First thing I'd do is hire a kitchen designer. Ask around if you other's in the area that might be able to recommend someone.

It would be easier to extend the kitchen out towards the fireplace area. I would not take out the wall pictured, it is the only wall that separates your entry/living room/kitchen. Plus, it would be quite the project to shore up that ceiling to support your second floor.

Well, I might read through some threads around the kitchen forum here, and see what people do to update their spaces. Cost is going to depend on where you live of course, but unless you have diy skills or family with those abilities, I think people spend $50,000 + to remodel kitchens. Is budget an issue for you?

If budget is an issue, you might consider living in the house for a little while, so you can see how the floorplan may need to change.

If it were me, I'd want to change that kitchen ceiling, and if I had funds, I'd be looking into knocking down a wall, to provide a designated place for a table, so people could sit down to eat. But over in kitchens forum, you will be prompted to provide a house-plan with measurements, and there are some really talented folks who can set you on the right path, given the existing floorplan and your budget.

Ask the inspector if the distance between microwave and range top passes modern safety codes and if the microwave's fan is vented to the outside. If you need to change the microwave to a hood, that will affect your plans for the kitchen.

Do you have a budget range in mind for changes ($1K, $10K, other) or are you in the idea-gathering stage?

Thank you everyone that took the time to respond. I will get measurements ASAP! Regarding budget, I would love to refinish cabinets, get new hardware, countertops, backsplash and appliances to cut down cost and stay below $7,000-$10,000. Not sure if that is possible. If I have to gut the kitchen totally then I would prefer to wait and live there awhile, like someone mentioned, to get to know my space a little better. I then will be willing to spend more. However, if I can avoid the $30k - $50k expense I'd prefer that route.

What do you mean when you say re-finish the cabinets? Paint? Looking at your cabinets, I don't think they are hardwood, so you wouldn't be able to stain them.

Hi, Brandi

Cute starter house! I have a few ideas for you. I see an opportunity to turn the front room into the dining room, wall removal is not necessary. Maybe remove the carpeting. You might find hardwood floors underneath as homes of this era typically have them. No guarantees they will be in good condition tho. You can hire an electrician to install a switched ceiling fixture for a few hundred dollars, maybe.

On the kitchen side, the cabinets look like laminate to me, but it's hard to tell in your pics. The peninsula portion could be removed and the dishwasher rotated relatively easily. You would need new countertops, new flooring and a ceiling touch up. When I say relatively easily, I mean for an experienced handyman.

Is the ceiling all fluorescent lights above plastic diffusers (a type of "sunshine ceiling" popular in the 1970's-1980's) ? Or are there regular ceiling tiles interspersed with fluorescent lights?

It's actually really cute in its Brady Bunch state and looks to be in decent, clean, livable condition. The cheap thing to do would be embrace the retro while saving up for a serious redo. It has that nice gracious mid century feel that is worth preserving. The elegant formal, but open, front room (love the ceiling detail), the cozy family room and open concept kitchen (again with the ceilings! I'd ignore the kitchen ceiling until a redo and enjoy the family room's),

Absolutely peek under the carpet and look for hardwood though! Is it real tile/stone in the kitchen and entry?

Your eating area was probably meant to be at one end of the living or family room--there was a period when formal dining rooms were out and the dining area just flowed into the living area. I'd guess the spot by the glass door with the cabinets? Or maybe in the front room. Hard to get a sense of scale from the photo.

This doesn't strike me as a "starter" home unless the neighborhood has gone to hell since it was built. :)

Thanks Fori. No, it's not a starter home, but it a "new start" home for me :) I didn't think to look under the carpet, but will do so or ask my agent to look into it for me. There is hardwood throughout the upstairs hallways and bedrooms.

I'm starting to think about placing the dining area opposite the front door in the living room, but still would like a more informal/stool area for breakfast and where the kids can eat in the kitchen.

Honestly, just the post from this thread has given me some hope and direction. I'm excited!

You could put 2 stool up at the counter right next to the fridge, that's what that is for.

Just looking at your kitchen, I can see that the microwave is much too close to the stove top. I would take out the upper cabinets over the peninsula and put two bar stools on the other side looking into the kitchen.....new countertops with overhang for stools and a new back splash. Some pretty curtains at your window over the sink will give it some color and get a throw rug in front of the sink that matches. The dishwasher, where it is, doesn't bother me but closer to the sink would be more convenient and make the floor easier to keep clean of drips. I am a little confused by what is beside your refrigerator...another peninsula? Might need to take out and put a wall up there to hide the back of your refrigerator. Not sure.

I would do the following: (1) paint the cabinets white to update and brighten the space; (2) replace the countertop to update the space and include an overhang for counter seating on the other side of the peninsula for the seating you are looking for; (3) remove the upper cabinets above the peninsula and remove the scalloped piece above the window for the more open look you want; (4) remove the uppers near the sliding door and replace them with a pantry for the more space you said you want; and (5) add a backsplash. All of these things can be done piecemeal as your budget allows.

Hi Youngnew,

Congrats on your new house, I love it, digging those counters! Back when we were fearless of color!

Can you please post another pic, stand on the port side of the fireplace?

spend some of the money to redo that ceiling in the kitchen.

another resource is craigslist. I say this all the time, but if you are near a big city, you can find tons of posts. people rip out cabinets all the time to update theirs, and sell their 'old ones' (which will be newer than what you have!) for hardly nothing. I've seen 3 year old cabinets, w/granite, going for 1K. and it was 3 times your size. perfectly good, almost new cabinets. for that price you could piece your own kitchen together.

look for remnant countertops at stone yards, fabricators shops, craigslist, etc. you don't have a lot of countertop so you don't need to buy a full slab of stone.

for instance,, this guy on Craigslist is selling these cabs, counter and appliances for about 1-2K. (there's another side). if you're willing to do the work, you can get some nice deals.

this guys,,,2K. cabs, counter and all appliances!

same w/this one. everything. 2-3K. and it's all packed up and ready to go

(counters will be hard to reuse, obviously. you will have to have yours custom cut. but if you luck out and can reuse them w/minor fixes, great! )

for that price, it's a nice upgrade compared to what you have. these are all private owners doing upgrades on their own kitchens.

Beth, I'm going to be honest. This thought never crossed my mind. Now, I'm going to be all over it! LOVE IT! Thank you so much! This is an awesome idea!

Ellsworth, do you mind showing a picture of what you are referring to? You think I can pull off a pantry in the family room area? I just want to make sure I'm seeing the vision. Thank you for the response.

The light colors you chose really lighten the space, and the extra lighting is great. However, since you removed the peninsula and the uppers along the sink wall, you have lost a ton of storage and counter space. Do you intend to add something else? New uppers or open shelving along the sink wall? You might even be able to add a peninsula back along the new edge of your counter and run it all along the wall to the back door -- that would give you a lot more space.

Layout aside, what do you intend to do about your floors and paint? Generally speaking, I think backsplash should be the last choice you make. The one you have in the picture appears to be too cool/stark white next to your counters, so I would look for a softer one. Perhaps a light gray even, depending on what you are doing with flooring/paint.

All I can say is wow! As someone who suffers from analysis-paralysis, I'm impressed with the speed of your decisions. Way to go!

What's left to coordinate? Paint, backsplash,....island?

If you are using gray, then do not use the brown on the floor. I cant tell on my monitor, if your countertop has gray in it, or a light shade of brown. If it has brown, in it, then go with the brown floor, but, dont use gray elsewhere. What you have done so far, looks very nice.

are those glass tiles? back painted w/white? just know that all glass gives off a green tinge. look through the stories here about , "my white glass tiles look green"

why not try a longer ceramic tile? or if you like the glass, do a gray or light blue glass.

Nice updates so far!

Just curious ... Why did you decide to eliminate the peninsula? Seems you lost a lot of counter space, and that nice divider between the kitchen and living space. That's where I would have stood to prep food, and could see that peninsula as a natural gathering spot, so just wondering what the motivation was to remove it!

Also, did you add a dining area outside of the kitchen?

Without a doubt: 1. Educate yourself, then 2. Hire a designer.

It is looking better! And I understand removing the peninsula. What concerns me is the loss of and lack of counter space (having lived with very little counter before my remodel).

May I suggest a few ideas: 1) add a cabinet at the room end of the sink run, that extends out into the family room and then wraps around the wall toward the door. You could use a 24"w wall cabinet turned sideways at the end then continue down the wall with a few more to make a serving space for an eating area by the sliders; or 2) get a small mobile island/cart that you can park by the sink run but pull to convenient spots while prepping/putting away groceries/cooking and 3) consider building a narrow cabinet (with a pullout) for that sliver of space by the stove -- I know some hold such narrow cabinets in disdain, but even a small bit of counter next to the stove will be helpful and can be useful storage (I have a 9" one). Or shelving at the least with a counter top.

Looks great! Especially with the ceiling o'light now gone.

Wow! Following along.

Your boldness is very refreshing! I can't say how many threads here go on forever just to pick a backsplash or a piece of hardware and BAM, your whole kitchen is done in 3 months! Did I miss the post where you discovered what kind of flooring was under the carpet? Looks great so far!

Great job! I actually don't mind your floors with the new kitchen but with the peninsula gone, you'll obviously have to change them.

Wow, what a difference that makes! Looks soooo much better! How rewarding that must feel.

What a wonderful transformation!