7 Ways To Update Your Kitchen On A Budget
If you want to update your home but have a small budget and want to make sustainable choices, the area where you’ll get the most bang for your buck is the kitchen.
The kitchen is the heart of the home - the room most used and where loved ones come together. Where you can be inspired to cook healthy meals. And where functional design can make a big difference in your quality of day-day life - and the value of your home.
But you don’t have to spend a bucketload of cash on renovating your kitchen - especially if the one you have is perfectly acceptable but simply dated or cramped.
You just need to get strategic and creative about making it both functional and inspirational. Here’s how.
7 IDEAS FOR QUICK, INEXPENSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE KITCHEN UPGRADES
Update Your lighting.
This one little refresh can update the look and feel of your whole space AND make it much easier to work in. Look for modern but inexpensive light fixtures locally or online - two of my go-to sources include Schoolhouse and West Elm.
Add pendants over your island or peninsula.
Add a gooseneck sconce or a dramatic pendant over the sink.
Add puck lighting or a string of tiny white lights underneath your cabinets to illuminate your counter for working and to add ambiance.
(Click photos for sources)
2. Visually open up space.
Removing some of your upper cabinetry can completely transform your kitchen. It’ll feel lighter, more modern and perhaps even more functional. Open shelving is a great way to display stacks of the everyday dishes you use along with items like cookbooks, serving platters and fresh herbs. It’s actually more convenient for grabbing and putting away dishes where they belong.
PRO TIP: invest in stacks of everyday dishes and glassware in all the same colour and shape so you can have stacks that don’t feel cluttery out in the open. This will force you to simplify by getting rid of any mismatched dishes or ones you don’t use!
Two options can work well:
you could remove the upper cabinets altogether and replace them with open floating shelves.
or you could simply remove the doors and hardware from a few of your existing uppers.
3. Add a backsplash.
Adding a backsplash does wonders to amp up the personality of your kitchen. It feels modern even if you simply add white subway tile with old oak cabinets. For something even more fun, go for patterned ceramic tiles, especially if you have only a small space or one wall that could make a big impact. Or you could use shiplap or wainscoting panels that as an inexpensive but beautiful backsplash.
4. Change out your hardware.
Upgrading your cabinet hardware and/or your faucet makes a big impact with little investment of time or money. You could opt for black, sleek polished chrome, or a bold brass - even if you have stainless steel appliances. It’s a very mixed-metal modern feel.
5. Update your island or peninsula.
Refreshing just your island or peninsula with shiplap on the back, by painting it or by adding corbels can add character and life to your kitchen. You might also consider extending out an island that doesn’t currently have seating by purchasing a new countertop with an overhang (it can be different than the counter in the rest of your kitchen) and adding legs.
6. Add a touch of elegance and interest.
Forget paint and tile. To amp up your current kitchen you could simply add elegant or unexpected decorative touches like a piece of art, a lamp on the counter, an antique mirror or rack, copper pots and pans, or a silver tray to put cooking oils on.
7. Paint your cabinets.
Yep, this is the old standby. If you have perfectly good wood cabinets but hate the dated colour, consider painting them instead of purchasing a whole new set. You could go classic white, a soft, light grey or try a two-toned look. Here are tips on how to paint your kitchen cabinets without the stress.
