Monday, March 7, 2011

10 Quick Kitchen Renewal Ideas



Winter will not be here forever, but while you cannot go outside and work on your home’s exterior or plant in the garden, you mind as well make use of the time you have inside.

Perhaps your faded kitchen needs a new and creative touch. In fact, you don’t even like spending time in the kitchen because it’s so gloomy, but you have limited time and finances to make improvements now. Well, kitchen renovations do not have to drain your pocket, take a lot of time, or put your kitchen in total upheaval. Try one or all of the following.

1.) Try Painting

Paint works wonders on everything. A dull room can be transformed into an atmosphere that feels alive and clean with a few strokes of a brush and a gallon of paint.

If your old wood tone cabinets are not catching your eye anymore, try spray-painting them very glossy white or hand painted with oil-base in creamy white. For only a few bucks, you can paint your cabinetry, providing leaps and bounds of improvements.

After painting the cabinets, repaint the walls with a latex satin enamel in soft sheen or no sheen. Use a color to contrast your new looking cabinets.

2.) Replace the Pulls, Hinges, and Knobs

Even the worst cabinetry can smile again after new hardware. Perhaps you should look into vintage hardware. Expensive pulls can totally change the look of your kitchen.

3.) Remove a Few Doors

Examine the cabinets carefully and think about which doors could be removed to expose the shelving. Not only does open shelving make a room look larger, but you can also then display your favorite dishes, cookbooks, glasses, or whatever. This is easy to do and a new look.

Take this idea one step further and paint the inside of the newly exposed shelving either the same color as the cabinets or create a contrast with an opposite bright color.

4.) Replace Solid Doors with Glass Fronts

By replacing the solid cupboard doors with glass fronts, you open up the room and display dishes, glassware, silver, or anything that you wish to display. The glass does not have to be just clear either, you can use frosted or put out a few more bucks and get vintage doors that are mastered to fit. You could also add sheer fabric behind the glass fronts.

And if you’ve already thought of removing a few doors to open up shelving, the glass fronts will beautifully compliment.

5.) Change the Lighting
  • Wire Suspension Lights: make any space look contemporary and new.
  • Track Lights: lighten up any kitchen.
  • Paper lanterns: adds life, character, and originality.
  • Halogen bulbs: make a box or rectangle of lights if you have a small kitchen
6.) Tile a Countertop

Tile your countertop and have new countertops in a day. If you have a small kitchen, this is when you actually benefit, because you can get a more expensive tile and still not have to pay a lot of money.

7.) Flooring is Easy

Changing your old flooring does not have to be difficult or expensive. Today there are countless, patterned self-stick tiles that can be laid quickly and easily.

Or paint the floor a dark color such as black. Then, tie in the wall or cabinet color by using a ragging or faux finish over the dark color.

8.) Faucets Finish the New Look

You would be amazed to see how much of a difference a new faucet can make in your kitchen. For the amount of money that you put into the new faucet and pull out spray, your kitchen will be singing.

9.) Add a Reflection

One of the easiest and best ways to make a space feel larger, without literally expanding the room, is to add a framed mirror to the end of a galley kitchen. You will add dimension to the room. Plus, the mirror reflects already existing light, which will brighten up your kitchen.

10.) Change the Window Treatment

Curtains often fade and almost feel like furniture or part of the wall after awhile. We forget that changing them can easily upgrade the feel and look of the room. A matchstick blind cut to size can add texture and light control.