Now, I don’t think that’s terrible, but it’s no longer my style. At all. Cedar wainscoting and orange walls made the room very warm and cozy, but again…no.
This is what the room looks like now. (Cue the choir.)
First, I painted the ceiling, which is one of Beth’s Top Five Least Favorite Things To Do. New light fixtures, a range hood, an actual backsplash for the stove. We removed the corner trim and put drywall compound in its place, so the corners could be nice, finished, and painted. The stove backsplash is beadboard, and we used that as a backsplash for the cabinets as well, and put fancy decorative brackets on both ends.
By the way, fancy decorative bracket thingies can be found in the Dear God Why Did I Buy a Victorian Home section of the hardware store. I chose ones with a four-leaf clover design, but there were several others to choose from.
The cedar wainscoting is gone, replaced with white beadboard. The walls were painted with either Tall Grass from Pittsburgh Paint or Swiss Coffee from Glidden, I can’t remember which, but they are the same color.
Everyone and their mother says this, but it is true how much a difference paint alone can make. The kitchen is bright and airy now, and it’s easier to keep clean, because every little speck of grime shows up.
Sigh of relief. Have a good weekend!
Black Spruce Hound 
Wowza! Doesn't seem like the same room. Looks like you also painted your cabinets and changed the hardware, but I know you mentioned that in a previous post. How are the painted counter tops holding up? Your brighter kitchen looks like it would be a pleasure to cook there.
The counter tops are holding up just fine. I'm kind of surprised that painting them has worked out this well, and *fingers crossed* they stay looking good.