Additional photos:

I would paint kitchen cabinets maybe white. I had those exact cabinets and added a picture molding to the front of them to give a raised panel like dimension to them. Everyone will tell you not to paint but if you do it yourself (very rewarding) and take your time to prep you will be amazed at what a difference it will make. I did mine in a colonial blue that lasted almost 35 years until a house fire caused us to remodel the kitchen. Use a low sheen but durable finish. I used oil based back in the day. Also, I would paint your ceilings flat white, it seems you have a sheen on them.

Thanks!

I am really torn because i love vintage kitchens. that said i can see the water damage on some of the base cabinets etc. keep in mind if you paint 1- will you replace the hinges because that will affect your knob and handle choice 2- you will need to research covering knotty pine paneling because the sap will bleed through and 3- it you dont do a good job prepping and use enamel paint it chips off no matter how careful you are. As for a color i would go cream in the tile or almost burgundy/ cranberry to complement the tile but i see the fireplace is the same color so it may be too much and too dark. good luck!

Kitchens of that era were shellac finishes mostly. Thats a very easy DIY finish to repair and work with. Those wood cabinets have great vintage charm! They also will add that note of warmth that would be needed to be added back if you painted everything. I’d suggest painting the walls, not the cabinets. That’s a difficult enough job!

To do the wood walls (or cabinets) you need to clean everything well with Krud Kutter, sand it well, remove the dust, and then apply the BIN white shellac alcohol based primer. Scuff sand again, and do a second primer coat. Then roll on Benjamin Moore Advance in the satin finish. 2 coats. Allow to cure for 30 days before subjecting to normal wear and tear.

For your kitchen cabinets, here is something you can do that would improve and update the look.

You can't hide your washer and dryer but being white they will blend in with the white cabinets. You can however install a removable shelf and side panel (shown below) to hide the plumbing.

As someone else above mentioned, I would repaint the ceiling in a matte white finish. You can also update the lighting fixtures (Amazon, Home Depot and such places have nice affordable options).

As for your living room, without room dimensions showing windows, doors, etc. there's not much to say as to furniture layout.

Have fun with your project!

Thanks everyone very much! We really appreciate the comments and links.

Hi Pete VA, I don't know where you're at in your project but just saw this picture on Houzz and though it's maybe something you can do for your kitchen, shiplap cabinets. Interesting and quite nice!

Here's the link for all the information:

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/new-this-week-7-kitchen-details-you-might-not-have-considered-stsetivw-vs~136020971?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u50283&utm_medium=email&utm_content=scrs.lc&newsletterId=50283

I thought you were talking about a Rambler car!

I would clean up those cabinets but keep them and the handles. What a wonderful vintage look. Then I'd replace the countertops with a white granite or quartz. Put the money there.

Not a great solution, but would at least lessen the impact of the white appliance. If you search under magnetic appliance skin, there are lots of options ---- .etsy option

Some photos of the finished update. Thanks again for comments!

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Looks great! What color did you use on the cabinets? Looks like a nice, soft Greige?

Poetic Light (behr). My wife picked it after much debate :)

She chose well!