Is your kitchen not quite the one of your dreams? Is the décor more ho-hum than hooray? Do you want to update it but also not spend a ton of money to completely remodel it? There are some simple and less expensive ways to upgrade a kitchen without having to do a total remodel. Here are eight ideas for how you can upgrade your kitchen.
Paint the Walls
There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make a room feel brand new. Depending on the style and feel you want for your kitchen, there are endless options for wall colors in a kitchen. Want a cleaner, brighter look? Try whites or light grays. Want a cozier or more natural feel? Try earth tones. Want to add a little personality? Try a bolder, bright color on a focal wall. One thing to consider with wall paint colors is your cabinets and countertops – if you will not be changing those, make sure you test wall colors next to those to make sure they work well together.
Paint the Cabinets
Maybe your cabinets look a little worse for the wear. Or they don’t quite fit into the overall style or design you want for your kitchen. Or maybe you want to try one of the hot trends, like the all-white kitchen or two-tone cabinets. The solution is simple: Grab some paint and brushes and paint your way to the cabinets you really want. And, like the walls, you can put pretty much any color on cabinets. From neutrals like white, black, and gray to greens and blues and even reds and yellows, the choice is yours depending on the design style you want and whether you want the cabinets to be an accessory to other design features or be a focal point in the room.
Add Crown Molding to Cabinets
Another quick, easy way to upgrade your cabinets is to add crown molding to the top of them. If you will be doing the work yourself, This Old House has a clever and easy way to add crown molding to cabinets: Mount the molding on a frame and install it as a single unit. If your cabinets don’t have enough material above the doors on which to mount crown molding, This Old House suggest building a hardwood frame that sits on top of the cabinets. You can then fasten the crown molding to the frame.
Swap Out Hardware
If your current cabinet and drawer hardware is beat-up or outdated or just not you, swap it out. There are so many choices for hardware in numerous finishes, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one that fits your style. And, this is by far the easiest upgrade to do: Just unscrew the original hardware, then screw the new hardware into the cabinets and drawers. Don’t have hardware and want to add it? Home improvement stores have templates to help you get the same placement on all doors and drawers. Just put the template on the door or drawer, drill a fresh hole, then screw on the hardware.
Change Lighting
Lighting is a crucial piece of any room, so if your current fixtures aren’t to your liking or aren’t producing the light that you’d like, it may be time to change them out or even add more. If you have basic electrical skills, changing existing light fixtures is something you can do yourself. However, if you don’t feel comfortable doing electrical work or need to add wiring for a new light, it would be best to hire a pro. Adding more light doesn’t necessarily mean permanent fixtures with wiring, however. A popular addition to kitchens is undercabinet lighting, which is usually battery powered or plugged in. There are also stick-on touch lights that can be added to areas without much light currently, such as pantry spaces or shelves.
Change the Faucet
The sink area is often a central part of the kitchen, so give it a refresh by replacing an old, leaky, or outdated faucet with a new, sleeker one. Most DIYers should be able to do the work themselves, but as always, if you don’t feel 100% comfortable with plumbing work, it would be best to bring in a professional.
Add Open Shelving
An increasingly popular design feature in new kitchens is open shelving, but you don’t need a new kitchen to get this feature. If you have some free wall space, you can add shelves. Or, if you are more ambitious, you could remove some wall cabinets and replace them with the open shelving. For a more modern look, go for floating shelves with no brackets showing. For a more traditional look, you can use wood brackets with wood shelves or metal brackets with glass shelves.
Install a Backsplash
Tile backsplashes are super popular, and they are a great way to add color, texture, or pattern to your kitchen. If the rest of the kitchen is neutral, the backsplash is a great place to add a bolder color or a fun pattern. If you want to go more neutral, subway tile backsplashes are a classic that work well in nearly every circumstance. Adding a tile backsplash is a project a DIYer can do themselves, but you will want to make sure you have the right tools and select materials carefully. For example, glass tile is harder to work with and more prone to breakage. That means an amateur may not want to tackle a glass backsplash themselves. Consult with the experts at the tile store to learn more about any challenges you may face with the tile you want to install.
Looking for your dream home? Liberty Homes has been building new homes in Utah for nearly 30 years. We take pride in our trade, crafting each home as if it were our own. Our quality, affordable homes are energy smart and thoughtfully personalized for your active Utah lifestyle. We currently have townhomes available in Salt Lake County, single-family homes in Heber City, and 55-plus single-family homes in West Jordan. Contact us today to find your dream home.
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