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Dytecture Painting over the cabinets should enhance the cottage feel. If you can live with countertop it could be left alone until you are ready to replace them all at once.

carolannr I think color on those cabinets would make an enormous difference with your current countertops. The white maybe too stark with the dark countertops.

Joanne Jakab Interior Design Wow, great getaway with nice design opportunities. If you can live with the appliances I feel you won't end up designing around them - $$$.
The counter and cabinets and location make me feel like the south of France would be a good inspiration. Paint cupboards a white that looks antique so any future Knicks will just add to the patina - try Benjamin Moore Lacey Pearl 2108-70. Add instant sunshine on your walls with Sweet Cream CSP-935. Add blue glass accessories, a few French cotton tea towels or white and blue check towels. Voila!

oceanfamily Thanks everyone....I like the ideas so far. I'm thinking of also adding white subway tile for the backsplash and putting a few glass doors in the upper cabinets. I thought this would look nice with the new stainless appliances. Any other backsplash ideas? Also considering painting the cabinets myself. Any thoughts on this?

jannielee You're by the ocean, so let nature lead you with watery blues, sandy beiges and yes, definitely white cabinets. I normally don't like blue in a kitchen (typically an unappetizing color with food), but in your application select a pale blue and have them mix it @ 50% with white to make it very subtle. I have that in my kitchen on Cape Cod and it's lovely and airy. Looks great if you add crisp navy and white with it too. My house is colonial and I have a few blue willow pieces that look great with the pale blue paint. Add sisal rugs some wicker here and there, a piece of driftwood and you're in paradise.

Enjoy!

GARY FINLEY, ASID hi I too have a small ocean front cottage

wiggs1215 Try a large area rug in the kitchen to give it a soft touch. Remove upper cabinet doors. Try a printed tile backslpash too! Good luck!

Wallmark Homes If you paint the cabinets white and add a dark color back splash with either paint or tile it will help create a great contrast.

Carla Chatterly Hi - our kitchen layout is similar, we took our wall (your refrigerator wall) out and opened it to the small attatched room.I would paint your cabinets and beadboard a soft white and add a soft greige paint to walls, (pick one that goes with countertop). Pull in soft blue/green glass tile backsplash (Think the old bluish green mason jars) I am thinking the ocean colors, sand(greige/tan) blue green tiles (the colors of water) and the soft whites. You can add accents in those colors to tie into the beach. Enjoy!(Here's a few of my kitchen)

GARY FINLEY, ASID i havent read all the comments, but the question i have is why do anything if you are redoing in 5 years

GARY FINLEY, ASID painting is not so expensive but if you are replacing counter tops, I would suggest doing the kitchen all at once time and wait on the flooring

judyg With Gary…five years is insignificant when you will be doing a major redo. Kitchen look fine, clean and livable for now. Save your money for the big plan. If you paint the kitchen walls a great color, it will work for you. Maybe black?

oceanfamily Sorry...I was not clear in my earlier post. The reason we need to give this place a facelift is because we will be renting it out for part of the summer season. At the minimum, we have to replace the linoleum flooring and paint the walls. I'm trying to figure out if we can work around all the whitewash/ beadboard and kitchen cabinets but I think the best scenario would be to paint it all. We also have to replace two of the appliances. I'm certainly open to suggestions since we will be renovating in five years.

intoit Looks like you could do with better lightening in the kitchen. Are you planning to keep the cabinets when you do the major update in a few years?

oceanfamily Joanne - - I really like the lacey pearl and sweet cream you suggested. If I continue with the sweet cream in the living room and hallway, what would you suggest for a trim color? Thanks for your help!

Susan Jablon Mosaics Hi oceanfamily!
I really like the idea of painting the cabinets white, I think with the style of the cabinet doors it will be really cute and beachy. Instead of doing a white subway tile backsplash, why not do a beautiful mosaic that brings in the colors of the ocean and makes this home really feel like a beach cottage? You could do a mosaic that brings in the gray of the counters to make them seem more relevant, too! Below are some mosaics from our site as suggestions/inspiration. You can also use our custom mosaic designer to create your own mosaic design. Good luck!

Joanne Jakab Interior Design Trim in Ben Moore Simply White

Adell Appliance Outlet Congrats on your cottage. Painting the cabinets is a great idea, white, off white or the antique looking white. Is my favorite. Adding knobs and adding glass on some cabinets will enhance and give your kitchen a lighter, brighter feel. I really like seeing beach homes with whites and blues and decoration of the beach with sea shells. As far as the appliances they do need to be updated to stainless or all white. Of course white will be more cost effective than stainless but stainless will look great. The slide in range is also more expensive than freestanding. For all 4 appliances in stainless steel you can update them for about $2000 and up. But I recommend to update them with a brand and look that you don't have to replace in 5 years. Hope this helps.

JWinteriors Change your appliances to stainless...do not paint cabinets..change cabinet hardware to stainless ..paint soft gray ..change flooring.

oceanfamily JWinteriors -- I'm considering your idea to not paint the cabinets as that would save a lot of money. I have also attached a photo of the beadboard and trim as I am wondering if we can get away with just painting the walls (12' ceilings) since this is a quick fix. Any floor suggestions? The linoleum has to go! Thanks so much for your help...