The floor bothers me more than anything, it’s the installation. It looks like all the tiles came from the same box, so same pattern on each, and only occasionally reoriented.

Oh goodness. You’re right. Now I can’t unsee that. I think I’m going to get a rug

One update in 2025 would be replacing the otr micro with an exhaust hood 6" wider than the induction range or cooktop and oven. Another update would be an undermount single bowl sink. We don't see the frig run. An update you aren't looking at is all drawer wide where possible, base cabs. Better task lighting over the counter edge at work zones to avoid shadowing is an update.

Here's a video to give you an idea about the steps to get a quality finished product.

where is the fridge positioned ? show the entire kitchen ....for all the adjustments [cab painting/ appliances/counter/backsplash] the entire space should be evaluated and any improvements in layout, within the context of actual replacement of cabinets......Your costs will be approaching that anyway.

Those floors need to go!

If the paint quality on your cabinets is still good, then I would not repaint them. Just give them a good cleaning. They are neutral enough. It is a tremendous amount of work to get a factory finish quality paint job as a DIY project (see video below) and getting a truly professional cabinet painter to do it will cost as much as new cabinets.

Changing bad flooring is expensive, but designing around bad flooring is like throwing your money away. If you can’t afford to do the floors, consider delaying thie update until you can.

The almond appliances are glaringly brought against the dark flooring and the cabinets. Save your money for a future re-do. If you don’t use current cabinets, remove them carefully so they can be sold or donated.

The appliances look white to me. Was almond still available in 1994? I hadn’t seen it since the early ’80s. (Almond was the developer option in my first apartment and condo)

I’m curious as to why you’re willing to change everything except the flooring?

If you don't plan on replacing the floor, I suggest you paint the kitchen cabinets white. You can also replace the countertop and backsplash with a white quartz marble with a subtle gray veining. I'm showing brass hardware and faucet.

The cabinets and counters look way older than 1994 ...

I agree with @chispa. Those cabs look older than 1994. Even the kitchen I renovated in 1990 were full overlay with interior hinges…and, there weren’t any staggered cabinets.

The house was built in 1994

@lisedv wow I love that! Thank you so much for the picture!! It was hard to invision

@AiFL Some make think I’m crazy but I like the dark green floor. I feel like the fluorescent light above my kitchen is not being nice to the floor or cabinet color.

Without replacing the cathedral arched cabinet doors, the kitchen will never be brought out of 1994, and into 2025. Plus partial overlay with exposed hinges hasn’t been a current look for many, many years.

And sorry…but those floors…😳

@lisedv What would something like this be eatimated to cost? I’ve never done a kitchen remodel before and debating if I ahould paint the cabinets myself.

@s m

I wasn't able to reproduce the arch on the wall cabinet doors but the overall look of the kitchen painted white with the green floor and new countertop & backsplash (as suggested above) would be quite close to the look of the kitchen once painted white (a white to match the appliances). I do use AI for some of the mock ups I submit (but not all) and I do give very specific instructions when using AI.

@HU-912309197

Someone above posted how to DIY paint your kitchen, it's a long process. If you plan on keeping your kitchen cabinets for a long time, I suggest you look into having it done professionally (prices differ depending on where you live). You can also look into refacing your cabinets (again look into a supplier in your area for pricing).

@lisedv The AI version that you created is similar to a spot the differences exercise in what creates good vs bad design. The AI version has fixed the scale and balance issues in the original kitchens cabinetry in a way that is not recreated without at least replacing several of the cabinets and the doors. AI can be a useful tool but it is not just about how you prompt it, it is also about being willing to see the examples that it creates that are useful vs unrealistic.

@s m

I agree that AI is not always a 100% copy of the image you put into it but in this instance I find the differences are minimal and the OP I'm sure is able to see the differences. In this case, the idea was to give an overall idea of what the OP's kitchen would look like painted white (instead of cream) with the green floor. Had it been far from what the end look would be, I wouldn't have posted it.

In this instance I did use the picture the OP supplied, decluttered in AI ,then asked for paint and manually added the runner which was hand drawn..

I mostly use AI to declutter rooms (empty all or partially ). I then choose my own furniture and accessories that I send to AI to place in the rooms where I want the furniture located resulting in of a seamless mock up instead of a cut & paste. Let me tell you it,s a long process and AI doesn't make the decisions for me.

There are groups on FaceBook that are related to painting - I've read some where there are pros who provide information to DIYers on how to correctly prep kitchen cabinets + what brands of cabinet refinishing products to use (not consumer paint from BM or SW - there are products from Renner/Milesi that can be used by a DIYer as long as the instructions provided by pros are followed).

If you are going to have the cabinets painted professionally, I would replace the current doors with doors in an updated style (if you replace the doors, you will also be able to change the doors from partial overlay to full overlay style + use hidden hinges + can have some lower door cabinets converted to drawer cabinets). A true cabinet refinishing company will be $$ - do not hire someone to spray your cabinets with a regular paint bought off the shelf at a retail SW/BM (or other) store. The coating will not last.

Many people will jump in and comment that replacing the doors costs almost the same amount as replacing the entire cabinets. That is not true (maybe it used to be awhile ago - but not anymore). You can have doors made for $12 SF (look on Etsy - there are many sellers). My sister used Raile Cabinetry located in Kansas - they sell on Etsy + are on FB and instagram. Raile will also professionally finish your new doors (there is an extra charge for it obviously - you can select any SW paint color).

Below is a photo from Raile Cabinetry:

If you have the doors professionally finished, you would only have to do the cabinet boxes = you can do them yourself + they are mostly hidden by the new doors/drawer fronts.

If you really like your floors, then you should keep them - I would listen to lisedv and paint the cabinets white + use a white countertop.

You also could paint your current floors/use stencils on them/install Floor Pops (or similar) type stickers that are specifically made for updating floor tile). If you decide to paint them, find a blog or YouTube video that provides all of the prep steps + what type of paint to use.

Chris Loves Julia designed Floor Pops:

Used in C & J's own home:

Photos below are from people who have posted them on various social media:

Photos from reviews on Amazon:

Before:

After:

Floor Pops have many different designs in a lot of colors and styles.

Below are floors painted using stencils:

Some people paint their tiles all the same color in order to turn the floor into one solid color. Below the person painted the entire floor gray - but decided to add stencils (in a checkerboard pattern):

In the below photo, the original tile had a lot of texture - the homeowner decided to still paint the tiles (it looks a lot better than the original tiles):

A simple addition was added to a solid black painted floor:

One last painted floor:

Before the internet, what people were doing finish-wise was much more regional. The area where I grew up was probably a good ten years behind what was happening in the metro coastal areas. And even here, I had a friend whose parents bought a new house in 1979 and the bathrooms were straight out of the late sixties. I think the developer bought a bunch of new old stock. But people weren't as immersed in what was the latest thing nationwide like we are now.

My SO sold one of my former neighbor's condo units, and this was the floor in their kitchen. They did their kitchen around the same time I was doing mine (1996). And a co-worker Just finished a partial kitchen remodel and she put a dimensional tile feature (medallions) straight out of the American Faux Tuscan movement--in November 2025.

Even now with the internet, many people are surprisingly not up on current trends.

I agree that I would change the floor. But I don't think the floor color, dated as it is, is the problem with those cabinets. It's the combination of the yellow cabinets with that beigey Band-Aid color countertop. (And I don't dislike the beigey Band-Aid color in the right place)

I am not suggesting this as a solution. But I don't think it's the floor that is the problem (except for the repetitive pattern). The color works with the cabinets. I think it's the countertop and wall color that really fight the current cabinets.

I toned down the floor pattern, put black on the countertop as a default, and a pale yellow backsplash color, and it makes the cabinets look much different. Still yellow, but not as objectionable without the white appliances and BandAid countertop.

I like the current cabinet color with the flooring much more than I like the white with the flooring. But as OP said, the overhead light is probably throwing off what the colors actually look like.

The basic color scheme Lisadv presents is more attractive than the current combination. If the real life mismatch between floor-cabs- wall is less jarring than it appears here, then work on simpler fixes. If you are determined and have a chunk of time you may be able to make a go of painting the cabs despite all those pesky detail areas.

I would certainly paint the walls and get rid of the ceiling molding and maybe the cupboard over the sink, improve lighting. Change the counter to something that blends with the cabinet or new wall color as inexpensively as possible.

The cluttered corner by the knife block would make me bonkers because that appears to be the prime prep surface.

Better but still a 90's kitchen

I’m sure we all realize that current style (separate from function) is only perceptually better than ’in’ style of 35 years ago

@lisaam It's tricky.

Good examples of 80's and 90's design would be dated in some aspects, color choices, wood species/stain, tile choice, wallpaper etc. but the overall scale and balance was still there. Builder approaches to kitchen design in the 80's and beyond often ignore the importance of the basics of aesthetics, what makes a space look good. My last late 80's, early 90's builder installed kitchen had 3 foot soffits for no reason except maybe to keep the cost of cabinetry lower. A room with 9 and half foot ceilings looks ridiculous with 36 inch cabinets and a soffit that slightly overhangs no matter what style the cabinetry is, much like the strange choice in cabinet sizes and placement in the OP's kitchen.

This was my very tiny kitchen (about 40 sq feet, with a 6'6" ceiling) completed in 1996. It has a cream colored with darker cream speckled vinyl floor: back then such plain things were available in middle and upper quality vinyl floors. Very similar appliances to the OPs, only available in white at my price point.) There was granite around the cooktop. Early shaker door had slight bevel on the inset.

Wow, @palimpsest, a 6’6” ceiling! The top of my father’s head would’ve touched that ceiling! My brother, @6’4”, almost would!