The best thing would be to do nothing for 6 months to see what works for you in the kitchen especially with the layout. That would be best, but if the cabinets are too dirty inside to feel comfortable with putting you stuff in, then start considering / budgeting if you can do a new kitchen. My own kitchen is a refreshed older kitchen, but the cabinets are only 20 years old, not 35 - I replaced cabinets like yours 20 years ago:)

I would not put any money into a kitchen which you plan on redoing soon. Even painting the cabinet is expensive if professionally done. Simply replacing cabinets in the same configuration is the least expensive way to go with new, but you want to love the layout first.

There are lots of pretty choices in stained cabinets if that is your preference. In fact, many of the newer design pics are once again showing stained cabinets.

This is my wood kitchens idea book which has both new and older refreshed wood cabinets:

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens

I think waiting a bit is the best course of action. Live in the kitchen, see if there are any layout changes you'd like to make before sinking money into cosmetic fixes. I can already see a few problem areas like the corner sink. Plus, painted cabinets is almost as much as new ones and you don't seem to like much about these current ones other than they're wood.

You mentioned the fridges goes which is good. When you buy one for the place get a counter depth one. The current one is far too big for the space!

“Everybody recommends white but we seem to prefer brown” Go with what you like when you decide what course of action to take. Don’t put something permanent in that you don’t love because “everybody said” you should. Stained/natural wood is making a comeback, and when done right, will not go out of style.

That said, your best course of action is the first option: DO NOTHING. Live with it for awhile and see if it functions well for you, and if not, make notes for what you would change. Certainly do not spend thousands of $ on painting cabinets and replacing counters and backsplash only to have to shell out more money to redo. Unless you have an endless supply of cash at the ready, then maybe it’s not such a big deal. This kitchen is not all that bad and many others have lived with FAR WORSE in terms of both aesthetics and function in favor of making sure all the hard earned $$ they sink into a renovation is well spent. Since this is your first home and you have no experience on top of it all, I recommend even more strongly that you wait. While you are making notes of what does/doesn’t work, spend time reading through this site and learning what you need to know before spending time and money on a renovation. Specifically there is a thread called “new to kitchens: read me first”. Start there then continue to read and search and learn. I promise you, it will be well worth it.

Scrub it and live with it... It looks like a great space and it should be done the right way. You would be surprised at how expensive it is to reface cabinets and update drawers. You can actually get brand new cabinets for less.

I have seen many people move into new homes and put new countertops in and backsplashes. While that seems great, it now locks you into a design plan and it will cost a lot of money to lift and reinstall those tops and no one will guarantee they won't break.

On another note, any contractor worth hiring should be booking into the early spring already for renovations - there really is not enough time to complete anything properly before Christmas.

Save your money, do your homework, start looking for contractors and a kitchen designer. Some of my clients take 3 or 4 months to make their selections and final decisions.

Good luck! Post a floor plan of the space so everyone and chip in ideas for you!

Have the place professionally cleaned and do nothing.

All of your interim measures are expensive and refacing doesn't save money but locks you into the existing layout. Boxes are actually the least expensive part of a kitchen generally. It's the doors and drawers which are drive up the costs.

It's your first home - unless you are made of money you are going to discover that there are other expenses that take priority over a functional kitchen that isn't aesthetically to your taste. At least from the pictures, it's not a den of horror.

What about furniture - window treatments - savings account for inevitable home repairs and maintenance.

When you don't know what to do and it's not an emergency, wait. Spend a lot of time on Houzz gathering ideas on what you love and work from there. As far as the white brown dilemma, I would do both - https://www.houzz.com/photos/north-arm-bay-artisan-transitional-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~59229966

My favorite kitchen ever... white uppers with glass makes it feel bright and airy and wood lower let's some natural organic life stay.

I would definitely replace the tiled countertops as soon as possible. You can choose from many neutral quartz countertop options. Marble looking quartz is always a good idea and Caesarstone colors offer many neutral options that would serve you well regardless of what cabinet colors you choose later on.

You're getting good advice from those telling you to wait. You may find you hate loading the dishwasher because the corner sink makes it uncomfortable to do so. The lack of drawers on the base cabinets means getting down into the cabinets to look for things and much less usable storage. Right now you only have 1 upper cabinet to put dishes or glasses anywhere near the dishwasher. The refrigerator would look better with an end panel to finish it off. Painting cabinets professionally can cost $5K. Have the kitchen cleaned professionally as suggested. I did that to my whole house before I moved in because I was moving from out of state. It cost $170 and the whole house was clean from top to bottom when I pulled in with the moving truck. I waited two years after moving in before remodeling my kitchen and it gave me time to live with it to see what changes I wanted to make. Congratulations on your new house!

Do NOT waste thousands of dollars on new counters to put on top of old cabinets - because it would be just that, a waste. If you have several thousand dollars to throw away, I will provide my name and address so you can send me a check. You will more than likely not be able to reuse the counters on new cabinets - even if you don't change the layout. To tell you anything else is irresponsible. Listen to all (including me) who told you to wait. We aren't selling anything and it's the best advice you will get. Do yourself, your family and your bank account a big favor and take it.

Agree - pay someone to clean. Steam clean the counters / grout. Live with the layout and flow. DO NOT spend money to reface, paint or otherwise reconfigure these cabinets unless they are a whole lot higher end than they look.

As you live in the house you'll find what works and what doesn't. And do the whole thing when you can deal with the whole thing. ;-)

We definitely agree with everyone. Waiting and cleaning it is the least expensive option.

Wait.

Patience Pays.

No to wasting $$$ on refacing or new countertop on very old cabinets.

It's fine as is for now.

After some time has passed, you'll know for sure what you like & don't. Then you can invest in confidence and don't feel rushed.

Hope that helps.

Congratulations on your first new home.

[New to Kitchens Read me first![(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first-dsvw-vd~5500754?n=440)

I like the advice to live in it for a little while and start to dream and design what you like. Think about your wants, needs, desires and dreams. Start a folder with all your favorite Houzz ideas. Then plan your budget. How much can you spend? What do you want to spend it on? A light fixture? Appliances? Counters? Backsplash? Cabinetry? In the process you will learn what you like about your kitchen and what you detest about. You might love a deep single bowl sink or double ovens, you might might discover you want a prep sink or a pot filler, or you might learn you need more storage or a built in coffee maker or maybe new hardware or a pretty faucet... So many ideas that you can collect and then implement.

Enjoy your kitchen journey and who knows maybe next year or 6 months from now we will see some of your ideas unfolding.