you've painted the wall SW Alabaster?

I would paint the cabinets SW Alabaster in a Semi gloss finish... No White against Alabaster, makes Alabaster look dirty.

New lighting would help. Ambient lighting, add floor lamps and table lamps where possible.

and remove the fan/light kit.

no need for a fan over the table, replace with a proper dining table fixture.

Yeah most of that stuff was in my previous home and it worked well with the colors and decor I had and honestly I just haven't replaced any of it because I wanted to get the "permanent colors" in the kitchen done first.

biggest issue is lack of natural light. I would get a kitchen designer with interior design credentials. I think Id want to enlarge the window opening or two??? that you have.. I think a big plan that you execute in stages would be best. I wouldnt do small things.

similar long space shown.....notice the abundance of lighting to help..[ ceiling can lights/ pendants/ table light/ sconce above window.] can you conceive of ?skylights ? a big lighting improvement plan? increase window sizes ?? these are things to hash through

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I would pick a colour that will go with your stone countertop. Possibly something taupe/ beige? I am currently doing my medium maple cabs with an sw colour called studio clay. Get some paint pots made up by Home Depot (they can colour match anything if you have the proper colour name) buy some bristle board and paint up some boards. You might be amazed at what the colours look like when up. Everyone said I should do white and to be honest it looked like crap! Good luck. Please read up on how to do this yourself there is lots of good information re degreasing sanding priming and what are the best paints to use 🙂

On my computer, everything skews yellowy cream. The biggest standout things are that long rug which screams 70's and the gray/black accents such as the door and half of the wall (in 2nd pic) which seem like a whole different design idea than the rest of the place. Choose one. If you like the modern black/white feel then remove all the cream/brown 70's stuff. Find some pics you like, update the lighting as others have said and move things toward the direction of your own style.

Paint the cabinets in white, off-white, or a pastel - even pink pastel. Look thru magazine photos, or go with your favorite color and a pastel shade of that color. Get white appliances and a white cast iron sink. Stainless clash with all but grey, and grey is UGLY. Stainless is ugly too. Stay with colors that BLEND. Some people blend grey tones with brown tones and it looks hideous - the style the last couple of decades has been to try to make a house as ugly as possible - good to go back to basics and make a house look attractive and be in style for many years instead of trendy looks that go out when (if) people come to their senses.

Its a very generous space but feels kind of grandma to me. I would remove all rugs, mats, tablecloth, valance, small objects. if you like the layout i wonder if a reface could work.

I agree with moving the fan from over the table, but I very much like having a ceiling fan in my living space - so perhaps relocate it to a seating area.

Stainless is not ugly, and is a neutral that works with many color schemes, not just with gray. You do have to make sure that everything you choose does work together.....

Are you planning on replacing your floor? Pinky beige tile can be a big stumbling block when redecorating, since everything does need to be harmonious with that major feature. Dark, cool toned grays usually aren't, but since the color renditions on my laptop aren't reliable, I can't judge in your space.

I am a fan of color on cabinets - I think you can find some greens or blues that could harmonize with the floor, along with the wall colors, but I think you may need a stronger shade than pastel to look good with the dark grays that you have introduced. Simplest is as Lyn Nielson suggested, go with Alabaster or a shade that the paint store recommends as a step lighter or darker than Alabaster.

Personally, I would take the easiest route and save my money to do the major remodel sooner than later, instead of haphazardly getting new counters, the work of painting the cabinet etc.

I think it's a mistake to spend any money on this kitchen if you have plans to remodel in the relatively near future. Maybe you're tired of it and don't have enough to do the complete remodel right now, but any money you spend now is just going to set you back on your future plans and not make a big enough difference to be worthwhile.

You’ve made some nice changes. It looks like you have a combination of farmhouse / country decor. Your countertops appear to be a solid surface which are a nice quality. I would definitely paint the cabinets. I think it could be aesthetically pleasing to contrast the uppers and lowers. The uppers being a white ( possibly the alabaster as one other person suggested) and the lowers being a soft sagey green.
I would also paint the dining room chairs. A really fun look for the style of your motif would be painting each one a different color—-bringing out the colors of the braided rugs if you are tied to those. Painting cabinets and chairs would be a huge change and could get you by until you’re ready for a full kitchen remodel.
When you are going to make that investment I would get rid of the tile.
Sorry for the random profile name. I can’t figure out how to change it. But I have 25+ years in the design business and have assisted my clients over the years with hundreds of remodels to their satisfaction. Best of luck!

I agree with decluttering. Anything that doesn't need to be on the counter or on the shelves could be stored in the cabinets. remove the rugs, - replace with lighter colour if required, remove the small decorative items, You can invest in things that will work with whatever style you wish to use in the future. I'be be inclined to put slip covers in the bar stools ot lighten them up - Temu | Explore the Latest Clothing, Beauty, Home, Jewelry & More , use lighter coloured accessories, paint the kitchen chairs a lighter colour and remove the table cloth - or if you can afford it, buy a new more streamlined table that is better proportioned to the space. Put a piece of closed furniture in the microwave area and you could dress it up like a coffee bar. On the 5 shelves, you could put light coloured accessories. You can buy a few battery powered lamps to place stratgically throughout the kitchen,

Too much black.

Dining chairs can be a pain to move when they’re on a small carpet/rug and you’re already seated.

why would you want a fan over your table?.

You've already painted your kitchen in SW Alabaster which is a white colour but your photos show the kitchen to be very dark with a yellowish tone. It is suggested by others ot improve the lighting which is a good idea, perhaps install under cabinet lighting. I would replace the fan over the table with a chandelier and the red roman shade for a light colour one. I also suggest you remove all those 70's looking rugs and all the small black mats throughout the kitchen the room will look so much more spacious.. You don't need a rug under the table and remove the table cloth if it's not meal time. Below I show a similar kitchen to yours (it was too complicated to work with your photos) where you can see the floor tiles and it looks spacious not all cutout by mats and rugs. You can use a runner (I show a washable one from Ruggable) but with a mix of mostly a light colour with some black. I stayed with black as you seem to have a lot of it in your kitchen. A long black tracklight would distribute the light in the kitchen to replace the existing flush light.

Don’t spend thousands updating if you want to eventually remodel your kitchen. A good cabinet paint job will cost several thousand dollars. Get rid of all of the rugs and clutter. Replace the overhead light and replace the fan with a dining chandelier. Get rid of the window coverings and go with something lighter that all matches. When the time comes to remodel, you will be more willing to consider the space to be a blank slate.