Have you been to the Retro Renovation blog? If not, please check it out; it's a wonderful resource for homes like yours. I'm linking to their kitchen archives. Enjoy!

http://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/

I love vintage/retro kitchens. I hope you enjoy looking online and in books/magazines for fun decorating ideas!

It would help to see a plan of the space...or at least a few more pictures. That being said, can you move the range over to the seating bar area?

That would give you the 24" space for a dishwasher, with minimum impact on the cabinets. Maybe add a plate rack, where the vent is now? What about a cutting board on top of the dishwasher, to fill in the hole left in the countertop, when you move the range?

On the stool/now range side, if possible it would be nice to remove one of the upper cabinets and have a vent there. If not, maybe an over the range (OTR) microwave. This gives you some ventilation and a place for the microwave.

For the base cabinet (on either side of range) you could add more drawers. Large enough to store some pans and lids. Or heavy duty pull-out shelves behind doors. You can either try to match the existing cabinets or paint the new base cabinets to match the plate rack....if it works with your style :)

ETA: Don't forget about accessories! There are a lot of great finds on Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist and Goodwill.

Please post a layout of your kitchen as it is now with more pictures showing everything.

Bluestar makes a 24" range, can be ordered in hundreds of colors, and it would fit in well with your retro look. It's a great cooker too!

I love it. Super charming!

I really like Lavender's idea of putting a DW in the space where the range now sits and then putting a butcher block section on top for counter and a plate rack to replace the hood. That's a great use of the space, puts the DW where you need it, and wouldn't require ruining any of the cabinets. Perfect.

As she also suggested, a slide-in range in the breakfast bar area seems like it would make the most sense. How deep are the counters there? It looks less than the standard counter depth. I hope not. A slide-out vent hood could be hidden in the upper cabinets or a hood liner. I believe these could be installed with as little impact on the cabinets as possible although the interior depth would be the deciding factor.

It's really hard to advise without seeing a floorplan with dimensions. Could you provide a plan of the kitchen and the rest of the floor so we can check traffic flow.

Bluestar makes a nice 24" retro range for about $4500. Verona, on the other hand, does not have the retro look, but has more features and costs just $2000. Never let looks get in the way of function in a kitchen.

On the other hand, if the range is going to be moved, the new location may have room for a standard 30" or 36" range at about $1,200 for a good one.

I love that maple cabinetry, although not original to the house, it has some nice history, and from what I can see, is well made. The finish looks great. It should not be difficult to have a local cabinetmaker produce cabinets to match if more are needed to fill in around the re-located range.

If you want to keep the kitchen mostly intact, I would put the dishwasher where those drawers are now, to the right of the sink. It would have to be an 18" one, or something smaller than the standard 24". You could also buy a portable dishwasher.

you don't want to put the dw on the other side of the room from the sink because there will be drips across the floor as you take your plates from the sink to the dishwasher.

It's up to you to decide whether the kitchen is functional enough as-is. For my family, just me and my two kids, this would be satisfactory, except for the lack of a dishwasher. (That sliver of counter between sink and stove would annoy me, but not enough to gut the kitchen.)

Do you need to do other upgrades, like electrical for example? Or maybe you want to knock out a wall? These would be good reasons for gutting, IMO.

putting the dw where the stove is now and moving the stove to the other side might be a bigger Reno than you think--the cabinetry on the stove side would not match the sink side, so that is something to think about.

You guys are the best! Love the idea of shifting the range to the other side of the room as per Lavender_Lass -- your drawing is perfect. I don't settle on the house until mid-Jan so can't post dimensions till then. I took these photos just before making offer in Nov. It's so nice to hear from folks who understand why I want to preserve the kitchen rather than gut it. I looked at so many stainless steel/factory cabinet kitchens when I was house-hunting - not my style at all. Benjesbride, I am OBSESSED with retrorenovation.com!