I'm so glad to see that you're embracing retro kitchen design. This blog will help you a lot (I'm only a subscriber, myself). https://retrorenovation.com/

I would put the retro on the countertops, and leave the cabinets as they are. They look great. Maybe a boomerang pattern laminate. Wilsonart has a whole retro collection. ``Betty`` would look great with your existing cabinet color and brick.

Thanks Joe -yes, counter depth fridge is #1 on our list -that's bugged us since we moved in.

Appreciate the comments -apologies for the messy kitchen all -- didnt realize when I was taking it and posting, in the midst of 3 kids racing around me.

I would definitely consider white or grey if youre still considering painting the cabinets!

I might limit the turquoise to just the island.

Can you put the fridge in the brick wall so you can put a pantry where the fridge is currently? Otherwise I don't see any way to add panels to the side of the fridge with the soffit above.

What an adorable kitchen!

Maybe consider a tile backsplash for the pop of color and repainting, instead of painting the island/lower cabinets.

Backsplash and repainting is how we put color into our MCM kitchen (forgive the mess).

I don’t know what the rest of your house looks like, but I’ve been loving mint green kitchens lately! Can go brighter and more fun/lively or a bit more sage for a more sophisticated look.

I agree, leave the cabinets as they are. They work great with mcm. Paint the island the turquoise color and go for countertops like in Partims post. It will be beautiful, and you wont lose the durability of the stained cabinets you already have.

One thing to think about with colored MCM cabinets, is that most of them were metal cabinets. For example, the second picture in @BeverlyFLADeziner's post (the one with the tulip table) is Pam Kueber's kitchen (owner of retrorenovation.com), and those are vintage St. Charles metal cabinets, IIRC.

While not impossible, it'd be difficult to get wood cabinets to look the same as or similar to enameled or powder-coated metal cabinets.

I love the look of your kitchen, especially the brick wall. (I'd streamline the decor on those shelves and probably look for a vintage metal art piece or sunburst clock for that wall.) My main advice though has to do with the flooring. Slate looks great but I wouldn't replace wood or vinyl for it. Stone and tile are terribly hard on the joints. I really regret my tile kitchen floors. YMMV but thought I'd mention it.

Hope you'll post your changes. It's going to look great!

Cute retro kitchen! I've never seen a divided island like that. Looking forward to seeing your updates in keeping the retro feel of the space.

So relieved you are not painting the cabinets. I would not stain them darker than they are now.