Update Your Kitchen Without Renovating With These 7 Tips & Tricks

A full-scale kitchen remodel costs a small fortune, and no matter how many images you’ve pinned on your Pinterest board or how many inspiration pages you’ve followed on Instagram, it just might not be the most feasible option. 

However, you actually don’t need to do a complete overhaul to refresh your kitchen aesthetic. Some small, smart, and handy hacks can transform that old-school vibe into something new, fashion-forward, and completely unique. If you want to know how you can update your kitchen without renovating, these 7 tips and tricks will definitely help you out:

1. Three-by-three on cabinets

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There are 3 ways that you can upgrade your kitchen cabinets without tearing them down and building them anew. First of all, if you’ve got solid wood cabinets and want to highlight their natural grain and finish, then sanding and re-staining is the perfect way to go. 

Secondly, if you want to completely change the aesthetic of your kitchen, then going for a full paint-job is a great choice. You can choose the colors that you want, which can really alter the previous look drastically. 

Lastly, you can change the hardware, which consists of cabinet/drawer pulls as well as contraptions that can be installed inside the cabinets to make organizing your utensils and cutlery more easily.

2. Sprucing up the window

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Just like the cabinet hardware, you can also consider revamping your kitchen window. It definitely makes a huge difference. You can repaint the frame or grill to complement your fresh cabinets. You can add in some trendy curtain rods and go for stylish new fabric choices to make the window feel breezier and more holistic. Simply changing the color scheme and style of your old window treatments will add a brand new and highly refreshing touch to your kitchen interiors.

3. Changing your appliances

Photo by Naomi Hébert on Unsplash

A major part of some quick changes that make a big difference in your home includes updating your appliances. That may seem like an expensive thing to do, but you can stick to a limited budget by sticking with basic mainstream brands instead of designer ones. Keep in mind that you don’t need to buy every new appliance at once. You can get them one at a time, as your budget allows, and even purchase them in sales. You can get amazing discounts and a lot of great offers in appliance sales. Ultimately, you’ll notice that your kitchen interior will look sleeker and more up-to-date after a good appliance overhaul.

4. Add a statement light fixture

kaylights

Revamping the basic lighting plan can cost a lot, but you can jazz up the space for much less by adding some statement light fixtures. If you’ve got an island, a breakfast bar, or any other eating nook inside your kitchen, then hanging a cluster of beautiful pendant lights over them can make a huge difference to the ambience. You’ll feel the decorative potential of your space rise up a notch by simply adding a few accent light fixtures.

5. Artfully add open shelves

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A great but simple design element that can totally change the look of your kitchen is open shelving. You can arrange several decorative or functional items on these shelves to deliver a great visual effect. If you want to take things up a notch, then you can even install recessed cove lights beneath these shelves to ramp up the accenting of your kitchen interior design. These shelves can become the focal point of your interior, so always install them at the forefront of your kitchen space.

6. Change the faucet

Fastplumbers

The kitchen sink is one of the most mainstream and used areas within the space. Everyone’s eyes automatically round up there, which is why updating your faucet can make a lot of difference in your overall kitchen interior design. It may seem like a small thing, but it definitely packs a big punch. Keep in mind that you don’t have to reinstall your entire sink – just change the faucet to a more updated version and see how it transforms the space.

7. Add some accessories

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Lastly, you need to add some beautiful accessories in your kitchen to really make it feel fresh. It’s totally understandable to avoid this technique to retain the functional integrity of the space, but a strategically designed tiny planter formation on the window sill or a vase full of flowers on the breakfast bar/island never hurt anybody. Similarly, new jars and containers containing your condiments and other essential items can also spruce up the bland counter space.

Even the smallest thing can cost a lot when it comes to basic refurbishing, so you can only imagine how steep the price of an actual kitchen renovation can be. These great tips can definitely help you make your kitchen feel new and welcoming without busting your bank account.

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Zana Dodig is a window treatments consultant with over 20 years of experience.