Kitchen redo - from country ick to modern chic

Over at Apartment Therapy, a reader has written in to ask for help with ideas on redoing a horrible oak/country kitchen on a budget. Here's my take.

The original (I've blocked out the current owners' horrible country dining set):

The redo:

What's the same? Fridge, cabinets (structure), woodwork (placement), backsplash, countertops.

1. Strip and restain the cabinets and wood trim in a dark cherry finish. Time and labor intensive, but not too expensive.
2. Replace the current linoleum with either dark slate tiles or dark grey linoleum (about $350-600 for slate, based on my guess about the room size)
3. Repaint - dark charcoal below chair rail on empty wall, and a nice warm creamy color everywhere else. (About $40-$60 for paint)
4. New light fixture, modern, chrome, black -whatever fits their tastes and budget
5. New cabinet hardware - I used Hickory Hardware's Loft Satin Nickel Black Pulls
6. Black and chrome/modern dining set - the ones here are from Target, and fairly inexpensive: the black leather Parsons chair ($119 each), and the Vernicia dining table $250.
7. As they havethe budget, they can replace the current appliances with stainless steel ones to match. The picture above shows a new stove and the current fridge.