look

whatever has been said..your landlord sounds like a real nice guy..:) unless of course you have agreement that your improvements hugely lower your rent? what I'd do though..if I was as handy and as eager as you.. -the mosaic in the kitchen where the backsplash is-hard to see whether a real backsplash or wallpaper? if wallpaper-get rid of it and repaint. if real mosaics-just repaint. ETA-ok reread your post..real mosaics. I love peel and stick options that do exist, but I'm not sure I'd go for them here..it's not so much mosaic as its placement..countertop backsplash plus mosaics plus wrap around..too much. And it won't be easy to find something that will work. But. Check your options. Etsy has pages upon pages of tile decals, for example. https://www.etsy.com/search?q=tile%20decals&ref=auto1&as_prefix=tile%20decals -you seem to have no space next to the stove..I know IKEA carries these narrow tables you know? or something of the kind..that you can put in between the stove and the fridge, have some landing surface, spot to place a pot you know -is the floor in the kitchen real tile or linoleum/vinyl? you can try and cover it with something if it irritates you of course(to me it's actually the worst offender. along with the blinds that I'd take out and put on curtains. but you're going to do that anyway). it can be tile decals, it can be floor cloth, it can be big inexpensive rug.. the rest of the kitchen, just deep clean and let be. new paint will make a huge difference -your door is fine..hard to see the living to make helpful furniture placement suggestion, but generally I find that sofa plus two chairs is the most versatile in most cases -the bathroom is cute and blue in cabinets picks up the flooring. Wallpaper is best to go though since it clashes with flooring. Clean the grout..and ask your landlord to change faucets etc if they're problematic. If they're not but you hate them-well maybe you can split the price. New paint, shower curtain that you love-and you're good. What's your style preference? I'm crazy about shower curtains so can look them up and suggest for you, and would be my pleasure:) you do need some "landing strip" as they call it..and I can't see whether youn can fit small dining table in the corner of the kitchen? .. if you want more suggestions about colors, furnishings, furniture layout and such, I recommend cross posting in Home Decorating forum. They(ok, us. lol) will ask you a bit more about dimensions, layout, preferences in style, budget, needs, etc. Congratulations on your first renting place, it's exciting..and good luck!

Your dining room is so cute! The piece of furniture with the tv on it looks odd at a slant. I think it would look better against the wall and you could arrange the photos around the tv so it looks like a gallery wall. I realize that you probably moved the tv for optimum viewing but that love seat isn’t great for the space, a couple of comfy, yet stylish chairs (maybe swivel) would be more versatile and flexible and work better with the window placement. Congratulations on the new home!

Bahaha, I didn't even notice they looked like "boob lights" until you pointed it out. What has been seen cannot be unseen! Structurally, we're in great shape. No major fixes are needed for at least another 5-10 years, at which point the windows will have to be done. Otherwise, everything else is already new (or relatively new). These are all great ideas and I'm so grateful to everyone that chimed in. I think I've just been feeling so overwhelmed and like I need to tackle everything at once... but as so many of you pointed out, it's OK to sit on it for a while (even years, if I want to)! One of my biggest issues is that I just don't know what I like. I know that sounds crazy, but since I was never really able to make changes to my space before now (we even lived in an apartment when I was a kid), I never had the opportunity to develop what my "taste" is. I will definitely spend some time on my idea books and start narrowing down what it is I like. I have found between Pinterest and now this site (which I just found today) that I seem to be leaning toward a more rustic-type look. PS. I don't actually love all that tan. It's a bit darker than the color in the living room and although the lighter color looks decent in the living room, it's "meh" for me in the dining/kitchen area. Any thoughts on what might look OK with the current kitchen schema, or should I just go for white and revisit later? Thanks again, everyone! I so appreciate the help.