Not an expert or anything. Your inspiration kitchen is adorable! Your house sounds awesome.

i think changing the floors and wall color and adding curtains will be a great start.

given the cost and how difficult painting can be, plus the fact that your cabinets match your window trim ok, I probably wouldn’t bother to paint if it were mine. Could save that $5k for the future full remodel!

I feel your pain. My first house was a 1927 craftsman bungalow and my second house was an 1898 eclectic like yours and in both cases the kitchens did not match the feel of the house at all and we did not at the time have the money to redo them.

I notice they even did the window trim and window wrong!

However your kitchen even though absolutely not period appropriate is a lot better than either of mine were. Personally I'd put the money you'd spend for repainting it into your kitchen savings account. Same with anything else you want to do.

You'll put in the checkerboard and down the line when you remodel, you'll most likely have to pull it up. You'll paint the cabinets white, but unless you do it properly they will be chipping within a year. (I know because in that second house we painted the cabinets, but not properly and they started chipping within a year.)

To paint the cabinets properly if you DIY will take you weeks and weeks, cost you the price of a painter sprayer, good quality paint, etc. And a professional job will cost between $3000-$5000.

If you must do something, I'd pick a green like your inspiration and paint the walls that color for now and then head to Lowes for some period appropriate knobs and pulls.

Love, love , love the inspiration photo! Since you plan a gut job down the road, I would go for your intermediate plans until the full gut can happen. Having owned an old home with lots of more pressing needs I understand doing a good DIY remodel will make it look pretty until you can do the full gut.

Just a warning that checkerboard floors look great, but black-and-white checkerboard are a maintenance PITA. The white shows the dirt and the black shows the dust and crumbs. Try to find checkerboard in other colors that are more muted, or you will be swiffering twice a day.

When you are ready, soapstone counters would be perfect. I wouldn't worry about having your appliances have an old-timey look. If the homeowners from the 1920s could travel forward in time, they would love to have modern appliances if they could. I love the hood in your photo, but it is custom, and will cost upwards of $3000, likely much more (the tile border on the hood alone...). Just giving you a heads up.

Not a pro, but since your cabinet doors are slab with rounded corners, even painted they will have a modern flair unlike your inspiration photo. Maybe one of the pros with photoshop capability will post a pic of what your cabinets would look like if painted.

No faux old appliances; they don't fool anyone.

A black and white vinyl floor is inappropriate. The black and white is sort of okay, but the vinyl-ness is no better than what you are complaining about now. If you want sheet goods, use the new, real linoleums (Marmoleum, etc.). That would be period-appropriate (linoleum goes back to the Civil War era).

That hood will not cost over 3k.

i like your existing kitchen far more than the inspiration.

did you do the remodel in 2014. May I ask where you got those severely simple cabinet door slabs? I love them.

It’s a question of budget. Some simple changes, as Patricia mentioned, might give the feel you’re looking for until you’re ready for a complete re-do. I would not go uber-vintage. BTW, love the term downdating!

Cpartist - we can agree to disagree on the hood cost. The tile border, and what looks to be a plaster surround which is custom painted, and the mechanical innards which would be sold separately, add up, for me, to more than $3000. Well, let the homeowner find out for herself when the time comes. But she should be warned about costs.

You could look into replacing the doors with something less plain. Often the name of the manufacturer is stamped inside the drawers. 2014 wasn't so long ago - the finish might still be available on a different door style.

There are some sheet vinyl patterns that look like Marmoleum (a modern brand of linoleum) without the care and expense of the real thing. If you choose a period appropriate linoleum look, you could buy some colorful wallpaper to be the star of the room. William Morris patterns, for example, would upstage the rest of the kitchen. Or an Art Nouveau pattern. A fancy wallpaper will be far less expensive than painting the cabinets or replacing the doors and drawer fronts.

Dining room with wainscott · More Info

Brooklyn Row House 1 · More Info

Here's a link to William Morris patterns currently in production: https://www.stylelibrary.com/morris&co/

Wow! Thanks everyone! The reason I wanted to do vinyl as opposed to linoleum (love antique linoleum rugs and flooring!) or attempting to expose original floors is two fold. 1) there is an addition connected to the kitchen (2014) that does not have hardwoods underneath. The current vinyl is continuous through the kitchen, dining nook, laundry, and bathroom. I think it would be easiest to maintain the continuity for now. Thoughts?

Congratulations on your new house, it sounds great : ) .

I like cp's idea of using that green on the walls, and changing the hardware, while saving up for the remodel down the road.

And Shannon is right about the floors. I put them in our laundry room in our old house, and the white showed the dirt and the black showed the dust. Absolutely maddening, and a huge disappointment.

Realistically, it will be many years before we fully renovate it.

This might be a disappointment now, but it gives you the chance to use your kitchen a lot, live with it, find out where it works and where it doesn't (the oddly angled sink, perhaps).

If you decide to go ahead with your plans anyway, I'd look into (relatively) inexpensive Ikea butcher block countertops.

We had a 1950s O'Keefe & Merritt range for 25 years in our old house. We found it for $25 and it served us well for a long time. It was a beautiful workhorse; the only disadvantage for the way our family cooks was the (very) small oven, and I wish I'd been able to have a set of double wall ovens elsewhere.

For some inspiration, here's a longtime Kitchen forum member's vintage-inspired remodeled kitchen,

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2669580/1929-s-new-kitchen-almost-finished-sort-of-clean

and another one,

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5127994/my-little-socal-spanish-kitchen-remodel-before#n=67

I wish I had advice for you other than "wait and save". We have been living with a crumbling 1950s/60s kitchen for years, waiting to gut it and (as you put it so well) "downdate" it. It is frustrating, but half measures will be less than half satisfying.

And here's a recent vintage-inspired reveal, it's one of my favorites,

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5738196/we-finished-our-kitchen-danby-and-soapstone#24403586

Your kitchen inspiration

with mint cabinets

with mint back splash

I can't believe that kitchen was done in 2014, that wasn't that long ago! If you said it was done in the early 1980's I would have believed it.

I sure wouldn't paint the cabinets.

Check this out below.

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/kitchen-of-the-week-restored-cabinets-revive-a-midcentury-gem-stsetivw-vs~91884375

Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Backsplash · More Info

Ikea has very inexpensive dark cement look counters.

Or something like this, with trellis pattern.

@Celery. Visualization, Rendering images Thank you so much for drafting that! Did you use Photoshop? I'd love to learn how to do it. @nosoccermom has me thinking about trying to stain the cabinets mahogany and adding hardware. I am trying to figure out what colors of tile would go well with the darker stain. I'm still liking green or maybe blue. It avoids white and off white competing which I love! And I can pretend with one eye shut and a margarita that they are half-cousins of original cabinets LOL!

@apple_pie_order I absolutely LOVE the Morris & Co wallpapers. Stunning! I couldn't find a retailer in my state, though. Bookmarked nonetheless!

@D E I haven't moved in yet but I can let you know if I can find out. I should say I don't know if the cabinets are from 2014 - the addition and continuous floor are but cabinets and counters may not be. Hoping to chat with current owner to learn more.

@beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally Thanks for all of those lovely ideas! I absolutely LOVE the green/terra cotta combo kitchen. WOW! A girl can dream right :)

@Patricia Colwell Consulting wow. Lovely inspiration! Thanks for the advice on the Ikea countertops - never even thought about an affordable option and awesome to hear they hold up so well (and look so good!).

@cpartist thanks for the advice! I am leaning towards staining the cabinets, painting the walls, and..... not sure on the floor since almost everyone poo poo'ed the checkerboard vinyl idea. I really hate the kitchen, but you're right, it is functional and not completely horrible. I think the hardware and adding some color will go a long way! BTW, cabinets may be older. I assumed kitchen was remodeled in 2014 but I think it was probably just the floor.

The windows and doors make me cringe a little (anything but the most expensive of new doors seem to be such poor quality and an eyesore to boot). I will be replacing with salvaged ones eventually (we have the sweetest salvage shop in town. There is about 1000 sq ft of just old doors LOVE!).

Since you mention that a full remodel is years down the road... I'd do the things that will give me the best 'Happiness NOW' return for my efforts.For me that would be new flooring, new counters and a new wall colour. It might entail removing some cabs for open shelving...hard to say without more pictures. Best of luck!

vintage kitchen down the road? They are very expensive. And a lot of work and details. You have a good well lit space . I would get a stainless range and hood . Paint the walls a great semi gloss gray . White subway tile. Get some black and white floor runners .....keep the floor ...it's a non issue. And enjoy the simplicity of what you have. No altering cabinets. Especially no mint green diy paint to those great slab doors. And start your folder of ideas.....your thoughts will probably change and mutate many times about goals.

I put a black/white checkerboard tile in my kitchen a few years after moving in to it. HUGE mistake! It was a nightmare to keep clean! These were solid vinyl tiles and believe me, they scratch and scuff and the ONLY way to get out the scuffs and ground in dirt (yes, I had dogs and cats), is on ones hands and knees using a Dobie to scrub them. I had put them in as I had seen them in Shelbyville KY at Wakefield Scearce, a lovely historic building that is an antique store. I called them and asked how they kept those floors looking so good with all the foot traffic and I discovered that their janitor staff washed and then buffed them with a huge commercial buffer, twice weekly! Well, that wasn't going to happen in my small kitchen! So I eventually replaced these with site-finished hardwood floors with a high gloss finish. Easy to care for, always look good!

I live in a 20s house with an 80s kitchen. We painted the cabinets -- mint on the bottom and cream on the top, we have 4 inch square white backsplash (thankfully the guy that put in those 80s cabinets used white tile -- white tile is always timeless whether it is square or subway), marble Tiel countertops, glass pulls for the cabinets and bin pulls for the drawers, marble tile countertop and we had the island before islands were cool -- that is an old slab of pastry marble that we acquired. We've been on homes tours and a lot of people (not real knowledgeable about design, obviously) commented on us having the "original"kitchen. Oh, and we took out the center o the uppers and put in glass. It's not a "perfect" 20s kitchen but I think it has the feel of one.

Can you do Marmoleum? It’s real linoleum (appropriate to the house) and feels AWESOME under your feet. It’s also naturally antibacterial and extremely easy to clean. Since the color runs through the entire tile, any damage is essentially invisible. We did the glue-down tiles ourselves:

https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Flooring-Marmoleum

Your kitchen always makes me smile, Martha : ) .

Brianna, here's a very long, very fun thread for those of us who enjoy color and creativity in our kitchens,

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5717017/why-do-all-the-kitchens-look-the-same#24423536

I just remembered -- one book cpartist has often recommended for some projects is "Bungalow Kitchens" by Jane Powell,

https://www.amazon.com/Bungalow-Kitchens-Jane-Powell/dp/1423607538

We just finally redid our kitchen (someone linked to it in your thread!) but BEFORE we redid it - we did a mini makeover - like you’re contemplating now. We ended up pulling up the existing linoleum tile, and painting the subfloor underneath. I actually loved that painted floor very much - and we would have to have pulled up the linoleum for the big renovation anyway - so it was a win.
I actually love your cabinets! They aren’t “period” - but they are very cool, and warm. If you could paint the floor, and change the counter and backsplash - i think your kitchen would be amazing.

The first picture is my old floor right after we painted it. It wasn’t easy to get the linoleum up and all of the adhesive - and I hired someone to do it (not a handy person). The second picture i just googled - but if you want to get creative - there are so many things you can do with painted floors. I also have an old house, and unless your kitchen is an addition, there’s almost definitely wood subfloor there. I also did a peel and stick black and white floor in an apartment 30 years ago, and it was a nightmare to keep clean....

I’m not sure what countertops I would suggest - but something simple! A new floor and new countertops and your kitchen would be fantastic!

Well, hmmm.

You're an awful long way in what you have to work with to get to your inspiration kitchen. So I think, instead, it would be a good idea to compile an idea book of 30's and 40's kitchens that have elements closer to what you have to work with. You can put that lovely thing in your back pocket and save for the gut reno, but in the meantime, let's see what else we can find.

OK, so what can we do with what we've got to work with, here? And just how much are you willing/able to DIY?

Consider a tone-on-tone checkerboard, since that will frustrate you less to keep clean. The white/light green or two-tone green both look nice. If you're really a DIY nut, you surely could do a painted wood floor in there, too. My kitchen floor is painted. It wears off, but then I just slap on another coat of paint. I can change up my flooring for the cost of 2 gallons of floor paint. :-)

Rounded, slab doors are sometimes seen in period kitchens, although yours are thick. If you really hate them (I can understand - I would really hate them) this is one of those instances in which I wouldn't be averse to painting. They're oak - you'll need a good grain filler and an excellent trim and cabinet paint, but it can be done. Just keep in mind that it will develop more wear-and-tear than a factory finish. However, if you're committed to a gut remodel in 10 years or so, it's an option. And add hardware. That will really make or break the look. Actually, if this were my kitchen, I'd be looking around for a woodshop that had a planer wide enough to thin down those doors. :-) Which would REALLY help get you closer to your "look".

Pull out your current hood and the cabs above it, and replace it with something else. Either a simple stainless hood, or a stainless hood with a surround. Colored, maybe?

Then take the door right off the kitchen to the left of the stove and make it open shelving, adding a scallop detail cutout as one of the period kitchens above.

Add a tile backsplash with a black liner tile detail.

Lots of work, can be done. What colors go where really depends on what your tolerance for color saturation is. You could go very white with some Nile green accents. Or you could go whole hog. It sort of depends on what the rest of the house looks like.

Check with City Hall for copies of permits on the house changes over the years. The kitchen remodel permits should be on file, so you can figure out what was done when. Some cities started requiring permits a long time ago, many more recently, and (in other Houzz posts) I've read that there are a few places that don't require permits.

Consider a tone-on-tone checkerboard, since that will frustrate you less to keep clean. The white/light green or two-tone green both look nice.

I was just thinking this as I was looking at Holly's pictures. Instead of black and white checkerboard, one with two different green saturations (your favorite green color) would work well -- wouldn't show the dirt and dust so easily, and would look great with the wood cabinets and/or Ikea butcherblock.

Here is nice idea of backsplash

Someone further up in the comments had the suggestion to change out the cabinet doors. i believe you would have to do the drawers too - they have the rounded corners as well? Anyway, the white countertop looks nice with the wood, and if you kept the counter as is I think the effect you would get would be arts and crafts revival, ca 1970s. It would be downdating (great phrase) 50 years, which has a somewhat vintage feel but still provides an easier design fit for modern conveniences not seen in the 1920s like dishwashers, larger refrigerators, and solid surface counter materials (instead of tile). I just went through the same design issues with my 1918 kitchen which had been stripped of all of its original fixtures at some point in the 1990s.

I love painted cabinets, but sticking with the oak bases would be a big savings. One of the Houzzers has an ideabook for wood kitchens, if you went that route: https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens

I like the mint back splash someone else posted! In general, I agree with a lot of the previous comments. I do think that you could easily change the cabinet color though! I know it's not what you were looking for color-wise, but General Finishes gel stains only take a couple days to use and so you could easily gel stain your cabinets in one weekend and a little goes a long way. I have used it for many DIY projects!

As far as the counters go, I think that having off-white would be very difficult especially with white accents. I would recommend getting some PVC/faux counter cover from Amazon. They have really cool looking ones that are super realistic and you cannot tell difference unless you are looking for it! I would recommend getting one of the more expensive ones that are thicker. Those costs around $50 to do my small kitchen (3 ft by 10 ft iI think).