Depending on your budget I’d paint the cabinetry, replacing the doors if you can afford to and just painting them if the budget is tight. Just a thought, maybe it’s possible to fill that detailing in the doors to make them appear flat once painted. Not sure if it’s possible. It’d be a shit of a job but then you’d have solid wooden doors. And new handles. The same with the tiles. Paint is a cheaper option. New tiles would give a better finish. Remove the window valance. Perhaps resurface the benchtop with a product like rustoleum. Replacing the oyster light with something more contemporary. Open shelving can look great and lighten a space but think about whether this compromises your storage capacity. Everything will be on show. I think if you paint the cabinets then the floor won’t look so bad as there will be separation between the similarly coloured floor and ceiling. Cork is great in kitchens as it’s soft so it’s easy on your legs and back and forgiving if you drop things. It’s also making a comeback, as are timber ceilings. I would choose soft flooring for a kitchen over hard flooring. Kitchen floor tiles are a pet hate of mine. In my next build we’re putting rubber or cork in the kitchen. You’d struggle to put a double oven next to the fridge as it’s a thoroughfare. You’d also lose your pantry. Is two side by side 60cm ovens a possibility where your oven currently is?

Your floor and other wall colours are great but Red (orange), black and white are very harsh together, the wall cabinets either side of the range hood have been badly installed, they should have been built to the ceiling. My suggestion is because the kitchen is small, I would remove the cabinets either side of the range hood and then run a row of white cabinets across above the sink to the end of the bench top. Paint the walls white or a soft grey, the range then becomes a stand alone feature. You didn't mention what the splash back material is but I would consider a clear mirror splash back along behind the sink and up to the base of the new white cabinets so that you're not just looking at a wall. cheers

Hi there, I love the look of your 50's kitchen: takes me back to my childhood home but our kitchen was about 4 cupboards and 3 overheads!! By todays std it was like one of the pantries people are putting in!! I was impressed with the "see what you need to store first": that is the best place to start, then thought glass display cupboards were all the go but you have those! Unless you could copy them for the corners? Then I thought open shelving with micro on one: NEVER on the bench. Timber shelves could have bright multi coloured glass or china which was all the rage! Please tho do not go for the lounge curtains with red, orange and every other colour large squares: nothing subtle or quiet about them and nothing nice about them either!! Cheers Margot

Just be aware that the purer the white the more colour will be reflected off the floor. Your timber floor has some strong reddish tones, so any pure white walls will pick up a slight pink tinge as the red colour will be reflected off the floor, especially with any direct sunlight bouncing off the floor. Sample pots are the way to go, or steer away from the purer whites and go to warmer off-whites and beiges where the pink tinge will be less noticeable (but still there), Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits.