Kitchen: "Before"

I'd like to introduce you to our kitchen, before it was officially ours:

Oddly, this kitchen won my heart.  We liked the size, the straightforward layout (although I pine for open concept sometimes, when the dishwasher is swooshing and clinking and the counter is a mess, I am glad to be able to retire to the living room and ignore it for a bit).  I loved the ceramic floor which, clearly from the remnant bin, is white with a black rectangle smack in the centre.  The tiles fit the space perfectly!  No odd cuts.  Which must have been nice.

But, the laminate counter was chipped, the wood cabinets had lost their varnish, the range hood was beyond resuscitation.  Actually, I hired a professional to help me clean the house (I needed some expert tricks) and when she saw the stove and range hood, she quickly left to run an "errand" and never returned.  I ended up cleaning myself (with help from my generous and ever-patient mother) and spent days on the kitchen alone.  Baking soda is my new best friend.  Combined with a soapy rag, it helped me tackle even the stickiest messes.

Please note the lovely accents, such as this tile which was placed in uneven intervals.  Another gift from the remnant bin, we think.

And my favorite: the off centre light fixture. 

If this was your kitchen, what would you have changed?  In the next few days I will post what we did and how, plus a ton more "before" shots.  Are you curious to see what the kitchen looks like today?