I had a similar situation in a house I moved into years ago. I did a quick fix of painting all of the walls, woodword and the cupboards the same shade of cream. Sounds a bit OTT but it really knocked back the cupboards, which in all honesty are not something you want to make a feature out of, and created a calmness to the whole space. In your case, I would go for an off white so that the gang plug wires, radiator pipes and covers hiding the wires for the extractor fan etc., are disguised as much as possible -- that will tie in with the palest of the tiles in the splash back, and then you will have a pretty basic colour scheme of a very place colour and the dark worktop, fireplace and floor, which will stand out more. I think you need more storage with doors -- that bookshelf isn't doing anything for the kitchen. If you could get something in there that could hide lots of clutter -- even if just something cheap from IKEA, that would help greatly. Or work something around the filing cabinet that you have? A huge cheap mirror over the fireplace would bounce some light around too. If you don't want to go for undercupboard lighting, and if you have enough plug points, how about some lamps on the worktop, especially at the FF end with a floor standing lamp at the end with the chair. For the table, I would go for a table cloth and reupholster the chairs if they are not to your taste. A new blind in a much fresher colour would be great. Depending on the colour of your filing cabinet (if you use it), I think a petrol blue could add a nice vintage vibe to the chimney breast, and make more of a feature of it. I would try and go down a vintage/slightly industrial route rather than country. You may have some stuff lurking around that you could use, once you have got the base colours right -- currently it just feels a little cluttered and a bit of a mish mash. Best of luck. Looking forward to seeing some after shots :)

I think you're rather stuck on where to put a fridge freezer now the kitchen is done because it would need to go on the end of the run because of the height. I guess you could put it in the dining area along with a couple of larder units to make it one long continuous run if you're opting for a smaller table although I do like how it currently is. Regarding corners I would always plan a 900 L shaped base in each corner because you can then open each door offering you full and easy access to the whole area. Much cheaper than installing chromeworks in a cupboard for a decent brand.

Actually I think it looks great, on my screen anyway! Sage green is one of my favourite colours. I would have been wary of painting tiles but you’ve done a good job. Live with it for a bit, you could always paint the tiles again, however removing the old tiles and fitting new is pretty straightforward for a decent tiler. My tiles were the last job and sit on the worktop so if yours are the same then hopefully worktop should be okay.

I think decide on the type of look you like first. Doing lots of research on Houzz will help. Are you looking for scandi style or something like warm industrial? Are you a careful person or do you want something that will stand up to the daily knocks of family life? Do you have small children? These are all questions that affect your choices. I have bought high maintenance furniture and it's a lot of work. What colours do you like? There are so many options that it's mindblowing. More information needed as Minnie says.