Your question is confusing. You state:

"However, I hate this color and would appreciate any suggestions on how we can brighten and modernize it a little".

But you do not specify which color you state, the trim color, the cabinet color or the wall color?

If it is the cabinets (just a guess on my part), I would strip them, and treat them with a similar product to these floors:

http://www.stylepark.com/en/dinesen/dinesen-oak-30x250-mm

The finishing on these floors entails a first coat of lye, and then white oil.

http://www.dinesen.com/en/oak_/finishing/oil.html

You should explore the possibilities for achieving such a look, and experiment a bit. For example, there are some bleaching products for wood to help you achieve a lighter colour, as well as "white" stains.

Really, the only way to "brighten" the room, since everything else is already light, is to deal with the cabinets.

"which colour you state" = "which colour you hate"

Here is an example of what pickled oak cabinetry can look like:

http://www.philmorse.com/woodworking/portfolio/images/kosow.jpg

I think something like behr roasted pepper would really warm things up. Even though in the example they use it with blond cabinets, using it with oak cabinets would give it an Autumnal feeling. Although they say you should avoid reds in kitchens because red can make you hungry. It is classified in red family but it looks more orange. It really looks like it would be bright and warm in the kitchen.

what about installing some oversized, modern -looking metal handles on the doors? they could brighten the optic? there are several nice ones from IKEA.

As I re-read it, I'm certain she means paint for the walls.

I'd suggest a strong dark green (e.g. Forest green) -- which woudl give a strong punch of color without classing with all the wood. Then I'd add some kind of rug or runner to add another dash of color -- perhaps a string, dark red.

Whatever you choose, I think you need rich, saturated tones to stand up to and work with all the dark wood.

AND they correspond well with the the color of your appliances.

(post spell check!):

As I re-read it, I'm certain she means paint for the walls.

I'd suggest a strong dark green (e.g. Forest green) -- which would give a strong punch of color without clashing with all the wood. Then I'd add some kind of rug or runner to add another dash of color -- perhaps a strong, dark red.

Whatever you choose, I think you need rich, saturated tones to stand up to and work with all the dark wood.

I would replace the doors on the upper cabinets with glass or go with open shelving on top. For the walls, I would choose a color that provides more contrast with the beige/brown.

maybe a spring green for the walls

If you don't want to change the cabinets, there's really nothing much you can do to change this, is there? It looks like there's only about 3 sq ft of wall to paint.

So to me that means that you need to work with the dining area, which you can see from the kitchen. Get something striking in there, some color that really tickles you. Draperies for the window on that far wall - some sort of really interesting fiber-arty fabric.

And a giant indoor tree-plant on the other side of the low room-divider counter.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!

I, too, have dark cabinets and originally did a wonderful rich red in my kitchen. HOWEVER, it is a bit dark next to the cabinets. I changed the wall next to the cabinets to be the same as the dining room - a rich golden yellowy-tannish color - Valspar's Cracker Bitz. I really like it. It's richer than the yellow you have now and not so dark that you can't tell where the cabinets end and the wall begins!
Yellow doesn't have to be yucky.
If you use a golden color you could splash up the color with some brighter rugs and towels and other accessories.

TEAL!

Go on Etsy and buy a few tea towels that catch your fancy. Chic, modern, retro – anything you like. Figure out which one(s) you like best then acquire a few show-off kitchen appliances and pieces in the same color(s) e.g. Creuset pots, antique jars, etc.

If you've got room for some hanging art in the breakfast nook that could also serve as a starting off point. Personally, I can see maroon and black, dove grey and navy or dark teal and mustard. But that's just me.

The potted plant looks good with the cabinets and tile. How about a terra cotta orange on the kitchen walls, and some of the dining room (the rest could tie into the blues and whites in the rest of the rooms).

Hi Barbara - If you are not willing to change the cabinets, my first inclination would be to add more depth! Paint the walls something like Benjamin Moore's Boothbay Gray HC-165. It's hard to tell what is the true undertone of your cabinetry (red, yellow or orange), but in any case the cooler tones of the blue-grey would offset the warmth of the cabinets.

If Boothbay Gray is too dark, you could try Coventry Gray (HC-169) - both gray's are part of the Historical Color Collection and should work well with your traditional style.

If you want your hardware to stand out, I'd change them for something matte black.

Are you open to staining the floor a dark colour? Really dark? Like Espresso?

Are the countertops new as well? Dark countertops would have looked great with this cabinetry.

...and add accessories in strong colours - reds, yellows or oranges.

I agree with several of the above posts and have employed the following strategy in 2 kitchens with dark cabinets.

Walls white and then choose a fun color like sky blue or spring green and add in that color: ceramics, tea towels, sink curtain (remove doors under sink) and floor cloth.

Dark wood cabinets are coming back, esp if there is amazing hardware.

i agree with blackadderin10 re: hardware. the existing handles are lost in the expanse of the wood. and the off-white wall colour looks completely washed out.

i'd continue what you have going with the blues and greys and go for a soothing blue grey (good lord, i seem to suggest this colour to every single person, i need to get out of my box!) including in the dining room - that off white is very institutional-looking.

and yes, accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! multi-coloured prints on the wall, some bright canisters or dishes etc and definitely a bright colourful rug. maybe even a fun bright lamp in the dining room instead of the fan?

and might i just add my two cents' worth and say that i hate the oak trim and would get rid of it in a second? it looks dated, sorry.

if this were my kitchen, i wouldn't paint the cabinets either. i think this looks really nice. i would probably paint it a lighter leafy green. definitely not a dull green, and nothing obnoxious of course - something both peaceful and fresh.

another thought is to go with a platinum grey and keep it very serene. it sounds like you like grey already so that might be the way to go.

Might be interesting if you jazz it up with some intense red, orange or fuschia accessories, paint the walls something a bit closer to white than current color, and keep the rest the neutral that it is.

I'd put a leafy spring green on the walls, replace the cabinet handles with simple white ceramic ones, replace the steel canisters with more colorful enamel or ceramic ones, repot the little plant on the counter into a coordinating ceramic planter (and maybe get a few more to keep it company, cooking herbs perhaps), and find a colorful little mat for the floor in front of the sink to replace the beige one you already have (it blends in too much with the floor).

I understand your apprehension of painting the cabinets as I had that same situation in my house but my designer assured me that rarely are they so precious to justify that decision. We have a victorian farmhouse and we painted the dark brand new cabinets a light green (kind of a serene Martha Stewart type color) and then changed the hardware to modern chrome handles and vintage glass knobs. It changed our lives, it is so beautiful. We also put in marble counters and a glass and stainless steel backsplash. Goodluck.

Oh and yes, we put in glass in most of the top cabinets in a really cool pattern that was still obscuring. adds a lot of twinkle and happiness to a kitchen!

I suggest a brilliant, spiced orange color for the wall adjacent to the refrigerator. It'll instantly warm up the space and add a nice contrast to the dark cabinetry. A couple splashes of yellow/orange throughout the kitchen would also brighten it a bit. The hardware does seem invisible against that wood grain. I would go with a bolder set in black.

I'd choose a deep saturated red - such as Benjamin Moore's Vermillion - to add interest and color to your neutral kitchen/breakfast room.

I'd also replace the beige rug at the sink w/ a large Red & Navy Persian or Kilim rug for your kitchen floor, then get some Navy & Red patterned window treatments at those windows.

Wouldn't touch the cabinets at all.

"modern -looking metal handles on the doors? they could brighten the optic? there are several nice ones from IKEA."

Please - No handles from IKEA.
There are many more resources out there for inexpensive handles that have far more character.

If anything, some brass filigree handles would be interesting w/ those wood cabinets.

I like the first comment removing the paint with the cabinets, natural colour and neutral walls will make it brgither.

The truth is in your statement that you actually hate the oak color of the cabinets and wood trim. Life is too short hun. Nothing you are going to do to that kitchen is ever going to feel like anything more than a big compromise. Either stain or paint the cabinets in something you L-O-V-E. You won't regret it because you're going to be in that kitchen at least twice a day every day.

Heres what Id do:
Paint any available wall space, including the space between the counters and the cabinets, a bright warm based yellow tone. Im thinking the color of primroses or buttercups. NOT cream, it needs to actually scan as yellow. Something like Behr 330b-6 Lemon Sorbet. (Bad name, that sounds like it would be a cold yellow, but its actually quite warm)

http://www.behr.com/Behr/home#view=14;vgnextoid=6bd8ea6621ca5110VgnVCM1000008119fea9RCRD;channel=EXPLORE

However it kind of looks like you have a tiled backsplash, so obviously you wont be able to paint it. So instead I would get sheets of nice heavy glass cut to the perfect size and then back them with the color. There are a couple of tutorials on this site showing how to make glass backsplashes.

And then I would accent the space with BRIGHT red accessories. Like fire engine, cherry, apple red. A bright red teapot to live on the stovetop, bright red towels and dishcloths hung on the outside of the cabinets, a bright red vase or red cannisters, anything. There also seems to be a rather nice wall space next to the fridge- I would hang some red themed art there. A graphic style print of an apple, or maybe that Andy Warhol picure of the Campbells soup cans. That would be kind of funky and cool. Or get a nice piece of something cut in the shape of the Mac Apple and paint it bright red, that is, if your Mac ppl.

I wish I had this problem--love your back splash and counter tops. You say the rest of the house is gray, gray/blue, and whites--what helped me was to consider 'What color do I love?, What color complements the other colors of the house? and what color will accomplish my goal (maintaining the wonderful brightness)."
Cabinet hardware looks fine to me--modernize with a few accessories perhaps? It looks like blank slate, but a wonderful one.

What's wrong with IKEA? For a lot of people, this is the only place to get affordable stuff with modern look. Why should modern design be privilege of people with good income? In my opinion, IKEA, Internet and general health care are all parts of democracy :-)

As for which style of handles, I personally think that the plain ones FROM IKEA go much better with the stainless steel appliances than the "brass filigrane" ones. But this is of course a personal taste issue.

"What's wrong with IKEA? For a lot of people, this is the only place to get affordable stuff with modern look."

My point is that IKEA is not the only place on the planet to get things.

There are so many other resources for basic items such as handles out there with prices that are just as reasonable, if not cheaper - and with a wider selection of items that are not only far more interesting to look at, but more appropriate for a traditional kitchen...
...all you have to do is Google.

paint the walls a dark gray. it'll "bleach" the cabinets. it'll gleam the stainless steel. it'll pull all those top-heavy not balanced or graceful shapes into a unified whole. not charcoal, but on its way there. and anything else you put in in there will POP.

Since light is not the problem continue with the blue-grey to tone down the presence of the cabinets and cozy up the dining area but add pops of mustardy yellow- maybe on picture frames and tea towels. Love the persian rug at base of sink idea.

It's really a lovely kitchen and just needs a bit of tweaking...

Don't paint it a bright red, yellow, spiced orange, or anything of that ilk. An intense Mediterranean color scheme is too far from your existing color scheme of gray/gray blue/white.

Deep warm colors also won't work with the existing kitchen features.

Your kitchen is somewhat transitional in style, with both traditional and modern elements. For example, the lovely tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances lend a more modern feel, while your farmhouse sink is traditional. But the overall effect is better suited to a palette that is clean, neutral, and a bit on the cool side.

How about a lovely and very soft gray? There are so many versions of gray, just be sure to get one that works with your wood tones (it may have a bit of warmth -- not too steely). Also, I emphasize, a SOFT, pale gray. Definitely not deep or too saturated.

Also, I think you should paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. The demarcation between walls and ceiling is a bit jarring now. Painting both would soften that a bit. Or, the ceiling could be just a shade lighter than the walls if you don't like the idea of painting both the same.

Find a grey tone in your backsplash (I think it's there) and use it on the walls. Add some stainless steel hardware to your cabinets for a streamlined look. You can then punch it up with whatever color accessories you want.

I think a modern light grayish blue would look good with the cabinets and update the room. You already have a lot of brown so I wouldn't choose any tans or browns. And I really don't like the yellow in there.

@coophaus, I'd love to see your kitchen!

It seems counter-intuitive, but I'd do a very dark gray. I agree with the poster that said it will make your cabinets pop. It would look fantastic with that tile backsplash, there's not a lot of wall space that needs to be painted so it wouldn't be overwhelming, and there are already elements of black in the kitchen.

@heynowtex: I may be in a house tour this year if I can finish up a few things here, so keep an eye out. I need to figure out an easy link to set up a picture page.

@LBhirise: I agree with you, it seems that the cabinets are what she truly doesn't like and anything else won't get to the root of the problem.

@coophaus, I'll definitely keep an eye out for it. Do you have a flickr account? Those are pretty easy to link to I believe.

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I think the gray route is what I am going for. I don't dislike those cabinets...poorly worded post I suppose....I just wanted to find a way to update the kitchen a little. That is generally the style of the house...old with some modern touches. Thanks again!

Hello Barbara

The room is nice but cold. Warm things up and soften them down. First, look for a pretty window topper (or curtains) in a warm color combination. Curtains and other fabrics add a softness to any room. I have found lots of interesting and affordable choices online at www.thecurtainshop.com.

Then coordinate it with an area rug or two. After choosing these items you can take the curtains with you to the paint store to match up color for the walls. Maybe two colors: one warm, one neutral.

Thanks
Agi