Kitchen - gentle renovation or new kitchen?

Painting fronts can also be done well by a good carpenter; you don’t have to go to a car painter for that. The days when Master Eder in his workshop only worked with wood, at most sometimes varnishing, are long gone. But it will be expensive. When refurbishing the fronts, the labor time will drive the costs up, because "filling drill holes and painting" is more elaborate than it sounds... if it’s supposed to look good. This also applies to foiling; there the surface must be perfectly smooth before applying the foil.

And new fronts will most likely cost you almost as much as new cabinets. The fronts are the price drivers in a kitchen; the carcass costs almost nothing. 5,000 EUR should be the absolute minimum; with a Swiss manufacturer, I would rather expect 10,000 to be safe. Also the side panels, the decorative strips on top of the cabinets... all of that has to be taken down and painted/replaced...

Maybe a dark-colored floor covering would already change a lot, as these are already available in very thin and also more stylish designs. If it shouldn't/couldn't be everywhere, there might be a minimal transition, but depending on the execution, one could possibly live well with it. In any case, I wouldn't make a new kitchen at this stage, as some good ideas have already been mentioned.

He is bothered by the handles and the color of the fronts... what is a new floor supposed to change?

, that seems to be a Poggelpohl. At least, this is the only manufacturer the store advertises. I would check the cabinets for a label, the quality of the kitchen seems to be top.

I also still find the kitchen completely okay. Clear away all the knick-knacks, including the crochet doilies... that will already make it look much better. If anything, I would replace all the black items and substitute them with warm wood tones (countertops, windowsill). Also replace the black splashback (stove and sink) with something light. A modern extractor hood would be stylish, and instead of the hanging shelf... two pendant lamps. I would keep the stepped design; it hides any mess in the kitchen really well! I would also go for a tall cabinet instead of a half-height one.

Replacing fronts is outrageously expensive, it’s basically never worth it. is right!

Personally, I would completely remove the wall cabinets at the back, they really make the kitchen look outdated. Then I would put in a new floor and darken the walls, that way the vanilla color won’t stand out so much. I would replace the glass in the display cabinets of the island to match the color. Maybe also a new countertop (the regular plastic ones aren’t that expensive) and then I would personally like the kitchen very much.