That kitchen sounds grim, and I think you should be happy living there while you make a plan, but I'd try small changes before completely replacing anything (unless you think your remodel might not be for years...then a tiny kitchen might be worth cheaply swapping out, depends on layout). I'm painting my cabinets and probably replacing counters, but when I got around to finally texturing and painting the walls, I was amazed at how much better everything else looked. If I'd done that first, maybe I could have lived with the rest a little longer. Also, some counters can be painted...not a great long-term solution, but possibly enough to get you by until you can completely remodel. The backsplash can be simply covered up, too; The Nester hot-glued beadboard panels to tile in her rental house, and there are adhesive stainless steel tiles that might work, too. IKEA can be great if it's close to you, but some have had issues getting the butcher block lately. If you won't be waiting too long to remodel, many live with plywood countertops while they're waiting. Do a cost benefit analysis of the different cheap fixes and compare them to your timeline, and you'll know what's worth it to you to change. Sometimes things look worse before you're living with it (maybe because it seems ugly & alien when it's still someone else's, but more familiarly quirky when it's yours?). I'm also really trying to remember Nester's motto: "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful". Helps me keep perspective when the potential wants, needs and costs are adding up. Here is a link that might be useful: The Nester's Beadboard Kitchen Make-over

I agree that one wall -- or a ceiling, might have more impact in a good way than all 4 walls. One post above talks about brush strokes, but also keep in mind that any texture or imperfections in your wall are going to be emphasized by and/or compete with the metallic finish -- which you usually want as smooth as possible. And please, don't grab a spray can for your walls. Not very efficient, a lot of nasty stuff to breathe, the odors linger a long time, you may find it hard to get an even finish - for one wall, much less 4 -- and you will create issues for painting over that paint when you want to change it.

Jin, Jackie, Stephanie, Lisa, Sheila, Perma, thanks for your responses. California does sound like it's fighting a battle against fire. Jackie, our local council passed the worst tree ordinance in the history of mankind, basically requiring a significant portion of the wood cover of the area to be cut down, at owners' expense. Fortunately they got voted out of office, sheerly by accident (this is Italy), and the new center-left council recognizes that trees actually have their positive side and repealed the ordinance. Also they planted trees around the middle school after the previous council had the ones there all cut down. I wasn't familiar with recall, but thank goodness you have it. Also thank goodness your wonderful garden, inspiring to us all, isn't going to fall entirely victim to the (legitimate) demands of fire safety. Congratulations on your incredibly energetic and hard-working helper! We all need one or two of them in our lives. Jin, planting's not over. I think we might complete basic planting in five years of so, and since DH will be nearly ninety then, whether we'll finish is very much open to doubt. We do what we can. Stephanie, agree with your ideas about the importance of structure. Also, trees and large shrubs produce a wider range of conditions in which plants can grow the when there's just meadow: think cyclamen, hellebores, epimediums, forest floor bulbs; all plants for which I struggle to find places to grow. Trees have an ecologically stabilizing effect, I think, helping keep weeds under control. Unfortunately they grow very slowly here, at least, ours always have. Even once we get all the trees we want planted, it's going to take a couple of decades for even the faster-growing species to reach a decent size. Our clay soil is fertile enough once amended with organic matter, but the amendment is a gigantic task. We've put over a hundred tons of old hay into the garden, and it could absorb another hundred tons without the least difficulty. It's an illustration at least of how effectively soil can sequester carbon when properly managed. Congratulations on your rain, Lisa and you other Californians! Rain has gotten more capricious here in late years. We had a wet spring and early summer, then dry late summer and early fall. In November it finally began to rain, and rain, and rain, and now the watercourses, ponds, and aquifers are brimming. I hope you'll be able to say the same soon. Part of what I'm interested in in my gardening is capturing that rainfall instead of letting it run off. And preventing topsoil loss. The year 2017 lives in my memory, and not in a good way. My guess is more years like that are going to come. We're doing our best to get our garden and land, and us, in the best shape possible to resist prolonged drought. Shade! we need shade! I wish you all happy gardening, or, for those in cold climates, a pleasant break from gardening! And happy holidays! P.S. I think I cross-posted with Kes, to whom: thanks for the good wishes!

@User lol at the fact that you are saying we were bad customers. we have been more than understanding. They started the reno in March and my kitchen is still not finished. You all would rather blindly try to make us look like the bag guys than acknowledge that this company was wrong. You’re willing to ignore the fact that this company (unprompted) came to my house proposing to eliminate $35,400 from our total cost just to continue to make me look unreasonable and bad. Thats ok though….I’ll gladly take my $30k check to the bank without a second thought And yes this is the OP… for some reason it doesnt show my user nake when i respond from my phone