You can buy very well built cabinets today with features not available when your cabinets were made, like self-closing drawers and doors.

Your cabinet style is emblematic of the ‘80’s, and really not worth spending money on. Plus, as you say, the layout can be improved.

What is old is new again. I can't post picture. Check out the kitchens from Jack Trench in London. His are made of Richlite or Corian and wood. Thye are super gorgeous, with a price to match, no doubt, but they give you an idea about what is actually dated and what is not. I think your cabinets look very nice. I like modern. And I am allergic to following to following trends for the sake of having a cookie cutter look.

I would bet changing out the flooring would go a long way toward mkaing the kitchen look more 21C.

https://www.jacktrench.co.uk/page/bespoke-kitchens

oh heavens yes,,,time for those to go. aren't they melamine covered fronts?

"What's old is new again?" Sorry Zalco, these types of cabinets went by the way of the do-do. no one wants these. And changing her flooring isn't going to make those 1985 any less dated looking.

to answer your question, yes, todays cabinets can be made better than those. It all depends on your budget, of course.

But if you're not happy w/the layout, then why worry about saving those?

You have plenty of room to loose the peninsula and put in an island. you could also have taller cabinets. You actually could end up w/a very nice kitchen.

I suggest you call out a kitchen designer to show you your options. it will be well worth the money to get their advice.

The posted photos show wonderful design ideas. I personally prefer to have at least 30 inches of counter space on the same side as the handle of the refrigerator door. If you want to maximize space, have a range instead of a separate cooktop and wall ovens. If you do decide to keep the cabinets, I would suggest sanding the wood-tone areas and painting them an accent color you really love to add pizzazz to the kitchen. I also would suggest you keep the white floor tile as it appears to be in good shape, and the white will go with any other color you add..

Sorry, it's a rip. Get a designer, ( a CKD, not a cabinet seller ) as nothing is in the right place. Nothing about the cabinets or look of the kitchen is worth cosmetic rescue : ) ceiling to floor

I have to doubt your assessment that these are 'high quality' cabinets. I have seen these in many apartments and they are builders grade at best. It is a truth that we live in a world where over all workmanship and quality of raw products is less than it was, but it appears you are stuck. There is no way to change this but not that. I agree your sink is poorly placed. Your desire to embrace your cabinets tells me you are not a fan of wood in its natural beauty. I feel the frustration when one sees the price tag of a redo. Tread slowly so you are sure about your choices.

Agree with everyone else, get a kitchen designer and see what they can rework for you, if you’re planning on redoing the kitchen. Those cabinets are not worth saving at all. The sink is in a terrible location. Move in and get settled and then let a pro in to check things out.

Sorry those were never high quality but I do agree to live in the space for at least 3 months before doing anything.That layout has many issues that I am pretty sure you will learn to hate very quickly.

Interesting door & drawer pulls.

I Thank each and everyone of you. I have not yet moved into the house and know already I will hate the kitchen layout. Glad to hear cupboards are not worth saving, so out they will go. DH thought cabinets were of quality, I have now rested my case. Lol!

As some of you suggested, We will live in the house for awhile before doing anything. The remodel will include removing the stovetop wall (between dining room and kitchen), probably closing the entry to the kitchen so that it will be accessed at the dining wall and changing peninsula to island,

we have a healthy budget as well, rest assured nothing will be done without engineer and Kd consult.

@mdln, how did you find that pic.

If you decide to remove them, you may be able to recycle some of those cabinets to your laundry room, garage, or basement.

^^^yes, Nancy or donated to Habitat. Or they may not want them as they are dated

Ok here is my idea, remove the cabinets that no long work for you. Plan out new kitchen layout with remaining cabinets. Now go to Barker Doors and or Barker Cabinets. If u only need doors u can pick type /color etc at Barker Door, you need the actual boxes, Barker cabinets. They flat pack the cabinets and u or your installer make them. No need to rip out if your boxes are in good shape...and u can make boxes in any size...

Put those cabbinets in the garage. They are great for storage and the finish on the front cleans easily, so they are great for a workspace.

I would remove them and alter the floor plan to your liking. Since you haven't moved in yet, I'd suggest living there for a while and figure out what is working, what isn't, and what you'd like to change. When you're ready for a change, you can sell your cabinets, use them in another space, donate, etc.

"What is old is new again. yes, but revisited and redesigned

Just enlarged screenshot.

My parents had a very similar 80's kitchen. They kept the boxes and purchased new shaker style doors from Lowe's in a matching color. Added modern hardware, and it looks great! It was a cost effective way to bring the kitchen up to current trends. If you want to change the layout however, starting over new is your best but most expensive option. I do agree with an above comment though that you should live in the kitchen for awhile before designing a new layout.

I would paint the cabinets and live with that for a year before doing a redesign. My cabinets are awful on the bottom so we are going to replace them and put new shelves in the uppers and paint both old and new. I think people throw away perfectly good cabinets because the designer says they should gut the kitchen.

Mary,,fyi,,,these are a melamine surface. They aren't 'perfectly good', they're old, dated and have served their purpose. they aren't paintable. (and to suggest that someone even go through the hassle and work of painting cabinets, only for a year, is ridiculous. I'm guessing you've never painted a lot of kitchen cabinets)the OP is the one who is asking whether or not she should keep them and the 'designers' on here are agreeing w/her. She wants to replace them. the cabs are almost 40 years old and were never top-quality to begin with. Not everything can, nor should it be, be reused.

Old and dated doesn’t mean something doesn’t still function.

Yes, melamine can be properly painted though I wouldn’t with these. I like the idea of putting these in a garage or donating.

I honestly find them clean looking and I would take these over gray painted cabinets any day, but I wasn’t around for the melamine trend so thats probably swaying my opinion.

Thank you again, for confirming these are builder grade cabinets and it’s ok to recycle them. The layout will be changed as well, once I have figured out what I want and don’t want

Since you have the budget to renovate the kitchen completely, go for it and don't waste time or money on half assed measures.

FWIW, these cabinets were NEVER high quality - they were the ubiquitous cabinet installed in every builder home or apartment in that era. Just because the cabinets aren't literally falling apart, doesn't mean they are worth saving.

I just finished a remodel and my boxes were built like a battle ship but the layout was terrible and the configuration was poor in terms of having lower doors instead of cabinets - placement of stove next to a wall, drawers built without any kind of hardware and so on. I could have spent a bit less money by replacing the doors but I still would have the same poor layout and the cost of a quality replacement of doors and refacing the frames is not cheap.

I am not sure how your husband determines that the cabinets are high quality - as others have posted, you can get high quality cabinets which are actually BETTER in terms of features than the ones you have now. They won't be the least expensive cabinet lines but above a certain price point, you are not paying for quality per se in terms of durability but for customization, style, wood species (or paint grade).

I often see people posting cabinets they want to remodel because they aren't trendy and often the cabinets are nice so spending the money on a new kitchen makes no sense unless they literally have money to burn. However, your cabinets are objectively old and dated - IMO they are equivalent of preserving harvest gold formica because it isn't burned and peeling :-).

Once again, thank you. Guess DH, felt the home was very well built and assumed the cabinets would be as well. in any case, I’ll be back with layout help in due time.

Those do not look like builder grade cabinets. Just look carefully at the handles because that is not your average dime a dozen 80s cheap cabinets. Note the number of drawers so this isn't a basic builder grade kitchen. I have a rental property with similar cabinets and they are good quality, quite durable and easy to wipe clean. The drawers slides are full extension with fully dovetailed oak drawer boxes and the super Susan corner cabinet was not a cheap option either. Just because you don't like the style does not mean the product is poor quality

You're making the right decision in terms of replacing these. The cabinets are almost 40 years old. They owe you nothing.

Those do not look like builder grade cabinets. Just look carefully at the handles because that is not your average dime a dozen 80s cheap cabinets. Note the number of drawers so this isn't a basic builder grade kitchen. I have a rental property with similar cabinets and they are good quality, quite durable and easy to wipe clean. The drawers slides are full extension with fully dovetailed oak drawer boxes and the super Susan corner cabinet was not a cheap option either. Just because you don't like the style does not mean the product is poor quality

Even if it is a quality kitchen, it's still 40 years old. It's till melamine and it's still a dysfunctional layout. The kitchen owes them nothing.

I do agree to repurpose them in the garage, basement, craft room, etc.

Thanks Lyndsey Lee, there are numerous drawers, so I bet this kitchen was quite well done in its day. But it is very dysfunctional.

CP, thanks for chiming in. I value your opinion and was feeling guilty for deciding to get rid of the cabinets and change the layout.

Another thing, there is no hood vent...do you guys think it’s possible to install one, give the high ceilings?

I don't have an issue with changing out a dysfunctional kitchen. My irritation is with those people who see a cabinet style they don't like or something that is a few decades old and judge the quality of the materials from a few overview pictures. You don't throw out a designer original outfit because the high street chains copied the look and came out with cheap versions. No, you get rid of the outfit when it no longer fits your body or your needs and can't reasonably be updated for you. Why should the approach to a home be different?

l believe that if the picture had been white shaker cabinets, you would not hear the chorus of tear it out comments.

That kitchen has enough storage and counter space to be workable. That doesn't mean you should keep it but I recommend you live there for a year. Get to know the light patterns, traffic patterns, bottlenecks, plumbing, heating, and electrical systems and all those other aspects which influence the way you use the home. You can bet I would cherry pick those cabinets and move select ones for use in basement storage, garage, laundry or workshop space. They can be painted with PPG Breakthrough paint.

Lyndee,,it's more than a few decades old. and we judge these cabinets because some of us are actually old enough to remember being around them. I hated them in 85. The bases are fiberboard. nothing quality about it.

The OP has already stated, numerous times, that the kitchen is completely dysfunctional. Why does she have to live w/it for a year? Why are certain people on here so quick to shut down a homeowners desire to want something different?

If she's changing the kitchen (and she's already said she has a healthy budget), I'm guessing other things in the house will change as well. No reason to 'get to know' the plumbing and bottlenecks if it's all coming out. And she's already said she would put them in the garage. So Yay! those things get to have another life.

tryingtounderstand- yes, of course you can. You'll need someone who works with interior kitchen venting (most hoods vent directly outside or up through the roof)

This space could give you a beautiful kitchen with those tall ceilings. That's why I suggested you call in a quality kitchen designer to help you envision what you want. And, since it's open to family room, figuring out the design you want in there will also come into play. look at pictures on here (or maybe on Pinterest) of kitchen/family room with vaulted or cathedral ceilings.

Look at the vent hoods on these tall kitchens

I would most likely replace this kitchen if it were mine. However, with the exception of Beth's third pictured kitchen in her first grouping and possibly the second pic in her last post above, none of the other kitchens seem at all appropriate for the poster's house in question. I prefer her orginal cabinets to any of the ubiquitous shaker white cabinets with required contrasting islands so representative of 2010 to 2015 styles used as examples to replace with. I think a remodel is indeed in order but it should be thought out in regards to the style of the existing house. I think the bespoken kitchens in Zalco's link above are far better examples of how to appropriately improve the orginal poster's home.

Melamine paint can be had, but I just don't like the look of those. However, there may be other items you need to change for actual function in your new home; like HVAC, plumbing issues, etc. Wait and see while you plan and dream; and save up the budget for a complete do-over!

roarah- OP wanted to know if a vent hood was possible. I merely posted the pictures of kitchen w/tall ceilings to show that vent hoods were possible. they weren't meant to be guidelines for what would work in her kitchen. Ditto the first groupings. It was just to show very tall ceilings with an open concept. And if you prefer those cheap, melamine ugly cabinets to white shaker cabinets, then perhaps you should be on a site that repurposes vintage items. The op specifically has stated she doesn't like them or the layout. She already has the budget and doesn't need to wait a year to dream about what she wants. Zalkos link are very modern, newly made cabinets and don't look anything like the 1985 uglies.

maybe OP doesn't want to do an ultra modern kitchen.

I love shaker, traditional, preferrably wood. Some type of solid surface. Here are more pics of the house, from realtor listing.

Thinking of removing stove/dining room wall.

Perhaps closing front immediate entry to kitchen.

Beautiful house! I am not a huge fan of modern houses but that one looks quite interesting. Hope to see more pictures as you get further along in your project

Thank you Lyndee, i Didn’t think this was a modern house, but maybe it is. When we close, in dec, I will post more pics.

If you have the money remodel the kitchen for a more efficient layout and an updated look.

Second that motion. Nothing good in the layout. Don't waste effort, or money on what could be far better regardless of cabinet style..

Thank you Norwood and Jan.

even though I don’t have a floor plan, can anyone tell if the back wall (diving dining and kitchen ) is a support wall? I really would like to take it down.

following

We can't tell from a photo if the cabinets are good quality or not, based on whether they cosmetically resemble ubiquitous cheap cabinets or not. So the PO needs to look at their construction carefully to determine that.

Dysfunctional layout is a different problem and should be addressed when and if possible.

AFAIK, my local Habitat does not reject cabinets, or anything else, for being "dated". All they require is that they be clean, intact, undamaged, functioning, and a complete set (they will not take single cabinets).