Liven up your Kitchen with These Simple Changes

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Your kitchen is used every single day; it is the heart of your home and also a major selling point. Completely remodeling your kitchen is a great way to keep it up to date but also expensive. If you do not have the budget right now, here are a few cheap changes that can transform the look of your kitchen.

  1. Remove, recycle and refresh. If the doors on your cabinets are old and ugly, take them off and create an open shelving option for your kitchen. This is a great opportunity to update the hardware on your drawers and cabinets. What is worn down in the kitchen can usually be painted or refinished to give it a modern look.
  2. Add more storage. Either declutter your space or add more storage. These options include adding hanging racks, open shelves and cabinet organizers to store the essentials.
  3. Change out lighting. Depending on the age of your kitchen, you will most likely have pendant lighting or fluorescent overhead fixtures. To bring your kitchen into the modern age, consider replacing some of those fixtures with recessed alternatives or LED lighting. Even just replacing the bulbs is cheaper, easy to install and saves energy.
  4. Upgrade your faucet. Do you have an old-fashioned faucet? Is it time for a change? Instead of replacing the entire sink, just changing the faucet can give the kitchen a whole new look. Think about energy-efficient alternatives like low-flow faucets to save you money on your water bill, or adjustable, restaurant-style varieties for the chef in the family.
  5. Hide your counters. Old countertops can suffer through the years. If you have worn countertops but don’t have the budget to replace them. Find creature ways to hide their blemishes. Add decorative cutting boards, hide them under appliances or apply a fresh coat of paint.
  6. Paint your cabinets. Painting or refinishing your cabinets is another inexpensive way to change the look of your space. It is less expensive than buying new ones and at the same time it refreshes the appearance of your entire kitchen. Don’t paint them any weird colors though, and avoid bright hues.
  7. Add a backsplash. Backsplashes can be customized based on the color scheme of your kitchen. It is as easy as buying tiles at a local home improvement store and using caulk and grout to install them in the design or style you want.

All of these are simple, inexpensive changes you can make to your space to give it a much needed makeover.

7 Quick Tips to Improve Your Kitchen’s Look

Large Kitchen Interior with Island, Sink, White Cabinets, Pendant Lights, and Hardwood Floors in New Luxury Home

Your kitchen is used every single day; it is the heart of your home and also a major selling point. Completely remodeling your kitchen is a great way to keep it up to date but also expensive. If you do not have the budget right now, here are a few cheap changes that can transform the look of your kitchen.

  1. Remove, recycle and refresh. If the doors on your cabinets are old and ugly, take them off and create an open shelving option for your kitchen. This is a great opportunity to update the hardware on your drawers and cabinets. What is worn down in the kitchen can usually be painted or refinished to give it a modern look.
  2. Add more storage. Either declutter your space or add more storage. These options include adding hanging racks, open shelves and cabinet organizers to store the essentials.
  3. Change out lighting. Depending on the age of your kitchen, you will most likely have pendant lighting or fluorescent overhead fixtures. To bring your kitchen into the modern age, consider replacing some of those fixtures with recessed alternatives or LED lighting. Even just replacing the bulbs is cheaper, easy to install and saves energy.
  4. Upgrade your faucet. Do you have an old-fashioned faucet? Is it time for a change? Instead of replacing the entire sink, just changing the faucet can give the kitchen a whole new look. Think about energy-efficient alternatives like low-flow faucets to save you money on your water bill, or adjustable, restaurant-style varieties for the chef in the family.
  5. Hide your counters. Old countertops can suffer through the years. If you have worn countertops but don’t have the budget to replace them. Find creature ways to hide their blemishes. Add decorative cutting boards, hide them under appliances or apply a fresh coat of paint.
  6. Paint your cabinets. Painting or refinishing your cabinets is another inexpensive way to change the look of your space. It is less expensive than buying new ones and at the same time it refreshes the appearance of your entire kitchen. Don’t paint them any weird colors though, and avoid bright hues.
  7. Add a backsplash. Backsplashes can be customized based on the color scheme of your kitchen. It is as easy as buying tiles at a local home improvement store and using caulk and grout to install them in the design or style you want.

All of these are simple, inexpensive changes you can make to your space to give it a much needed makeover.

8 Kitchen Trends to Watch for this Year

Beautiful Kitchen in Luxury Home

Kitchens are always changing and evolving, so if you are looking to redo yours or just like being informed about the latest trends, here’s what to watch out for this year:

  1. Soft, muted color palettes. Kitchen colors are changing according to interior designer Jane Lockhart. Though white motifs will still dominate, everything from cabinets to backsplashes will be done in less saturated tones. “Charcoal, grays and even neutral pastels like pale blue, pale green gray and tinted whites are the new alternative to the standard white,” she says. She also foresees kitchens sporting lighter wood tones, including walnuts, whitewashed woods and white oak in rift grain. Bold primary colors, on the other hand, will be placed on the back burner.
  2. Smart spaces. Like most other things in the world, kitchens are getting a technology makeover. More kitchens are going to have designed spots for smart devices and their charging consoles. The 2016 kitchen is going to focus on convenience for families on the go via accessible smart appliances.
  3. An ‘80s reboot. Mirrored backsplashes, brass accessories and high-gloss surfaces aren’t dead by a long shot, but they’re more elegant and refined this time. More natural materials will be incorporated to remove the ‘plastic’ look of the ‘80s appliances.
  4. Metal Range Hoods. One of last year’s biggest trends was metallic finishes, like copper, brass or bronze. However, homeowners went with small helpings of metal, primarily using faucets, pendant lights and cabinet pulls to incorporate this raw texture. Metals will assume a more dominant role in the kitchen and begin to trump wood as the range hood of choice.
  5. Integrated kitchen-living spaces. This is going to become a huge thing for this year, creating a more interactive kitchen space with the other rooms in the home. Whether it is a dining room or living room, the kitchen is going to become less disconnected from the rest of your home. Designers will merge kitchens and living rooms by including more hidden and integrated appliances.
  6. A New Kind of Tradition. Present day kitchens are embracing simple design. Since kitchens are focused on cleanliness, traditional kitchens may experience a slightly cleaner feel with bold lines and less fussy details. Traditional designs will always remain popular, but there will be more emphasis on key elements like hoods, islands and cabinet crowns.
  7. Texture-on-texture contrast. Designers are going to be using textures in a new way. It will not be about mixing and matching textures, instead designers are going to reposition the same texture in different patterns throughout the kitchen. The difference will be subtle but at the same time it will make a statement.
  8. Well-lit Cabinetry. Homeowners won’t settle for just ceiling lights and table lamps to illuminate their kitchens. With new designs brings new technology, so extensive cabinet lighting is the trend to watch. This will create overall lighting in the kitchen and improve create better mood-setting capabilities.