I noticed you removed your doors. did you mark them? they need to go back in exactly the same position or they won't hang properly. (mark the hinges w/tape)

you have knotty pine, probably coated w/an oil base clear coat.

To properly get paint to adhere, everything needs to be sanded. I'd do a 80, 150 and 220, in that order. (you'll have to do all of the grooves too! (if you want to use a TSP cleaner first to remove any grease, go ahead before you sand)

After sanding, (you have an orbital? it will be faster. you'll have to do the grooves and edges by hand, but the orbital will be quicker on the faces) wipe clean w/mineral spirits (any water based cleaners shouldn't be used after the clear coat is sanded off because the wood will absorb the water and raise the grain) and feel if it's smooth. if yes, you'll need to prime w/a good shellac, or oil base primer like Cover Stain Zinnser. you'll have to cover those knots or they will bleed through any paint.

You can also use a Shellac, but I like the white primer because it gives you an extra white coat.

You doing new hardware? remove your current ones, get some good wood filler, fill in the holes, sand smooth/flush. (do this before you prime)

Then pick out your new hardware.

this one has a pretty decent how-to

https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/how-to-paint-pine-cabinets/
they used white BinShellac primer on this one. Zinsser Cover stain is also good

https://www.remodelaholic.com/kitchen-renovation-updating-knotty-pine-cabinets/

and this painter is one of the best.

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets-like/

make sure to read how she painted the pine paneling

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/5-cabinet-painting-problems-solved/

can you afford some pre-fab countertops? might cost 1500 or so total.

or, go look for a remant piece at a stone place. you might score and get something cheaper.

Soapstone would look great.

I'd remove that tile backspalsh. you could always put up beadboard and paint it for $50.

oh, for your hinges, lighly buff w/sandpaper after cleaning off any grease. after the cabs are painted, you can carefully tape off around the hinges and spray them w/a metallic spray paint. Or, do it before you paint, but be careful painting around them

Wow, thank you both for the awesome feedback. I wish I had thought of posting this a week ago before I took off the doors! lol So much to think about.

drawers are the same problem. did you mark those w/numbers? they are worse than doors. after 60 years, that wood has basically molded into their spots. before painting, try and match them up w/their respective holes. you'll know when they're off because they won't fit properly, or they will wobble

Luckily, I did not remove any drawers! I did mark all the doors. The hinges I didn't. uhg

I might consider cream/off-white cabinets with something like a sage island -- should lighten things without being too jarring in the context of your other finishes. Be sure to bring paint chips home to meet your counter, in particular.

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oh, you removed the hinges? very difficult to put them on exactly how they were and get them to hang properly.

you might be better off getting all new hinges. I'd fill in all the holes on the doors and on the base cabinets. get a really good wood filler. make sure it's completely flush (no divots) and sand so you can't even see where they were.

then just try new hinges. Might work better than getting the old ones to fit again.

if you can, see if you can do the hidden type of hinges.

you could remove some of the doors altogether

what do you think about doing something like this around your window?

see this vertical beadboard splash? this is what I was talking about for you. remove those old tiles and either learn how to tile w/subway tiles, or, just cut some beadboard to fit, trim it out, and paint it.

Paired w/the open cabinets (you could just do it around the sink or a diff place) I think it looks great

this one did a black beadboard w/black hinges and the same hardware

Ugh, nobody needs to show all their condiments and plasticware to the world. Stick with the doors! :))

well damn acm, obviously she would clean up the 'plasticware', (really?) and make it neat looking. good lord. People have glass doors in their uppers, so what's the diff? if she wants to cut out the middle panel and do glass, she can do that.

connonr/kelly,,,I'm sure you plan on purging and cleaning off the countertops? maybe the inside of the cabs?

Looks like you have plenty of storage. I think breaking up that huge row of upper doors would actually look a lot better. if you don't want them completely open, then put in a glass panel.

also, for your island, try trimming out the panels in some solid trim like shown here

I like the idea of adding another soft color to the room. Maybe the backsplash can be a color? @Beth H is giving you a step-by-step tutorial on painting your wood beadboard kitchen, so make sure to follow her guidelines. You CAN paint it so the knots don’t show but you must sand, clean and prime properly. Definitely consider a few glass I see doors.

I love the beadboard idea for the backsplash! thank you

I'm not dissing what the OP has stored -- I'm peeved by the notion that real people living in real (busy) kitchens should have to "clean up" and "stage" their most useful cabinets in order to achieve some look. [Real grown-ups have mismatched dishes and piles of baby stuff, and who knows what collected over time.] Plus, since these doors don't have a natural frame, they'd have to buy entirely new, probably custom, doors to show off their emptied spaces. Just seems like a lot of ask of somebody who's already taking their whole kitchen apart to strip, sand, paint, and reassemble!

While I love the idea of a bead board backsplash, I would advise against it in your kitchen, given the nature of your cabinet doors (that emulate bead board!). Too much of a good thing can be too much of a good thing! Instead, you could consider a backsplash made from tin ceiling tiles, subway tile, or even 4 x 4” tiles (which are coming back in style).

Been there done this! Paint 'em, white!!! Get rid of all that depressing brown!

CLEAN, SAND, WIPE DOWN, PRIME (Zinsser BIN shellac - don't even think about using anything else), SAND, PRIME (yes 2 coats, and probably more over those knots!!) SAND, wipe down, and PAINT with a good self leveling paint. I used BM Advance and it turned out great.

Be cautious: Sometimes the "before," looks better than the "after."

Your kitchen looks really good -- be careful not to mess up a good thing. Remember that anything painted will, inevitably, need to be repainted and can begin to look really awful as it gets that way.

Consider adding only a bold splash of color instead of painting the cabinets. You could paint the window frame your favorite bold color and/or add a bracket over the window for a hanging basket for a plant such as red begonia -- something that has an extended blooming season or looks good with or without blooms and/or use the shelves beside the window for displaying a set of canisters in cheerful color(s) and/or interesting designs that are actually useful.

you already have a few red tools hanging on the backsplash. Adding colorful trivets on the backsplash would be well worth considering, too.

https://www.horseshoe-hardware.com/redcairtesht.html

https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=red+cast+iron+trivet

https://www.brico.com.tw/products/020.htm

all of you people suggesting that 'painting may ruin the cabinets'. let me remind you that these cabinets are coming up on 65 years old.

they aren't in fabulous condition. "messing up a good thing?" What would that be? Pine Beadboard door fronts?? seriously?colorful trivets?

Not everyone wants to live surrounded by vintage 1960. The countertop would be another cleaning nightmare.

Paint them and save up for something from this century.

At the very least, all that wood needs to be completely stripped, sanded and re-varnished, just to bring them back they way they used to look. It's a ton of work to rehab those. They're pine, not some exotic wood.

I do like the pine beams and think they'd look better w/white cabinets.

Be cautious: Sometimes the "before," looks better than the "after."

I have not found that to be the case. If one follows the correct steps, it would be difficult to NOT improve on a knotty pine kitchen that looks like great grandma's house. As Beth said, not everyone wants to live in a kitchen from the past.

Most of the time, an older kitchen made of wood looks better with a new paint job. So does old furniture that is not high value. The beadboard style doors will give some character to the room no matter what color is used. I also think more beadboard for the backsplash will be too much of a good thing, as has been stated. Let’s get through this paint job and then take another look. There could be some amazing, interesting tiles in your future….

I would leave the wood if it were in good shape (painting cabinets is arduous enough... pine cabinets with that many grooves just seems like a fool's errand). I would instead infuse some brightness through new counters and backsplash. All of that beige is doing the wood no favors.

I love the pictures Beth posted. (also I find her suggestions to always be helpful and on target) o saw a kitvjen a while back with beadboad cabinets amd it was repainted navy blue with a white painted tile backsplash, and spray painted rose gold hardware. That was my dream for a long time-then i painted mine and couldnt get the right navy so always looked black. i emded up redoing them with Milesi paint, tinted to SW Rain with gold hardware.

i look forward to seeing what you decide to do.. i very much like the idea of taking off some of the doors and painting inside a different color if you do white cabs.

I think your cabs look good, and from what I can see, look in good condition. Not painting, I would do a new countertop in soapstone or something similar, and backsplash probably painted a white the same as I would paint the soft, or do a subway tile. But, you’ve already taken the doors apart! So I guess it’s full on paint them! It’s going to be a big job! But if it’s diy, Beth has given you some good direction. Good Luck! Looking forward to seeing your end result. But I must say, the pine cabs are not a bad thing, no matter what the new design says. Enjoy your timeless beauty if you can.

Thank you everyone for all the great ideas! I got overwhelmed and so my husband and I put the doors back up this morning. I thought I'd show a photo with the rest of the room (dining room in the same space) to get the full picture. I'm now thinking for now, to paint the backsplash and figure out how to add some color/decor (lighting, curtains, backsplash...). We will try and do a real renovation in 3-5 years. Do I go with an off white for the backsplash? Try to match it to the grout between the logs?

Yes, I'd try the color between the legs. Less colors can make the space seem more cohesive. Agree with your decision!

Have you considered replacing the countertop with something not too expensive (e.g., laminate), that is lighter colored? Also a tablecloth could help lighten the space. Good luck!

Good decision to wait for a major renovation later on.
Yes, painting the backsplash the color of the mortar between the logs is a great idea.
Have you looked into prefab or remnant pieces of stone for your countertop? They’re very well priced.
I would also recommend giving the doors a good cleaning with some 0000 steel wool and wood cleaner. You can enjoy the feeling of a “new” kitchen with new hardware as well.
Your house is charming. Embrace what it is. I also like the idea of a tablecloth to reduce the “all wood all over” look.

Charming house. I suggest painting the white ceiling a brighter white that goes with the white-ish mortar between the logs. Also, if you change your mind and decide to paint the cabinets, a good practice door is the back of one above the fridge. Or practice on the back of a drawer front that unscrews from the drawer if you have that style.

The ceiling is stucco…awful, I know. lol. Can that be painted?

it's not stucco, (at least it shouldn't be!!) it's a spray on texture.

it can be painted, but it can also be sprayed w/water and carefully scraped off (check for asbestos first if you go that route. ) lots of you tube videos on how to scrape popcorn ceilings.

you could also cover it with wood planks. scraping is messy, but it's cheap and rather simple

This link gives you the infor:

https://www.surepropainting.com/2019/06/01/how-to-remove-popcorn-ceiling-8-tips-for-first-timers/

Real stucco ceilings, the kind that are half an inch thick or even thicker, can be painted. They were used in my area in the 1950's-1960's when houses were built with metal lathe and plaster instead of wallboard.

I just happened upon this thread, and I am so happy to learn you are going to leave the cabs as is! I am a big fan of painted cabinets but your kitchen is so charming and is so perfect for your house.

Enjoy it! Nicole

DIY countertops

https://www.thekitchn.com/before-after-a-kitchen-makeover-with-diy-countertops-kitchen-remodel-216424