How can I make these kitchen cupboards more modern?

Paint them and add pretty knobs. How to paint cabinetry:

Set up a work station where you can lay out each door so that it does not have to be moved as you wait for it to dry.

1. Remove doors and all hardware—Label each door and its matching cabinet by writing a matching number under the hinge.

2. Clean surfaces with TSP to remove grease—this is crucial

3. If the surfaces are in good shape, you do not need to sand, use a liquid sandpaper. I do a good heavy coat of this. It makes the surface a little tacky which holds the primer.

4. I prefer to use an oil based primer for slick surfaces or surfaces that are going to get a lot of wear and tear. Have your primer tinted to match your cabinetry color. Use a good coat of primer. Do not skimp on this step. If your primer does not feel smooth after it dries, do a very light sanding and wipe the dust off with a barely damp cloth. Oil based paints typically take 24 hours to dry.

5. I also prefer oil based paint for kitchen cabinetry because of the amount of use they get. The oil base just holds up so much longer. You can use latex paint if you prefer, but it will not hold up or be cleaned like oil base can. Whether using oil or latex, I always do 2 coats.

6. If you use oil based paints, it will take a few more days to complete your project because of the drying time, but I think it is worth the few days to have my project last for many years.

Best of luck!

Just to add! Sand lightly to remove any shine. The liquid sandpaper will soften and melt the laminate. Prime with KILZ, BIN, or Zinsser. Any primer will do. You can paint with acrylic latex paint. Less odor and dries quicker. Seal with at least three coats of a water based polyurethane. Use a foam roller and foam brush for a smooth finish with no brush marks.

Honestly they are not ugly,they need hardware which will give them a whole different look.If you want to go through the trouble of painting then follow Williams advice.

Along with the painting suggestions if you want to add depth I would add small strips of moldings to door edges to make them shaker cabinets for a completely different look..not hard to do..many tutorials on Pinterest..

my friend had hers professionally painted and would not recommend. they still chip in a well used kitchen

I painted my Kitchen Cabinets 10 years ago with oil-based enamel,2 coats. Still look great, no chips,clean easily. Do not use Latex paint on a Kitchen or Bathroom cabinets.

I agree with almost all above suggestions. Painting, and for sure new hardware will make them look like new. when I 1st moved here the cabinets were like most standard apartments and then....someone was tossing a dresser out and the knobs 'exactly' matched my kitchen cabinets, adding them changed the look completely.

Use some decorative molding on the fronts. Or. Do the centers in blackboard paint tinted to the colors your using.

before making yourself crazy painting, get great modern pulls. IKEA, especially has very reasonable prices. Decide if you want them vertical or horizontal on your cabinets. Clean and and buff cabinets, cause we never realize how they collect dust.

Make or buy an alignment template so the pulls are in exactly same place on all cabinets (Amazon).

Read up on drilling holes thru laminate. After your pulls are installed you can decide if you want to paint! Easy to uninstall pulls, then paint. But I always try to go with the easiest and cheapest solution first.

I think the style of your cabinets is already pretty modern with the sleek finish. I would add modern handles only if budget is a concern.

Clean the cabinets REALLY well, and rust-o-leum has a wipe-on and buff countertop restoring finish that should work perfectly on the laminate cabinets, too. Get them clean and shiny, and install nickel/steel rod-shaped handles.

I'd love to see what you do!

Contact paper lots of pretty patterns

I would try to do a good clean and add some modern pulls like Jcraw did, they look very sleek and modern. Centering the door pulls toward the bottom instead of the traditional pull placement also adds to the modern look. Shakers are more cottage/country. Post your project for us to see what you did. I am looking at starting to redo my cupboards and it is a little intimidating

Chalk paint with three colors. Then use the smallest grit sandpaper to remove paint on edges in an irregular pattern. you use a wax when you are finished. Add new hardware and you will get a stunning outcome.

I would love to have your doors .. you can do anything with them, unlike mine that have recessed centers and are ugly dustcatchers. Don't ruin them with paint.

One word which I see has been mentioned earlier but hardware would make all the difference in the world. I know there are paint jobs out there but I have always had the fear of it chipping somewhere.

You CAN paint laminate! I did! Here's my post about how I painted a laminate cabinet: https://bachelorettepadflip.com/2016/08/14/painting-laminate/

Pulls are a good idea. Or you can buy replacement doors, much more expensive.

There is lots you could do you paint them with a high gloss finish you could cover them in brushed aluminium sheets you could add moulding to them which ever suits your taste .

You can paint laminate. Prime them first!!!! Paint which ever shade of white that works in your home and add the sleek, modern, nickel pulls mentioned in prior post and this will do the trick. Want ultra modern? Use gloss white! Pop!!!! A gray wall color is trending now. Paint is easy to change out with trends.

i painted mine with high gloss WHITE , the whites, three or four coats put on the long brushed stainless handles. Beautiful. Repainted every year or so and do touch up as needed. They were DARK brown and I just painted, no preping

Your beige paint color on the back splash or walls need the new color your cabinets are fine..You can add a back splash...your cabinets look drab because it is against beige, try a paint color on walls you will be amazed with how your cabinets stand out in a good way...

Oh my goodness can I trade my true shakers that are only 9 months old for yours. That is exactly what I wanted and couldn't afford because although not solid wood they are treated to not warp. I went with the shakers because I don't like frilly stuff I like clean lines and they are solid hikory, I would not paint or do anything except add hardware. I would go with pulls that are plain bars that I would place horizontally. You have no idea how lucky you are just paint the room to accent them don't damage them. You are correct that they look like from the 70s I love that look and it's all coming back even the macrame. OK I am seriously jealous. Look at the big stores and go to the cabinets and ask how much one of those would be but use the one they have their don't take off of hinges. They have them. Then ask about something you like and see the difference. Yours look like maple or maple finish. Since no wood grain visible. I wanted them in white . And keep this in mind, I had in my previous house cabinets that I figured were cheep and didn't like finish but the worked so I kept them. I went to the store to see if I could find a cabinet like a pantry. The gentleman their said that no they didn't but he has a regular customer that is a carpenter and he walked in so I spoke with him about building a cabinet and without touching it he said that it was solid oak and that,that finish was very expensive. I would be better off going to ikea and buying one in white because of the expense. I didn't believe him and he took it from me and it was heavy but I didn't think anything of it, he took it and said don't you feel he weight and you can see the grain. It's was solid oak. So sometimes when we think that we have an eyesore it can be a blessing when we sold we stated that they were solid oak. So I just used a cabinet I had and that was that.