Are you on a tight budget? That will change my answer.

What is on the other side of the kitchen, in the first pic? Is that an exterior wall? Do you plan on still using it as an eat in kitchen or do you have another dining area?

I really like the ceiling. But if you don't, rip it out. I think changing to backsplash would make a huge difference! What is the style of the home?

New lighting will change the feel too :)

Are you changing the kitchen in order to sell it the house? If so, you should just do some minor changes and let the next owner remodel to their liking. I would suggest replacing the backsplash with a simple neutral tile that matches the counter. If possible, remove the cabinet that hangs out over the peninsula. Replace the small wall items in the eating area with one or two large piece(s) of art. Remove the window valances. If you must have window coverings use simple woven wood or cellular shades. Remove the ceiling fixture and install recessed lighting. Exchange the Tiffany style fixture with a simple neutral fixture. Find space in a base cabinet for your trash instead of having it stick out in the middle of the kitchen.

Just clean it and take the price deduction and save your efforts for something else. There isn't enough that you can do on a low budget that will make a difference at selling. The next owner will want to do a remodel, so let them make all of the choices.

I'd change the cabinet top, white isn't good for spills! LOL and the flooring, too

We are the new owners. We have about $10,000 that we could use on the kitchen. I know that's not a lot when it comes to a kitchen. I'm looking to give it a more modern look, yet maintain the rustic appeal. We are so unsure of how to update and get the most out of our budget.

Sequins great suggestions. Thank you!

Mountie thank you!!!

Ihutch13 we are planning on eating in the kitchen and would love to knock down the wall in the eat/in area. I attached a pic of what's on the other side. A living room. We are getting rid of the for beams, adding recessed lighting and painting.

For $10K you can just about put in a new Ikea kitchen, with much more cabinet space than you presently have. So, I would tear it all out, including the vinyl tiles, then design and install an Ikea kitchen. I did one in 2005 that was phenomenal.

I'm just worried about unforeseen electrical and plumbing issues. I would love to see a pick of your kitchen!

The enclosed refrigerator is an appealing feature, and if there is space for fillers
on that wall, then move Refrigerator where the desk is so u save space of one panel and can use a bigger refrigerator.. Also if you remove the peninsula upper cabinets, and need storage , you can use them below the desk. Neutral - cream beige vinyl tiles can be used , replacing existing ones.

I sold that house, and the kitchen was the main selling feature! I did use granite counters, but wouldn't use granite again. Unnecessary expense.

Sstar what would you use instead of granite? I think my kitchen has corian.

Sequins what would you use to fill the space on the wall? I just can't seem to visualize.

Corian is all right, so is "quartz". I love concrete, but it's not for everyone. The material should be durable and cost effective. Some people have recycled glass, hardwood, or stainless steel.
It depends on your style! For more modern kitchens, countertops are going thinner, that is, without the built-up edge.

Don't let anyone discourage you with your budget. Go to a store like Lowes or Menards and get a digital drawing with prices of cabinets. You'd be surprised of the good deal you can get for custom cabinets when they are running a sale! You really can get a good price! As long as your hubby and friends are handy, you can install them yourself and do the labor and save a lot that way too.

Meghan I really appreciate your take on things. I'm gonna do my best to be thrifty and get the job done.

I have just out an ikea kitchen into a space bigger than yours for less than that. You can do it easily. I would take it out and get a brand new kitchen. My new kitchen is nearly finished and the soft self close drawers and cupboards, great cupboard lighting and fab pull out larder cabinets are a massive improvement on my old poggenpohl kitchen.

Out = put!

Shelleyuk thank you. I would love to see a photo. Does ikea help with the design?

We're also remodeling our kitchen on a small budget. Check out Rustoleum cabinet refinishing product. You don't have to sand the cabinets or put new doors on. It's gotten wonderful reviews online and at the hardware store. You can pick out light or dark colors and there's about 4 steps to complete. We're getting ready to do it...I'll post how it comes out. Good luck

Btgal I can actually stand the cabinets it's the soffets, the wood around the fidge and the desk that are real eye sores but all the amazing suggestions are really comforting. Can't wait to see how your kitchen turns out!

Can you post whats on the other side of desk. also a front pic of the refrigerator wall ?

I would start with painting all those beams and wood in the living room white. I think I would also paint your cupboards white. It's not all ugly; it's just dark. Then, add some colour throughout.

heres a quick pic of my ikea kitchen as requested. Work in Progress, its not finished yet.

oops didn't realise how bad that snap was. And yes ikea will help sit with you and plan out the design.

Shelley uk there is is no way you could take a bad pic of that gorgeous kitchen!!! Amazing!!! You are really inspiring me!

Yes, plumbing and electrical issues can really do a job on the budget....Older homes sometimes have big surprises.

Thanks! I'm pleased with it (although I have an evening of painting the walls ahead of me and I'm not looking forward to that!). Its the ikea ramsjo line. Its very cost effective to put in an ikea kitchen and they have 25 year guarantees. People will try to put you off and tell you its cheap rubbish and will always look cheap but that really isn't the case (I hope!).

Do you have a rough floorplan of your space?

Personally, I'm not a fan of ikea kitchens. They look okay, and they probably function okay, but to me it just feels too much like buying a kitchen at Walmart. It's really just a matter or I feel that I'm not getting a unique product...and, in my experience if you get some quotes from a local cabinet shop their prices aren't much higher, plus they can custom build your cabinets to your space so that not a single inch gets wasted. Plus, if your cabinets are in good shape they can come up with ideas to work with what you have and rebuild certain sections saving you a lot of money. In my last kitchen I had a peninsula and wanted to move my fridge and add pantry cabinets. They were able to save a lot of my current cabinets, take down the upper cabinets over the peninsula, modify the wall cabinets that the peninsula joined in to. Build a new bank of 36" drawer base cabinets, build a pantry and new cabinet over the new fridge spot and build a microwave shelf for the upper space that the fridge use to be in. Ohh, and re polyurethane the whole works. For 6k I had solid plywood (not particle board or mdf) and the whole thing matched the originals. If I had wanted they could have replaced the doors to update the look for not a whole lot more, and as I said, I ended up with better cabinets and quite frankly, I'm the only one with those cabinets.

Now, I'm not saying don't buy an ikea kitchen, I'm just saying get an old time cabinet guy in to look at your options.

If you can get a custom made kitchen for that with all your drawers, closers, hinges, carousels, cabinet lights etc then great (but I'd be surprised).

You do have some money, why don't you consider the Ikea option or having a local carpenter or contractor see if they can do something with your existing cabinets. You will probably end up with a much better functioning kitchen.

It really depends on where you live. We got quotes from four local cabinet shops. They were all $15-$20K. That's for melamine boxes. Something similar from Home Depot was $13K. But, from IKEA we are looking at around $5K. It is a bit of a risk and requires more research ,but we are going to give IKEA a try.

We live in NJ. There are too many cabinet places to choose from!

I spent a long time planning with our ikea kitchen and many many hours on Houzz looking at what I really liked in a kitchen and thinking about how I could adapt the ikea kitchens to give me that look. Its definitely doable.