I can't tell from the photo. Are those copper counters? Oh, never mind; I see they are "red dragon granite." I'm no help. I think they are beautiful, and I'm not sure what you think is "outdated" about the cabinets. Would you prefer the "I-think-it's-still-trendy-no-upper-cabinets" look?

Start from scratch and quick update are kind of opposites. Are you thinking small changes like painting the walls, a full gut job remodel, or something in between (like new lighting and countertops)?

Are those oak cabinets with a white wash?

And yes, "start from scratch" and "quick remodel" are polar opposites. Which would you like to do?

@crl_ I am wiling to save and re-do the whole thing at a future date. In the meantime... I want to change something. I don't love the counters, but they are in perfect shape. The cabinets seem like they are less modern and sleek like the counters. how can I make some changes so it "goes" together more?

@lois huneycutt The granite is darker than this picture. The cabinets are white washed and the backsplash is slightly different granite tile. I have about $1000 to play with at this time, in a year, probably willing to go full bore. We entertain A LOT and I would love to be excited by my kitchen, even a tiny bit. LOL

Hmm, you could paint the cabinets yourself but that’s a heck of a lot of work. And it doesn’t hold up as well as a factory finish will. It looks like you already have undercabinet lighting already? Otherwise, I’d just wait and add that $1000 to the remodeling fund.

Save your grand and put it toward the full remodel. The cabinets are fine (I've seen much worst on this site) and the granite, while it may not be your favorite, works really well with the backsplash. As long as everything is functional, I'd only worry about doing minor changes, like adding handles and maybe changing the lighting.

are you doing a complete tear out in the year? is that what you're saving for? or will you be keeping those cabinets and tearing out everything else?

you can't do anything for 1K to upgrade this kitchen except a DIY paint job on the cabinets. That's why I asked if you're keeping them. right now they look like they have a coat of primer on them. it's a horrid white-wash job whomever did it. for a few gallons of paint, you'd at least have some bright cabinets.

clean well, prime them and paint them White dove or some other neutral white. Bring in a red, black and cream runner for the floor. Then I'd do some recessed light w/the rest of your money. (if you plan on enlarging this kitchen or changing the layout, then forget about that lightening for now.) That's about all you can do in this space for now.

I have about $1000 to play with at this time, in a year, probably willing to go full bore.

Save your $1000 so you can put something special in the space in one year. (I did a stained glass backsplash window in mine. Yours might be a special light fixture or that quartzite that is just out of budget and if you saved the money, you'd be able to afford it, or even a 36" cooktop instead of a 30" just to give some examples.)

I wouldn't do a thing if it's only a year you're waiting. A year goes pretty quickly and then you'll be able to create your dream kitchen.

Waiting a year? Save your money!

When we moved into our house in 2006, we decided that 2007 would be the "year of the kitchen." Instead, we did the basement, 2 bathrooms and other various projects until 2014 rolled around. THAT was the year of the kitchen. Waiting those 7 years worked great because I found gardenweb's fabulous kitchen forum and was able to mine the various posts for truly useful and functional ideas.

You'll see how you use your kitchen and what it needs to do for you and be able to plan better. Save the cash, buy some inexpensive handles for now.

And read the kitchen forum--start writing down ideas and suggestions. I did non-stop research for 3 months (every waking, SPARE moment on here--not joking) and took notes. Best time I spent.

If you redo in a year, how much would your budget be at that time? I tend to agree with waiting as I don’t think that the 1 k is enough to do anything that’s really going to make a difference.

I don't know if they were called Chambers by the time your rangetop was made

(It's a Chambers configuration, bought by Rangaire in 1964), but the rangetop is great.

Use the $1K to start working with an independent kitchen designer for the full remodel. Get a preliminary plan from a KD and then come back here to get feedback. Start researching contractors, cabinet lines, appliances, counters, etc. A year flies by in no time when you are putting all the pieces together.

The lighting is a trainwreck . The counter is beautiful. You need new lighting, and some new LED over counter lighting perhaps? This will lighten up the kitchen and make it look so new. Your counters will be the caramel they are supposed to be and it is a mild contrast to your cabinets. Lighting first. Really beautiful counters. Maybe you could sell them to someone? They would easily make several butler pantry tops, or vanity tops for smaller projects. Such a pretty polish! I think more lighting above the countertops, (under the upper cabinets), and less clutter on your ceiling will be the clue.

If you want to do some quick fixes, try adding hardware to the cabinets, undercabinet lighting, and adding some color around the kitchen with a tea pot and some colorful bowls or fruit.

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Get rid of the horrible ceiling lights.

"it's a horrid white-wash job whomever did it "

Agreed. Those cabinets would drive me bonkers. I would paint them. It IS a lot of work. But it can be done for much much less than $1000. And take down those awful lights too.

One grand doesn't go far in a kitchen these days. Changing out those ceiling lights will kill most of that budget, then plan for a year for the "start from scratch"
Or as chispa says, invest the $1K in a designer for next year.

I think the "horrid white wash job" was probably a <$1000 update. Keep that in mind when you try your own.

As most have said, I would focus your $ on the full remodel you want to do. I think the red dragon counters are very interesting and unique, but a nice flat front cabinet would look awesome. I actually don't think the color of the cabinets is awful (at least in the pictures). a pretty hardwood floor would change things up for the better. I know how things you plan for a one year from now tend to not actually come to fruition, so I understand your desire to change it up a bit.

Personally I find the butcher block island top and oak stools to be most out of place in this kitchen. For a cheap, easy update I would find some cool formica in a tone that complements the counters (some counters I've seen online have olive green tones or black). Nothing that would compete though - maybe something simple like this...

"I think the "horrid white wash job" was probably a <$1000 update. Keep that in mind when you try your own."

I did my own, and it was no where near $1000.00. And my cabinets look fantastic. It was however, a helluva lot of work - all my own.

I have no way of disputing that, yours may be fantastic....but average DIY skills are generally not great.

a nice contemporary home which you chose for that and the open spaces, warrants a new kitchen. SAVE, PLAN and get a NEW kitchen. ….this kitchen is not worth saving, but is certainly okay to remain as you plan with a good designer. It would be good to see if a more open kitchen could be designed to flow with the description of what you like in the home.

" average DIY skills are generally not great."

Agreed. That is why I tried to emphasize the effort involved. It's not a project for the faint-hearted. :-) But it absolutely can be done.

I don’t mind the cabinets. I would change the backsplash. Go to a couple of great tile shops (as well as cheap ones) and see if you can find something that will make both the cabinets and the counter look good. Then DIY the tile if you choose to do it, which will give you the experience to save money on tile labor during the full remodel.

You could play with a mosaic accent with field tile, or combination of larger tiles to somehow meld the granite and cabinet finishes. It could be an interesting exercise. Should be a lot less than $1000.

Also see if you can find pics of kitchens you like with that granite. If you lighten up the backsplash and minimize the granite’s dominance, you may not hate it so much.

I like your granite. It is a beautiful stone. I just wonder why they didn't put this on the island? Sure you space needs a little update but this was a popular and pretty style to mix the light picked or whitewashed cabs with a dramatic stone. I love your deep single bowl sink.

Hold on to your $1000 and start planning. It seems tempting to tackle this with a small amount but in reality you may need that money towards new appliances or an upgrade on something. I took a good 6 months to plan my space and then had to make some adjustments in regards to my budget. Dream vs Reality.

Start collecting your ideas and decide what you love about your space and what you want to keep or toss. How do you like the function of your space? What is an eye sore about it, just the counters? How much will you be able to spend? Are you keeping the layout? The water in it's current location? What is your style? Is it contemporary? Modern? YOu might want to see how you can update this kitchen to go with the house and your dream. In time you will have a plan of what you want to do with your space.

I understand, wanting a small update just to get by before a full update. Looking at your kitchen pictures, I really dislike the white washed cabinets, and I think that is what is bringing your kitchen down and bothering you a lot. Its a lot of work to paint cabinets, if you do it yourself, but, it really doesnt cost a lot. To have a professional do them is big bucks. If you do decide to paint them, please clean them very well, and sand them very well, and prime them very well, with a proper primer. Do not use regular paint on them, buy cabinet paint. There are several tutorials online on how to paint cabinets. Please read them all the way through.

As someone who also loves to cook, I totally get it. You have a very functional but golden-girlsesque kitchen. If it is literally a year or two, I would say, screw it, and paint those cabinets an edgy modern charcoal, and invest in hardware. At least you will feel like it isn't a 1985 Florida rental.

The biggest bang for your dollar will be the backsplash. Remove the 4" granite one and choose a

backsplash tile you like. It will be the most visual change you can make. It looks like a solid kitchen and you could tie in all the colors with the right choice.

If those cabinets are in good shape you could also have the cabinets refaced but that would be about 4x's your current budget. Todays cabinets are built to look nice not last the 20 years your current ones have. Refacing sometimes if done correctly is actually a better choice.

Good luck