You spend more time in your kitchen than most other rooms in your home. It’s not just for eating and meal prep. It’s usually the place where you organize, strategize, communicate, or simply caffeinate.
When you spend that much time in one place, you tend to see how stale the look has become. But a refresh doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Well, unless you’re really looking for a total overhaul, that is.
We spoke to Rich Gradiere from Advantage Contracting for a few low hanging fruit ideas to get you started on giving your old kitchen a little more pizzazz.
Let’s start with the one that tends to come to mind first.
Updating your cabinets.
Painting cabinets and adding new hardware can instantly breathe new life into your kitchen. A high-quality paint job and some new handles and knobs creates a high-impact upgrade.
You might also consider removing the cabinet doors from any upper cabinets as well and painting the interiors, giving the space a modernized look.
A fresh paint job can transform the entire space.
Painting the entire room might seem like a large undertaking, but it can dramatically change the feel of the space, especially if you use a contrasting color on one wall to increase visual interest. Make sure that you use washable, kitchen-friendly paint for easy cleaning.
Rethink your storage.
Installing a ceiling pot rack frees up cabinet space (assuming you have enough head space), or you can choose to wall mount them as well. Adding a magnetic strip on a wall for storing your knife set is the preferred option for most chefs to keep knives sharp between uses. And adding roll-out shelves in lower cabinets can make otherwise inaccessible storage more useful and organized.
Updating small appliances and accessories.
Coordinating colors and themes of your appliances and things like canisters and other decorative items can give a boost to your cooking serotonin. Color-coordinated mixing bowls, food processors, and cookware can instantly make you feel as though you’re cooking somewhere in the south of France. And maybe it’s time to treat yourself to something a little bit better than that old stained Mr. Coffee that you’ve had since your first apartment after college.
Replace tired old lighting.
Face it, most people think that the lighting in their kitchen leaves something to be desired. Updating fixtures to something more modern can improve the look of the room while adding visibility in places you always struggle with. Upgrading the under-cabinet lighting can give a boost to the look and help while you try to follow those old recipes your grandmother handed down. Even updating to basic flush-mounted fixtures with contemporary styling can change the ambiance.
Change up your backsplash.
You don’t have to go overboard. You can opt for peel-and-stick or backsplash panels instead of high-end tiling to give a refresh to your sink area.
A new faucet isn’t money down the drain.
Changing out the old faucet in your sink isn’t a complicated job, and most have pull-down sprayers and touchless options that can boost function as well as form.
Cleaning up grout can make a big difference.
For under $50, you can get supplies to clean and reseal your old grout, which will give a dramatically refreshed feel without a big retiling job. You can even paint old grout to give it an updated look with a fresh new color.