A kitchen is more than just a place that you use to cook your food. It provides an opportunity for guests and family to come together and socialise before or during meal times. Therefore, a large open kitchen is a required necessity for any big family.
The kitchen is also a space that probably requires the most expenditure. There are plenty of appliances that are on the higher scale of the price bracket when it comes to renovating rooms in the home. It’s all worth it considering it’s likely to be the area of the house when most of the family will congregate.
The issue that some homeowners have is that they can’t afford to purchase a fully fitted kitchen, especially if they’re new homeowners. The designer looking kitchen is probably every homeowner’s desire, but purchasing fixtures to support this look is out of the budget.
Luckily, there are small top tips that you can follow which can provide your run-down looking kitchen with a bit of life.
Add a splash of colour
If you want a cheap option that’s going to make a big difference to the appearance of your kitchen, adding paint to the walls is a big transformation. Changing the colour of the walls will provide the kitchen with a new look that will make the place feel fresher. Lighter colours for kitchens help to express the size and make it appear larger than it is.
Another tip for painting your kitchen is using neutral colours. This is so it’s easier to add accent colours with your features, accessories, artwork etc. It’s much easier to combine colours together when the main colour is neutral.
Replace old cabinet doors
Cabinets are a large feature of your kitchen considering they make up most of the room. Cabinet styles can change rapidly when it comes to trends and themes that arise each year. Keeping on top of it can be difficult, and having to change all your cabinets can be a large expense.
The look you’re going for will help decide what you’re looking to choose for your kitchen. For example, traditional themes tend to be more suited to wooden styles such as oak and pine. These provide a “cottage look” to your kitchen space that steers away from the modern interior that we’re normally used to.
Modern styles are associated with coloured cabinets, slow-closing features and handleless doors. Considering that cabinet doors can have such a prominent presence on your kitchen style, ensure you choose the right one for your current kitchen design.
Upgrade your existing appliances
This may be considered a last resort when you’re giving your kitchen an upgrade. The majority of the appliances that you find in the kitchen tend to be relatively expensive. Fridges, freezers, microwaves, ovens etc. can all cost quite a bit depending on the size and brand that you’re choosing.
In some cases, it may be easier to update one or two appliances rather than the whole lot. Some appliances tend to have a 2in1 feature, so you could be clever with your purchase and pick appliances that have such features, like an American fridge freezer or a microwave that also has a grill.
Getting upgrades on your appliances can provide your kitchen with a much needed upgrade.
Replace the flooring
Another aspect of the kitchen that can make a big difference is the flooring. Modern designs have seen the introduction of stone and tiles compared to the more traditional look of lino. The benefit of stone tiles has been the use of underfloor heating. This helps to replace the warming aspect that you normally received from lino flooring.
Alternative options would be solid wood or laminate flooring for your kitchen. Either way, there is a range of flooring that you can choose from which can provide different looks for your kitchen, just choose what you feel is most comfortable.
Change the worktops
Kitchen worktops are practical for kitchen re-designs as they can be easily replaced and removed to provide a different look. Over time, worktops can become worn out or saturate in colour after continuous use. There can also be cases where “bubbles” form on the worktop where moisture has developed, particularly around the sink and taps.
Modern designs have seen the use of more expensive laminate worktops such as stone, granite and marble. These are easier to clean and have less chance of damage in the long term. Colour ranges are large which provides variety in what will best suit your kitchen design.
Replace old furniture
Sometimes, what’s required to give your kitchen some new life can be looking right in front of you. Whether it’s the dining space, the chairs or even the accessories around the kitchen, they can always be upgraded to bring some fresh air.
With the smaller aspects of the kitchen being a little less expensive, there’s the opportunity to splash out a little more with your choices. Purchasing a luxury dining table will be valuable considering this is the feature of your kitchen that’ll be used the most.
Smaller features such as drying racks or utensil holders can also make a big difference to what your kitchen looks like. Analyse what can be easy changes in your kitchen that are likely to make a noticeable impact and watch the personality of your kitchen space completely change.
There are several ways to renovate your kitchen
Having to renovate your kitchen doesn’t require big steps. There are different aspects of the kitchen space that just require a tweak or upgrade that are likely to have a large impact on how it looks.
Bigger projects can include painting your kitchen or changing your appliances if you’ve kept a bit of money aside. Alternatively, smaller changes such as replacing cabinet doors or adding artwork to the walls can have just as an impact, but for cheaper.
Whichever option you choose, be sure that it still suits the theme of your current kitchen. Gradually making changes to your kitchen can have you upgrading more than you realised. Before you know it, you might see yourself having a full kitchen renovation when you least expected it.
