Jan your first picture in apple green is perfection! Loved the built in window seat best!

I say go for it with painting cabinets, a floor rug, light formica if that's the budget (easiest counters I ever had to take care of), simpler window shade, and lighting can add a lot and not be terribly expensive. Light and bright!

What is really the matter is that the windows were set too low in the wall. The top edge of the door trim and the top edge of the window trim should be level with one another.

Aside from replacing the windows, you can try to trick the eye by hanging a window covering level with the top of the door. Something like a Roman shade, something that hides the wall behind it.

The least expensive idea is always paint. Jan’s drawing can be done with green paint for the cabinets and a b&w checkerboard floor painted on top of yours. The biggest expense would be a lighter colored countertop. Today’s Formica is wonderful and would work perfectly in your sweet vintage home.

Yes, the door should be changed, but that can be a big expense unless you find one on Craig’s list or similar.

And change the curtains as everyone has suggested. They overwhelm the room.

Actually I disagree with the tops of the doors and windows lining up being a standard thing. If you look at a lot of old houses this was not done. However it was usually reversed with the top of the window being higher than the top of the door.

The rigid lining up of door and window tops (unless they both went to the ceiling in modernist houses) is really a 21st century thing--and generally I find it very static.

I second the suggestion to change the door to the outside to a glass door that opens outward. Could be treated for privacy using something period-appropriate. That and some great color paint (I like the green suggestions!) would be beautiful. I wouldn’t paint your cabinets but might update the hardware after you’ve painted. It’s a great kitchen…you’re almost there!

If you can’t relocate the door, think about changing the door to swing out instead of into the kitchen.
As others have suggested, changing the door to one with a window.

If you decide to change the swing on your door check with the building codes of your municipality first. For security reasons not all will allow it although you can buy security hinges.

Do you like the cabinets? What is it that bothers you most about that kitchen?

BTW, those interior doors are GORGEOUS.

I feel like I have those cabinets in my kitchen. Very well made, but I hate them. I am replacing mine with all new, but I am also changing the layout.

There seems to me to be a disconnect between the slab hinged cabinet style and the other styles I see in your pics. I would consider refacing the cabinets and getting new doors, either with hidden hinges or decor hinges that are stylized and meant to be seen. That means you can change the color of the cabinets too. You can do a stylized door too.

Sorry, I’m not a fan of the cabinet hardware either. I know I’m in the minority, but I feel I have lived with this kitchen and am probably too close to it. Just another POV.

Figure out what you love and what you hate about the kitchen. That may help determine your direction.

I loved that green beadboard cabinet pic that was posted. But really you can go in any direction.

The sign says “Ate.” I would at least change it to read “Eat!” (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!). I think your home is charming and I love the vintage cupboard on the right side. And I think the suggestion of a Dutch door would be fun! (If you don’t have a problem with mosquitos or flies.)

Sorry, but I could swear I read EAT as ATE! I must be getting dyslexic as I age!). NEVERMIND…

@ptreckel I laughed at Paul F. clever photo shop in his posted picture too. I saw it as a test to determine who of us is paying attention to details 😁

Actually I disagree with the tops of the doors and windows lining up being a standard thing. If you look at a lot of old houses this was not done. However it was usually reversed with the top of the window being higher than the top of the door.

I would argue that it is a standard when the ceilings are 8' +/- a few inches. There is only X amount of space to fit a header in an 8' wall with standard frame construction. And agree with you about old houses that have 9' or higher ceilings.

Why I think the low windows are a problem with this room is because of the ceiling height, because the room is small, because the door and windows are directly adjacent to each other and also because of the soffit that bisects the top of the door and the soffit over the cabinets. A lot of visual clutter. When I looked at the picture of the windows, my visceral reaction was to duck my head. It was something that I actually felt in my neck.

What I would want to do with this room minimally is to peel back the soffit to the end where the upper cabinet end, if possible. Or remove altogether. More effort/ more $$ would be a new door shifted to the right and a single wider & taller window.

love this kitchen! if you can’t replace the back door then I would paint it the wall color and help it disappear -

I feel like that corner is begging for a small table and comfy chairs for coffee & toast

I would try a rug (maybe one of the William Morris Ruggables?) and I’d be tempted to float a vintage butcherblock in the center to break it up a bit

I have used these sweet ball curtains in several vintage kitchens over the years - they’re from the Vermont Country store and come in natural and white

The cabinetry is too much on the yellow tone. The curtains are too old-fashioned and frilly.

So many great suggestions. Love the Dutch door from Design Fan!

The curtains are too frilly and don't match the era

So funny how people see things differently. I look at the photo and see the opportunity for sophisticated, slightly European vintage rescue, warm all over. Others would paint it green. Apple green no less, and replace the frilly bloomers with little frllly American cute. Yikes!

Amazing how green everything, but especially kitchens, has taken hold when it doesn't especially look good or go well with anything.

I think given the age and the style of the house and the budget for houses like this when they were built, the kitchen window was situated for seated viewing at what was probably the breakfast table/work table for the kitchen. It was not a taller window partly because of budget.

The current kitchen is a c. 1960 remodel of what was probably a wall hung sink with a drainboard, a niche for the icebox, a stove right where it is now, and a freestanding cupboard where that one is and a table to eat on and work on and minimal, if any counterspace.

The apartment I lived in of this era had shallow cabinets above the wall mounted sink, which was mounted above a radiator. No base cabinets or counterspace at all. Fridge partly in front of a window and freestanding gas range.

The lintel height will have to be raised if and when the door is moved, but raising the lintel height for a taller window is expensive enough that it would be part of a bigger, more expensive project, and I am thinking a kitchen remodel would involve changes in overall layout.

"Green doesn't look good or go well with anything....."

Quick! Someone get on the horn to Mom Nature : )

Don't forget to tell the designers!!! : )

I'd cut off my own arm for this kitchen. I'd covet and tend it until plied out of it, or carried from my home, in a pine coffin.

Btw, here is my kitchen before my fire. I used to swap those letter all the time.

Personally, I would change the flouncy curtains for something with a lower profile, whether curtains or blinds. I would also try to restain or paint the cabinet doors, because I don't like that yellowy-brown colour - it reminds me of my primary school.

For safety, the door should open to the outside.....Is there a way it can be rehung, or rehang it if you choose to replace it with something that has a glass panel/window (which would look great).

Jan you have such a great sense of humour… Love it! Green is very calming which is why it’s so popular!

Well I love the colour green and actually look nice in green. Oh well. The lower cabinets in our new kitchen will be green.

I often ask "Are you a green person or a blue person?"

You'd be amazed at the correlation between that preference for one or the other, and the preferred companion colors. For each.

Often there's a pretty violent love/loathe reaction to one or the other: )

I LOVE green and blue together!

Ditto Diana!

Just one reason we design? Deciding/ editing for others? Easier lol

(Eat! Ate! Tea!…ETA!?). 😜. You caught me at ATE! 😂

What is really the matter is that the windows were set too low in the wall. The top edge of the door trim and the top edge of the window trim should be level with one another.

That is not how old homes were built. They were built like the OP's house.

Amazing how green everything, but especially kitchens, has taken hold when it doesn't especially look good or go well with anything.

That's your opinion. In reality, greens are the one color that can go with most other colors. In fact green is probably one of the only colors where you can mix different hues and shades of green together and have it work. Unless you also believe mother nature is wrong.

I agree the bloomer curtains are too much fabric on these windows. Tailored valances over the blinds would "open" the eyes of the windows.

Can you replace the door and storm door and have the new ones swing the opposite direction, i.e., hinges on the window side, so the door doesn't hit the refrigerator, but still inward?

As someone mentioned, exterior doors that swing outward violate code in many places. Agree the new interior door should have some glass.

Perhaps a warmer floor color would help; the gray is cool while the cabinets are warm.

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Charming kitchen, it’s the curtains for sure. An upholstered valance, shades, and a great rug!

You have nothing to be embarrased about. Your floor is lovely, the table fantastic, and for some reason, I just really like the wood on the cabinets. This room seems organized and functional too and has an awesome historic vibe.

I'm cheap and lazy so I'd try simple styling touches first that bring a bit more of a vintage or found object vibe. Take down the curtains, they are not needed. Remove the eat sign. Instead of the EAT sign and put up either a nice vintage clock, or a pretty platter. Put a nice big beautiful bowl on the table. Find one vertical painting, or square paintings to stack on over the other, and hang on the wall to the left of the stand alone cabinet. (Etsy) Add a more vintage looking light fixture that is semi-flushmount and hangs slightly into the space.

Infinity Instruments Retro Kitchen Vintage 50s Wall Clock, Black · More Info

Extra Long Rustic Farmhouse Primitive Wooden Dough Bowl, Natural, Long · More Info

16-Inch Bronze Schoolhouse Pendant Light · More Info

The thing that stands out to me most when I look at the picture of your kitchen is the tone of your floor. While I like the floor on its own, it seems too cool for the warmth of your wood tones and your creamy white wall paint. I can't tell what type of flooring it is and understand that changing flooring may be more work, time, or money than you have or want to spend, but I think that single change would go the farthest. I second the suggestion above from mytwocents to look into vinyl floor mats as a more affordable larger scale way to change the look of the floors without actually changing the floors. This one looks like it would connect well to the room beyond your kitchen and also warm up the floor while still having a bit of that grayish tone in it, too to connect to current floor. Sorry, I don't know how to get the picture of the item itself in my comment.

https://hudsonandvine.com/products/adama-vinyl-rug-mat-ojo_mix?_pos=1&_sid=442ab68df&_ss=r

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Heather Brookes wins the prize for the best comment!!!

I agree that the curtains are a bit much for the space, but to say they are "old-fashioned" is kinda funny. The whole room is old-fashioned! They totally are of the period--those ruffled curtains were very popular in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and even into the 70s and 80s. They were used all over the house, including the kitchen.

Here's a renovated 1960s ranch kitchen--check out the curtains over the sink in the first photo:

https://retrorenovation.com/2021/01/20/stacy-celebrates-the-avocado-goodness-in-her-midcentury-kitchen/

I think you should lean into keeping the period vibe and not try to "modernize" this kitchen.

BTW, I love the cabinet on the wall opposite the sink!

Definitely ditch the curtains - they overwhelm the windows. I think the room needs more color than shades of brown. Whether with artwork or objects, put some life in there. Maybe seek a washable rug that would liven up the space. Blue door seems too crisp and dark relative to the room.

Now that we’ve flogged your poor curtains to shreds lol - Another thought re color - pick your favorite room in your house and figure out what it is that makes it work for you. I saw some dark red in the other rooms. Maybe play up the same in the kitchen or use different colors that harmonize with the ones you love. The cabinets are a bit out of step with your woodwork in the other rooms, not only in color but in style, so it might be tough keeping a flow with the rest of the house. I don’t think painting them would help in that regard.

Diana Bier Interiors I say it’s a tie between Heather B and Jan M lol

Haha, Kay p, yes Jan is always hilarious!

Katherine Wilson - what are you thinking about advice you’ve received?

I have never understood word art. They seem like spelling flash cards for first graders. It reminds me of going to a Hampton Inn hotel where there are commands written everywhere. I was in one last weekend where there was a patch sewn on to the shower curtain that said splish splash. Why oh why?

"What's the matter here?"

To repeat others:

--Remove word art and replace with a great kitchen clock with second hand

--curtains overwhelm the windows Fix: bamboo Roman shades same color as your cabinets or no window treatment if you already have privacy from outside.

--paint color isn't warm enough for the great vintage cabinets Fix: paint that goes with wood trim

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-terrific-paint-color-matches-for-wood-details-stsetivw-vs~9025200 Make sure new paint color harmonizes with wall colors in the adjoining room so they work together. Not crazy about grayish floor, but since it looks new, maybe the very palest of grays would work well with both wood "givens" and the floor.

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--Match the door color to your floors or consider using chalkboard paint to scratch that itch to have "messages" in the kitchen. Some folks even chalkboard paint their fridges!

--Replace the table under the window with a lidded storage bench where you can store large pots, appliances you don't need every day. Here's an affordable one from Wayfair with wood top in pale gray.

--Also, make sure the view out the window and open door is attractive. You have a honking grill out there beyond your glass door. Can you move it out of that view? In a small kitchen, anything outside extends your kitchen view so makes it seem larger. Make the view outside pretty to look at from the kitchen.

@Katherine Wilson?

Heather…ROFL…how word signs can go wrong…🤣

@M Miller Must have been new curtains.

Agree… curtains are too much for the size of those windows. If you don’t need the privacy you could consider no curtains at all. Or something less voluminous like café, or bamboo blinds.

Depending on what your floor is made out of it is possible to paint floors (even with designs) if you are handy at all. Otherwise rugs or even bamboo mats work well which is what I have in my vintage home with older floors. Don’t know what your budget is right now. I don’t think the gray floor does anything for your woodwork or the room.

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Painting cabinets is tricky and expensive. I think they currently work fine with the vintage quality of the rest of your home and I would work around them.

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Lovely vintage home with the original woodwork!

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Word art is personal thing. I don’t think it matters one way or the other in this overall… it’s like Art… individual taste.