Congrats on your new home! I'd go with white cabinets since you have brown countertops. I think it will also match nicely with your flooring. For paint, I'd go with a light beige color. This color combination will really brighten up your space. Happy decorating!

I don't see any immediate changes that would make enough difference for 1 year to be worth the effort. For instance, I think the floor is the ugliest thing there, and the brown countertops are #2, and the mismatch of black and stainless appliances is #3. The cabinet color is the least of your issues and I really don't think white would be that much of an improvement. I'm with your husband.

The lowest budget solution would be to do nothing for a year. Next would be take down the wall paper, add the new peel and stick vinyl floor tiles that look like tile or wood, especially if you can match your floor color in the adjoining room. Painting the doors might be tricky given they are metal. If salvaging, the normal advice is to take to an automotive paint shop to be sprayed for a perfect, durable finish. But now the dollars will start adding up so it's more a solution for the medium haul, like a five year wait to remodel. You could try spray painting with a metal spray paint, but start with the back of one door to see if you get a good durable result. (When painting any cabinet, allow a few weeks for the paint to fully cure.). If you decide just live with it, strip wall paper and paint walls a neutral except above the cabinets. There I'd color match them so the cabinet color extends to the ceiling. Great open kitchen and some of us like the wood counters.

The easiest and cheapest change will be to repaint your walls. Add solid or ombred area rugs to break up the floor pattern, and accent coolur (wheatish yellow, green, delft patterns)) for towels, mats and centerpiece.

Was this a add on? Looks not to code? Very strange ceiling tiles? So no over head lights? It needs the gutted. Don't waste time, money or energy on it. Start looking on Internet and Houzz site for ideals, when you are ready to redo.

though change may be necessary, considering that you have moved in not too long ago, any low budget solution beyond paint, could be costly. consider that you want your dream kitchen and each day write down how you want to function and where you want your storage needs to be accommodated and if you want to have an island etc. - look at your kitchen a bit longer and move each day in the direction of your dream kitchen

Congratulations on your new house. A few questions:

1) What are your long term plans to change the kitchen?
2) Does "low budget" mean "3 cans of paint and a lot of elbow grease" or does it mean a thousand dollars?
3) Is the floor vinyl or ceramic tile?
4) Is there a brand name on the cabinets somewhere? Check a few insides of drawers and inside cabinets.

By the way, if you just bought the house, you may want to look into buying a yearlong home warranty if they are available in your area. Some plans offer a good deal as protection against major expenditures such as the a/c and furnace, large appliances, etc. Read the plan carefully before buying, though, as a lot of stuff is not covered, and check the company reputation on the ubiquitous web complaint sites.

New wall colour and artwork:
http://images.myperfectcolor.com/repositories/images/colors/MPC00102971-2.jpg

http://www.gonnystuut.nl/images/delft_blue_painting.jpg

I say leave it and focus on other things in the house until you get to do the entire thing over. It can be a conversation piece until you take a sledgehammer to it....but keep the cabinets for the garage.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! Low budget is basically paint for the cabinets and paint for the walls. It is a conversation piece! The prior owners were the athletic directors at a Big 10 school and everything in the home is peacock blue - which I love - but it just seems so overwhelming in the morning!

Thought about quarantining off the kitchen with tape and plastic and just spray painting them.

Soberg - I kinda like the floor. (Lol) but it is dirty and dingy.
I have 60 pieces of travertine but don't want to have it installed because of new cabinets and the
wall being taken down.

Travis - nope it is the original kitchen. The ceiling is weird and low. There are some lights above the sink - and under every cabinet.

We will be taking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room to open it up.

Natalie - I will definitely be saving these cabinets for the garage. I love how you can attach anything to them with a magnet.

Thank you all for your advice. Ill probably go with Granite Grannies's advice with a bit of Studio10001's advice with the artwork (but ill have my kids draw it!)

:)

What is your style? I see this kitchen with a modern white table and chairs - try ikea since you're on a budget. And then id paint the walls even if over the wallpaper. I actually am into everything else at least temporarily. I think it's kind of cool :)
Just for chair and table style - there is similar at ikea
http://houzz.com/photos/825139

An article that may help with working with what you have
http://houzz.com/ideabooks/1393687

Thanks for explaining your plans.

Since you kinda like the floors, I suggest you try a Hoover Floormate to clean them. They run $120 on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-FloorMate-SpinScrub-Vacuum-FH40010B/dp/B003A2IDMC/ I'm not sure if the carpet cleaners you can rent at the supermarket have the right kind of brushes for this floor, but that might be another option for cleaning the grime off.

Then give them a coat of Pledge Future floor wax for easy maintenance thereafter. It really works well. Mop and Glo is another option. http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-11182-27oz-Pledge-Futureshine/dp/B000ARPH4C/

Honestly, I think the cabinets and floors are kind of cool but the ceiling and wallpaper...um no. Still I think with a little paint and a few accessories this room could look kind of young and cool in a kitchy way.

Need another coat on the cabinets - but otherwise woohoo!

That looks great!! I like the floor...kinda cool:)

Love the brown paint and the no-longer-blue cabinets. The floor looks like it belongs there now.

I love the floor tile !

You could just change your cabinet pulls, for some white ones that will recall the backslash and will interrupt the ocean of blue

Paint the wall charcoal. Replace the countertop with something whitish. And put in a metal table?

This is over 2 years old. For those who are new, Houzz has a key word generator that pulls up old threads based on what you're reading that are displayed on the right hand side of the page under the Related Discussion tab. If you click on one of these, check the date before you respond as most are old and long dead.

change the floors to a medium dark brown and paint to a soft neutral beige by benjamin moore or use the behr app.get rid of the blue! this is my kitchen .hope this helps.