I would go to the Sherwin Williams color visualizer:
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer/index.html
Choose a scene (interior.... kitchen) or you can upload your own photo. If not, click on the picture that is similar to your kitchen and use different colors. I'm sure other paint manufacturers (Behr, Benjamin Moore etc) also have interactive programs helping you select your colors from home.
We also had a kitchen from the 70's. It had been custom made by a German carpenter. Formica cabinets (teak laminate) Armstrong orange print vinyl floors and formica counter top and backsplash. It was 2006 now and I hated my kitchen. 35 years of seeing the same.... everytime I suggested to my husband let's redo it he would say we will have to gut it.
One day I went to Home Depot and Lowe's with the measurement of my kitchen and asked them to plan a new kitchen for me. GASP....both planned exactly what I had with modern materials. So I realized that the German carpenter knew what he was doing. The cabinets inside were still perfect because I took good care of them, kept them clean and lined. So we made a decision to reface (new doors and new drawers & hardware) them with Home Depot.
We selected top of the line wood in a deep burgundy color to reface all the cabinets. We got a new Silestone (Dupont easier to care for than granite and looks the same) countertop. Hubby does a lot of favors for a neighbor (tile guy) so we got a new rustic Italian tiles for the floor and back splash and tile guy did it really cheap for us. New polished metal modern faucet and filtered water dispenser. New paddle fan matching the cabinets. The only thing we did not do is replace appliances with steel ones. Too expensive.
A friend realtor said our kitchen increased the value of the house by $25,000.00 and we spent a little more than $15,000.
If you just want to spruce it up, new paint is good but don't forget the materials will show that the kitchen is from the 70's. If you plan to sell maybe upgrading your asset is the way to go.
