I love old Midcentury Modest kitchens like this!

IMO - The more you emphasize it's vintage character, the better off you (and your pocketbook) will be.

To get ideas and an appreciation of vintage kitchens of this era, look at Retrorenovation.com

How about painting the cabinetry out in an off-white or light grey and replacing the knobs and pulls with either stainless or black in a style you enjoy?
I think it would look great if you even did a two tone palette, with the lower cabinets a darker color then the top.
If you want to keep the wood character consider staining them a darker color ( like a dark walnut).

If your planning on giving this room a major facelift soon ( 2-3 years) then I would just stop at the paint. If your not planning on a major facelift, then I would go step by step and over time tackle replacing the appliances and your cook top hood, replacing the back splash and updating your kitchen facet.

Hi there! The floors look in decent shape. To make a big change on a small budget, I suggest painting the cabinets. A couple options: paint your upper cabinets a couple shades lighter than the bottom cabinets or paint all the cabinets the same color with the accent grove in the cabinets painted a darker color. Avery pale gray with a charcoal accent would look great. I also suggest removing the backsplash and possibly the countertop (depending on how much you have to replace). Hope this helps. I'd love to see some after pics!

I've heard it many times, and after buying our 4th house last June, I know this is true. Wait, live in the house, and think about it. Collect ideas. Save up some money. After a few months or a year, decide which project is most important. Your kitchen looks like a fine kitchen. Some people are trying to get back to that look.

HI -- The best thing to do right now is to just give the kitchen a little face lift until you have the funds for an all new kitchen. This is not a true mid century gem to keep or restore. I see all the appliances are white except for the wall ovens so paint all the cabinets white except for the wall oven cabinet which you paint black . Then if you are changing the counter top that can be black also. But the counter looks fine, so don't change it if you don't need to. Add some new chrome handles and pulls and add some black accesories . And that's all you should do for now. After you have been in the house for a while then you will know what you want when it's time for the redo.

I agree-paint the cabinets and change out the handles on the cabinets to give an update look. adding something as simple as some more updated area rugs in the kitchen with some pattern could change up the look as well. hard to tell but what's the material on the walls? wallpaper? paint? also agree with moving the backsplash-they have ones you can install yourself at home depot (may take a bit of time but if you're on a budget and want to update it's worth it)

Thank you all very much for some great ideas. I am excited! Will start checking out about different paint shades, back-splashes and different handles & pull-outs - and possibly even counter-tops if they fit into the budget. I think those would indeed give a facelift without breaking the budget for now. Maybe add/change the ceiling lights to give a nice ambiance?
As a majority of you feel that white/light grey/black paint would look nice, I will concentrate on those tones.
As we will be moving only in end March of even beginning of April, any more ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Actually the whole house and all the rooms, including the bathrooms, are in need of a similar facelift and I am going crazy trying to find ways to update the rooms AND buy all the furniture and furnishings on a limited budget and yet make the house look beautiful and warm. Do you think I can post the pictures (don't have bathroom pictures through) one by one for advice on how to do that? Are there different forums for different rooms or can I post them here?
Thanks

I am sure everyone will have ways of helping you when you post your pictures , just as you did for your kitchen. Looking forward to it !

Please don't discount the option of hiring a professional designer, possibly hourly, to help you make your selections. What people fail to realize is that mistakes are costly, both in time and money. Designers don't make the mistakes homeowners do. Reach out to a couple of local designers to see what they offer as far as hourly consultations and for color/finishes/furniture placement - whatever your needs are consider using a pro! Good luck!

I love that this kitchen looks like it is in great shape and that you have a gas cook-top! Awesome!

If you want to take paint to the cabinets, I am all for that as many others have suggested already. I would paint the uppers an off-white and the lowers in black.

The dishwasher looks old and I think an inexpensive new one one would save you a lot on electricity, so go for a black one and it will blend. The tall cabinet with the wall ovens can be painted black too.

I would then add a very colourful rug on the floor that you can machine wash if possible. The floors will be hard to stand on and they look shiny so can be slippery when wet too. A larger rug with a rubber underpad will be helpful.

Then I would add some colourful small appliances like a toaster, coffee maker... to add that all needed hit of colour to coordinate with the new rug.

A new faucet would be nice too - something you could re-use for later if you end up gutting the kitchen. Get something as tall as you can under the shelf above the sink, with some real character to make a statement.

And yes, some awesome new knobs! Either go for something whimsical that Anthroplogie sells, or something larger, and perhaps even industrial looking, chrome pull. Lee Valley Tools has some great options.

Will look forward to seeing some afters once you find the time and budget to attack this space.

Congrats on your new home!!

Hi Kate_v24, this is sort of "in the meantime" solution with paint without changing the countertop, appliances or the sink. My previous dishwasher had removal front panels of different colors (white, black, ivy) so you can just reverse the face of it. Not sure if it's the same with yours.

You can get some stick on backsplash tiles if you just want a quick and dirty update as well.

Any updates since the move? Would love to see how the kitchen is coming along!