No point in spending 50K for barely any detectable changes. Wait until you’ve lived there a couple of years and the fund is 200K. Then you can do a real remodel that really shakes things up and changes everything. But, you wouldn’t have to. What you have is actually very up to date and needs no changes. Warm tones and glazing is on the comeback cycle. Just get rid of the gray and call it good.

I'd remove the uppers to the end of the indent and replace with open shelves so you can extend the other uppers to the ceiling.

Post a picture showing what all is to the left of the sink.

@bpath

I wouldn't change a thing. Move in and enjoy it. It's not a bad layout, or a bad look. It's going to be a great backdrop to lots of meal production without $1 spent.

I would want more drawers, so I would not spend any money painting cabinets I didn't like. I would want the desk area gone too. Corner cabinets crowding the window. Maybe a bigger/taller window overall, without the half circle. Isle between island and perimeter looks a bit narrow.

I would take some time to use the space, see how it works and save my money for a full remodel.

In my previous house, I had the money, but still waited seven years before I gutted the kitchen. The wait made me feel better about replacing large/expensive appliances (48" range, 48" fridge, etc).

I wish the house we moved into five years ago had a kitchen like this. This is far from terrible. Like chispa did, I am waiting a while before remodeling my kitchen. I have changed my mind a couple times about how I will change the layout, and I have also been able to see how others in my neighborhood have remodeled theirs when they have the same floorplan. I get that you don't like it - I don't like mine, either, but like yours, it is functional and not bad enough to justify ripping everything out immediately. Give it some thought and save up if necessary to get what you really want if you're planning on staying in this house a while. At least I know when I do mine in a year or two I will have everything well thought out. And I am never moving again! :-)

Sit on your hands for 6 months and then see if these are still the changes you wish to make in the kitchen. I absolutely agree that if your kitchen is more than just a showpiece for takeout meals, you would be wise to take the time and see what does or doesn't work for you functionally, before doing cosmetic updates. If you had baloney pink counters or something, yes I would support some temporary fixes just so you're not glaring daggers at the space in the meantime, but this is a pretty and versatile space for now IMHO.

I think removing the uppers on each side of the window is a good idea but I would leave the area open to highlight both the window walll and the vaulted ceiling.

Square off the window.

A couple of shelves for plants on each side.

I think the rest of the kitchen is fine other than painting the rest of cabinets.

I don't have software but here is a rough sketch to visualize the concept of bare walls with some art prints and plants and new window. Details TBD.

You don’t need $200K to remodel a kitchen, but waiting to move innand see how the space works for you is a good idea. I also understand the allure of getting things done and out of the way. Whatever you decide to do, start with inspiration images of kitchens that have some of the elements you want to keep. It will be a huge help in choosing new finishes.

Begin here and follow me please?

"When I look at the picture I re posted just above? You know what my very FIRST question is?

Where is the darn fridge??! Wherever it is? It

is too far from the sink you do not like! It should be ( guessing here ) where the second oven and micro are located... but that would seem to make a very tight!!! clearance, to what seems to be POSSIBLY ?... a 36 inch island squeezed into a kitchen, and there is a "beyond" we are not seeing that is quite close to that island.

Then this:

"We Just moved into a house and are making some changes to the kitchen.

"We would like to Paint $$$$ the cabinets (they currently have an antique glazing), change the counter tops$$$ backsplash, sink, hood, hardware, add island pendants."

I would ask this:

Were you to have a brand new kitchen, what does it look like?

What is the door and drawer face style?

What is the hood ? Would it have a drop down to a desk?!

My guess is it would be a different kitchen in many ways.

What will happen with your "plan"? Thirty to forty grand, depending labor in your area, will go down the tubes, to get a kitchen that still falls short of the dream kitchen, and it will be those same dollars you can not get back. The fridge will be in the same inconvenient locale?

Nothing in this kitchen will prevent you from making a meal. You certainly will not starve . You save and wait, and this kitchen will still be there, but you will have LIVED with all of the function and non function in the kitchen. The storage.....all of it.

Please stand in the family room or eating area we can not see. Take more pics. If you are up to it, unafraid of truth? Draw and measure the whole space, and upload a very accurate JPEG to the inch accurate. . Pretty please : ) and please wait before you throw money at this.

Its a very nice looking kitchen as it is. I agree, leave it alone, get moved in, use it and enjoy your new house for 6 months at the very least, then, if you still feel it needs something done, that is the ti me to do it, since by then, you will know how it functions for you. Making changes now, when none are needed is foolish, because, you may make a mistake, that you will end up changing in 6 months anyway.

40K of cosmetic changes nothing functional about the space. It's not cripplingly dysfunctional, as would it be with a 30" aisle between the island and counter. It's not optimally functional, as designed by a kitchen design expert. It muddles around the middle, with a few infuriating things, but your family won't starve for fear of treading into it.

How long do you plan to stay in this home? If you will stay less than 5 years, paint the walls some kind of color, move in, and then see what minor tweaks are worth it to you for the money vs time. You will get ZERO added resale to making any changes on a kitchen as new as this. Changes are your own enjoyment only. Like the spa appointment for a massage. It's an expense that you enjoy, but if money was too tight, you'd cut it out.

5-10 years, then the 40K plan for a few functional tweaks that are more expensive and invasive, like removing the looming corner cabinets, and possibly learning to DIY paint the cabinets from the Kitchen Cabinet Painting Experts group on FB. Lighting as a DIY, sure! But electricians are expensive, and to get the lighting plan right will not be cheap. A medium lifespan in the house means learning to invest more time than money with DIY. You won't get a medium contractor labor expense returned either. But if you are careful, then your labor at $0, you could add some appeal.

If you are planning to stay here 10 years plus, then don't do a thing now but save money aggressively and plan. Hire a good kitchen designer for an initial consult, and amass 100-200K, depending on your level of neighborhood. Make those big changes that make the whole thing work better. And do that as soon as you have those funds, so that you can enjoy it those 10-20 years, not at the end. You want it to be "old and dated" by the time you are ready to move out, and then it will have earned that 100K+ expense.

@JAN MOYER here is a picture taken from further back. there isnt much we can do with the actual layout of the kitchen. the wall that comes out on the left is a load bearing wall. The company we are talking with is a refacing company, so they can modify the cabinets as we would like. My initial thoughts were, bring up the desk to be regular height and put drawers underneath. maybe create an appliance garage to the side of the fridge to hide toaster and coffee maker? There is currently a 9" overhang on the island - beefing up the island with legs or side cabinets and bringing that overhang to 12" (clearance is still ok between counter corner and load bearing wall). Mitered edge quartz on island. island pendants. new hardware. new sink. wood hood. new backplash. I think these changes will make a huge difference without changing the actual cabinets/layout. I'd prefer inset but not so much that I'd spend tons on full cabinet replacement. Im just stuck on those glass cabinets next to the window. They crowd it. I was thinking what if we did narrow countertop cabinets with glass doors in place of those but I just cant picture how they would be placed. I also am wondering if we replaced the crown to bring cabinets to the ceiling, and there would just be a bit not brought to ceiling where it becomes vaulted?

Refacing is a big scam. It costs almost as much, or in some cases, MORE, than buying all new cabinets. If you have the big enough money to do all that, and waste all of that money on something that is barely a change to functionality, then you should have the patience to accumulate the rest, and actually fix the gosh darn issues the space has.

I would first get a structural engineer to the site. I'd spent 20K to have a beam that allowed the left wall a removal. We can't tell a thing from the picture, and a cabinet reface company will NOT discourage you- nor will their "designer"

I urge you, please take the time to carefully and accurately draw and measure the entire space?

Take the weekend! This is not a decision you need to make today. You are rushing to cosmetic improvement. Don't do that, and at least not before more exploration?

Dining room is behind that cook wall? Include it in the drawing. Note where all the passages lead.

This is the best advice you will get until someone "Likes" it. Even though you are not liking it: )

MY bet? Someone, not you, already took out a wall.....

and no I didn't miss your question on Reddit: )

@McDonald Enterprises We wouldn't be refacing - we would be working with a refacing company to paint the cabinets. I only mentioned that because they have the ability to modify the cabinets as needed (bringing the desk area up and installing drawers underneath, installing a taller crown, etc) cost is 10k to repaint all cabinets. They are only 10 years old. They are Yorktowne cabinets. It feels silly to replace them even if they aren't my top choice in style. I think some fresh paint, adding some features like countertop cabinets, and new hardware can do a lot for way less than a full remodel.

Can you point out what dysfunctional things you are seeing that you think should be changed?

The OP asked "Would it look weird to have our cabinets hitting the ceiling everywhere but where the ceiling is vaulted?" Answer: yes.

The proposed work costs a lot of money for almost no return in function and for slight changes in appearance. The factory paint finish is a lot tougher than what a painter can achieve in your house without taking the cabinets out to the shop to strip and refinish.

Change the knobs and live with your kitchen for six months or a year. Then you will have new ideas about how to tailor your kitchen to get exactly what you want.

We all understand the "refresh" urge. We see it here nearly every day.

To measure....and to upload a drawing will cost you nothing but some time.

You might be shocked, pleasantly, at what comes back to you.

At the same time, you're welcome to ignore that....and plunge. Your home and nobody here can stop you. But you've asked TWO sites: ), yes?

I quickly skimmed through the responses and photos and i couldn’t find an answer to the time you plan to stay. This makes it tough to answer but I would not go through as planned as i think the kitchen is poorly laid out. Your sink and refrigerator are in different zip codes. The aesthetics are livable but the design/layout will wear thin. Live with it a while before you do anything.

@JAN MOYER I did the measurements to the best of my ability. I'm eager to hear your thoughts. With all of the windows and doors, it was my assumption that theres not much room to rearrange the layout here, which is what led me to think a facelift is my best bet. (the house is only 10 years old)

@Anna Devane we plan to be here for 10+ years. I posted the measurements above. I agree the fridge is very far from the sink, but I'm not too sure theres many other options.

: ) thank you! Shall return!

Just eyeballing it it looks like the fridge could swap places with the double ovens. Let’s see what Jan comes up with.

Well... slight glaze or no glaze, you have the ‘requisite white cabinets’... so I don’t understand the cabinet problem. And taking cabinets to the ceiling is great if you like climbing ladders.

The fridge is far - but I assume that you don’t use everything that’s stored in the gigantic fridge at the same time. If it were me, I would tear out/alter some of the lower cabinetry in this area (marked in blue, below) and install an under counter fridge setup:

And I would bring in new counter stools and maybe change the backsplash or just remove it and paint the wall.

https://www.roveconcepts.com/aubrey-counter-stool?

That would pretty much be it for me. The white cabinets are not really my thing - I prefer wood. But I would be fine with them. I have other things that I can do money. :)

Well. : )

More than several things? Orientation same.....

List of irritating things:

Clearances all, inadequate ( due to the WALL.)

Miles away fridge - sized to feed 8! @ 48"

The load bearing ( ? ) wall blocking convenient exit/ access to slider/ deck from breakfast area and kitchen prep to a grill

Alas.......

Following the pizza, and too many &^%$# ciggy's, and again this am and even after an attempt at relocating access to dining room, you realize that a floor plan via a builder or arch can buy you a lot of these inconveniences as can appliance selection.

Can you move the 48" fridge ? Not the best as it turns out. Crowds the cooker, and would loom left of the sink even minus the wall , unless a reduced size. It's a luxury 48" and could last another ten years or more.

What DOES become clear? minus the dreadful &*^% wall, a rotation of island a boost in size helps. Far better clearances, the need for a prep sink , no matter how many are cooking same time . Hide shelving where the "crowding the sink window" cabinets are. Move the extra oven, tuck a drawer micro under counter and closer. Pray the wall could be cut back or gone....even if it meant a post @ window end of island....

What would I do? Nothing for six months! Live with these inconveniences a bit longer.

Get a structural engineer to the site. Get an independent pro KD, (not a cabinet salesman) to the site.

What wouldn't I do? Rip up counters, add molding, change hoods, or anything else until more investigation and more time......living with it. It's far from ugly, and it won't get worse while you wait.

What did we learn here?: ) The tape measure is STILL your "friend" more than it could ever be your mortal enemy.

@JAN MOYER Thank you so much for laying this out. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. I've actually explored the idea of rotating the island but if we did that, it would actually eat up the eat-in kitchen area, which is essential with two small children. I definitely don't want to lose space to have a table in the kitchen. it would need to be a much shorter island if it went in that direction, which isnt as ideal. I didnt include measurements that way, so i apologize. I'm thinking if the load bearing wall came down, though, we would have the potential to beef up the island. I just need to figure out if it's really worth it to spend the extra to go the beam route, to essentially still have the same layout, at the end of the day.

To me it would be worth the decrease in perceived luxury to sell the huge fridge and get a typical counter depth one to go where the wall ovens are, creating a lovely L with island layout (possibly different sized island) that has the Actual luxury of no traffic through the middle of your kitchen activity and the fridge within arms reach!
Another unrelated thought is that with an eat in kitchen, you don’t need numerous seats at the island.
The advice to live with it for several months is still the best single thing you can take from this thread. You’ll get a much better sense of your priorities or surprising non priorities for improvements.

"I've actually explored the idea of rotating the island but if we did that, it would actually eat"

And I just caught my mistake. %$$##

Where you wrote "window" on the sink wall.

The little marks made for the window made your 86" window look like the whole wall, and the note below made it appear the WINDOW was 135.5" . !!! Soooory!!

But here's the real point ( I will come back to this later) it's the wall!! and it's 5 feet of encroachment and your 114" island with no prep sink( too darn long ) and yes you can have a better island.

I will be back

Give us the exact width of slider wall, the whole thing.....: )

@JAN MOYER Sorry - not too great at drawing floor plans! Here is some more measurements of that side

xoxoxo!

Got derailed in clients: ) Hang in

@JAN MOYER Circling back here - we spoke with an engineer and size of the beam thats needed to remove the wall is not an option. would require a crane to be delivered into the home and the labor associated with the job is just too extreme. We have two options - we can put a lighter beam but it wouldn't be flush with the ceiling, there would be an 8" drop down. Another option would be leaving the load bearing posts and removing the rest of the wall to give some level of "openness" but we would still have floor to ceiling posts at the end of each wall. Neither is great! I really wish there was a way to beefen up the island another way. I think making is not as long, would create too much space on the ends? Would love any insight you may have

"Circling back........."

You need to do some really good homework here.

See below? You need to get that kitchen ACCURATELY on one drawing. You don't need a program, you just need a sharp pencil. See how it has walls, how one little square of graph paper equals six inches, and how every single thing has a dimension?

Then you highlight where the support beam is, what might be able to open. A header isn't the end of the world....But start from really good information: )

I agree nothing done for a min 3-6 months that will give you tinme to do a proper to scale plan and also let you find out what works and what does not for how you use a kitchen. I would start by not thinking about a huge $$$$$$$ outlay for dated cabinets which you will begin to wreck when removing the ones by the window. Slow down and really understand what you need .

@JAN MOYER Here is our contractors layout. Support beams are where the blue dots are. My edit is in red - the wall with the french door is not flush with the other wall, it is actually about 10" forward, as displayed.

Your white kitchen looks very clean and simple.
Have you considered adding a black stainless steel hood cover? It could help tie everything together and make the overall kitchen design feel more cohesive.