Those cabinets have to go and honestly so do the tile floors . I would talk to a hardwood floor refinisher to see about getting unfinished oak floor and having it matched to the rest of the house . Then you can figure out new caabinet color and style more in keeping with a MCM look. NO farmhouse sink . I have a 1956 MCM ranch that we renovated and these are a couple of pics of the kitchen and LR we have huge dogs so chose a really good quality laminate for the floors it looks like slaye even has a bit of texture .For some reason I acnnot find my pics this is one of the LR and one of the kitchen at least showing the cabinets

Thanks, @Patricia Colwell Consulting. Yes, the floor has to go, I've actually got a couple of luxury vinyl samples that are a slate look, and I like them quite a lot. I think I need to find one with a bit of warmth though. I don't think new cabinets are in the budget: you don't think painting will do the trick? While I do like to nod to the MCM elements of the house, I don't think I have the money available to do a true MCM remodel. If I replaced the doors with flat panels and removed the ornate trim at the top of the cabinets, do you think that would be better than just repainting? Thanks again for your input.

for the floors, bring in the same oak hardwood and have everything refinished at the same time.

go for the natural look you like

a good flooring company can weave in new planks that match the older ones. sand everything, stain new.

as for the kitchen, are you happy w/this layou?? while I don't mind a reface

This peninsula would have to go. it's too bulky.

this is an mcm peninsula:

I'd think about moving the fridge right under this beam, and bring in some other cabs where the fridge is now.

honestly, to sand and paint these frames, get all new doors (and you need drawers on the lowers) might not be as cheap as you think w/buying all new cabs. Have you checked Ikea?

what about local cabinet makers?

Check around and get some pricing first, then decide if you want to paint.

I had custom built cabs back in 04 and recently had them all refaced and painted. (but I have 3X as many as you do). Came out great.

Instead of the mustard color cabs, why not go w/the mustard mcm style backsplash? this way when you tire of the color or want a change, it's way easier to pull down some tile than to paint cabinets.

Look at Zellige tiles. that have some beatiful mustard and gold toned tile

or, you could get something like the cube pattern done in the goldenrod color

paired w/a slab front mid century style wood cab like these, and a solid quartz top (dark charcoal or black would look amazing w/the mustard and the natural oak floors)

if you like the subway size tile, go for something like this w/a custom glaze and set it in a vertical stack. open wood shelving completes the look. this countertop is recycled glass.

Ikea has this green color. you could accent w/yellow tones if you like

walnut cabinets, white quartz, mcm elements w/the tile and stove

take a look at finger tiles. (these are super mini)

Sevilla kit kat tiles in the mustard. these look so good w/walnut or wood cabinets.

Fireclay tiles have custom colors

anyway, since you've saved and want something that fits you, don't cut corners. Do this kitchen once and the way you want it. no half azz.

consider a diff layout.

consider lower drawers.

see if you lose the peninsula, can you do some type of island.

get rid of those horrible white beams and see if you can inset some new wood ones, (like this Fir one)

or see if those can be redone, sanded or even veneered.

or repainted

check w/local flooring companies to inquire about sand on site oak flooring.

$12k-$18k is really tight for everything you want to do. Since your cabinets are similar tones to your flooring, maybe leave those alone right now and keep saving.

1. Change your floors out for a good vinyl or linoleum that works with the cabinet color. What about a sage green floor?

2. Change the light fixture over the table. That's one of the most dominant 90s features of the room, and the cheapest, easiest one to change.

3. Remove the tile, repair the drywall, paint with semigloss.

4. Remove the crown molding, repaint walls. Consider replacing the doorway casing with something simpler.

5. Maybe replace the countertops with formica? Personally wouldn't touch them until you're ready to replace/reface the cabinets.

@Beth H. :Thanks for your input! I really like the idea of using tile backsplash to get the MCM colours integrated rather than the cabinets, and probably less jarring for a potential buyer down the road. I think I will look into the flooring suggestions as well (Patricia said the same thing above.) I hadn't even been thinking about the beam, but now I can see that it could actually be a nice design element to work with. I have looked at Ikea, but have heard people say that they end up being more costly than they seem: have you got experience designing with them? Thanks again.

@mcarroll16 Thanks for your ideas: I really appreciate that you're thinking in terms of budget here. Honestly, while I don't love the cabinets and doors, they don't make me cringe like they do for some folks, and I could live with them for a while. The mosaic, countertop, and floors, not so much. Really good point about the light fixture: there is a lot of that wrought iron, black stuff in the house, and it really does scream 90's.

if your beams are already there for support, then see about sanding them down to natural wood. (if it's possible)

or, see if you could get them moved further up into the ceiling.

you could then repaint them, or even cover them w/a veneer material to make them look like natural wood.

Hi all! I had a good consultation with a contractor today, and I’ve got at least part of a plan…

I know that I want to get rid of the mosaic, so I’m gonna start by taking it down along w the cabinets on the sink wall. We’ll get the drywall repaired and paint with the creamy white in the rest of the space for now.

I’m going to buy new doors for the upper cabinets in a simpler profile (moot cathedral!) I’ve found a relatively affordable local supplier. Once I have those, the uppers will be painted creamy white (professionally.) For the bottoms, I’m going to use a tinted glaze that my contractor has used before. It will cut the yellow and add a bit more depth.

I posted a sample of the look (although this sample has less yellow tone than my cabinets.)

I think it will be a nice way to give it all some new life. I’ll replace the hardware right away and the lighting shortly thereafter.

I still like the idea of a coloured backsplash as suggested above by Beth, but I think I’ll wait on it to see the effect of the new cabinet colours, removed mosaic, and new countertop.

As for that countertop, I’m moving away from the butcher block concept (since the lowers will be wood, so I’m thinking about a creamy white. Any thoughts on that?

I’m saving the floor until I see the other stuff: I’ll likely choose a warm grey or a wood look.

Anyhow, I’ll keep you updated as things unfold!

Hi @Beth H. :@mcarroll16 and @Patricia Colwell Consulting. I managed to post above from an old Houzz account! Anyhow, I've made at least some progress on my plan. Always happy to hear your thoughts/ideas! I still need to make decisions on the countertops and flooring. Thanks again for your help: this has really helped my clarify what I want to achieve.

That all sounds like a great plan. And it sounds like you've found a good contractor to work with, which huge. I think you're smart to paint for now and tile after you change the countertops. You might want to wait on countertops too until you've had the doors painted and tinted, so you have the exact colors on hand that the counters need to work with.