From what I can see in your pictures, I would keep what you currently have as a backsplash and paint the strip over the top of your cabinets to blend in. Your kitchen looks fine if you are going to sell. Just keep it all clean a simple. SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR YOURSELF :-) I had just renovated my kitchen in my previous home...new white glass-front cabinets, beautiful gray tiles on the counter and backsplash, new gray retro vinyl floor tiles. My kitchen was a diner style with a great old Wedgewood stove and new white appliances. I ended up selling which wasn't the plan. I had renovated the bathrooms, new roof, new closet doors...all required to sell and my home sold in one weekend. When I went back to visit my old next door neighbor, he said the first thing the new residents did was rip out the kitchen and they threw those new cabinets in the trash....PEOPLE ARE ODD!!! Moral of the story, don't spend to sell, keep it clean, do just the basics and save your money. Your kitchen is really nice looking and the new appliances are certainly a strong selling point.

Hi, welcome!! it depends on how much of a statement you want to make. i LOVE tile and had always thought this is where I would put my personal stamp when we re-did our kitchen. I'd have gone hog wild, but my husband preferred a more neutral scheme as he thought we'd get sick of something too busy or that made too much of a statement. I could see his point and wasn't up for an argument on it as I was frankly just happy that he had agreed to the renovation at all. anyway, the first thing that popped into my head with your description of stainless sleek appliances and with the nice cabinetry and pretty wall color, is long thin strips of varying shades of slate. here is a link to a post by petlady... http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0800062525600.html i loved her inspiration pic and the combo of tiles used in it. also, i love rhome410's tile so search for some of her posts or check the Finished kitchen blog for pics of her kitchen (not sure if it is there yet). we went with a crackle subway tile (sort of boring for someone who was after the WOW factor, but my husband is right in that it is a classic look and not something we'll grown tired of). here is a pic: and further away: Here is a link that might be useful: petlady's inspiration tile

If you haven't moved in yet ... If you truly don't like the kitchen as is ... Consider what you DO like most about it. Then decide what you do like LEAST about your new kitchen. Focus on saving the former and getting at least a temporary fix for the latter that is within your budget before you actually move in -- or at least before you move your kitchen items and appliances into the kitchen. Then wait a few months before doing anything else. Breaking your budget not increase the enjoyment of your new home; it will have h opposite effect. If you buy knobs and/or pulls, choose those you'd want to reuse in your dream kitchen -- or wait until your budget permits that. If you do actually like the wood "greenhouse" window, then WHY would you paint the wood trim on the cabinets intended to mimic that wood? If you only want to keep that one wood window, do that, but if you like the wood and just want to change all the rest of the colors, do that instead. There are even paints that will adhere to countertops but that require the countertop be "roughed" first. It may be that roughing the laminate will help as well to get you a temporary paint fix to the colors in your kitchen if that is the way you choose to go. Check You Tube to see if that is a fix you could live with until you can do the actual renno you truly want. There are paints that, applied in thin coats and permitted to dry fully between coats will actually adhere to plastic ... and laminate such as the 2x RustO'leum spray paints, provided the surface is totally clean -- you paint a greasy film or dust or dirt and it falls off, then the paint falls off. Before you move in, invest in the quality painter's tape and some plastic sheeting and cover what you don't want painted. Wearing clothes you don't care if you throw them away and with the window with painted frame and any doors open for ventilation paint what you want changed. If that is all the white laminate, paint it rather than tossing significant money at a temporary fix that you probably will not like and yet will likely cost enough to delay the real fix -- replacing the cabinets. What color do you want to be the dominant color in your future dream kitchen? You could paint the walls and the painted window frame near the stove that color as a test run to see how much you really do like the color as much as you thought -- for instance -- your favorite color is green, you could paint everything that is to be painted beneath the countertop level a darker green and everything that is to be painted above countertop level a lighter green. Congrats on the new home and good luck with your kitchen upgrade.

You really see don’t see a ton of grey in the countertop‘s picture. You could paint the cabinets cream instead of white to stay in the warm family Personally I don’t like glass tile as I find it busy and think it will be too much with the granite‘s pattern. Suggest staying with a solid backsplash and bring home a few to test, as it’s the best way to decIde. I’d suggest a cream similar to the cabinets, keeping colors and pattern to a minimum. Easier on the eye. The hardware, paint color, lighting and bar stools should only be decided on after cabinets are painted and backsplash is installed. There are many important decisions and you want to be happy with the results. I just repainted my cabinets and after 22 hours of work, hated them and decided to paint the lowers black, which I love but I’m lucky it turned out. Good luck