Can you just turn your cabinet doors inside out?

Most likely the inside is smooth?

No. Scrub it to a sparkle, and put the piggy bank on the counter and start putting all the pizza cash you DON'T order in, in the piggy bank.

And your doors would need to be turned inside out and UPSIDE down. lol

Yes, I saw that on here as a solution. I'm going to the house tomorrow and will check to see if that works. I haven't seen any tutorials online on anyone doing that, so I'd need to research to see if there are any pitfalls. Thanks for reaffirming this as a solution!

Looks like partial inset doors with a rabbeted (lipped) edge. No way can you turn the doors inside out/ upside down if the doors are partial inset.

Also looks like an applied thin panel. Highly doubt that is coming off because the panel is probably glued on.

About the only thing you can do easily & inexpensively, AFAICS, is change the knobs, pulls & hinges. Nix the scalloped valance and get a cool LED light for over the sink. You might want to replace the valance with a plain board or, better yet, pull that one down and take it to the table saw and rip off the scallops and reinstall. (Only the small ripped edge would need to be stained so a close match on the stain color would be good enough.). And, probably goes without saying, the shutters can go to the fire pit...

Rather than the epoxy system for the counter tops, I would suggest that you look into the off the shelf pre-fabbed laminate counters from Menard's, Home Depot, et al. If you have a dishwasher, I would consider changing out the sink to a single bowl one. (You can also re-use the one you have and change out later.)

I would leave the scallops and do the other stuff the previous poster mentioned - leave the scallops because a vintage kitchen is charming - a bad kitchen is not.
Making a new countertop with laminate of your choosing is really pretty easy with some basic tools and basic carpentry know how, and I’m willing to bet that whatever they have prefab at HD is mimicking real stone, which feels sad to me. Something in keeping with the era of your kitchen would be better.

I am pretty sure you cannot turn them upside down, nor inside out. They look like they have inset edging to me. I am wondering if there is another place for the stove, and put a refrigerator back in the spot where the stove sits. Thats what was meant to go there, and the stove doesnt look so good sitting in the refrigerator spot. Your cabinets look to be plywood with birch facing on them, so its doubtful you could take the panels off, and have a flat door. I wouldnt paint for now, I would just clean them up really well, and leave them, and if you are really wanting paint, start saving up for new doors, and drawer fronts. No epoxy on the counters. I cant tell in the picture if the counters are in bad shape, but, if they are, new laminate would be a better way to go. The kitchen looks like it has been well cared for. You might even want to go for a retro kitchen. You have the perfect cabinets and kitchen for retro styling.

I think the best is to give the cabinets a good cleaning since no matter what you do after they will need tha , get rid of scallop and those dark shutters switch the stove and fridge (I think) I don’t see anything bad about the counters so leave them Then start saving for a better kitchen after you live with this one for a while you will know what you really want.No matter what you need some good lighting

Actually, it looks like your stove is in the original location but is missing a vent hood above (it looks like I can see the opening for the venting in the bottom of that cabinet over the stove). Is your laminate counter in good condition? I really wouldn’t use an epoxy system to “refresh” the counter - the results would be fine for a garage workshop, but will likely look worse than what you already have. Have you checked into replacing the laminate? There are lots of nice choices these days and prices are pretty reasonable. Agree with the above posters (remove shutters, etc).

I'm with the others who say to clean the cabinets to a fare-thee-well. It would be nice to change the knobs and pulls to something simpler. I would keep the valance and remove the shutters. The countertop already looks like a prefabricated one from HD and if it's in good shape I would keep that too. You're going to have enough to do moving in and getting organized, please don't stress over your kitchen—it's fine. Enjoy your new home!

General advice for anyone who has bought a new house (or new to them) and "hate my __________ (kitchen, bath, den") is to live in the house for a while. You will get a better feel for how things work. And you might find out that while you aren't enthused about your kitchen, there is something else in the house that really bothers you more. Maybe the height of the vanity in the bathroom, or the closet door that gets in the way. Something you didn't anticipate during your walk throughs. Then you take the reno money and apply to the most annoying aspect after 6-12 months.

I'd clean it up, keep it the way it is, and wait until I could do a full remodel. More of a problem than the cabinets, the valance over the sink, or the countertops is the range butting up against the wall. Start planning now to rearrange the layout to maximize the space instead of trying to band-aid it. Once you start changing anything, you may find that you've opened a Pandora's Box of problems--I've had that happen too many times to count.

Wow, I didn't expect to get this much advice with EVERY response. This is absolutely awesome! I love this site and so happen to stumble upon it recently. Thank you all so much and keep the advice rolling in!

If the countertop is really bad, go price grab-and-go laminate at your local big box store. Otherwise, I agree with the advice to leave it alone (except for adding a range hood) and saving up for the total reno.

Tommy j, you don’t really need a tutorial to turn the doors inside out, just remove all the hardwares, fill out any holes and treat them as brand new doors. I did it before and I had zero diy skill at the time!

We agree with Patricia. Clean the cabinets, get rid of the scalloping, switch the fridge and stove (it does look like they need to be), update hardware, update lighting, and the shutters should be removed. The countertops and cabinets don't look bad, so live with it a little while, save some money, and then reassess.

Paint the walls, not the cabinets. Look-y here:

Randy, the Alpine Ski House is absolutely stunning!

These can look good in a bright white. The raised panel becomes a subtle detail. Paired with matte black hardware, this is a nice modern farmhouse look. You will likely need partial inset hinges. Check countertop height. If you are well below 36", you would be better served to replace the cabinetry or build up the height with a 3" thick top.

Keep the scallop! Or send it to me... Its those goofy little shutters that have got to go....

Have fun with this kitchen. Redefine it as retro - It doesnt have to be "outdated"! Now is the time to pick out some jazzy colors - look up retrorenovation.com for inspiration, or find a vintage china piece for a good color combo. Dont bother replacing or painting counters unless there is damage or stains that bleach cant remove. What is the floor - can that be painted?

Trust me, when it comes time to do your complete kitchen re-do you wont have NEARLY so much fun! It'll be stressful and youll want to play it safe, because so much time and MONEY is on the line.