Are you replacing the cabinets? They look like a pale salmon color to me, but that might be my monitor. If you paint them and replace the counters with a warm granite (black is popular now with white cabs, but IMO is a "crisp" or "traditional" look, not warm and contemporary) your kitchen will look entirely transformed. You have nice straight runs of countertop so seams could be minimized. Do you have a budget in mind?

Also, it doesn't look like you have a vent hood installed over your cooktop and your cabinets are very low there.

Check out the pictures over at Finished kitchens blog to get some ideas -- this link will take you to the category page:

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Categories

Thanks, Idrive65. The cabs are pale salmon. Budget is mid-range. I wonder if there is another color besides white for the cabinets? I haven't seen any painted cabs on the FKB under contemporary kitchens though I like most of the kitchens posted. I don't think a vent hood would fit above the stove. But I could be wrong. You probably can't tell from two pictures but the home is mid century modern architecture with alot of windows and open to a courtyard. Because of all the windows, I was thinking of a natural look to bring the inside out and the outside in; that's where I came up with the "warm" description.

"Mid-range" can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. It could mean 10K to some, or 50K to others. There's a LOT of difference in what you can do between those budgets!

Personally, I'd get new cabinets and tweak things until I could get a vent hood. Flat panel warm wood and maybe a flowing granite with a full height granite backsplash. That's if your budget is closer to 50K. If it's closer to the 10K, then I'd still budget for new cabinets, probably Ikea, (the new flat panel doors in the warm yellow brown) and do a laminate countertop in the meantime until I could afford something else. A budget choice for the flooring would be DIY acid stained concrete, but it requires a LOT of sweat equity for the prep.

All in all, a lot depends on your definition of "mid-range" and how much of the work you plan to do yourself vs. hire done.

Whatever your budget or DIY skills, getting rid of those salmon cabinets should be a priority!

Thanks for your comments, live wire oak. I'm surprised you didn't say anything about the wallpaper. LOL
By mid range I mean around 40-50K. I'm sorry I'm so naive but what is the importance of the vent hood; is it for the look in this style house? Can you recommend another cabinet company (for 50K budget)? There are no DIY skills in our home. Would you also do black granite?
I like the floor idea.

Regarding the vent hood, it isn't safe to have cabinets 18" above your cooktop. At the *very* least you should raise them up and install a recirculating hood or OTR micro.

Are you getting new appliances?

You can do a lot for 50 grand in that space. If you want painted cabinets but don't like pure white, you can go with black, or creamy colors, or add a glaze to the white to warm it up. Natural wood cabinets with flat panel or slab doors and a granite with brown tones would look natural and warm. It really depends on whether you want dramatic with contrast, or soothing and monochromatic. I looked through dozens of photos until I saw trends of what attracted me and what didn't.

You mention the idea of bringing the outside in, and I too wanted a certain nature-y feel to my kitchen, and it worked out well. Here's some ideas of what I would do, assuming that the soffits are not structually important, and that the dining area could be included in this plan. I do believe, with some DIY effort, this should fairly easily fit in a 50-60K budget, assuming that you are not planning on ritzy high end brand recognition appliances. This may be a bit more than you planned to get into but......

I'd take out the soffits, and strip the ceiling and beams, refinishing them as natural wood. I'd replace the cabinets with a simple slab or shaker in a light to medium toned natural wood. If possible, I'd get a hood in there, but I guess the structure of that wall/ceiling would have a lot to do with that option, including whether it would be better to have an undercabiet style, or a chimney style. With the soffit gone and the high ceiling, a chimney hood would look great!!!!

(And to answer your previous question, hoods are definitely functional, not just for appearances, but you can change the feel of a kitchen a lot by the type of hood and other appliances you install)

If the floors are continuous into the dining area, than hardwood would be nice, or even wood-like laminate or engineered wood.

Those are just some random thoughts. As for the layout of the kitchen, for work flow and all, most people else here can give you better advice than me.

Yes, as pictured, it's a fire hazard! Adding in ventilation really is a huge improvement in kitchen functionality, as well as adding a nice modern look with a chimney hood.

I'd only plan on "refacing" the current cabinets if the boxes and drawers wer in very very good shape and I had zero gripes with the layout. Otherwise, refacing is money thrown away, as it's darn near as expensive as buying new cabinets. And, painting is only budget friendly if DIYed. So, that's why I suggested Ikea cabinets. THey're easy to deal with even if you are very novice DIY and they look like you spent thousands more than you did. THey're a real budget stretcher.

The other main suggestion that I have for you is to GET DIYable if you're not currently. Big boxes hold classes on tiling, drywalling, and all other kinds of skills that cost a lot of money to have hired done. A modest investment in tools and some practice on smaller jobs will really help you to become comfortable with doing some of the reno yourself. I'm not saying to just read a book and then do the electrical yourself, but, at least become familiar with some electrical and plumbing and other trades so that you can confidently lay out the project for a professional to bid on and be sure that you've gotten someone who will do the job right. Don't let "construction" intimidate you! It really isn't that hard----or you wouldn't see some of the, um, lower skilset individuals, making good money at it.

I'm including a link to a lighting company's 1950s mid century modern lamps/kitchens that might be a starting point. Depending on how far you want to carry that theme, you could get a real vintage stove (O'Keeffe & Merritt), a fake-vintage fridge in a fun color (stay away from the old ones as they are too energy intensive), Fiestaware for display.... I don't think granite fits in that theme, but if you got a granite that didn't scream "Look at me, I'm granite" (e.g., a honed absolut black type) it could work. MCM style is very trendy right now, so it's easy to find inspiration. More importantly, it would fit with your house even after the trend fades.

Here is a link that might be useful: MCM kitchens/lighting