Remember I posted an article on how to upgrade your bathroom for less? I had a L8H reader email me recently to ask about ideas on how to upgrade the kitchen for less. After my In my kitchen post, I thought this was a good time to post about tips on upgrading the kitchen.
Of course, kitchens are not as simple as the bathrooms to upgrade, mainly because the work space is often quite defined. Still, there are many things that can be done to upgrade the kitchen from drab and dreary to chic and modern.
Make a feature of your walls
This is one of my favorite ones. Once you start exploring, the variety out there to choose rom is mind blowing. You can go for something simple, like creating drama with a backsplash. Or bring a little bling to an otherwise clean lines of a kitchen. In California, we had decided to go with a white theme in our house and preferred to accessorize it. We chose small brown tiles to create a backspalsh. It was a DIY project, and extremely satisfying.
If you want to be a bit more adventurous, then you also go for wall papers. Choose a wallpaper which is manufactured to withstand the humidity of the kitchen, and transform one or more of your kitchen walls into a design feature. Wallpaper is extremely popular with kitchen designers right now, and it will update the look of your kitchen, adding vibrancy and color.
Another simple way to brighten up a kitchen is of course, paint the wall. We have a beautiful, teal blue in our kitchen. The drama it creates is mind blowing.
Paint your cabinets
If your cabinets are looking tired but are otherwise in good condition, paint will transform them. Deciding on a colour depends on the walls, so choose a soft or neutral color that will be a good contrast with a brightly colored feature wall, or go for a vibrant shade to enliven flooring and worktops in muted natural tones. If you want to refinish your wooden cabinets, then you will get a large variety of stains that are available in the stores. You might need to lightly sand the existing cabinets before applying the stain. Once done, your kitchen cabinets will look brand new.
Change the doors and handles of your cabinets
If your cabinets are in good condition but looking a little dated, why not change just the doors and handles? Replacing them will save you a great deal of disruption and hard work, as well as being kinder to your banking account.
Have a little more budget? Well, here are some options that will add to your kitchen’s updated look like nothing else.
Replace your appliances
You can give your kitchen a new appearance without doing much work at all – simply update your old appliances. A sleek American fridge freezer looks contemporary and offers excellent storage space while a gleaming new oven and hob will instantly refresh the room.
Renew your flooring
If your kitchen flooring lets down the rest of the room, it’s time to say goodbye to it. You don’t necessarily have to run flooring to the edges of the room, simply run it just underneath the plinths of the cabinets. Consider hard-wearing engineered oak, slate or granite tile, and cushioned vinyl floorings.
New worktops
Worktops get worn and shabby looking faster than almost any other feature of the kitchen, and replacing them with shining granite or luxurious solid wood will transform a room. Go to speciality stores and you might chance upon a great piece of granite that will speak to you and add character to your kitchen, making it your own.
Cheer up your kitchen with accessories
Of course, no matter how little or how big you spend on the upgrades, no upgrade is complete without adding accessories. New accessories will add the finishing touch to your kitchen upgrade. Display a selection of beautiful china on a dresser or shelf, or reorganize your worktops so that you only have your favourite things on show. And yes, don’t forget those candles and flowers!
You’ll be surprised how quickly you can update your kitchen by just making a few changes.
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