The kitchen is the central hub of nearly every house and is among the most important rooms. It gets used every day but goes beyond just being a functional area where our food is cooked. It is the heart of any house, the place where all meals are prepared for the family as well as friends. Frequently it is also a central gathering place, a combination of entertainment and family living space, where activities and meetings take place and where guests are entertained. The adults often do their office work in the kitchen and the children do their homework there.
With all of the activity that takes place, over time the kitchen takes a lot of wear and tear. So you might be thinking about updating yours. However, it is not always affordable to have a full refit.
If budget or time constraints make a complete overhaul impossible at this time, then check out the seven easy and inexpensive ways the Kitchen Warehouse team have put together to provide your kitchen with a facelift.
Refurbished or Replacement Kitchen Doors
Kitchen units have a tendency to look worn out or dated over time. If this is the case, you might want to consider updating yours. Replacement Kitchen Doors can be a great option. They are among the first things someone sees when entering your kitchen, and worn out or drab cabinets really take away from the room’s character and warmth.
Getting new cabinets can be expensive. However, refinishing or repainting the cabinet doors can make your old ones look brand new without costing a lot of money. There are many different finishes and paints to choose from. Think about what kind of tone you want to see and which colours give you a good feeling for your kitchen. Off-white or white can give your kitchen a more light-filled and expansive feeling, while if you have wood cabinets, sanding and varnishing them can bring the natural wood back to life and make your kitchen feel warm and cosy again. For those who love home DIY jobs, it can be a very fun project, however, you can also hire someone to do the work for you.
Replace Your Kitchen Light Fixtures
Changing your light fixtures is one of the easiest ways to give your kitchen a new look. When you change the light fixtures in a room, it can provide a completely new ambience and add a lot of warmth and without cost you a lot of money either. There are many different styles of lighting for you to choose from, including pendant lights or vintage light fixtures that you can find at salvage or antique stores.
There are also energy efficient light fixtures that provide a more natural lighting appearance while improving the efficiency of your home, helping the environment and lowering your energy costs. Most homeowners are able to change their own lighting fixtures meaning this is a pretty easy way to get more from your kitchen.
Paint Your Walls
Painting your kitchen ceiling and walls is another easy way to update and refresh your kitchen. It is something you can do on your own if you want to and is also quite affordable. It is the ideal way to change the room’s mood, feeling and appearance. For example, the colour orange exudes feelings of warmth and happiness and can really enhance communication, while green provides a very calming effect for anyone walking into the kitchen. Functionality is another important thing to consider when painting your kitchen – make sure to use paint that can withstand some soap and water whenever you need to clean your walls. The best choices that fit that criteria are semi-gloss and satin paints. If you do not want to do the painting yourself, you can always hire a professional painter and decorator instead.
Change Your Faucets
The most used fixtures in a house are the kitchen faucets. They have a tendency to start to look worn out after all the constant use they get, and over time can become a real eyesore. When selecting a new faucet, think about the tasks your kitchen sink needs to be able to do, along with the type of handles you would like.
There are several different styles for you to choose from including, compression, cartridge, disc, or the most common, ball faucets. Different finishes is another thing you can consider. Make sure to keep your other kitchen accessories, fixtures and appliances in mind when doing so in order to have a unified look. Some of the major types of finishes that are available are shiny, satin, matte, oil-rubbed, gold-plated, nickel, chrome, copper, brass or texture metals.
Add a Moveable Island
Having a moveable kitchen island will provide you with additional counter space and can also give your kitchen some additional character. The wheels make these island mobile work spaces that can be moved to various areas of the kitchen or house. They provide extra storage as well, and when you have a dinner party you can use yours as a serving cart. They are fairly inexpensive and you will not have any high expenses like you would with a major addition or counter replacement. Most of them are easy to assemble and come with complete instructions.
Change the Hardware
After you have completed your replacement kitchen doors, you should consider getting new kitchen door handles or knobs. Replacing the hardware on the cabinets can give them an instant makeover. It is an inexpensive update and will look great too.
There are numerous styles for you to choose from, all the way from modern styles like recessed, flat or rod bar pulls, or you can go for a more classic look and choose vintage glass, ceramic, steel or nickel hardware. It is fairly easy to change cabinet hardware on your own. Also, see our tips on making your kitchen greener.
Create Open Shelving
You could think about removing the cabinet doors and create open shelving instead of refinishing or painting your cabinets. This will really open your kitchen up and will allow you to be able to display all of your favourite china and other kitchen items. However, you will need to stain or paint the visible parts of the shelves and edges so that they match the kitchen cabinets and have a nice finished look to them.
To discuss our tips above or to learn further information about our range of kitchen products, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our experienced team. Contact us by calling 01765 640 000 or email us at contact@kitchenwarehouseltd.com.
