I love this kitchen, it has so much potential. I have attached two different kitchens that use uber cool aluminium shutters. (of course I am biased!) The blue may not fit into the warm contemporary, but I thought I would throw it in there.

I have some ideas for your questions below.

1. Should we paint the cabinets or try to refinish them? I personally love the idea of gray cabinets but I'm not sure if they would work in my MCM home. - I THINK GREY GLOSS WOULD LOOK AMAZING
2. Any ideas on countertops? - DARK CHARCOAL? OR TO SAVE MONEY KEEP YOUR WHITE FORMICA
3. What color for the walls? - SOFT WHITE
4. Should we keep the chrome hardware on the cabinets? - YES I WOULD
5. Ideas on new window treatments? Should we have curtains or another type? I'm thinking geometric patterns for the fabric. We need light control as our kitchen faces due east. - ALUMINUM SHUTTERS, TOTALLY COOL
6. What kind of light fixture should we put over the table? -SOMETHING BIG BOLD AND ROUND
7. The table is from our old house--any ideas on how to update it or should we get a new one--my dream table is a Saarinen tulip table for this space. -CHARCOAL PAINT WOULD BE A GREAT CHEAP AND CHIC, OR AS IT IS, IS NICE AND WARM AGAINST POTENTIAL WHITES AND GREYS AND CHARCOALS.

Hope you like my ideas. Good Luck!

Cheers,
Dena

You have good bones in your kitchen and I would leave them alone. In my kitchen we "scratched up" the cabinet doors and then put a darker stain on them that looked very rich and changed the cabinets to look like they had some depth. Offset that with your brite white subway tile and it will look like a million bucks and not cost you an arm and a leg. I got great pulls online that were dirt cheap (I shopped around once I found something I liked) and will entirely change the look of your cabinets. Like everyone else, I think solid curtains would look better or maybe waffle blinds that are light and airy and can be opened most of the time and closed at night.

You have good bones in your kitchen and I would leave them alone. In my kitchen we "scratched up" the cabinet doors with good old fashioned rough sandpaper, and then put a darker stain on them that looked very rich and changed the cabinets to look like they had some depth. Offset that with your brite white subway tile and it will look like a million bucks and not cost you an arm and a leg. I got great pulls online that were dirt cheap (I shopped around once I found something I liked) and will entirely change the look of your cabinets. Like everyone else, I think solid curtains would look better or maybe waffle blinds that are light and airy and can be opened most of the time and closed at night.

muebles con color madera y mesada blanca en y terminacion recta del marmol que es el material sileston

muebles con color madera y mesada blanca en y terminacion recta del marmol que es el material sileston

I love the corian and the light fixtures. I would reface the cabinets so the hinges are hidden and replace the oven which will make a hugf difference. Roman shades would be a great option as well.

oh, wow. i wish i had time to read all these comments, because the house we are in the process of buying {and hopefully will get} is also mid-century modern with a very similar kitchen {not as nice, though}. our cabinets are similar, but the doors are flush with the cabinets, so you can not see where the door is raised from the cabinet. in other words, all you see is doors... no cabinet. ours are a similar color, but with a grain i do not like, and i think the they are laminate. i would love to re-laminate them with something with a sort of high-laquer look in a pretty orange or a soft avocado green. the backsplash in the kitchen is a really ugly orangish-brown tile that i want to replace with subway tile.

you are lucky to have original tile, and i would totally keep it! i would also keep those beautiful counter tops. i think you could do some really effective things by simply updating the hardware on the cabinets, possibly painting them, changing out the curtain pattern to a chunkier m.c.m. pattern, replacing the table and chair with some m.c.m. furniture and putting in a new light fixture. even the fixture you have now would work, but if you are going to spend the $10K, then i would go for something really unique... a statement piece for lighting.

it's really such a great space as is! that fridge rocks!!!

my only other suggestion is something along the lines of a vintage style new oven and range top from a company like big chill or north star or smug.
here is a wall unit oven from big chill that i would love to get for our kitchen if we get this house...
http://bigchillfridge.com/products-page/stoves-hoods/wall-oven/

what a great kitchen you have. i think no matter what you do with it, it's going to turn out quite nice.

by the way... here is my idea book on houzz for mid-century modern kitchens...
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/5465148/thumbs/jorjahb-s-kitchen-and-bath-ideas

if you type in "mid-century modern" in the search field on houzz, you'll come up with thousands of photos of beautiful m.c.m. homes and kitchens for inspiration and ideas.

Hello georgia, just so you know, laminate cabinets like you're talking about can be painted. XIM oil base bonding sealer MUST be used but any paint can be applied after that (we use Sherwin-Williams Pro Classic oil base). We've painted my laminate cabinets but most people are ready for the expense of re-laminate without even knowing this.

thanks, steve!

wow...thank you everyone for your suggestions and ideas. I'm totally overwhelmed by the response and interest in our ktichen! Our MCM was architect designed and custom built--the owners really did things right in 1965 which is probably why nothing had been changed! It really is a gem. But it's been 47 years so it's time for a few updates.

Our ceiling light fixtures (not the one over the dining table) are glass and chrome (not tacky plastic) as someone had thought, but they give off very little light--I will investigate replacing them but really only for that reason. They are very true to the period.

JRWQUATTRO--our space beyond the pass through is the family room. If we had the funds, I would DEFINITELY take out this wall as you have done. Your renovation looks beautiful! I think what we do now will be a 10-15 year plan and then perhaps later, we will take out the wall and gut the kitchen.

SIXZERO6 design--love your ideas and you know what I'm talking about with the lights! You're so right about the formica--it wears great! A little soft scrub with bleach and it looks like new. I think we will keep the cabinetry but look into refinishing it. The doors actually have matched grains and it looks like it might be walnut.

LESSISMORE--the greens would work very well in our home. Danish Modern is definitely a look that I like. GEORGIA--thanks for the link to your ideabook. I had no idea that Big Chill made wall ovens!

Our kitchen sink faces due east so morning light is not an issue--it actually gets too sunny in there! It's nighttime lighting that is the issue so I'll investigate adding undercabinet lighting.

light control in the area around the table is an issue as it faces due east, it can get very hot there in the summer. I will investigate modern types of sun shades. I love the look of roman shades but our ceilings are only 7 1/2 feet in the kitchen so I was thinking drapes would make it look taller.

BTW..our home is in Rochester, NY. There aren't a lot of MCM homes here and a lot of professionals aren't familiar with the MCM aesthetic. I'm trying to learn as much as I can myself so my choices are correct for the home. I've attached a picture of our great room (on the other side of the wall ovens) so you can see a room that's nearly finished. The third picture is our entry.

Regarding the Louvered doors on the kitchen entrances and the pass through--I will definitely take them off at some point. But right now, my 10 year old daughter loves to play "restaurant", which means that she likes to shut off the kitchen while she plays. So the doors are staying until she's done playing "restaurant" :-)

Wow. Love those last shots. Your house is better than imagined from the first pics.

If refinishing the casework and doors - which is great, particularly if you've got grain matching - instead of hiring a "house painter" call your local custom cabinet shops and find out who they outsource their cabinet finishing to. I respect both trades, but there is a big difference between them, and a cabinet finisher will have better suppliers, color-matching, and equipment to make those look flawless.

In Toronto, where I live, we have tons of MCM homes. I have renovated 6 MCH so far.

First of all, in that era kitchens were custom, so the doors and drawers won't likely be replaced in any big box store. Also, since the kitchens were built on site, they did not use boxes, so it is not possible to just replace one component. You would destroy the integrity of the cabinetry.

If you want to upgrade the functionality, you could put pull out shelves behind the cupboards.

yes--our cabinets are custom and were built on site. No boxes. Pull out shelves would help the functionality a lot.

Wood pull out shelves are a pleasure to use. If the drawer boxes are not pulling out smoothly, the wood runners can be treated to a bit of candle wax to reduce friction (I'm assuming they don't have metal drawer glides). The wood cabinets are beautifully grained. If the finish is gummy around the knobs, then professional refinishing is the right tactic.

I know those glass and chrome recessed lights. You might open them up, give the glass a good cleaning and see if you can use brighter bulbs, perhaps directional (such as floodlights). Undercabinet lights can brighten up a room, too, without adding any competing styles to what you already have. If you do change the recessed lights, there are many simple styles which could work well. Flipping through some old 1950's-1960's Architectural Digests in the library might show other period options (though kitchens weren't featured much in those days) such as the classic hanging spheres (1970's, but close) that provide better overall illumination.

I love the light fixture you chose for the breakfast area. Once you get it installed, take down the drapes to get a good look at the space. If you can get the Saarinen tulip table, that'd be perfect. It was made in several finishes, including a walnut top, but I like the white version for its grace and style.

Your house is truly lovely. It's a great design and looks like it has moved into this century with minimal need for redesign.

By the way, if the door finish is only gummy right around the knobs, you could add a chrome backplate (I see them on your front doors' knobs) to cover up the gummy parts:
http://hardware.myknobs.com/?style=kbackplate&color=Chrome

Then you could spend major bucks on the Saarinen table.

you home is stunning! it's very much along the lines of our dream home! we always used to say {and still do} that we would love to live in the house that is on the set of the brady bunch. =)

cheesy show... but awesome house! we love the double front doors. you have a gem of a house there... should be in a magazine!

I agree with the comments from Orangecamera. This kitchen is in fantastic shape, and has an aesthetic that others might spend a lot of money to achieve. I would use the money you save by not touching the kitchen on new dining furniture that embodies mid-century modern design. Lumens.com is a great source for mid-century light fixtures to really define the dining space. If the architecture of the house is truly mid-century, low-profile shades would be cleaner, and more in line with the period.

I suggest painting the cabinets as I think it would brighten up the room. They look to be in good shape and you have a good layout. We were going to rip out the cabinets of our 1960s kitchen but decided to paint them first and we love it. We saved thousands of dollars and were able to use the money we saved on appliances, etc.

I'd give anything to have those cabinets, so have to say I wouldn't paint them. Leave the hardware too, it goes with the sink. I would use recycled glass countertops, some of them have a midcentury feel. Definitely update that table and the Saarinen is a great idea. I love the geometric curtain idea too. Check on eBay or Etsy for a period light. I'm thinking a mushroom shape white light, or better yet one that is a pull down. Thats what I did and love it. Good luck!

Don't paint the cabinets. You would ruin the MCM aesthetic! You have a lovely MCM house and white cabinets would turn it country. I put in Silestone Stellar Snow in the newly remodeled kitchen of my 1967 house along with slab-door cherry cabinetry to maintain the MCM aesthetic. I love quartz as it's tough with consistent pattern (or lack thereof) throughout. Although I've never liked green, I went with a seafoam glass/stone mosaic backsplash with seafoam grout. My paint color is "Refined" (subtly green-ish) by Benjamin Moore. My house originally had celadon-colored tile counters (and avocado green entry floor), and it kept begging me to go with green. Sometimes your home will tell you what it wants to be. Also, your lighting choice would look awesome above a Tulip table. If the Tulip is out of reach, a chrome base round glass table would look great too. These are not direct suggestions (except for not painting the cabinets), but nuggets of experience for you to chew on if you wish.

Love love love your home! It's authentic MCM! Think the Corian was a great choice. It's gorgeous AND practical. Can set the stuff on fire and buff it out - genius. Agreed on keeping the tile and cabinets. How much is left in the budget?

Saarinen would be perfect here, although I didn't realize that marble might have a staining problem so maybe the R&B inspired mdf top - the matte finish won't cause the new light fixture to mirror off the table and blind you. (R&B would be a good bet for quality and warranty repair/replacement for the same look, with more top choices). Or, if your space could support it, how about an oval one for more seating? You'd need to move the fixture and find a good quality replica due to cost. I have a 54" round glass chrome tulip by Calligaris (Planet?) - only problem is scratches due to kiddos. Otherwise, great choice for $900 if you don't mind frequent dusting. Ours has many little kiddie toeprints on the base :)

I would just play with the hardware - buy a couple examples, photoshop them on all the cabinets.

Duh, just saw your photo with the large dining table, so you don't need more seating.

For the commenters: I think the original poster already decided on Corian and the light fixture.

If you can get away with a small table, how about the Ikea Docksta 42" tulip for $199, or CB2 for same cost? R&B all white in 48" is $700. No worries about the wear and tear and can have lots of fun with inexpensive chairs. So many fun replicas of the modern classics these days! (Maybe long skinny "menu" board on the wall behind the table for the restauranteur?)

I love your kitchen, and would not change it! It has charm and character and warmth. Plenty of storage...
I would be much happier with this kitchen, than a "run of the mill" mass produced nondescript "modern" kitchen. (and I am a kitchen designer!) ;-)

Thank you for posting your ideas and your comments about our kitchen! Here's what we've done in the past few months (new "after" pics attached)-sorry about the quality--they were taken a few minutes ago and it's night time.

1. Installed Corian Counters (Rain Cloud). This included the installation of a new under mount sink. We love both the Corian and the new, deeper stainless steel sink.

2. Installed the West Elm Chandelier

3. Stripped all of the wallpaper (horrible as they were glued directly to the plaster) and painted (BM Revere Pewter). Also painted the ceiling.

4. Purchased a Charlie Harper print, had it framed, and hung between the windows

5. Purchased a new runner.

6. Removed the drapes

Here's what we have left to do:

1. replace dining set (Sue So--your set is beautiful! I think we will stay clear of the glass as it would never stay as clean as I would like. The table we have there is 48" and it fits but barely, 42" would be more comfortable but we're not sure if it would be too small. I love R&B but there isn't any near us so shipping is a consideration. Funny, I was just checking out the tables at R&B last week when I happened to be in Chicago on business.) Also thinking of doing something really fun with the chairs--maybe green or orange?

2. replace wall ovens/microwave (will likely delay this for a year or two or until they stop working)

3. Order new window treatments (we need light control in the summer)--leaning towards some type of shade as I'm loving the really clean aesthetic.

Bookwench--your kitchen sounds lovely, too!

And here are a few more pictures that I took during the day before we painted. You can see the sink and the Corian pattern a little better.

OMG adore adore adore! The new countertops are fabulous and what a great price you paid! I remeasured my table it realized it's 47.5" - so 42" would probably work lovely in your space if you only need 4 chairs - better than mine in fact b/c 48 is too big for 4. Plus, both CB2 and Ikea (both tables are $199) do online orders. I vote for orange chairs but CB2 does both orange and green. There are many inexpensive MCM alternatives if you don't want to pay DWR prices. If I could do it all over again, I would forego on the Lange chairs and do four different colors or do copy a mismatched set like this Eclectic Dining Chairs And Benches design by Other Metro The Future Perfect
But I'm very jealous - my tract home can't really carry full on MCM so enjoy!

Beautiful kitchen. And I'm homesick.
It's the big windows that I love so much - never thought my mom's kitchen was so big - about 10 * 14' - but she had big windows just like yours. All my more modern homes have had such piddly small windows!

Enjoy your new-for-you space!

thank you everyone for your lovely comments! I'm so happy I didn't paint the cabinets.

Take a peek at my $5K kitchen and that should help. IKEA has great value for low-end kitchen supplies but don't use their base cabinet door - go for one upgrade in the finish.

PS - Take out the soffits!

Stunning kitchen!

Wow!!! you got a beautiful kitchen out there,I love the way it is.But maybe u are looking for a change.I would suggest that you keep the main plan intact with a minor changes here and there.Try and add a little color to the kitchen in the form of colorful drapes or maybe even nice flowerpots.This should do the trick.

This was almost a year ago so I believe they already updated many things. I love what they have done so far.

Here are pictures of how my kitchen looks today. We love it. We didn't update the ovens yet because they still work great. We also never added window treatments. Love the windows wide open as they are but I may do a solar shade when summer comes around to cut down on sun (the big windows at the kitchen table and the one above the sink face due east.)

Love the cabinets. I would treat the wood and polish but nothing else. There are great mid mod fabrics at TonicLiving.com. For design inspiration, check out Kim Lau. Her fabric choices are great.

I am so glad you appreciate the gem that you have. Your house and kitchen are stunning, just beautiful.

GREAT room! I would love a window like that over my sink. Great plan for this space!

I haven't had a chance to was all the comments so this may be a repeat but do not get granite for your countertops. Stick with a quartz or some other solid surface material without too much pattern. Granite wasn't used in MCM homes so it'll look out of place

lol just realized I'm over a year late ;)

I love your remodel.

I see so many people here on Houzz with beautiful wood that has not been cared for over the years. Lemon oil, paste wax, and Old English Scratch and Cover all work beautifully to add moisture and gloss back into wood. Scratch and Cover will cover lots of little dings that take the luster out of wood.

If you have pretty wood that looks dry, invest in a little elbow grease before you think about refinishing.

Yes, we used orange oil and some Old English on the cabinets and it worked beautifully.

If I can be of any help to you please let me know how! Susan

tbhattac, can I ask where you got your Charlie Harper print? Was it purchased framed, or did you have it framed. I love both the print and the framing. The kitchen/dinette is looking gorgeous. I love that you have kept so much of the original integrity of it.

I would love to help you with your backsplash. Your kitchen is stunning. Susan

Hi Georgia. I got the Charlie Harper print on the Charlie Harper website. we had them framed locally.

This is from November 2012.

thank you so much! it's lovely.

Tulip tables are a great choice for setting up the dining area and Eames side chairs are a perfect combination. Here are some projects we have done using the same concept to help you see what works best for you. You try an oval white table with chairs of different color or a smaller coffee table with the same color chairs. Tulip tables also available in marble, wood and fiberglass with a variety of shapes and sizes.

Tulip Table Replica · [More Info[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/tulip-table-replica-phvw-vp~55960115)

Roxton · [More Info[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/roxton-contemporary-kitchen-vancouver-phvw-vp~3194740)