I hear loud and clear about not having $$ to do alot to the kitchen at present. That's what makes it important for you to really consider what to do about appliances and countertops. You want to make sure that appliances you buy now will mesh with any possible redo in the years to come.

But I would encourage you not to commit any cash to appliances until after you close and dig in to the house. In the 3 houses we've purchased, there has been an expense that has come up, despite having a detailed inspections done (hint, it if's a wooded lot with trees, have a tree inspector look at trees that could fall on the house, if you are in a radon area, please get a radon test done, if you are dealing w/original furnace, make sure the firebox isn't rusted out).

Having said that, paint will cover alot of sins in that kitchen. Get rid of the yellow, and the yellow undertones of the cabs will go away. Can you flip the doors over, so that lovely routed design can be hid? Painting the cabs, as discussed above, and changing the hardware are good choices to minimize your expenditures.

Getting rid of the wooden valences would do a great deal of undating as well, and painting or ripping out the wood wainscoting in the eating area would be a cheap update.

That cooktop on the passthru really is a pain. If the $ allows, could you buy a range and hood and install it directly opposite, on the cab run to the right of the sink? Then I would consider either getting rid of the run of cabs where the cooktop and oven is, or at least getting rid of the oven cab and the overhead cabs, and keeping the peninsula. A new laminate countertop would probably be w/in the 1000 to 1500 range, or less, I think.

How exciting to have a new house! Let me take a guess -- pink fixtures and tile in the bathrooms?

We kept our original 20 year old Cherry custom cabinets for our recent kitchen remodel. Only had to clean them up, spot stain scratches and water damaged areas, and replace the old pulls.

Original 1989 Kitchen:

New Kitchen Remodel 2008:

I do think the suggestions to paint your cabinets is a good one for a quick update and neutral color change. If you go with new stainless appliances you could modernize the cabinets with sleek stainless or nickle pulls. I would also remove the dated wood trim over the sink window area.

lmalm, you gave me another idea. I think the OP's cabs will probably look best painted. However, stain is worth a try. I would take off one door, strip it, and stain it--just for the heck of it, to see how it looks. You never know until you try, and one door isn't that hard to do.

I think they're beautiful and hope you can work with them! I had that door style in my first house and still love it. Mine were painted avocado green and I did them white, but those look totally fine stained.

Do live with it a bit before deciding what to do. DO what it takes to make it livable, but don't dump much money until you know from using it what all needs doing.

I think there are some charming aspects to the original kitchen and until you figure out how you want to modify the layout, I would leave everything as is (with the exception of getting a dishwasher). Don't throw money at a layout that is probably going to change under the concepts of more current kitchen design.

I think the wallcolor is really doing a disservice to the cabinetry. The cabinets may look fine once you get rid of that brilliant yellow.

I am thinking about bidding on this house. So, I can empathize with moving into something that you know you will need to change. Some have seen this picture in another thread. (I may be leaving a Subzero/Miele/soapstone-- but super small-- kitchen for this.) The plan is to putchase inexpensive appliances, clean it up, and live with it a while. I think living with it is the real way to tell how you need to change it.

Is painting the cabinets an option? The color is really orangy which is very dated and bad. I think I'd remove that trim from them too and just have slab doors. Then paint them a rich brown or even a creamy white. Remove the curvy valance over the sink too.

I am in the process of redoing my 1971 kitchen and I am keeping my old cabinets. I am adding some additional cabinets for more storage, too, and bought some old ones on craigslist so they would fit in with mine. I will post pix when I am done, it's still all ripped out at the moment.

Here is a cheap way to live with what you have, which is what I did for 2 1/2 years. I am just now updating.

First, get a wood stain touch up marker in the color that matches your wood and touch up an scratches in the wood. You can get these at HD in the stain section.

Next, clean the cabinets inside and out with Murphy's oil soap. You will be amazed at how beautiful they will look after this.

Third, paint the walls. I think a lovely blue/green with cream trim would set those cabinets off perfectly, see link below for BM's Quartz Stone.

Fourth, change the knobs. Check eBay for lots of used pulls. If you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore (full of recycled construction items) that is a great source for cheap, nice stuff. I would leave the hinges and drawer pulls, I think they are charming.

Last, if you have the money for new countertops, go for it. If you don't, then check into the options for painting or resurfacing your formica. If you have a little money for new counters, go for tile. It's not hard to do yourself and is still beautiful, even in our granite studded world. There are so many gorgeous tiles out there today, subway tiles, glass tiles, etc.

Final touch: backsplash. Again, for the money, I would put up a subway tile.

I actually think the original kitchen is charming, despite the layout. Personally, I would go with it and not try to make it look like a modern kitchen, which might look weird in the rest of the house (which I suspect is not a state of the art home either). I know a gorgeous modern kitchen in my old ranch house would look silly. I like your old wood valances, but that's just me. If you remove it, you can put up a nice pendant light for not much $.

At least it is in good shape (palimpsest - you are brave!). lmalm53 - love what you did with a 20 year old kitchen, good job!

Here is a link that might be useful: Benjamin Moore Quartz Stone #597

Oh, I really don't know that I would paint the cabinets or remove any of the trim *at all*, until I neutralized that wall color.

I tend to like white kitchens and white woodwork, but in the context of a 1960s house, those cabinets fit it. I guarantee that that clipped-corner Regency doorstyle will show up in a magazine soon...the moderne, hollywood regency furniture has been in comeback mode for enough years that kitchens are sure to follow.

I am not saying Never paint them, but (to beat a dead horse) that Yield sign yellow is a killer.

I think the kitchen is charming. It has been taken care of really well and has that story book cottage look. When dh and I were first married we bought a cute little house, we didn't have much money to do much but we did paint and refinish the floors. Maybe you can paint it and live with it for a while before you decide what to do. It looks like a happy place to live in.

Whew! This board tends to be heavily biased toward all-out luxury. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

But the OP *specifically* said she'd be "piss poor," after she moved in so the suggestions that this kitchen needs a total gut reno aren't really helpful.

I think the kitchen is actually quite charming! In fact, the overall size, counter runs, and cupboard space are *exceptional!*

By all means do some cosmetics -- paint the walls, for starters. But live with it for a while before doing anything drastic. We lived for two years in our first house in a kitchen FAR less accommodating than yours. It helped us not only save up, but get to know the space and our needs.

Good luck!

Cosmetic fixes only work if the bones of the kitchen are sound. These bones are broken, if actually working in that kitchen is what you want. That wall oven and cooktop are at the top of the list of being non functional and expensive to cosmetically "replace". This isnt' a kitchen that a little paint an a new countertop will make it a happy place to work in. I'd have to think heavily about buying this house at all if I couldn't afford a kitchen redo, even a modest one with Ikea cabinets and budget appliances.

pampliset: are you serious? Please tell me that the rest of the house is drop dead gorgeous. Please.

You have good amount of cabinets and counter top space. Live in it a while to see how it functions for you. People who lived there before managed to do just fine in what some posters call a totally non functional/non suitable kitchen. Good idea to paint the walls. Could think about refinishing cabs depending on their condition. My DH refinished our 31 yr. old oak cabs, replaced the hardware and they look great. He reinforced the tops before the new granite was installed and granite guys said it was one of the best prepared kitchens for granite they had seen. Cabs were spot on level. Will include some pics for you.

First 2 pics show old kitchen with 31 yr. old golden oak cabinets,brass hardware on the cabs, and almond laminate counters. Third pic shows how DH reinforced cabs for granite. Last pic shows upper cabs with new brushed nickel hardware. DH cleaned the cabs, sanded them, and new stain provincial to make cabs look more medium/dark brown with very slight hint of red. So far I am happy with what has been done.

Still to come-recessed lighting, new floor, new appliances SS, and stove and ref. will be switching places.

rjr220:
I don't want to derail the thread, so briefly:

The rest of the house looks just as bad. Nothing has been done in 40 years or longer, but it also has nothing to hide. It meets a lot of criteria, the price is becoming more reasonable all the time, and I am somewhat of a masochist :)

How funny. The house we moved to in 1966 had the same lay-out. Its since been gutted by the next owner, or I would have thought it was my house. I was just a kid, but I didn't have any problem cooking in that kitchen. I did cook a lot as a kid.

I think it was a good style in the 60's. Our house was pretty upscale with hardwood floors. The pass-through was cool. Sort of like today's great room. Mom could talk to us while she was cooking and we were already at the table. We did use the pass- through all the time. We had a double oven, and wild avocado, and orange plaid wall paper with a white background. We also had the valance over the window. The windows were in the exact same location.

We kept our cabinets too.

We also kept our cabinets and cosmetically remodelled our home on the cheap. The people who built our house thought it would be "lovely" if they built cabinet doors out of wall paneling. Yes, vertical grooves & all. Even painting them, they would have just looked like painted paneling. We had new white raised panel doors put on and painted the boxes white ourselves to match the new doors.

Unfortunately we did not take a before picture, but think of it like this, but cabinet door size, darker, and filthy dirty ...

We had them put on oversized doors to minimize the exposed facing on the cabinets. And put in new hardware. We also had them cut our curvy valance to go across straight. Painted the walls Newport Tint by Porter paint (which is a great beige wall color that goes well with almost any color you put it with!). We also had them raise the microwave over the stove which was so low to the stove that you almost could not fit a large pot under it and certainly couldn't stir the contents !

Just new hardware and paint the walls a different color would go a long ways in the OP's kitchen. You can also buy special paint to paint the appliances white, black, other colors, or even stainless. I have seen a refrigerator that had been done before and I never would have known if my girlfriend had not told me she had done it. They also have special paint to be able to paint countertops that looks pretty cool. I have never seen this in person ... http://www.brushongranite.com/welcome.html

I think the kitchen looks fine. Paint the walls and put the ketchup back in the fridge and you are in business. Maybe new hardware and a new floor. If I was going to splurge, new light fixtures and some under-cabinet lighting.

It's so refreshing to see such gorgeous solid wood that hasn't been painted over yet with 23 coats of white to the point where the doors don't close anymore. I think it's fir, like the trim, but some of the doors look a bit like flamed maple.

The home is very dated, but in a charming way. Go ahead... try and price out new solid wood cabinets, stain-grain trim and wood wainscoting.

Check the electrical service before getting you heart set on a DW and disposal. You may need to upgrade your breaker box.

Hi, I really like your kitchen. The word 'charming' used by others is perfect. The wood almost looks like curly or flame maple in some of the doors!
I agree with the others who suggest you live in your new home for awhile before doing too much. I think a coat of paint on the walls, and maybe new flooring and hardware would make a significant difference in the looks of it. You can get retro-fit pull out shelf hardware etc from many different suppliers.
If you find the stove a nuisance where it is, I agree with the previous poster who suggested putting it on the long run to the right of the sink.
Good Luck in your move and with whatever choices you make!

I'm just shocked that some people thing the only way to fix up a kitchen is to gut it. I got divorced this year and I'm hoping to buy a house in the next year or two. On my salary, I will never be able to gut a kitchen, so I'm always looking for creative ideas to fix up a kitchen. Here's one of the links I saved.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen makeover

Thank you, msrose, for your post! I said the same thing, but didn't have the AMAZING link to back it up. Wow!!!

Here's another makeover. You have to scroll down a ways to see it.

Laurie

Here is a link that might be useful: Makeover #2

OMG! Thank you all for the wonderful replies, I truly appreciate you all taking the time to let me know what you think and your ideas.

I went to look at the house one last time before putting in the offer. Will know more tomorrow, I hope. I'm sure we'll go back and forth on the price, and hope to come to an agreement. THEN, as I have learned, it's all up to how the inspection goes. I have literally had to walk away from 2 homes before due to inspector finding major issues, so I try not to get too excited about any home. In the meantime, I try to take pictures and find ideas just in case the offer does go through.

So, again, went back for another look and I really see a lot of potential in this older home.

I have to say, the kitchen cabinets appear to be rock solid - at least the ones I looked at. This home has had only 2 owners, and the people who own it now have only had it for about 5-6 years. From the county records, it appears that a woman owned it prior, unusual to have been married and not have had the mans name on the home in those years, but it's just my speculation, no ideas for sure.

Anyhow, I went and looked and opened many of the cabinet doors and really, I see very little wear on the fronts, and the inside of the cabinets, solid wood, look unbelievable. I was even surprised that for a kitchen this age, it has a lazy Susan in a corner cabinet - isn't that unusual to see?

I like the cabinets and wonder how they'll look just cleaned up. I also found a local guy who does refinishing, and his work is nice - will see if I want to go that route.

For everyone who replied about the yellow paint, totally agree, and it's the first thing my Mother mentioned to change in there. What color it will get painted, not sure, but then again, there's not much to paint in the actual kitchen area and wonder if I should try and tile???? Of course, the area where the desk is, the eat in area and around the bifolds where the washer/dryer is, THAT area does need painting. Not sure what to do with the walls AND the wood.

I think painting the walls, new black appliances, new countertop, pullouts (where/if they'll fit), new light fixtures and new flooring will do wonders. Tiling the backsplash if it looks good, new pulls will do wonders.

The cornice above the sink - does it really look that bad? I actually like it, along with the little side shelves.

The molding on the cabinet doors, I don't know whether I'd remove or not - wish I could find someone with the same cabinets who refinished as they are. I've been in many homes in this area who've had the same exact cabinets, most painted white. I was actually at an estate sale today where the kitchen had not only the same cabinets, but the same flooring AND countertops!

What I'm afraid to do is have one of the doors painted to see how it looks, not like it and then not be able to return it to it's original look.

Also, with changing the layout - first problem is that the exhaust fan above cooktop is vented, and even if it wasn't, moving the cooktop would leave the cabinets above shorter than others? I'm not one to put a microwave up off the counter, so I can't see what I'd put in the place of the fan if removed.

What worries me most is trying to make a space for the dishwasher - and what to do with the extra space. The cabinets, 2 doors, is wider than the dw. What do you do in this case????

I don't see anything really wrong with the layout, but if I was going to do a full remodel I would change some things around, but that's not going to be the case, at least not now.

I'm not sure what style I'm going for, if there is one ; )

Again, would love to see pics that you may have, or a link of some on the web - I'm open to any and all suggestions with exception to a full remodel - as much as I'd love to do that, it wouldn't be possible after purchase, IF we get it.

THANKS!!!!!

Those cabinets are probably going to give you another 20 years of service.

1. On the wall to the right of the kitchen sink, I would put a range in over there - it will mean moving some of your cupboards out but having that cooktop in the pass through would be dangerous, especially if you have children. That way, you could keep your pass-through and be able to use it.

2. That will give you some extra room where the built-in oven currently resides. Perhaps turn that into a shelf for the microwave.

3. Before you paint, you might want to take the wood valance down that's over the sink because it really dates the kitchen. (Unless you like it, then of course leave it.)

4. Since all of the trim looks to be the same wood as your cabinets I would probably leave them alone. Just give them a good cleaning and maybe add some new hardware (knobs, drawer pulles, etc) But if you are going to paint your cabinets and trim, there is a great link to Michael's cabinet painting tips somewhere in this forum.

5. What color appliances are you going to get? Once you make that determination then it should be easy to pick out countertop and flooring.

Have fun and congratulations on your new house!

I know I keep chiming in, but although that cooktop does not meet current notions in kitchen design, it still has right-handed set down space, and is probably properly vented rather than recirculated. It appears to have worked for some 40+ years, so it can't be *that dysfunctional.

There is plenty of room to add a dishwasher. That clipped corner trim is still available so you could create a "patch" if necessary to fill in next to the new DW. I was looking for it online, if I find it, I will post it.

I would totally keep the valance! Its my favorite part of that kitchen. Keep it and really play up the retro/kitchy look. It would be a shame to get rid of the valance if you are going to keep the cabinets.

As far as fitting in the dishwasher, what about making a pull out dishtowel holder type opening between the sink and dishwasher with the excess space? You would probably need a bit of a filler strip in the corner, too.

LOL, I remember those lazy susans attached to the door.

The valance is completely appropriate for those cabinets and that look. If later you decide to renovate to something more modern, you probably won't want to keep it.

With those old fashioned cabinets, changing the layout usually means you won't be able to reuse the cabinets. So that's a major undertaking down the road, perhaps. Really only the fridge position bothers me, and with the size of the kitchen, I don't think I'd bother.

When you go to add a DW, you'll need to be very careful to cut out what you have and save it. Put the DW in and then use the pieces to dress around it. Any leftover pieces you can save for future repairs or paint to see how the paint looks without sacrificing anything.

Start with cleaning and painting the walls. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and both are cheap and easy projects.

quote: "The cornice above the sink - does it really look that bad? I actually like it, along with the little side shelves. "

I really like the cornice and shelves too. I think they are sweet - and becoming more and more rare as people remodel older kitchens.

As far as the patch when you install a DW, any carpenter/cabinetmaker should be able to create a door/pull out/towel rod or whatever with the wood from the doors that are removed for the DW install.

There's a whole world of people out there that love the look of retro kitchens and do all they can to preserve that look. :o)

http://retrorenovation.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Retro Renovation

well, I was told that those same cabinets you have are charming, and I tend to agree. They were exactly the same we had lol...I kind of agree that this board is more high end in purchases than not, so dont get too discouraged. I completely understand a budget. We actually had the same exact cabinets but the bottoms were painted burgundy by the previous owners and the insides were in nasty nasty shape. I did get a bid on spray painting by a guy in our town who is amazing. The bid was 3500, so we opted to change layout and go with home depot and the cabinets were under 5000.00. Shop around, you may be able to get a bid on painting that is better than what I had.
Ive seen some amazing transformations by painting the cabs, Also there is higher end formica and wilsonart instead of granite and quartz. The wilsonart luna series is really pretty. You have a wonderful amount of cabinets too. so I say if you like the layout, then get em spray painted! Good luck!

Thanks for the replies everyone!!! Love the links, ideas, pictures, etc. etc.

I guess it would be nice to have the fridge a bit closer, but will have to live with what's there - and I have to keep reminding myself by saying IF we get the house!

As for the DW, anyone know how easy it is to install one where there wasn't one before - any special electrical hook-up needed. Not sure what electrical is there - maybe that's why there wasn't a dw put in before? Gawd, I hope not!

I see myself spending hours on the net looking for ideas. But I have to say, of all the sites - the ideas you get from those on this site always seem to be the best!

THANKS!!!!

We kept the cabinets in our first house but ours didn't look anywhere near as nice as these do. They had layers of varnish with dirt in between and the wood was nothing to write home about so we ended up painting them.

We had the same amount of space you appear to have to put in a DW and if there is a disposal, you could probably use that electrical to power the DW. You may also be surprised at how well the oven works. We had the same one and I was sorry to finally see it go because it worked so well. As others have said, a good cleaning and new paint color/hardware/floor will do wonders - live in it a while before doing more major things - and keep the valance. Good luck!

Congratulations on finding a house!

That kitchen has very good storage and is a good size, and the cabinets, etc look to be well maintained. I would work with the kitchen as is, and embrace the retro vintage quality. Wait and see how your finances shake out and how it is to work in the kitchen before pouring any money into it.

It has a charming quality that could be destroyed by trying to sleek it up too much. Reminds me of this ad:

A DW can go into a cabinet that is wider than 24 inches. You'll need to get electric in, and the water and drain lines tie into your sink plumbing. You'll need a filler strip to cover the gap since there is't a 24 cabinet to switch out and you'd lose some storage. As is, the DW would go best right of the sink and away from the stove.

But thinking ahead, one option is saving up for a good range and placing that on the opposite wall from the current cooktop. That would allow you to cut down that oven 'tower' and open up the space nicely toward the table. Just a plain penninsula there - no oven tower, no cooktop. OR, a range could go there surrounded by counter with no oven tower. I would not put any money into a counter until you decide whether you are going to move appliances.

You might be able to pull off solving the cooktop problem by taking down and reinstalling existing cabinets. But you'll need a little time to figure all that out and to figure out your finances.

My advice? Get the house first (fingers crossed). Learn the space. Definitely paint. Put in a DW if that is critical. Stick down some floor tiles if the floor is awful but stop there. Hang out here and get a game plan, both short term and long term. The big decision will be whether to salvage/embrace retro vs do a gut remodel. That'll take some thinking.

Unlike yours, my place had no salvageable charm.

Then I stained my cabinets at year 9,

Finally getting a floor this year - year 11! Still OK with the 22 year old cabinets and Corian.

Good luck on the house!

Here's one more from my inspiration file.

twg7590's kitchen - before
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twg7590's kitchen - after
{{gwi:1982897}}

Laurie

You have a great retro kitchen with a good amount of storage. Both my current and previous house did not have a dishwasher when I bought them. In both cases we were able to DIY add one, even in my current house where the only place to put one meant cutting a 36" cabinet in half and putting in an 18" dishwasher. Most likely you will need a separate circuit for code requirements. If you have a basement underneath the kitchen the water lines will be easy to add. Good luck!

I also like these cabinets! I think they're gorgeous and unique, something you are not going to see much anymore. You also have way more storage then we do. I agree with others who said play up the retro look.

We also have an 1960's home and have kept our cabinets. We had the hinges hidden, but that's something you don't have to do. We got blue pearl granite countertops because we wanted them. We have no plans to move and want to enjoy our home. The look fits the house and the neighborhood. DH and I both like retro looks.

A new induction range and hopefully a baby blue Big Chill retro fridge should complete the look over the next 6-12 months. Since the appliances are working, just not attractive, we will wait to replace them as not to totally kill our budget.

Before:

After:

We kept the same cabinets but bought new doors and drawer fronts, countertops and appliances.

before:

after:

Something people often forget is that you can live with "ugly". I think the kitchen is charming, I'd kill for that kind of storage in my open concept late 90s kitchen.

I would paint the walls, remove the valance over the window, replace the hardware and see if I could paint/stain the cabinets a lighter colour. And I'd paint the trim but if you love it then don't bother. It looks like a great kitchen with lots of work and storage room. The pass through and its overhead cabinets might not be 2009 style but so what? I would rather have an outdated kitchen that worked than a modern one that didn't. I'd spend my money on appliances over esthetics any day of the week. You could spend tens of thousands to gut the kitchen or you could spend a few hundred to spruce it up. I'd spend the few hundred and live with the kitchen.

Wow, what a delightful timewarp!

It's hard to tell in the photos but is there tile or some other type of non-flammable material on the side of that oven cab? If there isn't and you stick with the current configuration (and I certainly understand money woes), I think it would be a good idea to add tile there, similar to what golddust did in her kitchen. The photo she posted above doesn't show it but if you go her Nov 18th entry in the thread linked below, you'll see what I mean.

Here is a link that might be useful: Anyone want to see 1980 orange kitchen?

Thank you, thank you - I'm in awe of all the replies!

I hate that I can't reply to each and every one of you personally as I'm trying to finish closing up the place we are staying in while "house hunting" to head back home tomorrow morning. Packing the car, cleaning and winterizing the home is taking longer than we expected. If not for this undertaking, I would certainly try to reply to as many as of you as possible, so please know that I've read each and every post, seen the pics and scanned the links of sites - will give those a longer look when I return home.

The latest word - they counter offered. I just got off the phone with the realtor and countered back. I hope the deal goes through with this last offer. THEN it's all up to the inspections.

The kitchen. Many say to live with it as it is now. I wouldn't be happy with the way it is now exactly, but I know I would be much happier with new countertops, flooring and appliances (would go for black) and of course, painting.

This is going to be a slow move, I'll be up here working on the house while my OH stays down in FL until he can get transfered. Along with my DD who graduates college in May and probably won't be moving back home (or only for the summer) I won't be totally moved up to any new home I may buy until the end of the summer, probably.

I'd like to get what needs to be done while there's minimal furniture and "stuff" in the house. Get it ready before the big-boy gets up here. He already thinks it looks too "old"

Just got a call back from realtor - we have a deal! Now, as I've said before, it's up to the home inspection. If all goes well, closing will be end of January!

No matter what I do, will (or actually, already do) have the before pictures and will take "during" and "after" pictures.

You'll probably see me all over this website - I've already posted on the bathroom forum and I know I'll be at the landscaping site because, as you can see below, this baby needs some MAJOR landscaping help!

Will continue to check this forum and read all you've suggested and commented on and hopefully when I get back home and settled down (okay, may be after Thanksgiving, but will try beforehand) I'll try to reply to each and every one as I usually like to do.

Again, thank you all for all your help and guidance. I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Debelli

Forgot to ask, does anyone have a good suggestion on a site for knobs, or possibly a suggestion of what knob you'd put with these cabients? Would like to stick with the one whole version

And, there's just one old flourescent fixture in the kitchen, any suggestions on what may look good?

THANKS!

I would look on Hardware Hut, or My Knobs for hardware. if you google those, others will come up too.

Here is the French Provicial molding if you need some for repairs after the DW is installed.

I like the outside of the house too. The window treatments on corner windows can be challenging too! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Rockler

Something like this?
{{gwi:1982900}}

{{gwi:1982901}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Rejuvenation

We had an old-fashioned tube flourescent but got a CFL ceiling lamp from Lowe's, Portfolio brand. We are happy with it.

Finally home, though I didn't want to come back. After I get settled back in and run all the errands and look through the tons of mail waiting for me, I'm going to sit down and read the posts I haven't gotten to.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the backspalsh? Solid surface the entire area, tile the entire area, half way up, etc?

I saw some flooring at HD, Trafficmaster - looks like slate but it's not, I think it was Allure - the one I like is darker - anyone have this, or know about it - and think it may be a good option (or should I post this Q in the flooring area?)

Will be having the first inspection this week probably - if it passes this major one, has no pest/moisture problems, or chimney issues, it seems like this will be a done deal.

Boy, will I need some help then!!!

Will be back to comment, and again, THANKS ALL!!

My intentions were good to get back on here after I settled back in, but day before Thanksgiving the transformer to our house and 8 others blew, no power for almost 24 hours, finally came on Thanksgiving morning, thankfully (in more ways than one) I wasn't cooking. THEN found out we had no internet, just got it back Monday after a lot of false promises and lies from AT&T, still not working as well as before, but at least I'm back on the net. Don't ask what else happened, it was a crappy week.

Anyhow, wanted to jump back up on here and reply and update.

We had the first inspection on Monday, replied with a list of things I want the sellers to fix prior to me having the pest and chimney inspectors called out. Nothing too major, which was good, and surprising to the inspector for a house of this age. Just waiting now.

palimpsest- thanks for the links, they'll be very helpful and I've put them in my favorites. I would never have known that the style of the cabinet is considered French Provincial (Rockler) though I can't find it as such anywhere else. You've really got a lot on your plate with that kitchen - wow, I think that's about the worse I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot looking over this past year.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with this kitchen should we get the house, so many people say paint the cabinets and I've seen a lot of photos on the web with painted cabinets, but I'm having a hard time finding pictures from those who have just cleaned up the natural looking wood cabinets and possibly just put the varnish, or whatever else the clearcoat is/was back on.

Does anyone know of a site that will allow you to upload your own pics and put solid surface to see what it looks like, similar to the paint sites they have where you can see how a color looks (BTW, I can't figure out the one on BM for some reason)

Should I paint the soffits above the cabinets or leave them as is? They seem to be a darker color than the cabinets. Any suggestions on what color to do the walls that will compliment the cabinets? I'm thinking about a solid surface countertop in the brown/tan tones - not in to white, grays, blues, etc. Maybe something on the "dark side" or would lighter look better?? Backsplash suggestions? I think tile, cheaper and I think too much solid won't look good. Knobs will take me forever to pick out, no idea what would be complimentary and it's hard for me to make a deicision. Flooring, thought about the Trafficmaster Alurre in the darker slate - not sure if that would look good or not. Whatever I do, have to tie it in to the eat=in area.

Not sure what to do about the lower half of the wall where the wood is - leave it, or paint it? If I paint it, will have to paint tha backside of the kitchen cabinets. Any thoughts of how to "enhance" that back area? I really have never had "color" in my home, so I'd like to keep it a bit subdued - I'm sort of scared of the unknown!

I'd love to move the stove as suggested, but that would be a problem with what to do with the wall oven and the opening it would leave as I wouldn't have a cook top on one side with the oven on another, or would one? Also, the exhaust vent is vented to the outside and I don't want to have to move that either. I don't mind the layout, really.

I'd like to try and put in some pullouts for the blind corners and cabinets underneath, any suggestions who has the best price out there?

There's a comfortable feeling about this home for me. The wood cornices remind me of my Grandparents cottage in Upstate NY and the whole house has a familiar feel ss it's almost the same layout as I have now. It has so much potential if given time (and money) As much as I'd love to have a totally brnd new kitchen, I know in reality, I can't afford it and I can't put myself in to debt over a kitchen.

I know there has to be others out there that have done what I'm thinking, I'm just not finding anything in all my searches, which is driving me batty! Thanks to Palimpsest I know that, at least where Rockler is concerned, the cabinets are considered to be French Provincial? but as I said above, I can't find anywhere else that they are considered to be that style. I haven't found but one pic with anyone else having cabinet doors like this.

Thanks again to everyone, truly appreciate each and every reply!

Debelli -
Don't worry about the landscaping. It's not an overgrown jungle where you can't see the house, with lots of demolition to do. Again, take your time, live in the place for a while, study the light and the use patterns and then start doing things.

A good chunk of my garden coaching business is telling people how to get rid of the landscaping they installed in a hurry to "do something with the yard".

Here is a link that might be useful: Create your own landscape design

Wow! You have so much to work with!

A few things that come to mind are beadboard and open shelving.

If it were mine to change on a tight budget, I would remove at least some of the upper cabinet doors leaving open shelving. I would add some decorative trim to them to dress them up a bit. Because the tops of your cabinets go all the way to the ceiling (yay!) I would add some beadboard up top. You might also consider routing out the design on the doors and adding a fabric panel there. I would paint the top cabs off white. Maybe a beadboard backsplash? In case you haven't guessed, I love beadboard. It is easy to handle, especially the plank variety, because of this you can do so much yourself without waiting for "strong arms" to arrive!
I also think that the bottom cabinets would look great painted black. The light and dark contrast would open up the top half of the room and not close it off.
In the eat in section I would paint the wainscoating white and continue the cabinet colors on the upper and lower cabinets. On the section with the three panels on the right, I would make some sort of message center i.e., a framed blackboard, corkboard etc.
I realize that so much of this is just personal taste. This is just what comes to my mind when I see your great kitchen!
Here is a link to a great (cheap, DIY) kitchen blog that I love. They also post so many instructions, it is very helpful!
Keep us posted!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Lettered Cottage

We have the same cabinet style but painted white! I'm trying to figure out if I want to repaint and get new hardware or get all new doors and drawers. What did you decide? Would love to see your after pictures!

The tradition of updating your kitchen's style is brought to you by capitalist consumption. It's wasteful. I like your sturdy, wooden cabinet doors very much.

We just bought a 70s rancher that has the same cabinets. We are painting the cabinets and restoring the hardware. These cabinets will never look all the rage but they are far better quality than anything out there today.

We will need to replace the countertops. I am thinking I will use tile. I am not paying the crazy prices for granite or solid surface.