[jyl]

For a freshen-up I would
- Replace all cabinet and drawer doors. Consider glass panel doors for a couple of the upper cabinets, they make a small space look larger (if you're kind of organized).
- Repaint cabinets to an interesting color. If you want to stay neutral, gray (like a dove gray) is quite "in" right now. Go trawl some kitchen reno sites and see what colors people are liking.
- Install slide outs drawers in all the lower cabinets. Crouching down to dig through lower cabinet shelves is not fun. The trend is to all drawers, but for a low-cost facelift, slideouts do almost the same thing.
- Install under cabinet lighting. Desirable and functional.
- The counter has the most visual impact. Stone, slate, steel, wood are all pretty in. Tile and formica are definitely not in.
- See if you can fit a bigger sink.
- For backsplash, tile is the choice of most, for awhile everyone lusted after white subway tiles, many still do. Take the backsplash all the way to the upper cabinets.
- Need a dishwasher, for sure. Probably to the left of the sink, to avoid door contention with the range. Stainless d/w plus stainless refrigerator to match the range is probably the safest for resale. Counter-depth refrigerator will take up less room, won't jut out so much.
- Floor can be tile, laminate, etc.

Going a bit beyond a freshen-up
- Need a proper vent hood, venting to the outside. Means replacing the upper cabinets on the range wall. Not a big deal as it isn't a long run.
- I would not have the upper cabinet fascia extend to the ceiling. I'd have a 1 foot or more gap and install accent lighting.
- Find another place for the microwave and get a stretch of counter space and under counter cabinetry there. The kitchen needs more counter space (most people will feel).
- Raise the upper cabinets to at least 18" above the counter. Low uppers date a kitchen and don't fit the ever-growing countertop appliances that people use now - fancy blenders, etc.
- Build some sheet tray storage into the empty space between range and wall.