If you can afford them, by all means, replace them all. Wearing 600 dollar heels and pairing it with a walmart plastic handbag is just off.

Can you use an amazing stand-alone wardrobe or set of shelves instead of additional cabinets? I think something appropriate to the era with lots of character would look incredible.

if the new cabinets are carefully chosen it could look really good. I like to see some charm kept in a house and it's more interesting than most of the new kitchens I've seen. I think the key is to not try and match but instead compliment the existing cabinets and overall style of your home.

@sschowen adding a stand alone is a top consideration as well. It wouldn’t have the extra counter space but if I got something that could move with us someday it would be a plus.

Your kitchen is cute. Maybe you could find a Hoover Cabinet. I had one and I used the metal work surface for lots of food prep. It was a great cookie cooling surface.

@mont215 thanks! I agree. I‘ve seen a lot of blues that look look nice when mixed in with the white, but it would probably be worth seeing a professional to help (Even if it’s a small add-on). We live in a neighborhood full of beautiful older houses so the charm is nice to have.

I think that's the perfect spot for an old dining room sideboard or bedroom dresser. You could paint it and have a nice vintage feel to blend in with the rest of the kitchen. Here are some pictures. Many of these were used islands but having it against the wall would look great too.

The best part, this is furniture that no one seems to want. There are entire youtube channels devoted to taking thrift shop finds and painting them.

What about a stand-alone island that you can push up against that wall. With a marble top. Maybe in a painted wood. But not permanent so you could take it if you move

you could get the new ones and just add new doors that match on the old ones. you don't have that many doors to do. At least this way it would look cohesive

Do full overlay doors w/no hinges exposed. even a cabinet maker could make you the 5-6 doors that would match whatever new ones you're buying. simple.

Perhaps have it designed as a hutch?

cute idea miss e. I was going to suggest that, using a vintage console, but she said she wanted more countertop space and an L shape?

I think she could do some great built in's over there with a butcher block or marble countertop, and switch out the doors on the others.

"My issue is there is scant counter space, . . . "

I missed that part.

I like the hutch idea. hutch style cabinetry in a color or stained wood (not white or off white). Don’t try to match existing But a contrast. Looks like a nice place

So, those 3/8" inset doors are gross, not because of how they look, but the face-mounted hinges on the market today that work for them are all cheap and don't last long. You'll have wobbly doors with the screws pulling out in a hurry with heavy use. HOWEVER, they aren't that hard to replicate. You could easily buy cabinet boxes and have someone make you a few of those old style doors. They are basically just plywood with a routed edge and the inset cut out.

If it were me, I'd either:

Option #1: Get a new cabinet where you proposed and uppers on the wall you noted and have doors made to match, and then paint them to match. Any reason you are not putting your proposed new 48" cabinet up against the wall? Is the window sill too low?

Option #2: Pull all your doors off, fill the screw holes on the face frames, get a new cabinet where you proposed, and then get new slab doors with hidden euro hinges. BLUM makes hinges that can overlay 1/2" on traditional face frames. You would have slab doors like you do now but with an updated appearance, and hidden hardware. Then paint everything old and new to match. The only thing you'd have to check with the new doors, is your clearance against the wall. So looking at your first picture, your cabinets are against a wall. You "technically" by modern standards do not have enough clearance, so you would be banging your handles on the wall, but it is probably like that now anyway.

Oh and PS: Right now you have....white cabinets, white tile, white trim, white crown, white shutters, white counters.....some color would do you good. If you start painting cabinets I'd go for color on the lowers. Navy, grey, etc. any color would significantly improve the room IMO.

“So, those 3/8" inset doors are gross,”

Gross?? Good lord.

The suggestions above for converting furniture or getting a large base cabinet are spot on. Look at “baking islands” for ideas if you want to add on to the dresser/cabinet to make an “L” shape. It will be a lovely space, post updates!

Kathryn, funny I was kind of seeing blue. you've received some great advice, a console of some sort maybe fitted with a stone top could look good and add functional counter space. I'm sure you could find cabinets to fit the charm and function well for you but who knows at what price. You're lucky to have that space my "charming" 60's summer house has only space for a kitchen table that has to double as counter space!

@Anna (6B/7A in MD) I'm sorry my popular colloquialism upset you so. I guess I should keep my speech patterns in the Boomer generation on here?

Anyway, as I said, nothing wrong with how the doors look, the problem with 3/8 inset is the availability of any type of quality hardware.

It's not a "boomer" vs "millennial" vs any other age group, it's about being polite and not insulting (which you did twice).

If you can find a Hoosier Cabinet, I think it would be close to the same era as the cabinets and fit right in! You would have to remove the floating shelves, but it would give you more storage and workspace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier_cabinet

I wonder if you could make one or have one made. You could take it with you if/when you move.

Build your own Hoosier Cabinet: https://books.google.com/books?id=1vkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54&dq=hoosier+cabinet&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiUpuSrhJraAhVRPN8KHRwUCisQ6AEIMzAD#v=onepage&q=hoosier%20cabinet&f=false

What a precious kitchen. Just a question, is there no caulk between the counter and the tile?

I did exactly what you are considering. Does it look cheap? I don't know, but it made my kitchen much more functional, because the new cabinets I added are all drawers (except for a narrow cabinet which was offered only in drawer/door combo for that width). I have some vintage cabinets which have only doors, and I kept some very sturdy upper cabinets from the PO's 1981 remodel. I chose inexpensive unfinished drawer bases with a door similar to the 80's cabs, and painted them. I built several cabinets and re-used doors and drawers from the 80's remodel, too.

My kitchen looks as if it evolved over time, with bits and pieces added in different decades. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it works well for us. If I didn't have pictures on GW/Houzz, very few people would see the kitchen--just friends and family, and recently the DW repairman.

Using a vintage/antique dresser or other piece of furniture would be charming, and I'm into charm, but functionality also needs to be considered. Hoosiers are deep, but dressers are usually shallower than standard 24" deep drawer bases. I'd use new drawer bases for maximum convenient storage.

You have two good ideas here - a stand alone, painted unique piece with a stone top, or buying new cabinets to fill the corner (and possibly make all your doors match). To me, a 1940’s house should have its charm accentuated. My vote is the colorful add on. Missenigma gave you several good examples. You choice will depend on how much you want to preserve the original look and how much you want to expand the utility of that corner. Either way, you’ll gain some counter space. And don’t listen to the people who just make comments to be mean. Your house is ADORABLE!

Whatever you do, (and I like and concur with redryder's summary above), I'd fight tooth and nail to keep the marble counters. I think they are perfect in your space. It can be hard to get nice marble now not to mention expensive.

I’d do new cabinets that match. Too often, people use a piece of furniture in their kitchens or a second color cabinet, and other than in a designer kitchen, they usually look like a cluttered accident. Those doors would be super easy to match, so I vote that.

I love the idea of keeping your current ones and adding new that compliment but don't match by using a new color or stain and keeping it in that 1940s style... a couple more pics.

If you can afford it replace all the cabinets. If not use a Hoosier cabinet.

FYI: Hoosiers are fabulous and the interior can be retrofit (if it has been stripped of its flour sifter, etc.) with shelving. Do note that the counter tops on most Hoosiers are on slides and can be pulled out to double the pre space. VERY functional. I had one in a kitchen in a house that was built in 1890 and used it all the time. But, I will say, the work surface is low. Convenient for me (I am short!), but not for someone who is tall. Check your local Antique mall for Hoosiers. You can get them now for under $350 in my part of the country.

...or, if you're experienced at DIY, you can make your own. See my post above where I link to both a description and then how to make your own. From the looks of it, I think it's probably "expert" level DIY.

I would *much* prefer extra counterspace next to the sink. Can you get some kind of complementary standalone piece like Theresa showed to put next to the sink (top it with stone), and put the fridge into the corner? Maybe put a tall pantry cabinet, or a lower with counter and MW in upper, next to it as well. You can also replace all the cabinets in order to get that better layout, too.