Kitchen Polishing

I will not pretend like housework is a political act, but I do find it an interesting exercise while thinking about human rights and injustice. Since most readers will not agree, I will simply comment on the kitchen, then save my concerns for Weiwei for another post.
My kitchen, if you remember, was sterile white, with a dull checker floor, and the ugliest cabinet hardware I've ever seen, placed--in the style of the '70s--directly in the center of the cabinets. I probably would have hated them less if they were in the traditional, useful location of the cabinet edge, but I digress. I think the previous owner didn't like the checker floor (which I can't tell the make-up of.. vinyl? Linoleum?), so she put up black and white checkered border paper (which she inexcusably painted around), and black and white striped curtains. It was too matchy-matchy for me.

Now the kitchen is a light Granny Smith Apple green. I have removed the cabinet hardware, but will have to save refinishing the cabinets for May. The hardware left deep gouges in the poorly painted (probably circa 1970s) cabinet doors. The cabinets themselves are in good shape, and seem "fancy" for their age, with slide-out shelves and beveled fronts. I am planning on sanding them down, filling the holes, and painting them again, with a fresh, smooth coat (several layers of lumpy brush-work are not doing them any favors).
On hands-and-knees (imagining Human Rights Activists in prison around the world), I scrubbed the floor. It continued to be dull, though the blacks got blacker and the whites got whiter. I found a product that "restores shine to old vinyl and linoleum floors without wax", which was perfect, since I can't figure out what my floor is. Two coats of that (again, on hands-and-knees) and it is shiny again. The pictures may not do it justice, but take a look at the before and after comparison.
I bought a little stool on clearance at Cost Plus for my easel in one of the bedrooms, but then found I wanted it in the kitchen, so I could fiddle on the laptop while I was cooking. They only had one, so I can't buy a matching pair to fit under the wide counter. I have been thinking of taking out this counter and putting in a narrower floor-to-ceiling pantry, but now I'm wondering if this is a workable counter. What do you think?

Cookbooks used to be on the counter. Now they are in the cupboard, so it is tidier. I have a tendency to make things look sterile in my effort to look tidy, so I know there is more to do to make this a homey kitchen. The walls need art, that's for sure.

A $2 lamp on clearance at Target adds light to the dark corner. The kitchen itself is very dark, with a single, ineffective fluorescent light fixture in the (off-)center of the room. I haven't decided what solution I want to pursue yet. I'm trying to love the boring, off-the-shelf countertop and almond (in a white kitchen??) sink, but I think when I get around to putting in a backsplash, the counter will be going. No definitive plans yet.