Since a total remodel was out of the question, we set out to improve what we could. We got a remnant piece of granite and had it cut to fit the island. We also bought a stainless sink and faucet. We extended the overhand to make it deep enough to slide barstools under to use as a snack or breakfast area. In order to do this we needed to add additional supports for the granite to the back of the island. I found some wood corbels on line and we installed them. This is the pic the day the granite people finished installing the island. I painted the wall and corbels a soft camel color to coordinate with the granite.
The give the cabinets some depth and darken the color, I waxed them with Brie Dark Paste Wax. It made them about 3 shades darker, so they no longer looked blonde I also found stainless hardware online and installed the handles. Next we installed undercounter lights all the way around the kitchen.
Very small changes, but it totally changed the look of the kitchen.
Now I love my kitchen and enjoy being here.
I think the biggest impact was waxing the cabinets and adding the granite. If you can't do all of your counters, see if you can just do the island. It totally changes the entire room.
