I would choose the countertop and install it before I thought about backsplash tile options.

the look and lighting in the space will be a factor in choosing the right backsplash.

I kind of need to do them together as the company that will do the countertops also will do the backsplash (and sink)

Update the countertops and backsplash and the cabinets will look worse than they already appear. Do it all or don't do it.

Cabinets should be frameless flush door cabinets to be authentic.

First of all, you don’t have an MCM kitchen. It’s great that you like some things about it nonetheless.

My advice is that you reconsider your plan.

Putting new counter tops on those cabinets is a waste of resources. If you cannot afford new cabinets now, consider waiting for new counters until you can. In the meanwhile, you can put new laminate over your existing counters and replace the backsplash and appliances if you wish. For now, honestly, I’d have your installer install a laminate backsplash. Don’t use tile. If you make changes later, it’ll just be an additional mess to clean up. Here are some laminate options from Formica. There are other brands, many other options as well.

I would paint the backsplash. You need to clean the existing tile well, prime it and then do the final epoxy coat. Lots of steps but the area is small.

Put in a smaller stove top at the same time you re-do the counter top. White is very MCM and will look good.

You can't glue new laminate over the existing counters--not with those beveled edges.

I would leave it alone until you are ready for a total redo. Everything blends, ie floors, counters and backsplash. It is a cool range hood. I see why you like it! Your kitchen may not be trendy, but it’s clean and tidy, and easy on the eyes!

@ci_lantro, sure you can. Cut off the old edging, lay the new laminate, lay the new edging, although I’d rather they just got rid of the bevel.

Cabinets should be frameless flush door cabinets to be authentic

This just isn't true.

The slab door was nearly ubiquitous, but many cabinets were also face frame with a full overlay door, many cabinets were Inset, and there were many modern houses built with face frame 3/8" partial inset cabinets with the knife hinge, construction identical to yours. I know because this latter was what was in the houses designed by the architect who designed my house in 1964/5. My house is no masterpiece, but it's clearly modernist, even with the "wrong" cabinets.

This case study house by Buff and Straub appears to have both flush- full overlay And partial overlay.

The Cree House by Albert Frey has Inset with an exposed hinge

This is pretty clearly the original bathroom cabinetry in this house, although there have clearly been some newer changes.

You can't get any more MCM than these.

I am not saying your house built in 1970 is MCM or not, based on the kitchen alone,--1970 is kind of late for it to some design historians-- but an inset cabinet or an exposed hinge is not something that is going to make the whole thing Not MCM or "inauthentic".

And I don't know about "worse" either? The cabinets appear to be in good physical condition despite being 54 years old. But in this forum that makes them automatically hideous, dated and in terrible condition. Actually that's the prevailing opinion about just about any kitchen from before 2009 in this forum.

If you can get someone to fabricate you a basic, standard edged laminate counter in plain Formica, I would do it if you are not planning to redo the kitchen for a number of years. You will not be able to use the bonded Karran sink, you will need a top mount in that case. unless you want to go to the expense of having that done, and you could probably do a very simple white tile backsplash as well. And sometimes that bevel comes off.

(I was going to do full stainless countertops in my kitchen, and I got tired of trying to find a fabricator who actually wanted to do a residential project and I was not looking forward to spending the money. My carpenter, who is a good carpenter, was able to make a plain laminate countertop onsite and it was not all that expensive. It's perfectly fine. I prefer it over Level 1 granite or anything like that.)

If you think you are going to redo the kitchen in 2 years I wouldn't bother. But, if it is going to be 5 years before you can think about redoing it, or it is unknown when you are going to redo it, why not? People spend more on a vacation that's over in a few day than you could spend on a laminate countertop.

I am not even sure you have a problem with the cabinets. If you don't don't let anybody convince you that you do. Not everyone needs a brand new kitchen that meets 2020s criteria. The forum would like to punish you for not wanting to gut your entire kitchen by making you live with a countertop and backsplash you don't like, indefinitely.

Thank you! I don’t mind the cabinets really and while I love the house in general I don’t know about sinking $30k and probably more into just the kitchen- I was hoping to update the countertops and backsplash to try and get as much life out of them as possible. But I was starting to seriously question whether I should even do that… so thanks for the reassurance! I think a simple countertop and backsplash upgrade- even if it’s just ‘basic’ would go along way

for a few thousand you can probably easily update the counters and backsplash. have some fun with your kitchen. poke around at some counter top sites and there are many visualizer apps, take oics and then yiu can see how new colors would look.

if it were me, i might try burnt orange for the island. take apart each cabinet to a thorough clean and lemon oil, clean all the hardware - will look like new. for the range top, bet if you find an older appliance repair shop (the kind with no website) and get an old timer repair person out, they will tune it up for you

Here's an MCM style backslash tile, very colourful but don't know if you like that!

I love my laminate counter tops. They were not expensive and have held up beautifully since 1995. I have no desire to replace them when I read about the troubles people have with solid countertops despite spending lots of money. The bad seams, the unexplained stains around the sink, the patterns that didn't look like the sample.

I also have laminate countertops purchased from IKEA about 14 years ago. I do not cut on the counters. I would purchase them again as they have held up. People assume the counters were some type of stone until they touch them.

I would go,white countertop and white backsplash. They work with your dark wood cabients.

Find someone to repair the hood. It’s functional but needs a better mechanic than you might have tried. In the new countertop, install a slightly smaller cooktop to enlarge your prep space. If you mostly use 2 burners, you don’t need to give that precious real estate to the cooktop.

Find brighter bulbs or new, inexpensive lighting.

There are many countertop materials that are inexpensive - Formica for sure. Check out remnants at stone yards.

For the backsplash: Use plain subway tiles placed in a herringbone or other interesting pattern if you need some pizzazz, but I don’t think you do.

You can change your hardware by buying pulls in bulk on Amazon.

Here are some darker cabinets like yours. They all have white with white and look great.

I really like the white/white as well - simple and classic and should stand the test of time -I also want to ideally keep the hood but replace the range with something smaller to regain the countertop space! I’m also planning getting a new sink and faucet as well.

Here's white on white with a glossy vertical rectangular backsplash tile. You can also replace the hardware with brushed nickel which would stand out more on the wood cabinets than the ones you have.

Thanks so much for this!

If you are homesteading, you are probably handy.

There's a new material availalbe at Home Depot that you can fabriate yourself that might allow you to do the undermount sink and look a bit updated without spending a fortune, and save the fabrication costs. In my area, finding someone to do a GOOD version of a Formica counter isn't cheap at all.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Kitchen-Countertops-Engineered-Composite-Countertops/THINSCAPE/In-Stock/N-5yc1vZ2fkp3hqZs11Z1z1bygt

maybe this gives you a DIY option that is a bit more upscale and possibly even more cost effective if you are good with tools.

lol I don’t know if I’m handy enough to pull off something like that and have it look good as well! But I appreciate the vote of confidence!

@Carrie, it's coming along very nicely!

It looks really good. What countertop did you use?

Very nice! I’m glad you kept the hood.

Yes the hood is super cool and I love it - it’s even got heat lights and warming racks

It’s a solid surface countertop- I have a small hometown easy care and maintenance area priority #1. But plus side - no seams!

Homestead*

I lpve MCM never in my wildest thought did a 48" range ever appear in a MCM kitchen You don't use it get rid of it it is driving everything . IMO you either do it all as gut job or leave it there is no way to jerry rig this to smeting good without a complete redo. I would not spend one penny on this until I could afford to do it right .That shelf storage abouve the range is the worst possible idea BTW .

Wow @Carrie Leitner Looks great.

Keep in mind it is impossible to have a true MCM style and live a normal life in a kitchen today in 2024- 2025. You have a done a lovely job on focusing on clean lines, and a streamlined aesthetic while incorporating contemporary elements.

Keep in mind the term Mid Century Modern was first refenced as early as 1933. But it was Cara Greenberg that first used the term in the 1950. This movement of design style was beautiful and entire Cities like Brasilia Brazil in 1961 were designed in the MCM style. Clean lines, organic shapes, open floor plans, symmetry, and a connection to nature.

With that said the last thing you would want in a kitchen are the appliances of the 1960s, or asbestos or crappy tiles, counters, .... any of the old things you have removed. Keep making your space a place that YOU love. That's all that really matters. Do you love it? Good, keep making it what you love. You are doing a lovely job!

I love it! Enjoy

I love steel shelves above range tops. Handy place for salt, pepper, oil, tongs, spatulas, thermometers, Maneki Neko (Lucky) Cat, etc.

I don't understand the comment about houses of the era not having such large cooktops, since the one you had was obviously original?

I grew up in a house built in 1969 with a Chambers electric cooktop that was 42" with a 48" stainless steel Thermador range hood like the one you picture without the back piece, just the hood itself.

I nearly bought a c. 1955 Chambers range top that was 42" until I found a smaller one that they made for a short period of time. They made the 42" for many years.

Here's 84" of Chambers cooktop:

No matter what era that cooktop is from, it looks great with the hood in the renovation that was done.

Yes it's a perfectly nice hood and the kitchen is probably a closer fit for the 1970 house than than backsplash and counter from c. 2000 that it replaced. I might even revert to a simpler round knob.

It might have been regional but a white ceramic knob was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s where I live.

I want to say, I really like seeing kitchen renos that are sensitive to the era and style of the house.

Not so applicable to newer houses, which are blank slates - but as the houses get older I think the value - aesthetic, philosophical, maybe monetary - of staying at least somewhat true to the original house increases.

With MCM so popular nowadays, retaining the distinctive original elements of your kitchen was, in my opinion anyway, a worthy call.

Not to say we all need to hunt down 1920's Depression-era ranges and 1960's George Jetson appliances. Kitchens are functional above all else - but the hood is super cool and functional, and the cooktop looks so as well.

I remember, 20 years ago, looking at a house for sale perched high up in the El Cerrito Hills with a three-bridge view. It must have been built by a plywood distributor. The entire inside, every room, was walled with varnished plywood in all its loopy grainy glory. At first I was "ewww". Then I realized how cool and unique that was. Today that is a $2MM house easy and its plywood interior is probably prized by its artistic, design-forward owners, or so I like to think.

What a difference! It looks amazing! I love the white with the cabinets. The black knobs were a perfect choice. I’m glad you kept the hood. It’s perfect for the space and I love the shelf. Congrats!