Well, there must have been something that drew you to it. You've got a perfect Mid-century Modern home here. Embrace the style and build on that. Take a look at this:

http://distractify.com/pinar/perfectly-preserved-1950s-kitchen

Duplicate post. She was asked to provide a picture and she duplicated. Oops!

I don't think it looks bad (I too owned an old home 1962). I think start with a good cleaning of everything. Walls carpets inside of cabinets etc. Make it livable and then just redo a little at a time. I would also think about plumbing it it hasn't been switched to copper. New windows also make a huge difference in drafts and ease of opening if you have single pain aluminum now (something to save for). The wallpaper and carpet (depending on the age cleanliness of carpet). Start with paint. The kitchen doesn't look bad. Good luck it looks like a cute house.

Fastest and cheapest fix is paint kitchen cabinets a neutral color and add new hardware. Then paint walls in similar family. Biggest bang for cheapest dollar is paint. You can paint over wallpaper if you sand the seams and prime it well.

You made a good decision! It just needs to fit your style. There is nothing but potential here!

First off, I'd lose that wallpaper - I firmly believe that there is a level of hell specifically for those who put up wallpaper and they should be condemned to remove it! LOL! If it's on the wall and done well, you can paint over it. That will freshen up things immediately and is a cheap fix.

The kitchen doesn't look bad at all. Granted it's not a shiny, modern open kitchen, but I'm with sledd007 - you can always paint the cabinets and do simple, new hardware. Until you can replace the cabinets and/or completely redo the kitchen, just lightly sanding, priming and painting the cabinets makes a huge change. I'd spend $ on the countertops and backsplash if you can - that and light cabinets will make that kitchen seem enormous. I'd also spend $ on the floors in there if you can.

That bathroom is so vintage - new paint would really make it feel new and clean without losing the charm. I envy you on that one - I wouldn't change a thing other than the wallpaper.

The white stairway railing - yeah, I'm with you on that one. That has to go. Since it's something you immediately see, I'd do something with that pretty quick. But those built-ins are wonderful!

It's a great house. Hope this helps!

Don't panic! I like your new/old home & think it'll turn out cozy, warm & fresh soon. Removing the outdated border as soon as you can will change the whole look immediately. Then slowly work on replacing the wallpaper with painted walls. It'll change the whole look & you'll have a clean pallet to personalize your home & make it yours. Think cottage styles...

Congratulations on your new house. I agree that paint is the way to go for now. Your ideabook shows several painted kitchens in off-white. Try picking an off white that coordinates well with any permanent features such as brick fireplace or tile that you will be keeping for a few years. Use that off white as the trim color throughout the house. You can also use it as your starting-out color for any rooms that need painting right away. You can pick a whole-house palette now or later. It's easy to start with an inspiration piece such as a pillow or china bowl or a favorite shirt. Choose colors you really love.

One room at time is easy to do, especially if you have an overall color scheme for the whole house. Many people choose kitchen first, master bedroom and bath second. Everything else can be lower priority. Wallpaper scraping is hard, but one room at a time is manageable. There are a very few situations where painting over wallpaper is the best option. By far the best and most versatile option in most situations is removing wallpaper completely, then painting.

IME, professional carpet cleaners can do an outstanding job on carpet that home rental machines can't really handle. It's worth the money to start out with clean carpets before move-in. Also consider professional tile cleaners if you have older ceramic tile bathrooms. They can clean with their machines, then seal the tile so it is much, much easier to keep clean in the future.

The kitchen cabinets will look a bit like this photo from your ideabook when painted off white because they already have the detailing. BTW, you can change out the light fixture bulbs to the highest wattage permitted by the fixture before you choose colors and start painting. LEDs in "warm white" can really improve the overall light quality. The blue cabinets and walls will have to be primed in white, so that's a great way to start off with a clean bright white space. It's easier to choose a new off white when the blue paint isn't throwing a blue cast over everything.

Clean and debunk everything. For me I'd have to rip the carpet out before even living there as I would not live with anyone's dirty carpeting. See what is under the carpet. Maybe good wood floors if not get new carpeting. Then take one room at a time and update with paint. Remove all the old wallpaper as time and budget permits. Concentrate on rooms that guests will see or are used often.

Too bland...but don't change too much just yet. First, paint the kitchen cabinets either sage green or a medium blue, depending on what color best matches the kitchen boarder. (If that is in good condition-keep it.) Then replace the counter tops (and fixtures and sink, if needed). Get what you can afford, but ANYTHING is better than grouted tiles, which hold germs! Your accent color (for towels, hot pads, silicon trivets, etc.) is yellow if the cabinets are green, or green if the cabinets are blue. Put some very, very light yellow curtains on the kitchen window (if you have one) no matter what color your cabinets are painted. Go with a classic off-white for the counter tops and kitchen sink, and if you repaint the trim, use white or "eggshell", although you might consider using a high gloss white. (For here, and everywhere else there is trim and moulding, including all doors except the exterior doors.)

Change the railings on the stairwell, or at least paint them black. Leave the built-ins alone for now, but paint the other walls (and the lower stairwell) a nice medium shade of wheat (medium brown) or warm tan. Leave all trim white or paint it eggshell. And replace the carpet, preferrably with a good woodgrain laminate, perhaps something close in color to your kitchen tiles...not too dark or not too light. You can replace the carpet on the stairs later, but maybe you could tack down a wide new runner on them, for now. (I can't see the hallway, but if those carpets are worn, a long runner could help there, too.) Your accent colors for this room are orange and yellow. (And bronze, copper or antique gold would look good as metal accents.) Oh, and you might want to stain the mantel a dark wood color, similar to the fan's color. Use black cast iron for fireplace tools and screen.

Replace the fixtures in the bathroom sink and tub (including the drains) with some masculine (perhaps squared off at the base?) shiny stainless. Add some burgundy towels for a more masculine accent, and call it a day.

You might grow to like you house as a mid-century. Or, some day, when you feel ready, you can rip all the wall-paper out of it and repaint/replace everything.