Personally, kitchens are my favourite rooms in the house. For some reason, wherever you are, somehow everyone always ends up in the kitchen. It’s the heart of the home, and if you are a cook and even if you’re not, there is no need to live in a less than satisfying kitchen (that is, of course, if the budget permits).
Kitchens and bathrooms yield the most return on investments if you ever decide to sell. So, rest assured that any kind of changes you can afford to make will go a long way. They will bring happiness and satisfaction to you while you’re living and enjoying the space and will wow potential buyers when it’s time to sell.
There are countless ways to update the look of your kitchen. However, it all comes down to your budget, time, and desire for how much you want to change your current kitchen. So I’ve come up with a list of some design tips to help you make the best of your renovation dollar and create a beautiful space that will inspire you to cook or entertain!
1. Paint
Painting out the walls is one of the easiest, most affordable and impactful changes you can make in your kitchen. Do not underestimate the power of colour! It has been proven through countless studies that colour has a massive impact on our mood. So choose a beautiful colour that makes you happy and get painting!
2. Paint the cabinets
There are a couple of ways of going about updating and resurfacing your existing cabinets. First, of course, if you have the budget, then by all means, change the cabinets, but most of the time, if the cabinets are in a decent condition, you can give them a second life by doing a few DIY projects.
If your cabinets are solid wood, you are lucky! Because you can clean, sand, and restain the cabinet doors and drawer fronts into a beautiful wood stain.
Rich dark chocolate colour is a personal favourite for a more classic contemporary look. However, lighter wood tones can also work well. Another option is to paint the cabinets in a durable eggshell or semigloss finish and save thousands dollars. You can also get them professionally spray painted in a lacquer finish, which would look great, but will cost more.
3. Change the hardware
This has got to be one of the most affordable ways to dramatically change the whole look and style of the kitchen.
There are so many amazing options to choose from right now, in all kinds of finishes: brushed stainless steel, brass, glass/crystal, iron, nickel and more. Here are a few places that I like to shop at: eBay (you can find some fantastic stuff there that nobody else has), IKEA (simple, modern and affordable), Lee Valley Tools (a wide variety of all kinds of styles and price ranges).
4. Sink and Faucets
This is another easy but dramatic change. This is one of those expenses that can cost a lot but doesn’t have to. Nowadays, you can choose from many pretty nice things from big box stores, like Home Depot, Lowes and more.
5. Backsplash
One of my favourite places to inject style, personality and flair is through a backsplash. The role of the backsplash is both functional and aesthetic.
As far as varieties go, you can pick from a simple subway tile to mosaic tiles in different materials, such as glass, metal, stone, and porcelain. Here are my two go-to places for the backsplash: Stone Tile & Saltillo Imports.
In addition, a backsplash should act as a place to put together all the colours in the room, like wall colours, cabinet colors, window treatments and any other accents you might have.
6. Lighting fixtures
Don’t neglect the importance of good lighting. It is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it’s also essential to have proper lighting functionality wise. Three areas to address are Ambient lighting (main lighting), pendants (hung above an island if you have one) and accent lights on dimmers (under cabinet lights to showcase your new beautiful backsplash and also to leave on when you don’t need a lot of light).
7. Window treatments
You want to accommodate as much natural light as possible, but a simple roman blind is an excellent solution if privacy is an issue. Again, it won’t work in all kitchens, but you can always add a bit of glamour with beautiful drapes hung on either side of the window (if applicable).
Whatever you choose, don’t forget to address the windows one way or the other. Otherwise, it will end up looking cold and unfinished, and you don’t want that.
8. Countertops
This change is a bit more costly, but again, it doesn’t have to be. There are quite a few great laminate countertops available from big-box stores that will change the look of your kitchen dramatically.
If, however, your budget is much higher, consider investing in a solid surface top like quartz, granite or Caesarstone. Yes, they cost more, but in the long run, they are a lot more durable and will not wear as much as a laminate will.
9. Flooring
Depending on the size of your kitchen, it could be a pricy update. Options range from laminate, hardwood, cork to natural stone and porcelain tiles.
10. Accessories
A few new colourful accessories can jazz up a space. Things like a new breadbox or towel rack. Consider adding a collection of spice jars, plates, plants, or even books. For example, you can add a gorgeous Kitchen Aid mixer to add in your kitchen.
