Cabinet pulls! Whatever style suits you.

A nice piece of framed art to the right of the sink (use an adhesive).

Modern light fixture.

White paint on the walls and cabinets will brighten up the kitchen and find a white stove. The black appliances stands out like a sore thumb. My black faced stove darkens the kitchen and pulls light out of the room.

I totally second Faith's inspiration picks and suggestions - especially painting the cabinets white and changing out the light fixture, as well as adding art. It might even be fun to frame and hang your kids' art (which I think is currently on the fridge)! You could have a gallery of sorts, changing out one piece for another as they produce it. I also agree with Art about adding cabinet hardware - it makes a huge difference. You could also add a clean, modern window treatment, like a flat Roman shade in a great print. Finally, if you have the wherewithal, losing the soffit would be great (why oh why do all kitchens of this vintage have that stupid soffit?). Good luck, and report back!

Updated light fixture - remove the fan unless vital.
Glass open shelving on the long, open wall to the right of the sink, then fresh window treatments.
Paint the cabinets white. I think the room color is good - but the floor & counter needs updated to go with your overall look.

To update this kitchen on a budget, you will need to put some time into it.

Painting the cabinets a white or light color will give you the biggest bang for your buck, but take the time to do it right so the paint will last without chipping. You'll need to wash and sand the cabinets, use a good-quality primer and paint, and sand between coats.

I think the next biggest change would be to replace the existing laminate counter with a lighter laminate. I saw a marble-look laminate in a kitchen recently featured in Country Living and it was beautiful.

A beadboard or white subway tile backsplash would also brighten the kitchen inexpensively.

If you decide to replace the appliances with white ones, I advise checking Craigslist first. We've picked up nearly new white appliances for very low prices that way.

Your kitchen has good "bones" and I think it could be worth an investment of time to make it more to your liking.

Here are my ideas, some already listed:

1. Cabinet color is very dated. Paint them white and replace the doors, or replace them if it's in your budget (IKEA, maybe)?

2. Definitely need cabinet hardware.

3. Add a modern light fixture and maybe some uplighting above the upper cabinets or downlighting (hockey pucks from IKEA?).

4. The black appliances also look dated. If replacing them isn't in the budget you may want to look into the possibility of stainless steel-looking panels to change the color. I know some manufacturers make them.

I really like AT's suggestions, and their inspirations are totally on point. Can you hang anything from that overhang (it looks like a heating vent) above the blank wall? If that's weight bearing it might be nice to install some hanging plants or pretty bud vases. http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=583&f=3672

Light, airy window treatments would be a good way to go too.

color! fabric!

what are your favorite colors?

do you want something bright, like raspberry pink walls?

go to a hardware store, get some paint chips and see what speaks to you. then, after you pick the color, find some fabric you like, for curtains. (or, go to target and see what they have if you don't sew).

also- the bare walls don't help- you can put up shelving on the walls to display cookbooks, spices, oft-used pantry goods, that will make the place more useful and look better at the same time.

you have a beautiful kitchen- lots of cabinets, good size appliances, in my opinion just some color will go a long way!

(I also like a previous poster's idea about custom cabinet pulls)

Don't forget -- no-nailing is not the same as no-hanging.
3M's adhesive hooks are very sturdy when used correctly.

Your appliances appear to be in good shape, so it strikes me as silly to advise you to paint your cabinets white and then find appliances to match them. Cabinets can be painted in any variety of colors that can complement your current appliances and the lovely wall color as you see fit.

As others have said, this is in no way a bad starting point. If you can replace the floor and countertops, paint the cabinets, and replace the hardware on the cabinets, the room will really look transformed.

@nouveaudish: It states twice in the text that the long wall on the right of the sink can't have anything mounted on it. It's a pocket door well.

A long, narrow pot rack could work in that space, ceiling mounted through the soffit up into the attic rafters (if the attic is accessible). Katie will want to use rubber washers to insulate the mounting hardware where it passes through the soffit space, since that seems to be hiding ductwork. Then again, the kitchen seems to have plenty of storage space already. I bet short tension rods would work for open shelving, though! Three small circular feet on the counter wouldn't be much to sacrifice in order to make that wall useful. I wouldn't use the shelving for heavy stuff (again, the soffit above is hollow) but colorful mixing bowls and vases aren't too weighty.

Since replacing the appliances is expensive, I would just play with the black by adding some crisp white accents and doing a bright color on the walls. The black/white/bright scheme seems to work for most people's tastes, and a can of paint plus some bold stripey towels is certainly economical.

The pantry door is crying out for some chalkboard paint, and a nice slate grey will go well with her mint green walls.

you need a backsplash! That'll give some instant color & pop

Pretty curtains on the windows.
Nice artwork/framed pics on the walls.
Add some fresh hardware on the cabinets andd drawers.
Maybe a little shelf in the corner by the sink with some pretty house plants.

also you could put some pretty teapots or something above the cabinets by the refrigerator!

I wouldn't paint the cabinets white, myself. I think they would look nice with a darker stain or paint color, to go with the dark appliances and show off the lighter wall color and counter tops. (Right now, I think the wall color is making them look a bit orangey, at least in the pics.)

As for that wall space, maybe a chalkboard wall?

I suggest replacing the cabinetry. But if that's way out of your budget or you like the wood now, you should make them glass front. My parents did this and it made a world of difference.

New modern hardware (faucet too)

Tile the floors if you can.

Add a narrow island.

Replace, if not remove entirely, the pantry door. Paint it?

Paint the walls a nice color. Maybe not white (cause that is blah), perhaps a vibrant blue-gray.

New light fixture.

I think some nice simple track lighting along that soffit above the sink and window would look great.

As for that empty space next to the sink, maybe you could frame some light weight cork and create a bulletin board/place for the kids' art.

The pocket door probably doesn't go all the way back to the sink, so maybe instal some shelves in that corner.
I agree with earlier posts - bring in color with curtains or some other window treatment.
A new light fixture will do wonders too!
I agree with skorky64 on the chalkboard paint for the door- or at the very least, paint it white.
And maybe for the wall in front of the pocket door, similar to Emily the Cat's suggestion - use it to display your kid's art or other fun pictures with this: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/look/look-clotheslines-for-art-024579

I agree with several of the suggestions here. My favourites:

- Remove the cupboard doors from the hanging cabinets, and use those cabinets to display your dishware and prettiest pieces.

- Paint out all the cupboards, high and low, in a light colour.

- Tile the wall between the stove and the upper cupboards. White subway tile is a nice choice, or you could go with something funkier.

- If you're looking to switch out your black appliances for white ones, look on Craigslist and see if you can do a trade with someone who wants to do the opposite. Free!

Have fun! You have a really nice clean slate to work with. I'm jealous!

@Kakugori - I agree. White cabinets might look nice in a photo, but they are a nightmare practically. My mom had an all-white kitchen, including cabinets and appliances, when I was growing up and it never stayed looking clean for more than an hour or so after we cleaned. Since she has two toddlers and a busy schedule, white kitchen cabinets that will require tons of cleaning and still will rarely look clean are the last thing she needs.

Kitchen re-model looks great! I am actually about to paint my cabinets this weekend. They were the color of yours. I think kitchens should be bright and cheery and that's exactly how your turned out :)

I agree with birdablaze about adding a narrow island...it looks from the pictures that this could fit. I wish I had room for an island!

What are your long-term plans for the kitchen?
You should consider if you will one day replace the cabinets, what color appliances would be your ideal, same for floor, etc. You would not want to do anything to make any of your dream upgrades more difficult.
I love the wall color, but it is not working for me with the primary color accents and the black appliances and cabinet color.
So, paint is the easiest and cheapest change --whether you do the cabinets or not. I think to look good, cabinets have to be painted professionally unless you really know what you are doing.
Cabinet hardware would go a long way.
People have been raving about those stick on hooks (3m?)
The rest is just accessories--rugs, curtains, light fixture. All the fun stuff.
Please post after pics!

Thank you all so so much for your comments! You have been so helpful. I'll be sure to send along my after-pictures once I decide what to do!

I came across a great resource for katie or anyone else looking to do an economical update. In the Jan/Feb issue of This Old House magazine, there is a great example of redoing the cabinets and adding a backsplash plus a few other small details to make a huge difference:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20336886,00.html

Updated light fixture - remove the fan unless vital.
Glass open shelving on the long, open wall to the right of the sink, then fresh window treatments.
Paint the cabinets white. I think the room color is good - but the floor & counter needs updated to go with your overall look.

kitchen pantry cabinet