Here are some thoughts that past through me... first if you can don't do anything... save EVERY dime for the remodel since it is not old and not in bad shape. Now that I am redoing mine.. I just keep upgrading and my budget has gone up and up and up!!!
Next.. I think a warm wood floor would be great right now to warm it up.. but maybe pick a floor that you want for a new kitchen
Maybe change sink, faucet and hardware? but I personally wouldnt.... if you really plan to do it in 2 years or so.... start planning and costing it now.. if you want top of the line everything... it might be worth not investing in it now.

Color! I'd use the original Colorforms, the geometric ones, or solid color contact paper if you're good with an Xacto knife, to make graphics on the cabinet doors. Some big bright colorful small appliances on the counter (if you have them). Flowers or plants. Rag rugs with top quality non-skid pads.

The oak floors will do a lot to warm it up. Make sure to get extra and save it for when you do your new kitchen, so that if you need to rearrange cabinets you'll have oak to patch them. In fact, I'd get enough to fill in under all the cabinets.

Maybe an inexpensive window shade. One of those grasscloth ones, or the little sticks with the colored yarn.

The kitchen looks functional enough. It should be okay to live with for awhile.

That is a nice looking galley kitchen in great shape. I'd take temporary measures in small stages. The new oak floor will look wonderful and change the feel so much. I also love your idea to spend the $150 on the bar pulls, and I'd do that right away. Since you know you're going to buy a gas range, why not get the one you will re-use in the remodel, (hood too if the ducting can be done now). Then I'd stop and see how that much looked. If you knew your vision for the new kitchen, you could also consider buying the faucet now and swap out the white one. If it were me, I wouldn't go to all the trouble of painting the cabinets, just the walls. Looks like the house has a very nice floorplan.

I would do very little.

Get the new range you want since you want to switch to gas, anyway.

I would not do the bar pulls since that will leave one --if not two--holes in what are now pristine doors. And pristine white formica beats painted formica with filled in holes anyday.

If you can get inexpensive hardware that fits the existing holes that will update from the white, go ahead.

Introduce color with wall paint and a new window treatment and things like that.

Since this kitchen is in such good shape, I honestly think that any inexpensive quick fixes like painting the formica are going to make it less nice than it is now.

I agree...do the least amount of changes now, so that you can save for the remodel of the future. I think keeping the white cabinets now will keep the open look of the kitchen, but definitely need to change the hardware, get something you really like and in the style you want in the future for your remodel. The wood floors will really warm it up and install some matching wood plantation shutters, or a bamboo roll shade. Paint is the primary way to change the area and then what ever decor you place on the counter tops can add punch. The light change is also a good idea. You have a lot of opportunity in that house, it is nice and open which makes it really great for entertaining. Also, you will know more about changes you want to make to the kitchen once you have some parties and feel how people group to socialize and the buffet options that work best.

THe floors will help a lot, and I'd change the wall color to something with more depth and character. I sure wouldn't mess with trying to paint the cabinets.

Putting on the new pulls seems a reasonable expense for a few years...and, as already suggested, I think a stainless or chrome faucet could reduce the apartment-kitchen appearance.

If you're absolutely, positively sure about what range you want, that could be OK to get now, but it's a huge expense if there's any chance you'll wish you'd gotten something else by the time you remodel. My sister moved into a house that needed new appliances, but she wasn't ready to remodel the whole thing. The appliances she chose severely limited her layout options, and because of the extra expense involved in working around them, delayed the remodel. Are you sure you'll want a range and not rangetop and wall oven? Are you sure what size and configuration you'll want? Will you be satisfied if something new and amazing comes out in the meanwhile and you're 'stuck' with a 3-yr old model when the rest of your kitchen is new? Just things to think about before that major purchase.

Overall, it looks nice, and I love the fireplace! Best wishes!

You might consider replacing the range with an inexpensive white gas one (Craigslist/scratch n' dent?) instead of getting a SS one for now. That would be very inexpensive and would still get you the cooking fuel of choice for the years before the remodel. I'm guessing that would improve functionality for you and make waiting for the full remodel much more tolerable.

I'd be hesitant to get appliances now - you may want something different when you do the full remodel, and end up either wasting a lot of money now or feeling stuck later.

I'd only update the pulls if they'll fit the orignal holes since patching those holes will probably mean painting all the cabinets. I wouldn't want to do it. Maybe consider spray painting the existing pulls?

I think the new floor and a new wall color will help a lot! Add your colorful accessories on the counters and you'll be in good shape to wait for the full remodel.

After hanging out here for awhile, you might also decide you want induction instead of gas...

I agree with those who say not to paint the cabinets. I think new pulls (that fit the existing holes) will really dress them up.

I'd be wary of getting a new range, even if you prefer gas. You might want to switch to a cook top and wall oven when you remodel.

Painted walls, new window treatments, and a new light fixture (since it's fairly prominently viewed) will go a long way toward a new look without too much expense.

If you get a pretty light fixture and a pretty cloth on your table, the shape of the kitchen will draw your eye toward those.

That's a pretty mid century modern flavored interior with great windows. I would not paint the cabinets, they look great. I would not replace the stove because you may replace it with a 42", 36" or whatever, and you would mess with the cabinets. Could create an unwanted domino effect. Change the hardware, plop in a stainless overmount, kind of industrial chic, and the faucet of your dreams. I am in the minority here, but I think white walls go well in mid century houses. Sure go for color if you like but don't feel obliged to paint the walls now:no change for change's sake. Ditch the window treatments-perhaps pleated shades. Slap some large modern art pieces on the walls

As you said, live in it for a bit as your tastes may change a time or three. It's really very, very pretty. The flow from the kitchen area to the family room is wonderful.

Do a lot of magic in a couple of years, tie all the spaces together-perhaps some travertine on walls and floors in the living spaces, great woods- see Gizmonike's kitchen.
Congrats on having a terrific palette.

I'd change the cabinet hardware with something modestly priced, get Roman shades for the windows, replace the faucet (that's a functional thing for me, but I'd hold on the sink if what's there is good), that light fixture over the table if it bothers you enough (I could live with it and wait for a final change) -- but wait on appliances. Give yourself 6 months to a year in the house to decide how the existing layout works for you and what you might want to change before making any non-essential large purchases.

All my appliances changed from our early planning to actual purchases. We almost bought some before we had our plans, but we cancelled and I am so glad we did.

Thank you! I love all the suggestions. Westsider, it is a mid-century modern home, as was our previous house, so we are very excited to play with another MCM. I think I will definitely leave the cabinets alone--maybe replace the hardware if I find something I like that fits the existing holes--and see how it goes with paint and a new light and window treatments.

I'll post pics as soon as we get moved in and settled.

Ok - well there's a problem with doing the flooring right now. The problem is called "trapping the dishwasher" inside of the flooring so it can't be removed or repaired.

The new floor will raise the floor level by 3/4" or so in front of the dishwasher and you may not be able to get your hand where it would need to be to shorten the legs. Also there have been cases here where the legs couldn't be shortened enough on either the old or new dw to get the dishwasher out without removing the countertop.

So I would not do the floor right away and I wouldn't spend any money on cheap fixes except to paint the walls. I absolutely would not do the appliances unless they died. The things you want now will change within three weeks and change again after a year or two.

If that range dies, consider induction as a way to get the responsiveness of gas without the trouble of converting.

I agree with the others who have said that you have a perfectly lovely kitchen for now. I'd wait to do anything with the kitchen until you've worked in it for awhile. You can certainly play with design and ideas over a couple of years and learn what does and does not work in the kitchen during that time.

Especially if this is planned to be your forever home, a couple of years won't make a huge difference. Do the cosmetics, if you like, and change out the hardware (like others have said, only if you can find ones with similar holes), and possibly add some temporary pretty with painting the kitchen walls.

I wouldn't change any appliances, either, unless you're totally convinced that a gas stove is necessary. If you do decide to get a gas stove, look on CL for one that fits your current layout. If that isn't what you want when the time comes, you could probably re-sell it for the same price as what you paid for it.

Personally, I'm envious of the light in your kitchen and living room. I think it will be a marvelous space to cook and live in for the near future!

bmorepanic brings up a good point. Before you move forward with the new wood floor, find out how it will be laid and whether that will affect the fit of your DW.

We are switching from vinyl to wood. It would only raise the kitchen floor 3/8" (we know this because of the height of the hallway floor), not enough to cause problems for our DW. It has enough clearance under the counter to accommodate that extra bit of height.

We'd have put down wood floors ages ago but we kept thinking we might do a remodel so we waited. Good thing we did because contrary to what we thought not that long ago, we are making a slight change to our lay-out and we would have had to redo sections of the wood floor. Don't know if you'll face that or not but it's something to think about.

Congrats on your new home!

Congratulations on your new home. :)

We bought our "forever" home built in 1952 2 1/2 years ago. The previous owner had put cheap oak cabinet doors and drawer fronts on the original boxes, so the boxes were white and the doors were oak. Ugly. The linoleum was gross and had big cracks from water damage. The appliances were old and yucky and moldy. Yuck!

To "get by" until we were ready to remodel (about a 1 1/2 years after buying), we painted all the cabinets white (you don't need to do this), put new cabinet hardware on, and replaced the micro/hood, range and refrigerator (the dishwasher stayed). We lived with the lino because we knew we would knock down walls.

It was hard to live with a kitchen that I didn't love, but we did enough to make it not totally awful.

Keep in mind, that you may decide to go with completely different appliances in a few year after you design your "dream" kitchen. That is what happened with us. But, it was ok. We ended up selling them on Craigslist and got fair prices, so we were ok with it. It was better than using moldy appliances for over a year!

If I had your kitchen, I would leave the cabinets alone with the exception of putting on new hardware. I'd change the floors to wood as long as you are certain you will not change the configuration of the kitchen, otherwise you may ending up having to patch your new wood floors. I'd paint the walls, get a cute new faucet and light fixture. The appliances are really optional...the ones you have are in great condition. You will likely want something different in a few years, so I'd live with them if you can.

You'll be amazed at how much that kitchen will be ok once you have all of your things in the space.

Good luck. You are smart to wait a while before gutting and starting from scratch. Enjoy your new space and have fun designing! :)

Here is what we bought:

Here is what we lived with:

Here is what we created: