I'd add hardware (knobs/pulls) and see if it makes sense to put in a range hood instead of the microwave. (It might not.)

Do you LIKE these cabinets as they are? Without painting, they won't look current. Even painting will only do so much. But not being current isn't really a bad thing. You just have to like it.

Are they in good functional condition? Do you like the layout (no you don't!)? Instead of adding a table with the quartz, imagine if that pantry wall was made into upper and lower cabinets for lots more counter space.

You are about to spend a decent amount of money on counters so you do have to determine your own tolerance for orange shag. I don't know what I'd do. :)

I would love a new kitchen as much as anyone, but yours looks very nice to me. For some perspective, I am searching online a ton for a new house since we will have to move within a year or two. If I saw your kitchen, I'd be thrilled. I even like the way those tile countertops look. I know I might be in the minority, but dang, I'd rather have yours than a dull-gray on gray on gray with a little white thrown in color scheme. Yours are warm, they look nice (not too worn from what I can see), and they go with the floors.

So, if I had my retirement account all topped off and my kids' college educations funded completely, I might add pretty brushed brass pulls (or nickel--your choice). I might splurge on a new countertop, and my go-to would be Corian or laminate(you like the quartz, which would be nice, too). I think a smooth surface would be more functional than dealing with the grout. I would do a new chandelier and a single-bowl sink, because I aspire to having one of those. You mention under-cabinet lights, which would be really nice, and doesn't cost too much. I personally think your white appliances look nice. New appliances would be $$$$, but maybe you have that in your budget! I wouldn't change out all my appliances, even if I were getting new cabinets (but that's me).

p.s. I even like your green paint. Nice!

I think pulls is a good idea.
Was looking at moving micro to add a hood but couldn’t find a place to put it that I liked better so it’s going to stay.
I don’t really mind the cabinets. I just know they are so dated and don’t want them to look out of place with other upgraded parts of the kitchen. You’re right i need to decide how current i want to be. I’m just not sure about mixing current and dated.
Cabinets are in good shape. A little orange oil seems to fix wear spots and adding pulls will help with that. I had thought about changing up the pantry wall but decided against it because we’d have to get all new cabinets since the bottom ones as is would be too high.

I didn’t have a big problem with white appliances, but they all started malfunctioning after many years. So that is why we are getting all new appliances. It’s actually what got us moving to update the rest of the kitchen.

I think you should paint the cabinets.
Or sand and stain them.
Find a local professional with good reviews and I think you’ll be happier with the outcome.

Agreed on hardware but that rlly should come at the end. After the countertops, appliances , lighting…

This kitchen has so much potential!
The style of your cabinets are great!!
It’s gonna be amazing!

Thanks for the encouragement! I do have a company to do the work. They did our bathrooms a few years ago and we were really happy with them. I’d be more open to staining but we have so much more honey oak in the rest of the house (can’t get rid of all of it or we’d have a pretty bare house!) I wasn’t sure if mixing wood stains would look okay.

well heck..get the appliances in/ I'd want lighter walls. /I'd want a rustic hand scraped wood floor/ I'd want a big oak pedestal table and different chairs. that's my want list for the space. kinda leaving things and get more wood in there with table chairs and floor but the walls need to be lighter. later on evaluate for counter /hardware/ bigger pendant light over the table..maybe matching ones over sink area. find a new location for the papers in the corner...put plants at that end because of the big window......maybe a big rug under a new table. you dont have to do too much. I guess a new floor would be somewhat major but you want more warmth in there to align with the oak and thats what I'd do.

Thanks for all the ideas. Yes I will definitely be getting rid of the shelves in the corner by the window.

I appreciate all the comments. I wish I was closer to deciding what to do! I guess it just shows that there are lots of ways to do things.

If I were to refinish the cabinets do you think that would make the honey oak furniture in the family room stick out as even more dated? At this point I can’t, and don’t even want to, get rid of all of my honey oak furniture in the house. Is it okay to mix wood tones?

Yes, it is ok when the wood tones complement each other. You have warm wood, with a yellow/honey undertone. You can go darker, lighter, or whatever, but I recommend to stick with "warm" tones, and just avoid cool grays.

Thanks Mrs. S!

You have a good amount of storage! I think once the cabinets are painted and you add hardware they will look brand new and current. To maximize the space you could create a built-in coffee bar in the cabinets near the table to give you more countertop space in the kitchen (microwave could go there too). You could also add a banquette/bench under the window for seating and move the table closer which would give you some more space to extend the countertop area on the peninsula. I can't tell how much space you have between the end of the peninsula and where the door is but it looks like you could go out another 2 feet at least.

I love seeing the sink location where it is. I would consider a nice workstation sink there, so you can use the sink as valuable counter space and do all of your food preparation on the sink instead of the countertop. This links to a blog I just wrote about what to look for when shopping for a new sink. BLOG

I find your cabinets quite handsome. I like continuity, so since you have honey oak trim throughout your home, I’d leave the cabinets as they are. I would consider using the same material for the countertops and backsplash. Sitting at a table with my feet on the ground is far more comfortable to me than sitting on a bar stool, so I’d sacrifice counter space for a proper dining table. I agree with Mrs. S - a single bowl sink is a joy - so much easier to clean up with a large sink.

I have never had painted cabinets. Always the good ol' honey oak. Our current mid 70's home has a good-sized u-shape kitchen with dinette area and big window like yours. The oak flat front cabinets were stained very dark, and all the woodwork is cedar. They were also Wood Mode brand, and in good shape (unless you started comparing them to today's features.) We got new appliances, sink, countertops and needed new flooring. We painted the cabinets. OMG, what a life-changing choice! It's so much brighter in here! We did a color on the cabinets, and light painted walls. You might be able to add doors (solid or glass front) to those shelves on the far side of the peninsula and paint to match. I only kept what I needed and bought organizing items for drawers, those racks for pans, pots, lids in the cabinets which really allows a lot of storage even without lower drawers. I use various command products inside almost every cabinet and/or door to hang items or supplies. If you plan your sink drain, you can install a pullout trash can under the sink which got rid of the can out in the open (4 screws and done). I even installed one in a lower cabinet for recycling items. I store my plates on 1-2 shelves vertically in the upper blind cupboard using those wooden plate holders with the dowels. I can use the entire cabinet, and it's easy to reach them. I put all my baking sheets, serving trays, smaller cutting boards, muffin pans above the ovens using those metal dividers. I did add a small sideboard in the dinette to store almost all my small appliances and odd stuff which made some "counter space" and room in the cabinets. It was not as "easy" as just stepping back and getting a brand new designed kitchen, but it's so much better than it was. And I felt like it was so much nicer to spend time in. You have lots of good suggestions above. Good luck with whatever plans you decide on!

Why not do the counters and workstation sink and hardware and then decide on painting the cabinets or not. Backsplash and paint color for room decide with cabinet finish. Take it in stages and you can’t go wrong.