Hey Jason,I think white cabinets would make it flow - and it's the trendy thing.

If the trend is improving I look at the other metrics you mentioned.  

I own a dozen properties in Uptown ( trendy/high demand) and have a 7 year vacancy rate of substantially less than 1%.  

I am also a real estate agent and Salem is getting attention from my younger buyers and renters looking for a trendy place to live outside of downtown Boston.  

The trend I see with these stories is that someone bought a house in a 100K neighborhood and remodeled it into a 300K flip then had to keep dropping the price to get it to sell in the - 100K neighborhood.

Ultimately its up to you so do your due diligence on the market (see homes and get online and look at homes for sale that have been remodeled) and the remodeling trends (know what is trendy/unique vs. standard practice in your area). 

There is this grey color by mohawk that I like, but I have hardwood floors in the kitchen and I am not a designer nor do I have any sense of what may be trendy or considered tacky these days lol.

Bottom line: if a tenant sees "trendy", they won't be thinking "cheap".

This may be better suited for a trendy millennial focused apartment complex than my mother in law unit though.http://www.taynr.com/I'll keep reporting back as I learn more. 

I adjacent properties that can be developed into 50+/- parking spaces.Pittsburgh is experiencing rapid economic growth and one of the drivers for this trend is growth in the technology sector creating increased demand for incubator and co-working space.