What are the goals….it looks cohesive … i would not fix what isnt broken. i might measure the fridge opening and get a french door fridge for an actual upgrade. retile ? when all i see is a beautiful well laid floor? backsplash isnt needed w the strip that exists… painting cabs to make them disapear when they are in good shape and look good? time for a reality check . Fix the small drawer front and get a window treatment.

The one thing going for your kitchen is the cabinetry. Don't screw them up with paint. What would save this space is taking the wall between the kitchen and dining room out. It's crazy thick due to the water lines...do NOTHTING save every penny. Eventually fixing this will be very expensive.

With all due respect, there's several odd design things going on here.

The base cabinets & countertop are not the main issue in this odd kitchen.

I circled some odd areas to help point them out.

Weird shaped pass through hole.

The staggered height wall cabinets are bizarre.

Whoever did this kitchen, oh my....seems they tried to stagger shorter cabinets with taller on ends to distract from the cheaper,shorter cabinets, probably to save $ & thought it would look good, but, unfortunately, it did not work visually & lost valuable functional storage.

There are too many design flaws. I would not waste your valuable time or $, trying to make something work when it just does not. Paint or new tile or new countertop will not fix this scenario.

I suggest keeping it as is as a motivator to save up to gut this & redo the right way when possible.

Besides,

It is usually more cost effective to do a whole kitchen remodel that is cohesive & well thought out, vs a la carte kitchen which often looks like a hodge podge.

Starting here for advice was a good idea. There's lot of talent on this site. Start getting quotes from a kitchen designer, or licensed contractor who specializes in kitchens. Check state websites to make sure they are licensed & insured.

Things to ask to fix,

-pass through square out/ widen/ part tear out wall, or possibly a total tear out, if it's not

a support wall.

-take cabinets to ceiling (more storage/cohesive) & ( light color suggested to look bigger)

-fix the angle in tile floor, possibly extend that wall to do that.

Bummer it's a redo, but there's a lot of potential here.

I hope this info helps

You are reading my mind. It’s just an awful mess of a design. And yes the plan is to eventually do a total gut with taking that weird serve-through wall out (with supports in the attic) and extending to one huge island along that wall.

if you want that much of a change...wall removal and island then I would not do much now. The kitchen looks fine and its a walled in space so the quirks as people seem to zero in arent that serious. it has some plus areas....the tones work together.....you have good drawer /storage for a small space...there is good wrap around continuous counter for good functionality. Wait and plan. .

Yes! paint the cabinets the same as the walls, different sheen. Especially if the plan is to one day redo.

I lived with a kitchen I didn't love for 7 years and then gutted the whole thing. Save all your money for that major remodel.

To have cabinets professionally painted so they are durable and look good is not cheap. Better to use that money as start of gut kitchen fund.