SFGate

Elise Your island looks like a different wood from the oak cabinets. Find out what type of wood it is and talk to a kitchen cabinet refacing company. They can work with budgets and replace doors and reveneer the frames of existing cabinets to make them all match. Painting the uppers white and only refinishing the base cabinets darker would look nice also. New hardware on all doors and drawers.

flgrandma If your budget is limited you might want to think about painting the walls and leaving the cabinets as they are for now. Once you decide on wall color (something bright) you could add some additional color with rugs and maybe some artwork where you have a calendar. Really your kitchen is fine, just a little bland. Just add some color until you've saved enough to redo it in the style and colors that you want. This kitchen looks just fine and functional.

Melanie L Elise, yes, the island was updated by the previous owners. i love the look of the top and bottom different, but was afraid that if I leave the island, since I like that color, that 3 colors of cabinets would look odd.

flgrandma, the only real wall is that one with the calendar. The entire backsplash is a neutral tile on both sides of the kitchen.

Elise Have the refacing company match the island color and wood on all the base cabinets.

REJP Interiors (1) An easy and fairly inexpensive change would be to add a light fixture over the island. The right fixture would make a dramatic difference. (2) You could also create a lot of warmth, color variation and interest with a new backsplash. You could even bring in some of the darker tones you are craving with the backsplash. Check out Philadelphia Travertine; it has some beautiful variation in it. (3) Once you've figured out the backsplash, pull one of the colors into a new paint color on the walls. Lastly, I would advise against trying to refinish the cabinets on your own. Not only is it labor intensive, it's also difficult to do well. Call a pro, or if a friend with experience, make sure the experience is specifically with refinishing cabinetry. It will be money well spent and save you a headache.

centaurita I personally think a room with a lot of wood looks better if everything is not the same wood. Matchy-matchy is just not my style but to each her own, I say. I think you will get the biggest bang by painting some if not all of the cabinets. Some paint and new hardware can make it seem like a whole new room and will give you inspiration to do other things you would not have thought of before.