So, a 20-40K refresh instead of a 50-70K redo?

Start with the wallpaper. You can be DIYing that while you find and hire a Kitchen Designer to help you put this together. I wouldn’t waste 7-9K on professionally coating those cabinets without a good overall plan. It’s all interconnected. And you can’t redo one without needing to do more.

Contrary to how you have prioritized..I would probably leave wallpaper, not paint cabs , but go ahead and get a bit more dramatic floor at lower to moderate pricepoint and put some statement hardware on the cabinets and just change the top on the island. Between floor, island top and hardware a lot of personalization can happen .....each of those changes punctuates significantly, isn't a lot of work, and leaves money saved. It just seems a little bland as is right now. Clean up here and there: like the end of the ponywall down from sink..[face it or apply something]...get some organizers in your base cabs ?..can items be placed out of sight in laundry room...some fabric covering or doors on the cabs in there..can the totes sit underneath a cab or counter in there.....leaving the wallpaper is because it is intact, it will get removed at some point when a larger scope project occurs....I can live with it easily.

I'm with Sophie on this. Remove the wallpaper and paint the walls.

Are you updating because you just moved in? That is all I'd do while you figure out a real budget, and what you have the time and inclination for. The layout, the storage access (all those little cabinet doors and skinny drawers!) and overall efficiency and usability could really be improved. For now, just paint the walls. Maybe add some hardware, but not too much contrast or it will look too busy.

White cabinets might make your floors look very dingy. I'd leave the cabinets as they are.

I'd remove the wallpaper, paint the walls, and live in the place for a year before making more changes. If you don't like the quartz at the end of a year, you don't need to buy any more of it.

I once had a condo with a counter like this - little pony wall with bar atop. I had the whole pony wall and top demoed and made it a regular counter height seating on the other side. Opened up the kitchen, more counter space, and the savings on now reduced amount of finished edge of the new counters paid for the demo of the pony wall.

Maybe diy a darker gel stain on the cabinets, add hardware, wait on counters.

Buy time to think over the changes while you tackle removing the wallpaper. Also assess what you can DIY versus having to pay someone else to do.

You may want to hire a Kitchen Designer for a couple of hours of brainstorming “what if’s” once you know what you are willing to spend Now, versus Later. You may decide that you’d rather just wait on major changes and plan a more extensive redo.

Are there three laminate tops: the island, the small contertop beside the refrigerator and the countertop with the cooktop?

Consider waiting until after your walls are repainted before deciding to paint your cabinets --or at least before deciding what color you want to paint them. If you choose an actual color for your walls rather than some creamy off white, you might find you actually like the neutral wood cabinets a lot better. Remember that anything painted inevitably needs to be repainted and can begin to look awful as it begins to get that way.

You might also consider adding a medium to dark wood wainscoting to the outside of the penninsula for a less ... blah / all-the-same look -- and it would show kick marks less readily, making it more practical to actually use your breakfast bar.

Since you don't particularly like the granite, don't add to your dislike. If you are in a rush for a change, simply choose a solid color from the different colors within the granite and change all of your laminate countertops so they're that solid color but in a more affordable material.

You might check out the solid color Corian countertops that are available to see if one suits you.

Since you mention you're on a budget, remember that you don't need to replace all the countertops at once. You could delay changing those countertops that are against the wall and, therefore, less visible from the living/dining are, until a later date -- initially replace only the more visible countertop of the island.

Kitchen islands -- countertops and/or base -- are often not the same as the rest of the counter tops and cabinets; in fact, an island base and/or countertop is often a totally different color from the other cabients and it is not unusual to have an island countertop a different material from other countertops in the room: some are wood, some are tile, some are concrete. Some materials, such as Corian, can have a patter that even appears to be granite or marble or wood (at least at first glance from the distance of the next room).

Redoing the island countertop and repainting its base first (after first repainting your walls, of course) is an opportunity for you to add color to the room. Go ahead and paint your island base your favorite bold accent color and choose a totally different countertop -- material and color. Live with that a bit before deciding what to do with the other laminate.

I think the brown quartz is also laminate.

I agree with the others. If you're just moving in, remove the wallpaper and paint the walls and don't do another thing until you live in the house for at least 6 months. The floor plan is not the best and you have to see if you can work with the kitchen as is, or whether you'll eventually need to gut and redo the whole layout.

We think removing the wallpaper and painting might help immensely. The cabinets don't look like they are that bad, and once the walls are painted, might go well with the laminate. You could just sit back awhile and think on it, or just get new countertops and a backsplash instead. Maybe even new flooring if you are not going to do the cabinets?

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Holy Cow, who picked out the wallpaper? Charles Manson? If all you did was remove it, the kitchen would look a thousand per cent better.

The kitchen is in good shape. You want the most for your money, right? Well, go slow and think things through.

Don't paint the cabinets! It costs big bucks to properly paint over factory-applied finishes. They're a neutral color and look fine - work with them.

Leave the quartz counters alone. They're solid, practical and would be expensive to replace because of the sink, the angles, and the two different counter heights.

Give yourself a few treats! A granite top for the island would be a cheap, super simple installation. Watch for sales on good appliances - they'd make a big difference and could be reused if and when you do a major redo. The arched openings are a big turn-off to me - it wouldn't cost much to remove them and have a taller, straight opening.

I used to have those white washed oak cabs. hated them! good lord, I'd paint those in a heartbeat. if you want toDIY, let me know after you move in and I'll give you the best link on a how to. here is some of her work, before/after pics.

be prepared, it's very labor intensive. you can do it for 500 or so, but it's not a fast or fun job. and if you do it correctly, the paint will adhere and look perfectly fine. I did it w/my friends oak cabs 10 years ago, and hers are still in perfect shape. it's all in the prep.

as for the island, I'd find a simple white remnant (or dark brown) or do a butcher block. floor and decor has them for less than 500 in many diff wood types. and I'd also do some trim-work on the panel on that sink/bar area

call in a pro floor refinisher and see what he can do w/those tiles. perhaps a good steam cleaning and whatever else can get them up to par. you can also color the grout w/Grout Renew.

Of course handles are needed after you paint. So, with less than $1500, a ton of DIY, you can have a very nice looking kitchen to hold you over for years until you're ready for a complete redo.

check craigslist and at least look for a new wall oven. (or see if you can replace the control panel that looks yellow) you can find some great deals on there. ditto DW and fridge.

and for the person that said "keep the wallpaper", are you insane?