If this were my kitchen, I'd paint the cabinets the color of the light tile. I actually love all the blue and personally don't hate tile as so many do. It's making a comeback - see link! I think you can have a very pretty kitchen - a bit retro and fun! Sometimes I think if I see another white kitchen with gray everything else, I'll scream.

I think you meant to write spackle instead of sparkle? I'm not sure if I'd do all that work, but I'd paint one cabinet without filling the lines and see what you think. If you hate it, then you can fill the lines. If you don't, you'll have saved yourself a great deal of work.

Post back when you complete your update.

https://www.homedit.com/traditional-tile-countertops/

just to give you some visuals. I think I would go with white. I wouldn't take the time to fill in the grooves either because unless done correctly it could end up being a big mess.

too many aspects will require attention. Appliances being very old will need replacing...sometime soon. and the question of sizes/fit/change [ how about a range?] tile is pretty but you dont really want to plan to go the distance w this tile in your kitchen. The island could perhaps be upgraded to a larger dimension. The vintage oak cabs are a delight in a way but no drawers under the counters//you may need to think hard about replacing and then the layout comes into play. . I would seriously enjoy the older elements and get familiar w options w your tape measure and what about a window project..one of the best things you could do if possible....

White. The tile is nice.

Wait! Don’t do anything until you’ve lived in your new home for a few months. You need to work in that kitchen to see what works and what doesn’t. Is the work flow good? Is there enough storage, for your things? Is there countertop where you need it? During that time, save for a redo, to correct anything that doesn’t work for you. If you rush through any project, you may regret it. One thing you can do is paint the walls, and upgrade the light bulbs to a color tone that will enhance your cabinets.

And congratulations on the new house! From the photos, you have a great kitchen space.

Melissa that looks great. Could you do one with the uppers white and the lowers blue?

Painting cabinets right is a lot of work. I would live with it the way it is until you're ready to redo.

Temaltese is spot on, get comfortable with what works for you and save, save, save. Also start an idea board so you can continue to review while saving. When initially planning our remodel we thought we would never want white cabinets, but after visiting showrooms and getting designer ideas we have white cabs and black counters that we love. We unintentionally went with slate cabs and white counters in our bathrooms because we loved the counters.

If you decide to paint use a sanding primer first. It will help give you a smooth finish.

I’d also say to wait until you can turn this into your dream kitchen. Take whatever you were going to use to paint and put it in a jar. Whenever you have change. Singles. Five bills. I’d add them to the jar. When you can do a full fledged remodel of come back here. This is a great space to work with. Lots of cool features. But why do it twice?? Definitely wait.

Hi all. So appreciate your comments. Melissa R, your mock up is amazing and super helpful.

My husband agrees with some of you and thinks we should NOT paint, and just live in it as is while we figure out how we want to really renovate it.

I painted the cabinets in my last home (4-5 day endeavor and yes, I sanded everything 2x) and it helped me breathe easier. I think even if we just paint, it’ll make it lovelier and allow us to lengthen our time before renovation. My main goal was also to remove a wall between the dining and living room to open it up for light before anything else. But your points of ‘why do things twice’ since appliances are necessary is compelling. Should we just focus on cleaning well and getting née appliances and taking out wall in front of island?

I confirm that painting cabinets is a lot of work. It's also expensive; to cover oak well you'll need top quality primer and paint. Live with it for a while. Maybe sand and refinish those wooden steps; it will do wonders for you room.

I also suggest living in the house for at least a year before doing anything drastic in the kitchen! You may be surprised that you will come to like or love certain parts of the kitchen (I'm so happy I never painted over the knotty pine paneling in my family room because I have grown to love it). It would have been so much work to get it painted properly and everyone in my family that has seen it loves it.

I've been there...low budget brings on creativity. Paint and deep cleaning goes a long way! I would scrub those cabinets as clean as possible, and add cheap brushed nickel knobs...you have so many lines everywhere, no pulls. I would paint the backsplash portion of the tile the same white as your counter tile has, it's just too much. Paint the island white. Make sure that all of those cans are LED for better brightness. If the 2 cans above your island are placed correctly, I would switch them to pendants to bring some of you into this space. For just a few hundred you can make a change. Good luck!

Reframe the situation with some inventive fiction since you've said you are too broke to afford marshmallows. Tell yourself a completely made-up story about the tile: it's imported from Portugal where making blue and white tile has been a tradition for hundreds of years. The tile was made by the Malibu pottery factory where storm-worn pieces have washed up on the sandy shore of Catalina Island. And so on. Just make it up.

When you are ready in a year or so, you can spend money on changes.

I think this is one of the few forums where people are honest and will say ‘hold up! Don’t paint!’ As a way to freshen the kitchen. I LOVE being reminded that these oak cabinets are lovely and after some time, they can grow on me. I will still consider painting them. But now, I may go and see them again, and perhaps give them the opportunity to shine. And that blue and white Talavera tile shall impress me as it’s forged from hand by spanish artisans who are only able to fire up to 60 tiles a day because they create the fire using a flint that’s brought over from islands off the coast of Australia or something fabulous! And now....even more decisions as I wait it out! Haha

Thanks for doing that Melissa!

I'm another one who loves your cabinets as they are! (I'm not a lover of the tile, however. When you first mentioned marshmallows, I thought you were actually referring to the look of the tiles!)

Melissa R, what program do you use to quickly change the color of things while still keeping the texture/grain?

Sherwin Williams has the tool

I am seldom a proponent of painting wood, but I think the mock ups Melissa did look so much better than the wood color with that tile. Of course, you could paint the tile, too, but I think it's prettier than the cabinets. I think I could live happily for quite a while with the kitchen cabinets white, allowing me to save more/longer for my dream kitchen, or use the money elsewhere. I think the dark and dreariness of the brown with the tile would make me unhappy every day.

Don't paint it in two different colors ...it's too crazy ! Leave it be for now , enjoy your house ...then save up if you want to redo your kitchen . I sort of like your retro kitchen ...( never would have it in my house , but if I took over a house with these colors ...I would emphasize the blue and white quirkiness by leaving it retro looking . And here I am the only one who would change the floor ...or perhaps put it blue patterned rug ...and maybe exchange the doors on the upper cabinets to glass doors on the upper cabinets .... Bottom line you have a great kitchen ...an new house , congrats . Now enjoy , live in it ...and look at lots of ideas for the future . Who knows you may decide one day to paint the entire kitchen area a majorelle blue ! Like the wonderful blue house in Marrakech!!!