Dark floors will show all the dust and dirt. Unless you are a super neat freak and enjoy constant cleaning, I would reconsider. Believe it or not, I've had a white kitchen floor for over 20 years and I love it! - It always looks clean. How about a middle level color for the cabs - not dark and not light? There are a lot to chose from. I wouldn't get into a gray color - that's been done and over. How about an middle level aqua or light teal for the cabs, or a middle level navy? See some ideas here: https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/transitional-kitchen/nqrwns 

Funny how we all see things differently.

I like the color of the wood cabinets and I like the tile floors. The grout wasn't sealed and is dirty and needs recolored, but the tile itself is fine.

The one thing I don't like is the yellow green beige countertops.

What are the colors of the rest of the house? You shouldn't pick colors one room at a time, but develop a color scheme for the entire house so that all the colors work together.

If it all functions and is in good condition, I would get just new cabinet doors and paint the frames. Take off the molding across the top, and do something else with the pantry area. Either open it up enough to do one set of tall doors or make it a step in.

If you are staying in this home? Start a piggy bank for the kitchen you really want.

If you must do something DIY now? Forget gray. Paint the cabinets if you must. A soft white that goes with the counters. Same paint flat finish on walls. Change cabinet hardware. An inexpensive soft white subway for splash.

Truth is it's a fifty plus year old kitchen. It has done its time.

First thing to suggest is decluttering.

What dates your kitchen the most is the style of the arched doors on the cabinets. I would replace the doors in addition to painting the rest. Just know that a really good professional paint job is quite expensive. A less expensive paint job may not last long.

I have slate grey tiles on my kitchen floor. I love the look but they show more dirt than any other kitchen floor I have had.

I would not paint your cabinets. Change out the arch doors and stain them the same color as your cabinets are now.

Update the pantry area (as mentioned be @Rachel Lee) pull it all off the wall and add a door.

As for the floor, add indoor outdoor area rug to bring all the colors together. I have them in my kitchen. Mine done curl up and have not become a tripping hazard. Use a grip pad underneath. They are easy to clean, vacuum and brings so much color to the space.

It's the doors and, to some extent, the counters that are dating your Kitchen.

I would not paint (wood is coming back in style). Change the doors, if you can, and see how it looks.

If you cannot match the stain (a professional should be able to do so), maybe consider re-facing? However, like a good paint job, that can be expensive as well.

Painting your cabinets will not change the door style -- and that's the item that's dating your Kitchen the most.

Have you thought about re-doing the Kitchen to fix functional layout issues? If so, I would not do anything now (other than de-clutter) and save your money to do it right.

If you replace the cabinets down the line, you can get better functioning cabinets/drawer bases.

Tile floor...you will need to demolish the existing floor b/f putting in a new floor. That may be costly, especially since they will have to work around existing cabinets, etc., as well as worry about damage to the cabinets. I think it would be better to do it all at once, not piecemeal.

Again, save your money for a couple of years and then do it all.

It is definitely not the best functioning kitchen, hence the clutter because there is not enough room to put things away.
We will re-do the entire kitchen eventually, but that is 5 yrs down the road.

I think for the time being I’ll try new cabinet doors and test different colors, the brown color that has now and a light warm white or graige-ish.

I’ve been trying to soften the entire house with lighter colors as the floors are dark (bitten up) wood floors and fire place is also dark, and since the windows face north and south, not a lot of natural light comes in. So maybe light cabinets will look better.

On the photo below you’ll see the wood floors and park of the fire place on the left. I’ll be painting the door the color of the walls in satin so it’s not the main focal point.

I think an area rug with some color under your table, might help brighten things up a bit too. From what I see, there is a lack of color, to add interest.

The cost of doing things twice is something you want to avoid.

I know you want things lighter and brighter, but do you have a color scheme in mind?

If you plan out your general "Whole Home" color palette you can drive toward an ultimate goal. If you buy and replace and paint and do without a plan you may end up with rooms that don't work well together.

Here are a couple of examples of homes with whole home color palettes

Every cent you spend in lipstick on the unfortunate "face" Is a cent you will want up the road.

Delay is an ally, and a challenge.But usually worth it. You won't die :)

Grout recoloring is an easy DIY project that doesn't cost much at all and can make a huge difference.

@Jennifer Hogan suggestion for the floor is a great idea. That might be your starting point. A bit of reorganising might to a long way in helping to clear the bench tops. In the hope that there is an outlet on the jug side of the stove, I would move the bench top oven to the other side of the stove, and any racks could go on top. Re-examining where things are in the kitchen cupboards might help. I know once I have placed things in a cupboard, they rarely move and always go back there! It’s not always the best place, but is the place I found😆.

I disagree with the other posters. If you plan to remodel in 5 years, I would DIY paint the cabinets a color that works with your countertop and other rooms. If you take time and care, a DIY paint job can look fantastic and you’ll be happier until you can create the kitchen of your dreams.

I've been waiting over 30 years for a new kitchen so waiting 5 seems very doable (paying Ivy tuition, paying off all debt, saving and investing took precedence : ) That said, I did replace all appliances with high-end ones, and my old kitchen functions beautifully. I keep it clean and uncluttered, and I am just now selecting new cabinets, floor, etc. IMHO: If you really can't wait, paint the cabinets, declutter, organize, and maybe replace the floor tile.

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”

― Albert Einstein

If you plan to remodel in 5 years -- wait, don't spend any $$ now. Save that money to put towards the remodel. Painting will NOT make it look more current and DIY painting is NOT easy to do, at least if you want it to last more than a few months b/f chips and wear start to show. It is a rather long process and a lot of work to do it right (it has to last at least 5 years). Chipped & worn paint will look much worse than what you have now.

I waited 13 years to remodel and I'm glad I didn't waste my money on cosmetic changes that would not last long. We saved rather than make temporary changes and were able to do what we wanted when we finally did it. I love my "new" Kitchen and still marvel at it almost 15 years later! (Bought in 1995, saved until 2008 to remodel, and in 2023, still love it!)

Agree with @Buehl and i would tackle the floor grout for sure per @Jennifer Hogan

i think the dark cabs and white walls are really stark - i might try to add some greens and texture to warm up the space - things like:

- wallpapering the wall with the inset cabs a darker color to camoflauge the cabs a bit

- replacing the blind with a bamboo shade hung above the window to not block any light

- replace the counter stools with stools that are simpler - maybe rattan

- try to get rid of all the sink clutter

- is that dark brown door an exterior door? if you won’t be closing that off for a remodel down the road the I would think about a glass door there

I have never seen cabinets built into a wall. What is going on there? Duct work? Pipes? Do a quick floor plan, you will get some good ideas for a future reno. I also think you should live with it for a few years and then get a really functional and pretty kitchen.

You have a dish drainer on the countertop next to the dish washer. That’s clutter. Wash, dry and put away the dishes that can’t go in the dishwasher. If you think you don’t have clutter, clean out 4 cabinets and see if there is stuff packed in there that is well beyond an expiration date, or just not needed.

I wonder if the "pantry" previously held the fridge and, if not, could it? Having the fridge there would improve the layout. Maybe a counterdepth, built-in model. Then get some kind of wall unit for storage where the fridge is now.

I have seen built in cabinets like that, but, it was a wall oven in the space. I wonder if someone put the stove in where the stove top had once been, and removed a wall oven and used the doors, to cover the oven opening. I notice, they dont go quite to the bottom of the opening, and it leaves a shelf there, for cook books etc.

Yah the build-in the wall cabinets are so bizarre. I’ve thought of moving the fridge there but my plan was to knock down the wallwhere the fridge is right now to make it an open area leading into the living room but… I really like the idea from @latifolia. The kitchen does need storage desperately!
I also like @jenniferhogan’s idea to paint the floor grout but we use the kitchen a lot, wouldn’t the grout get stain with food drops and such?? I’ve never used grout before but my guess is that if it’s white grout it would get dirt real quick? Unless I’m missing anything ??

The original grout was not sealed and why it became so dark.

The re-colorant requires that you clean the old grout (get all the grease off) and scrub in the new colorant (I used a tooth brush) and then applying a second coat that completely covers the old grout. The colorant has a sealant so it cleans easily.

The first time I recolored grout I had an issue with the area directly in front of my stove. I had not gotten all the grease removed and the colorant lifted after a couple of months of mopping. I simply re-cleaned the area and re-applied the colorant and didn't have any issues the second time around.

I recolored all the grout in my last home (1700 sf of tile). I recolored the grout in my foyer (7'x20') with slate flooring.

I mop and clean just the way I always did without any issues other than that one space that I failed to clean well enough to remove all the grease the first time I did it.

Here's an example of what it would look like when painting arched cabinets...

I agree with others,

If you plan on redoing your kitchen in 5 years, I would save your $ for then.

Keeping it as is would motivate me to save $ faster or a complete remodel sooner.

Now I’m testing the coloring of the grout and I don’t think it’s looking good…. Maybe the grout color is too white?? Also I feel like the lines are not strait enough. I might end up not doing it. It seems like it won’t come out nicely.

I would use a color as close as possible to the color of the tile. The color you selected is too light. In this case you want it to blend into the tile color so the lines are as close to invisible as possible. Did you watch any how to videos? It takes a couple of practice tries to get the pressure right when going over the top of the grout like so that you remove the grout from the tile and not from the grout. One you get the pressure right the lines will be fine.

Small but real suggestion. switch your faucet for something higher and more of a statement. It will make a difference!

I dont think five years is a short time. Painting your cabinets will take a couple days. The paint will make a huge difference and last several years. Do it!

Are you really good at diy? If so, you can make some changes on the cheap to make it more livable until you get enough to redo the kitchen properly. You can fill in those arches with bondo and sand smooth, frame in the frig, paint, and new hardware.

Tip: change the color of your grout in an inconspicuous spot first, to try out colorsl, like inside a closet.

I would incorporate some of the colors in that countertop onto to the walls, trim, doors. Gel stain the cabinets a dark gray. Then add color and texture with a window treatment, rugs, artwork,

I wouldn't worry about the grout lines right now . But that's just what I think.

Hello all! It’s been almost a year since this post and the kitchen still a project at hand. Now I’m thinking of using Retique to change color of the cabinets to a lighter one like the photo below. Does anyone have had experience with Retique before and/or do you think a lighter wood color will go well with the counter tops as they are and the floors?

Retique is like a DIY kit.