Many homeowners would love to give their kitchen a makeover but do not have either the money, the time or both for a renovation. The good news is that the kitchen is an easy room to upgrade without raising a hammer or a saw. Indeed, the entire look and ambiance of a kitchen can be upgraded by a dedicated DIYer over a weekend. Here are some ideas:
Use Small Appliances as Accessories
One of the things that artisans learned in the last century is that small appliances can be beautiful such as streamline modern toasters. There’s no reason why an aesthetically pleasing small appliance can’t be displayed on a kitchen shelf or the countertop as a work of art as well as a needful item.
Paint an Accent Wall
If there is a wall in the kitchen that seems to serve no purpose — it does not even help hold up the ceiling — the homeowner might consider it a canvas for their imagination. The wall can be painted a color that contrasts with the rest of the kitchen. For example, if most of the kitchen is a soft pastel or a neutral, the accent wall can be painted a bold, primary color on the opposite side of the color wheel. It can also be used as an information center, with calendars, chalkboards and hanging cubbies for every family member. Some people paint the wall entirely with chalkboard paint so messages can be added and deleted with ease.
Paint the Cabinets
One trend for 2018 was to paint the kitchen cabinets eye-catching colors. They can be painted matte, satin or if the homeowner is really brave, high gloss. The cabinets do not even need to be painted all the same color and can echo other colors in the kitchen. For example, if the stove has fire engine red knobs, maybe one or two cabinet doors can be painted the same color. A dandelion yellow floor mat can be the inspiration for similar cabinet colors.
Get New Hardware
The variety of pulls, knobs and cups that can replace boring hardware that’s been on drawers and cabinet doors for decades is almost bewildering. Nowadays they are made out of nearly everything, including ceramic, stone, glass, crystal, wood, brass, bronze, zinc, copper and other metals. They can be oil-rubbed, silver plated to match a favorite silverware set, or chrome or gold plated. New hardware is one of those things that seem unimportant but can spruce up a kitchen mightily. It is one of those additions that makes a guest feel welcome even though they don’t know why.
Hang Window Treatments
A homeowner needs to be a bit more careful with kitchen window treatments than they do for window treatments in other rooms. For example, it’s not a good idea to have long gossamer drapes that puddle on the kitchen floor. But there are still a great many window dressings that are just the thing for a busy kitchen. These include cafe curtains and adjustable shutters over the bottom half of the window so both air and light can come into the room while privacy is protected. Other options are Roman shades, though they should be of a sturdy, easy-to-clean fabric, roll-up shades made of woven wood and Venetian blinds. Of course, there is always the option not to dress the windows at all. Nothing beats floods of natural light coming into a kitchen.
Author Bio: Paige Jirsa- I work with Top10.Today, a shopping comparison site, where we strive to help consumers find the best quality and priced products.