How can I upgrade my 1950’s kitchen on a budget?

Paint, paint , and more paint! The easiest and cheapest method!

Marsha is totally correct!! PAINT is king ...and relatively inexpensive.

Absolutely paint. I did paint my daughter's kitchen cabinets as a temporary bandage, until she can renovate her kitchen. I found that chalk paint worked fabulous and it has held up well. I did a bit more than painting. You can see photos and what I did in my blog. https://design2bhappy.com/you-dont-have-to-live-with-things-you-hate/ Good luck.

Replacing old light fixtures with LED light can give new life and bring brightness to a room easily and quickly. The price of basic LED fixtures has come down greatly in the last couple of years.

I would suggest that you change the light fixtures in the kitchen first before painting, as the color of the paint can be altered with different LED light types.

The last picture shows the inside of an integrated LED flush mount light fixture.

I agree with paint. But you also can add new materials on chairs and new curtains,

There are lots of great ideas here for you on giving your kitchen a makeover:

Home and Garden DIY Ideas | Hometalk