Many homeowners stand in their kitchens and think This room could definitely do with a makeover!”
Not everyone has the financial means to completely renovate their kitchen.
You might have some grand ideas for changing the layout, installing fantastic new units or filling it with up-to-date appliances but the reality might be that you cannot afford to go all out.
This is why the team here at Kitchen Warehouse have compiled a list of straightforward kitchen design ideas that you can use to update your kitchen. They will not take a lot of work and they will not break the bank either.
Channel the interior designer within you and read on to get some inspiration.
Showcase Some Art
When people redesign kitchens they often focus on cabinets, doors and appliances however the walls are often neglected.
A great way in which to update your kitchen is to display some art on the walls.
Keep it in line with a kitchen theme and put up some vintage kitchen pictures, traditional recipe pamphlets or contemporary art. This is a relatively cheap method but one which will rejuvenate a tired looking room.
Decorate Your Fridge
We have all received fridge magnets at one time or another. While some people prefer their kitchens to look minimalist and sleek you can decorate the front of your fridge to enhance the look of your kitchen.
Stick some decorate magnets to the front or even add things like To Do Lists and calendars to add another dimension to the appliance and boost creativity.
Experiment With Lighting
Most kitchens have the standard ceiling lights and lighting under the cupboards. However do not be afraid to experiment a bit by adding different kitchen accessories or by opting for something that you would not usually find in a kitchen.
Adding a desk lamp or a stand lamp in the corner of the room can add extra light to your kitchen while illuminating and emphasizing different features.
New lights and lamps are an inexpensive way in which to create a different look.
Bring Outdoors Inside
Many of the best kitchens that we come across are those that add some greenery to the room. Put some herb and plant boxes on the window sill.
Not only does this give you fresh ingredients to cook with (sage, basil and thyme are all good choices) but it adds different aromas too.
With just a few herb pots in your kitchen, you can create a centrepiece and an extra design for a small price.
De-clutter
Creating space – or the illusion of it – is the Holy Grail of kitchen design. Although it’s not really a ‘design’ aspect at all, you cannot underestimate the importance of having a clutter free space.
Particularly important in small spaces but equally useful in a larger space too, giving the kitchen a good. old decluttering is a win/win always.
Give yourself more surface space and counter space and instantly make the room feel bigger
Make the most of storage space
Whatever space you have at yours disposal – small space or large space – the fact of the matter its that space is something you can never get enough of. From valuable floor space to vertical space to dining space to counter space, it all comes at an absolute premium.
Smart storage solutions
But most of all, it’s all about making the most of the space you have. And this goes way beyond the square footage of your floor space, it’s also about making the most of the storage in your kitchen.
So, if you don’t know your counter space from your corner cupboards or your cupboard doors, here’s how to make the most of your storage with some clever and highly ingenious smart storage solutions…
Install open shelving
Open shelving is bang on trend but its also a practical way of taking your storage options beyond the conventional drawers and shelves behind cabinet doors.
Because it’s open storage, it’s that little bit more versatile.
With a bit of thought open shelves can effortlessly transform an unused, bare, and blank stretch of wall space into a storage zone with bags of style and character.
Combine storage space and display space
Indeed, open shelving can double up as storage and display space. From cookware to cookbooks, stamp your own personality on the shelves to create the vibe that you want.
For an extra – very smart – storage solution, consider adding hooks along the bottom of the shelf. This is the ideal way to hang mugs or utensils. These can otherwise take up a lot of space in cabinets or drawers.
An alternative – or extra – approach is to use wall hooks.
Incorporate pullout storage
You can pack far more storage into kitchen cabinets by installing custom pullout features or drawers. This is the perfect way to make the best use of awkward cabinet space and helps you with a common problem in the kitchen – easily reaching the items in the back of a cabinet or drawer.
Utilise the wall space
The walls are important in any kitchen. However, typically, many homeowners don’t think of the walls beyond the cosmetics. Which colour do we pain? Or possibly, what tiling do we use for a splashback?
Although common, this kind of thinking is a wasted opportunity. The walls of your kitchen offer up so many other opportunities.
A wall is more than just a wall!
The most obvious of these is the potential the walls offer as a storage solution. For example, you would struggle to find a better way to store knives. Say goodbye to that bulky, space-consuming knife block and say hello to the ingenuity of a wall-mounted magnetic strip across one wall.
Even just one wall offers so much potential.
An ideal storage solution for knives
This clever storage space frees up valuable storage space and keeps your most-used knives easily to hand.
There’s no better way of creating extra storage from the unused space you already have.
Divide cabinet space for better organisation
Smart storage solutions in the kitchen aren’t simple about the amount of storage space you have. It is also important to organise that space sensibly and effectively.
Drawer and cabinet dividers are an excellent to keeps neat, tidy, and highly organised. You can use either horizontal or vertical dividers to fit all shapes and sizes of cabinets and drawers.
Dividers are the perfect way to organise items and break up the space inside your drawers and cabinets.
Rethink, rejig, rejuvenate!
Small containers, such as spice and herb jars can quickly become a jumble and a complete mess inside a cabinet or drawer. Not only that, they can take up a lot of space too.
The best option is a drawer organiser that holds canisters and jars in an upright position. This is also perfect for easy reading – don’t forget, they can all look the same!
Another way to streamline things is to dedicate a small drawer or section of cabinet space for all your spices.
Multi-purpose kitchen storage
A pegboard is another ingenious idea. Simply, fix repositionable hooks to a wall or the inside of a tall cabinet door to hang kitchen items.
Feel free to reposition and rearrange so that the system continues to evolve and remain effective for your needs.
Get creative with cookware storage
A pot rack or a sturdy metal bar can work wonders!
Mount the rack on wall next to your food preparation area or above the cooker, and you will have all your pots and pans within easy reach – and out of cabinets where these bulky items take up way too much space.
Design your own kitchen island
If you have the floor space, a kitchen island is one of the best additions you can make to addition. But it’s a major addition, to be honest. Why not simply repurpose an existing table to do the job.
You can even add hooks and such like to make the most. If space is a real issue, you could add casters so that the impromptu island can be wheeled in and out of position as and when it is required.
Adding a breakfast bar or bench seating to your existing kitchen layout are other great ways to create depth and make the most of your available space.
Make the kitchen island work for you
Even if you have the budget and adequate space for the real thing, making a kitchen island bespoke to your needs is a very important factor. Make the island a focal point and make that island work for you!
Select smaller kitchen appliances
Under the counter microwaves make it easy to transfer hot food to the countertop and help eliminate. Small appliances serve dual purposes, such as a combination and convection oven, will save valuable kitchen space.
New appliances should always be chosen carefully. Choose well and they can transform any kitchen space.
Go for a monochrome colour scheme
As any interior designer will tell you, making any space overly fussy or cluttered rarely works in a kitchen.
However, regardless of the design and layout of the space, your choice of colour scheme can make or break it.
A neutral palette has obvious appeal. White will always have enduring appeal too, of course.
Classic black and white
But one kitchen design idea that keeps things really simple but one that that will be a certain winner is a monochrome – classic black and white – look.
Black base units with white cabinetry (or whitewashed walls) might seem a little dull or imaginative at first but the end result is anything but.
Traditional and modern
It’s a look that manages to look traditional and modern at the same time.
You will find that the black base grounds the colour scheme choice and the white elements make it all seem fresh
Make the ceiling a real focal point
For a different approach altogether, why not turn the focus of the attention to the ceiling?
Yes, you read that correctly!
Lead the eye up to create interest
A ceiling painted in an unexpected colour leads the eye up.
It also creates the illusion that your kitchen is taller than it really is.
Colour has been described by the experts as being to walls and units what seasoning is to food.
Just as food can taste bland without seasoning, your walls and cabinetry can come across as boring and dull without colour.
But usually when we think of adding splashes of colour, this is reserved for the cabinets and walls – not the ceiling.
Try an uplifting colour for the ceiling
An uplifting tone – such as blue – will be aesthetically pleasing and have the same effect as when you wake up in the morning, step outside, and look up and clear blue skies.
It conjures up happiness and a warm feeling.
Not a bad way to feel in the kitchen when you think about it!
Blocks and bands of colour
Combining blocks or bands of colour also works well. It feels quite bold and daring. But if you are feeling a. bit more adventurous with the brush and rollers, why not just go for it?
Glossy ceilings are on trend
Very on trend at the moment are glossy ceilings. They look simply stunning. However, for the best results you need to make sure that the surface you paint on is super smooth.
Final tips – keep things simple and straightforward
As you can see, there are plenty of straightforward ways to revamp your kitchen without the need for a full-blown renovation.
Even a smaller space or a tiny kitchen can be rejuvenated in a few easy steps.
Remember, it’s not necessarily about the amount of square footage you have at your disposal, it’s what you do with what you have!
The results can be transformative
At Kitchen Warehouse Ltd, we do our best to advise our customers on how to get the most from their kitchens.
This can be showing our customers the latest replacement kitchen doors or by offering them some simple kitchen design tips to enhance their home.
Not every alteration to your kitchen needs to involve paying out a large sum of money. While you can go for a completely new look for your kitchen sometimes even adding in basic and simple accessories change the way the room looks and can offer a short-term solution to a shabby and outdated design.
Contact the Kitchen Warehouse Limited if you have any questions or require any further information!
