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brannankj Here are some more pictures, should we knock down that dining wall?

Staged for Perfection Can you draw a little plan of the way it is now and which wall connects to the dining room?

brannankj Here is the best I can whip up for now!

brannankj We have a fire place in the living room, with a window'd out wall above the sink looking into it. The wall with the windows looks out to our back yard. Ay help is super!!

brannankj We have this tiny open walk right in the corner too, close this off? It walks into the living room.

judyg Under $10,000. is a challenge. Rip out everything and live with your microwave. Measure out your space and head to IKEA. You will be able to do an amazing job there and consider your budget.

Dytecture That is a challenging budget. I would only knock down one wall facing the dining room to maintain some existing cabinet spaces.

John Seiffert Huh, hello? You had better do some exploratory work to see if wall is bearing weight of above walls or floor joists, etc. before you rip it out. If you don't know what your looking for, you'd better bring in a builder as consultant. A new beam could eat into your budget quite a bit.

brannankj Yes it is a load bearing wall, we wouldn't just rip it out. We would arch it out if anything... We are just looking for ideas! Thanks!

Staged for Perfection Looks like you will not have much cabinet space if you take out the wall where the stove is. What is on the wall apposite the stove? Just checking - so the window above the sink looks out into the living room? Was that once an outside wall?

brannankj The picture of the window with the microwave cart is the wall opposite of the stove. It faces our backyard. Thanks!

brannankj The window above the sink is looking into the living room, and yes, we are very sure it was once an outside window.

Eden Clark of VEDA Design Group $10k is a doable budget but you need to get creative. As people mentioned you can look to IKEA and be cautious of major construction (i.e. taking out walls) which eats the budget quickly. The great news with older kitchens: the cabinets are often well made and solid wood - not veneers or MDF like a lot of the newer cheap cabinetry. Assuming they're not warped or damaged, one option to save money could be to keep some of the existing cabinets (the frame) and just replace the doors. You can have the cabinet frames painted and/or stained to match the new doors. Of course the new doors would also have new hardware. This could save you a few thousand dollars, which you can then put towards appliances, countertops, an island, etc where you'll really get the look of a new modern kitchen. Hope that helps!
(p.s. depending on what city you're in, for appliances / hood fan / faucets you can also look to Craiglist for slightly used items... of course you may not get warranties, but there's often clearance places that post where you can get good deals and save money there too)

brannankj Wow! Great advice!! We are talking 10,000 not including appliances. My husband does NOT like IKEA, so unfortunately that won't fly. Our cabinets are all going to have to go, they are not solid wood.... Bummer, here is a picture of a kitchen we both LOVE! What do you all think?

onthefence Truthfully, that's going to be tough on your budget.

I like the kitchen you've shown there too. I've had that one in my ideabook for a while.

Keep an eye open on Craigslist for kitchen cabinets. You might need to refinish but you'd have a chance at getting a decent quality. Sometimes people who are remodeling just for a looks change will be selling their old cabinets.

There are a couple RTA cabinet companies online as well. One I've read good reviews on is Scherrs. Might be worth figuring out a design on the Ikea planner then pricing out your options using various methods.

And keep trying to nudge your hubby toward Ikea. Their furniture isn't known for quality - but even Consumer Reports thinks well of their kitchen cabinets.

Desidario Design I'm a designer. draw the entire space on graph paper & surrounding areas & post. Then, gut the entire kitchen. There's no saving it & turning the space to useful...it's too far gone & spread out; inefficient. :( If u use open shelves to store dishes, + a few other $ saving ideas, u might be able to do it in your budget...

carbary We did our kitchen for about 12,000. Using Ikea. Their design team really helped us. I posted the pictures on pintrest long time ago. But we are very happy.

nmkim It is totally doable. I redid my parents' kitchen for the exact same budget and it was a much bigger kitchen. We kept the old floors, but it was a total gut job including all new appliances. We put in Ikea cabinets, got a deal for microwave vent/ side by side fridge/ stove/ oven at Lowes. If the sink is in good condition, you should reuse it. At Ikea, the consultants were able to put design 2x the cabinet space including an island for about $6K. To extend our budget, we did all the demolition and hung the cabinets ourselves (really easy to do w/ the Ikea rail system). Good luck!

annied01 IMO keeping existing cabinetry and changing only the doors and facia is probably the cheapest option. The cabinets might still be sound & with a coat of melamine paint the interiors might be good enough for another 20 years. I would remove the walls looking out onto the living room and dining room and open the space up with removal of upper cabinets. Beautiful Posts could be used as supports if your contractor can solidify the structure that way. A beam would also give you something to hang a pot rack from.The walkway could then be closed off and microwave tucked in there along with a pull-out pantry. In keeping with a more open plan a backsplash and raised lunch counter on the living room side would keep kitchen counter appliances and clutter tucked away from your sight while relaxing and allow you a space to use for serving drinks from. Good luck and be sure to post pictures when you're done whatever you decide to go for.

brannankj Oh boy! Love the ideas! So how reliable are ikea cabinets? how much do they charge to deign the room? Any clue what to do with the window wall that has the microwave cart?

Theresa Franklin, ASID The husband mentioned he did not want Ikea cabinetry. You usually get what you pay for! How long will the Ikea cabinetry last? I'm a designer and millwork specialist. Sometimes you can find good quality cabinetry at local kitchen showrooms and purchase displays for a song. I did and still get rave reviews on my kitchen. It's built well by the Pennsylvania Dutch with good box construction and solid maple dovetailed drawers. It may take design guidance, but you could retrofit the space for a fraction of the cost if you can find display cabinetry. Kitchen showrooms are usually updating on a yearly basis.

Shanin Legg HGTV had an ad for Cabinets to Go (www.cabinetstogo.com) you will be able to find solid wood, quality made cabinets at extreme discounted prices. Plus they offer butcher block counter tops. Your budget will go far at this place!

mveasey My husband always disliked Ikea, but is actually impressed with the few extra cabinets I got on a whim for our kitchen. Ikea uses Blum hardware, which is an industry standard. Some friends of ours used the cabinet "skeletons" and had doors custom made by a carpenter family friend. No complaints and looks spectacular.

Urbana ~ Designer Ellen Crystal I'm a professional kitchen designer and 10,000 will have to be spent very judiciously. My sense of the main upper cabinets & the fridge side of the kitchen is they are in reasonable condition. I concur with everyone that painting them is the best solution. This allows for the areas that are really needed. The stove/sink lower cabinets would be the best area to consider replacement. They are badly worn & the layout is awkward. If you concentrated on new for those areas you can replace with a nice Lazy susan corner unit as well as a drawer bank to left of stove. (DELETE PENINSULA), then opt for as large an island as you can manage. Keep in mind you will need at least 36" aisle ways. If it is tight, consider an island on wheels. Replace the floor, counter surfaces, backsplash, faucet, sink & hardware on cabinets. Redoing the lower cabinets perhaps use a pop of colour or do so on the island only. Concentrate also on upgrading your appliances & lighting as able. The final item to consider is a decorative deep shelf and side panel at fridge. This will customize this area and make it more attractive. Do not commit to this area until you have a new fridge as they will likely be a very different size from your current one. I wish you all the best and trust me... doing this in stages with a great game plan along with excellent professional advice is more value in the long run. Ellen @ Urbana Kitchens, Victoria, BC

suzibug Had an entire system of upper and lower IKEA kitchen cabinets that moved 5 times into different homes with us. Don't rule their durability out. They would have made a 6th move if there had been room for them.

brannankj How would we change the microwave situation?

calikym They have microwaves that can go over your stove with a built in vent in the bottom for your stove. It would replace the existing vent.

calikym Like this one.

brannankj Sure! Thanks!

Vito Villa Under counter microwave in island. We used an engineered beam and steel posts when we removed an eleven foot load bearing wall. Upper cabinets are way over rated, we opted for lower cabinets with drawers and a pantry. cabinet about the size of a refrigerator.

Angela Himmer My husband builds houses and his company always uses IKEA. They have a lot of kitchens that will fit within your budget, just don't buy their appliances. You could get better deals at a large appliance place. I agree, put the microwave over the stove. Here is a picture of my kitchen, we bought the cabinets at Home Depot and same with the appliances

Elaine M. Rushlow C.K.D. Here's my best advice as a CKD......spend a little save alot. Hire a Certified Kitchen Designer such as myself to do a layout for you. You will get the best use of space this way. Yes you may spend $500.00 or so but he/she will save you thousands guaranteed. We are trained professionals who have the experience to advice you on the financial pros and cons of your kitchen. We also know where to get the deals :) Look for an Independent designer such as myself. The pitfalls of Ikea Over and over and over is sizes grrrr...and you end up using a ton of fillers. If you just have a straight run with an island not so bad. But once you start turning corners that's when you run into trouble. Ikea designers are trained to sell IKEA and nothing else. They are not C.K.D's www.NKBA.org will have a designer in your area. Ikea does a nice door but a very low quality box. If you can find a product with a plywood box and wood drawers at closeout prices go for it! We have Habitat Re-Stores here in Canada and they often sell Homer Depot displays. I see the mirco hood answer above me now as I type. Think twice about that. Do you have small children? Do you want them reaching over a potentially hot stove to get something out of the microwave. How tall are you? if your vertically challenged, good luck pulling a hot item over your head. Putting a microwave in a base unit is a great solution if you have the space. I would put it in an island...I have it myself and love it. Regarding Ellens' Island on Wheels theoretically it sounds good but the reality of wheeling around a 1000 lb item around your kitchen is not practical. You will need very large industrial size wheels that will alter the height of the island. Again if your short then the additional 6 inches will be totally impractical. Just saying. Also the weight will leave marks on your floor especially if it is vinyl. She is right about the 36" for isle ways it's not law you can vary a bit but becareful. If you weigh 300 lbs or are 6 foot 5 it's going to be difficult getting around the island. Another very important point here what ever you decide to do ensure that appliances never open onto each other...Ugh just went to a customers house who is a real estate agent all proud of his kitchen. The worst layout of the century. I hugged his and said I'm sorry for this loss...and said WHY didn't you call me earlier and made him swear on a bible he'd never do that again...lol.

Elaine M. Rushlow C.K.D. Nice Stove Angela :)

Cancork Floor Inc. Ikea has many different levels of "finish". Europeans use Ikea all the time. Why? Because houses ARE EMPTY! Yes, you have a toilet and a sink in the bathroom...but that's it! You walk in and all you see in the "kitchen" are two "taps" and some outlets!

Ikea kitchens can be very high end (above your budget) or they can be low end...just over $2000. You can hire the Ikea installers (usually outsourced to another company) to implement your plan. You can use their software to layout the space and then begin implementing "design" (which goes where). You can book an appointment or go in and hope someone is there who isn't busy. You can take home colour swatches.

For your budget, you can purchase an exclusive Ikea kitchen (yes, the one that you put up as your "dream colour"). Will it outlast the house? No. Will it last 15-25 years...Yes. Can you "up date" the colours in 10 years when you are bored of the dark doors? You bet!

Tell husband the "kitchens" are not like the low end $19.97 book shelf. They are a little bit more substantial.

My advice...pay for the installers! If something goes wrong, you always have something to fall back on. Most warranties will require "professional" installation to qualify.

I've done Ikea before (lower end) and loved it (lived in Germany x5 years). I can't wait to get my own home so I can go wall-to-wall cork with an IKEA kitchen!

Katherine Floritto Without seeing a drawing of the kitchen on graph paper, it's difficult to guess the size(s) of everything, but I do have a question... If the 'walk' to the livingroom would handle it width-wise, what about putting a back wall on it and 2 or 3 vertical pull-out shelving units in it? With all these wonderful suggestions, it seems you may end up losing storage space and doing this would make up for a lot of that. I know it's additional expense, but I'd also go for a larger, more powerful fan above the stove. Anytime a home is 'opened up', such a fan more than pays for itself many times over..lol Great good luck with your reno - hope you share pics with us as you go along.. :)

jingstad I would make a large arch between the kitchen and dining room. Move the stove to the wall where the refrigerator is located. Build cabinets and pantries around the stove and refridgerator with the microwave above the stove. Then leave the sink and cabinets straight along that wall. Place an island in the center of the room. I would close off the extra door into the living room. Put a shallow floor to ceiling cabinet on that wall. In the end by the window, build in a breakfast nook with a u shaped built in bench with storage.

geeideaz When I renovated my kitchen several years ago, I was obsessed with flooring and tile and finishes, but overlooked one important (and costly, in my case) point. Electrical wiring. I agree with all of the comments and suggestions from CKDs. They can save you some serious $$, and they will help you address ALL of the "unforeseens" incumbent with a 1937 kitchen.

Fiorano Tile Showrooms Get a stove or cooktop that does NOT have a piece that intrudes on your backsplash. The stovetops that sit FLUSH (has a low profile) will allow the space to look MUCH MUCH BIGGER. Select a mosaic throughout or even a nice simple glossy subway tile for the backsplash. www.pinterest.com/fioranotile

Home By Design - Lorelei Barrett The picture you included later that you said you and your husband love, may I ask where that came from? I'd love to see more photos of that kitchen. I have a client that I am working with and that's basically the kitchen that I have spec'd for them and they can't visualize it from my boards. I'd love to show them more photos. Thanks!

Urbana ~ Designer Ellen Crystal Please people... a 10,000 budget will not begin to open up walls & change structure! Regarding the island... I have a small 39 x 27" island on unobtrusive wheels furniture wheels like you'd see on a office task chair. I've had it for years in several houses, painted it and it now sports a bamboo counter surface. It won't move easily, so stable enough to work on but not so large that it can't be nudged over. It is a practical solution & certainly doesn't mar the floors. I also have to add.... develop a plan of attack on this project. Estimates of each part. Prioritizing etc are essential. It is wise to consult with a pro that can help pinpoint the game plan. Also agree, essentials like mechanical systems relating to safety are important... like the comment that electrical may require upgrading. These are surprises to many homeowners. They tear everything apart then discover they have no insulation or aluminum wiring. All of a sudden 1/2 there budget is gone & the have no cabinets, appliances or even a kitchen sink & can't afford to by them or pay to install them! I perceive the cabinets are all wood and structurally fine... if they are kept in place except for the dysfunctional base units & peninsula, it opens up many more possible finishes & upgrades in other areas. MICRO HOOD... needs at least 18" between cooktop & underside. If you don't have that... it will crowd stove top too much & the uppers will need rehaul. I used two micro hoods in vacation condos recently. I found,given the options they were very easy to use & a space saver. I don't usually recommend for clients unless this is the only place they fit, but I have to readjust my thinking having the experience of both installations. Micro could also go in pantry beside fridge. All my Best!!!!

Kevin A few years ago my wife and I bought, rented out, and eventually sold the home next door to us that had similar kitchen cabinets. Here are some pictures showing what we did since we didn't have the money for a complete re-do. We used a router to cut in some subtile contour lines into the flat plywood doors (see pic), we painted the cabinets a creamy antique white, tiled the floor, and added new hardware and countertops. It ended up looking very nice and didn't cost us a ton of money. In addition, if you were to add crown molding, a nice tile backsplash and appliances, and you might be surprised at how good it could look.

Oh... BTW - the kitchen we did already had crown molding. We also removed the cabinet doors above the sink and added a couple shallow arches to dress it up a little. Good luck!

rcfisher4 Are you a member of Costco? They have quality kitchen cabinets for 1/2 the price of Home Depot. Go to the Costco website and search for kitechen cabinets. There are two different companies and both do online designs for you.

auroracanby I don't quite understand how that window & microwave relate to the rest of the space, but anyway... The dining room/LR arches are waaay cool. What I'd do with $10,000 is: Get some veneer for where the wood's really screwed up on existing cabinets and stain all the wood to match the darker wood in the kitchen that you like. Get new handles (closer to those you like). Put the money into new countertops and a wall covering you like (is that glass?, decent curtains for the window, a cafe table over there w/ a couple of chairs, and a place to hide the microwave. Get rid of all the random stuff all over the place. If possible, get a new refrigerator and sink it back into the space where the other one is (i.e. - without knowing what's back there - cut a hole in the wall behind the frig and move it back so door is flush with the cabinets. Stove's okay, fan could be better (black?). Get rid of all the random stuff on counter, walls. Floors look okay - do you like them?

auroracanby P.S. Oh, and maybe a new faucet. Those little streamline vents or whatever they are cut into the wood between the sink and cabinets below are way cool.

auroracanby P.P.S. I like that everything relates in some way with windows, openings, walk-throughs and arches. Work with it.

carbary Ikea designed our kitchen for free. We just took detailed measurements with us. Home depot does the same thing for free. Our ikea cabinets were about $3000.00 with pull out drawers and pantry& lazy Susan. We put them together, easy, if u have assembled kids Xmas this is easier.
We hired a pro to install. 1,000.00. Ikea has a 20 year waranty on the cabinets and we have had them for 2 years with no problems.

linbyr Hi there, your kitchen reminded me so much of our old kitchen. Where your cooking space is to the left ours is to the right . I think what you need to do is give the illusion of space and create light. We knocked out the wall of our living room (which was load barring )so an R.S.J . was needed and a structural engineer. If you do go ahead and knock the wall the most important thing to do is get the help of a professional as the structure of your whole house will depend on it .
We also used to have the same shade of kitchen as you , so wanted something completely different . On the right of the kitchen by the door ( which brings you to utility room) we have a pull out larder pantry . we just love it, could not believe the amount of food it could hold. Our fridge is also integrated as is an under counter freezer on the far side of the island. Within the island itself we also have two large pull out pot drawers which you can also use as food storage . The worktops are Silestone granite , it has very tiny specks of silver scattered through it and when the light catches it , its fab. We were advised to put a dark work top by our supilier but as it was all about light we didn't and went for a neutral shade . We still are in the process of decorating it but we are going to keep everything light and bright and just use color in our accessories (i.e lighting rugs pictures etc) Everyone,s style/ taste is different but if you can take bits from everyone that have sent in their advice i am sure you will come up with a kitchen that you will be so happy with . B.t.w we went for a custom made kitchen but we have seen the same in places like Ikea, Cost Plus Kitchens and others . Not sure what part of the world you live in but i'm sure you will find something that will fit your budget. Best of luck xx

PPs... curved archways are very dated so best to go for a straight edge if you are changing .

Elaine M. Rushlow C.K.D. @Ellen 37" x 27" is a pretty small " island" it's basically one cabinet so it makes sense that it wouldn't mark the floor I'm talking about a regular one of course like 5 feet. I too have a little wire unit on wheels with a counter-top and it is super handy for chopping and serving. I forgot to mention about laminated beams. An engineered beam is actually very cheap honest I bought two and it was like 110 dollars plus tax. I hired someone to put them in. The important thing is you can't go over 12 feet in total (for the beams I had) and when it's installed the king stud has to land on top of the main joist underneath. Tax in total installed was $900.00 I had two quotes this included a custom arch as well. Good luck my Dear.

sms9758 Have you looked at cabinetwarehouseoutlet.com . The gentleman goes to the Kraftmaid outlet to buy kitchens for you. They are about 75% less than retail. The outlet is an awesome place to get a lot of great quality cabinets for a fraction of their retail price.

Countertop Creations Go look at pictures of Countertop Creations. I could make that place look REALLY GOOD for under 7K with appliances.

auroracanby I'm voting with your husband on IKEA

auroracanby Looking it over again -- that pier to the left of the stove could be a breakfast bar with an overhanging countertop and a couple of stools -- there, or a little table & chairs by the window in Microwave Corner.