seems like some enlarging would be in order. it seems quite small...about an apartment sized kitchen......not good........I wouldnt start doing things as you have listed. then you realize what you need to do and you've spent that money .....the kitchen is fine for a bit.....find a table / put down an easy care rug in there and just enjoy some family meals/ homework spot etc. Ikea has plenty of non white styles but I wouldnt plan anything close to a full remodel yet anyway. If you end up convincing yourself this is the footprint you want long term thats even more reason to wait and then replace like for like but youll be getting better storage with new cabinetry / you can install cabs to get deeper counter space as an easy thing to help this...thats why dont start spending money so quickly.

There are so many awesome things to work with here. Obviously a full layout change will make keeping the cabinets difficult. You could always add cabinets later on either of the two bare walls I see in those photos. A small dishwasher might fit to the right of your sink if you can do without those drawers, but it’ll take some carpentry. There are sink/dishwasher combos that might be worth researching. If you solely focus on surface changes I would remove the valance, get a simple white counter (I’m a huge fan of Arctic White Corian counters) and cute backsplash, new door hardware, new light. I think your floors and cabinets are great!
You could easily achieve this look.

Try to provide a view of the 2 blank walls … what could be done there to make this kitchen expand for a 4 person family …ultimately thats going to be the nagging problem.

IKea has many choices for cabinets so white is not the only one. Without a to scale floor plan all we do is guess . Do a to scle floor plan on graph paper post it here in jpeg format in a comment. When doing the plan show every window doorways where those lead and every meaurement clearly marked I own a 1956 MCM home and the original kitchen was impossible to work with so we switched the original DR for the kitcehn and so much better . My advice right now is wait and see how the space function for you. I always try to get clients to wait 3-6 months before doing anything major This is my white Ikea kitchen and honestly scaving dtaed old cabinets does not usually work or be worth the money saved. THeir storage was never great and they just lived differently . So take some time and start an idea book of all the kitchens you love

The basic stuff is to remove curtains, change light fixture, and upgrade faucet. Otherwise, save for a full remodel.

I like the slab cabinets. To update:

1. Buy new handles or spray paint the existing ones a stainless steel color.

2. Buy a new light fixture for over the sink.

3. Get rid of the curtains over the sink. The pattern and the design look dated.

4. The air return duct grill and electrical outlets stick out like sore thumbs. Paint them to blend in with your wall color.

Try cutting a piece of blue painter tape to 24", the width of a standard dishwasher, and put it next to the sink. Which do you prefer to give up- the drawers or the cabinet?

A portable dishwasher that can be converted to built in later would be an option to consider. https://www.ajmadison.com/c/portable-dishwashers/

Then add a small kitchen table that will seat two kids. You can experiment with a card table and chairs if you can borrow them for a week or two.

If you want to replace the kitchen, Ikea doesn't only have white cabinets, here's their kitchen catalogue for you to browse.

https://publications-us-en.ikea.com/ikea_kitchen_2023/page/1

(this is the US version but all models are available in Canada)

As the style of your cabinet looks outdated and cabinets on the left of refrigerator are not aligned I would consider replacing them, you'll most likely also have better interiors for storage compared to the old cabinets.

I disagree to wait and do nothing until a full remodel. Unless your cabinets are gross or not functioning they are totally adequate. Make a few small changes and you’ll have a kitchen you can love for 10+ years. Keep your choices on the low-end side—solid surface, stainless steel, or maybe even butcher block counters. Change out knobs, cover plates, a sink and faucet if you want. Simple tile backsplash or maybe just a riser in the material of your counters. Get a dishwasher if that’s a huge upgrade to you. They come in 18” too if a standard 24” won’t work. You could invest in some more can lights to brighten things up, but the moody vibe in there right now is cool too. Replace the light fixtures. If the one in the center of the kitchen isn’t centered on your kitchen table you can get lights that have extendable arms to center over your table wherever it is. They’re actually really popular right now. Get a few benches, a round table and two chairs for seating in the corner. Paint. Done. Perfect.
A handyman could do this for 5-10k.
The Ikea Docksta table is great. Here are a few more kitchen photos too.

You'll get better advice if you post a floor plan of your room with measurements. Let us know where the doors lead. Is there a dining room? What is the low piece buffet type of furniture?Also take photos of the other 2 walls so we can see the whole space.

Your kitchen is pretty neutral. Removing that window valance would help a lot. The wall paint colour looks pale green. Not flattering to the warm tones of the wood.

It’s a cute space! if you just got keys i’d move in and live with it for 6 months. floors, counter, sink is adding up to a lot of money spent to only get an 18” dishwasher. i’d live there for a bit then decide what to do as it looks perfectly serviceable for now.

Nice space! if it were me, I would want to freshen things up a bit

- new creamy wall paint

- new light fixtures, I’d probably do a classic schoolhouse fixture

- I might do a smaller round table with chairs for the corner and then float a freestanding island for prep space across from the sink

- I’d be tempted to wait on the floor till I had a whole house plan, but would cover most of it with a vinyl rug like this, again to freshen things up a bit

The recommendation to live in a house for a year before making expensive changes is constantly mentioned because it’s a good idea. In that year, you will learn where the flaws are for your lifestyle. You’ll figure out what you can/want to,keep and what has to be upgraded.

In a kitchen, you may decide a full scale remodel is in order after you’ve cooked in there a few months. Then you’ll be in a better position to know what you really need to do. Save your money and do small (inexpensive) cosmetic changes for now.

Upload a layout of your kitchen as was suggested. You’ll get excellent pro help here.

And congrats on the new house!

Happy Monday everyone! Thank you for all your perspectives and suggestions thus far! Because of your recommendations, we've been able to take things a step further. Here's where we stand now:

• we will keep the kitchen and need to spruce it up to get a result we are happy with for the next 6 years.
• kitchen layout has been added in original post (blue is window and sink is under window).

I also forgot to mention that we have absolutely no furniture. That's why we want to make some changes before we buy furniture for the house.

We will make these changes:

• countertop becomes white
• cupboard handles become minimalistic black
• faucet becomes black (?)

We are still uncertain about:

• type of backsplash (the cupboards have red undertones). Could it be white like the counter? And maybe green for the walls as complementary to the red?
• extent of backsplash (from where to where)
• wall colour
• rectangular table option with 4 chairs (if it has a wooden look, would that be too much wood?)
• floor tiles (?)
• lighting (the one that is in the middle of the ceiling is not going to be above the table. The table will be further in the corner).

Thanks again!!

For flooring - it would be ideal if you can extend the hardwood through the kitchen, it will make the house feel so much bigger

What are the lengths of the walls where the table will be?

All the wall measurements would be even better e.g. window to corners.

if the lavatory/mudroom/ laundry/ entry from garage?? is down the staircase..are you okay with that? there isnt much of pantry/ drop zone/ half bath or the like on this floor you show....you do have space and they look like partition walls so its not hard to adust things . Is this a split level? I think Id do things with an eye to re - evaluation in some time. dont lock yourself into a situation where improvements involve undoing things. there are a number of things you can do right now to spiffy it up.....keep costs manageable.

I like chrome for the retro vibe..here's a black option too.

Kohler K-14484 Purist 1-1/16 Inch Mushroom Cabinet Knob - Polished Chrome · More Info

Marion Knob 1 1/4", Flat Black · More Info

ANZZI Harbour 1-HandlePull-Out Sprayer Kitchen Faucet · More Info

Thanks for additional info, photos and floor plan.

The cabinets would look good with a gentle off white or cream countertop instead of bright white.

Black faucets show hard water spots. If you don't mind the spots or your family members will wipe the faucet after each use, black is okay. A chrome faucet like in the 1960's is a classic choice. Moen and Delta are good reliable brands.

Love all of these ideas! Good luck with your project!

I see one issue regarding the dishwasher add. Your base cabinets have an unusual bottom toe kick area that angles back. You will need to make sure that the side of the dishwasher is addressed.....not huge but might be unattractive.

You could spray paint your knobs black and use the savings for something else.

Under cabinet light would be nice. IKEA has them.

You should take a look at this story in Houzz. “Kitchen of the Week: Restored cabinets Revive A Midcentury Gem”. They accomplished a lot of what you want to do and had to strip their cabinets first.

How many are in your family and have you ever used an 18" dishwasher before? I think they are a PITA. If you can find a way to get in a 24" one, I would.

Choose counter color first - Arctic or vanilla Corian - one is white one is cream. Run a 4" backsplash of the Corian. Next color match your wall and ceiling paint to the Corian counters. New knobs. Stainless faucet. (I've had black and it looks dirty from water stains all of the time.)

Bring color in with your table and chairs. Ready made bench on the long wall, slender square table, chairs across. Have fun with your light fixtures in the seating area. Seating and lights will serve as the jewelry and accessories to a classic simple outfit.

I once found a fantastic MCM mental outdoor bench at target that served as our kitchen bench. I go so many compliments. Nobody knew it was an outdoor piece.

I have all black cabinet hardware and faucet. Water spots haven’t been an issue for us. It IS too matchy matchy in my opinion though. Go with stainless or a silver tone.

Should you decide to paint your kitchen, here's a visual to give you an idea of what can be done... The touch of wood is in the natural fibre roman shade and dining furniture.

Hi everyone, thank you for all your ideas! They have really helped move towards white counters/backsplash/walls, black knobs.

We had never considered extending the hardwood floor. We will be placing wood-looking flooring in the 2 lower levels so maybe that's something to consider for the kitchen as well.

To answer a couple of your questions, the walls for the table area are 4 ft x 10 ft. The floor is linoleum.

If you’re not interested in hardwood in the kitchen then maybe consider slate (or slate lookalike) tile or Marmoleum? In my experience engineered wood or LVP doesnt look great butted up against real wood (it usually looks like a mistake) - but totally just one gal’s opinion

IF you have a dining room next to the kitchen (which you probably do) I would use that as the main dining area and forgo putting a table in the kitchen. This allows you to put in pantry cabinets. To help make it fit in consider using an older buffet and hutch and hang the hutch on the wall like cabinets. Paint it in an accent colour and you now have a coffee bar, pantry etc. Maybe this would be a good place for the dishwasher?

An idea of what you can achieve keeping your existing cabinets...

Note: I had a black kitchen faucet in my previous home and never had staining problems.

Just saw this photo of cabinets similar to yours with a white countertop.

I hope you keep us posted with photos!

The OP added a floor plan in her first post. There is no dining room, however the den between the kitchen and living room could be used as a dining room. That would leave room for a more generous kitchen including a dishwasher. Especially if there is a family room on a lower floor, as is often the case with split level homes.

Should you decide you would like an eating area in the kitchen you would have space for something like this with either a bench and 2 chairs or 4 chairs.

White will look wonderful, but have you thought of retro. Could look cool with a vintage Formica. probably be cheaper than a solid surface. Which way do your tastes lean in style? The Retro renovation has some cool kitchens.

Is there a step between your den and living room? There is a gray line in your plan.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a large kitchen, no den and only one living room area on this floor. At the time you put new flooring into the kitchen, that's a good time to enlarge the widen the doorway without any need to change the ceiling or be concerned about a load bearing wall. Or be sure to keep some extra kitchen flooring if you don't do it now.

ditto the larger kitchen....thats why you wait and consider all options.

this is about the size space you could have.....and still have separate living room.

Potter St. Addition · More Info

Hi everyone. We have enjoyed reading your ideas! White counter, white walls, black handles, lights with arms. Love the metal bench for seating idea too!

To answer a few of your questions, what's marked as 'den' in the floor plan is indeed our dining room. At this point, we will not be opening up the space. We will have a separate casual eating area in our kitchen and a different one in the dining room. About the floor, we are not sure what direction to take. We have slate in the entrance to the house (which leads to the kitchen) and hardwood in the dining and living rooms.

Irrespective of the flooring material, what colour direction would you suggest for the floor if we go with white countertops?

Thanks!

I would go with slate for some continuity in your flooring but also because it's beautiful with wood and with just about any colour if you ever decide to replace your cabinets.