If you're not going to put a base cabinet next to the stove, I'd go look for a table or cart of some sort to fill in that space. ( I have a microwave cart for that purpose. It also holds many of my cookbooks under the microwave.) You might also get a slab of that countertop to go on top of it.

I personally like the white appliances. They keep the eye moving around the small kitchen. Wish my kitchen had white, but SS was here when we moved in. I just feel the kitchen is too white and needs a touch of color. I would paint the walls a very light turquoise blue. If you have the room I would turn the fridge to the wall from the laundry room and reverse the doors. It is blocking part of the window presently. You could put a cabinet above the stove for extra storage with a vented vent hood. White kitchen with out a vent hood equals the kitchen would look like grease color in a short amount of time.

I would stick with the white. I think the stainless will stick out like a sore thumb. Your kitchen is small and the all-white makes it look cohesive. I agree with weedmeister and would get a microwave cart or table for the empty space between the stove and refrigerator. Cute rental.

I think white appliances will keep a cohesive look in the kitchen. The stainless will chop up an already small space. I think your house looks lovely. You have made great choices in the kitchen and bathroom and the flooring.

You'll probably get a split of opinions down the middle between stainless and white appliances.

If it were my rental, I would be thinking of what would be most economical. As such, I would replace the range with another white one and change the wall color to one with more warmth. I would definitely add a portable butcher block island between fridge and stove. For staging, a colorful runner down the middle and perhaps a sweet little curtain on the window.

You have a vintage house that is going to appeal to a certain group of people. I'm not sure we had stainless appliances in residential kitchens back in the 50's. So, keeping it white, I think respects the era of the house more so than stainless would.

Just my two cents. You really have a lovely house!

Vintage Craftsman · More Info

I'd go with white--remember that stainless ranges do not have stainless sides. The sides are either black or grey. That would be visually jarring in that kitchen.

Regarding the open space between range and fridge, put in a cart or a vintage chrome table and a chair. That's what I have in my kitchen, next to my stove but in front of a low window sill. I love prepping while sitting at my age.

Glad you kept the character of the kitchen. Love the transom that let in light from both sides of the kitchen!

Since, I am one that really dislikes stainless steel appliances, and since the kitchen is very small, I would go with white. I do think stainless would make the room look much smaller and would stick out like a sore thumb. I also agree, with the poster above, that it needs a bit of color, and a light aqua color would look nice in there on the walls.

Is the choice here just around the stove? (meaning, the other appliances will be white?) If so, definitely keep everything white.

I agree with the suggestions about getting more color in there, but, if your plan is to rent this out immediately, it could be a good idea to stick with white paint -- easier to repaint between tenants, and easier for your tenants to do touch ups if necessary. When you move in some time in the future, then you can be more creative.

It wasn't too long ago that I was a renter, and there were many other considerations that went into my decision besides the look of the appliances and the paint on the walls. Yeah, I probably would have liked SS appliances but none of the places I rented had them, and I chose them anyway, so....

I am sure that for some high-priced urban locations, renters are looking for a certain "look," and that's where worrying about finishes comes into play. But it doesn't look like you're in one of those sorts of areas. If you're in a desirable, walkable neighborhood and your rent is in line with what people expect for your area, you'll get tenants.

Count me on the stainless steel camp for aesthetics. You have a monochromatic theme and it would help break it up a little. People do like stainless. The other commentator does have a point that the side of the appliance would show. So maybe painting the side to match the rest of the kitchen if you choose stainless? However...If you stick with white for economic reasons I think your house is cute enough and will attract good people, specially in the neighborhood you describe. It's not the end of the world. Budget is also a consideration. So if you decide to go with budget I think it's what makes the most sense to go with white. I too have a rental with white appliances. It started replacing one and then I had to do the others as they got replaced in the same color. I have a perfectly good tenant because of the courtyard garden and the condo is cute and was updated both kitchen & bath. Wood floors in the bedroom. The garden courtyard is such a great attractive feature. So attractive feature + decent updated place (which you have no matter the white or stainless) = possible good tenants.

I think there are a couple of things that need doing . I actually don’t mind the white but since chances are you will not find a stove in the same color white I would go stainless, a smaller fridge in a counter depth will make that small space feel bigger but you will need to find a fridge with at least gray sides , I totally agree you need some sort of counter beside the stove and moveable cart is a great idea.. The biggest thing is lighting, I would just get a nice LED track with 3500 -5000 K bulbs .Maybe look at some kind of venting for the stove since it is on an outside wall.

The biggest issue I see is the "too large" window on the exterior wall. That window is dictating the placement of the range, and does not allow for any countertop on either side of the range. Replace the window / add base cabinets to either side of the new (white) range / add an exhaust hood/ add electrical outlets. Add one upper cabinet to the left of the range (with an electric outlet at the back) for a microwave. "Kitschy, cute, vintage" only goes so far. Tenants also want "practical" and that includes today's necessities such as a microwave and countertop space.

I would stick with white. This is not a high end rental - tenants will not be "expecting" stainless. And I would not put ANYTHING that is moveable/portable in that kitchen - tenants have a way of taking anything that is not nailed down with them.

I do have a question about the refrigerator: can the door open being that close to the wall? If they don't open all the way, you may have to move it over or have the doors reversed.

I'd vote to keep the appliances white, to add a cart for under the window, and to paint the walls some pale color==I'd pick aqua, but a light green or blue could be nice also. Just be sure that the color is pale so that whatever the tenants might want to use won't clash. I don't think grey would compliment the house.

I would also do white. I’d put a table or cart, preferably a cute one, under the window. If the tenant wants a microwave, this might provide a spot for it. I’d get rid of the curvy piece overythe kitchen sink if you can. Painting the walls a pretty light blue or mint color would look nice too.

I would stick with white. A cohesive set of appliances looks better. (Also leave the tags on it when renting to show that it is brand new...not the price tag,the other stuff.) And definitely paint the walls a colour. It will add a lot of charm to the space. I would add the cart,just don't spend too much on it. As a landlord, I have been very lucky with great tenants. Wishing you the same.

Thank you so much to everyone for your suggestions! After reading all the comments, we decided to order a white stove, although we appreciate the dissenting opinions too and will keep in mind that tenants generally prefer stainless steel for our other properties. I had been planning to get tables to stand in for the missing cabinets after I had tenants, but based on all the feedback here, we will build two countertop height tables with butcher block tops (a narrow one for the L side of the stove, and a wider one for the R side) this week so that prospective tenants can see them. I will be sure to attach them to the wall so they don't tip over or walk away. An outlet was already added below the window during our renovation, so a microwave could go on the table or perhaps on a shelf (although it might be annoying to have to bend over to use it).

Thank you also for all the other ideas about lighting, color, ventilation, window placement, the refrigerator size (luckily the door does open to 90 degrees, Anglophilia, but to open it further it would have to be pulled away from the wall). We just finished cleaning the house and are hoping to rent it out ASAP, so I will have to incorporate these ideas into future plans.

I'd change that range to induction. The quality of the performance is so much better than what you have. I'd go stainless for all the appliances with used if necessary. Doing things like that can be offset with a higher rental rate in a desirable area.

Love my induction cook top. For a rental though, the tenants have to have the correct cookware and, if they do not, the cost of new pots and pans could discourage them from renting.

Obviously some pans can come with a rental. Curtains come with a rental. And other things based on reasonableness.

Dab1888, price out a good set of induction pots…Cephalon non-stick costs around $500.00. I doubt the tenant or landlord wants to make that investment for a rental.

Thanks to everyone above for helping me decide to make these (finally-finished!) tables for our tenants to fill the empty spaces in the kitchen:

I also found a powder coat company that will powder coat the oven mint green for under $300 (if I can figure out from the manual how to take all the panels apart and put them back together), but we will have to wait on that until the house is vacant (which I hope will not happen for years). My long-term plan is to keep the refrigerator white, paint the stove mint green, and to replace the (brand new) dishwasher with a panel-ready one to match the cabinets when it dies someday. I would love to hear positive or negative feedback on these choices and on the tables we made. I know the tables are already installed, but we are only amateur woodworkers and can incorporate any criticism into future projects. Thanks.

I have all white appliances in my two rentals. First, much cheaper, and second, it's amazing how much more quickly appliances get beat-up/damaged/broken by renters, so replacement is more frequent. I would not paint any appliances or use panel-ready appliances until I moved in and re-did kitchen for my own use. I guess a third point would be that my rentals are small, so the white appliances help the kitchens look bigger.

Another landlord here. I would not do the expense of panel-ready appliances,although I do tend to put in better quality appliances than most rentals in our areas. What is the rationale and cost for powder-coating that stove? Do you expect a better ROI on the unit by doing so? Is this a short term rental (AirBnB type where visuals on the listing are paramount) or for longer term tenants? I think your tables are charming. I also think they may be damaged by hot pots sooner rather than later. Also,could the table obscuring the window be lower? I know that adds another asymmetry and your way might look best in person. Good luck!

I looked into an induction cook top for my one rental. First, the cost was pretty pricey, second, I had to pay attention to providing proper cookware and since cookware in my rentals disappears once in awhile, this would become a hassle, third, the wiring needed for more than two burners would have been very expensive, fourth, as I mentioned before, renters seem to damage appliances at a greater frequency, meaning I'd have to replace the induction cook top at smaller intervals. For one rental I have a nice quality white electric range with regular coil burners, for the other rental, I went with a nice quality glass top electric range. Both have pros and cons, but I'm not going to do anything until they break.

My vote is white! It's a galley rental. The white will blend better with your cabinets.

Thank you all for your comments. hollybar, I wanted to powder coat the stove because I think a mint green stove would look cute in a 1950s kitchen, and because it's not very expensive. I hope that my current tenants (who have lived there for less than a month) enjoy living in the house and stay for several years. My husband wasn't very excited about mint green, and it sounds like nobody here is either, so I'll probably stick with the more universally appealing white. I hadn't considered burn marks, but the tables were a DIY project meant to last 5-10 years until we get around to changing the window and adding cabinets on that side of the kitchen. The hickory for the butcher block tops only cost $50, and hopefully I can turn them over or plane them between tenants if they are burnt. I agree with you that table height looks wrong next to the window, but it's done now and there is no way my husband could be prevailed upon to change it!

Those tables look really great and I'm sure that renters will be very happy with such a clean and bright kitchen.