Whether you like cooking or not, and no matter if you’re actually good at it or not so much, the fact still remains – every house needs a kitchen. Small or big, old or modern, every kitchen has its own charm and if you feel like yours is lacking a bit in this department, now’s the perfect time to do something about it.
Now, if your kitchen is pretty outdated, you might be feeling like there are just too many things that need to be done and you are probably worried that sprucing it up will require a lot of money. Do know that you are very wrong. Sure, some upgrades will be a bit pricier than the others – initially, but they will definitely pay off in the long run. So, here are some easy ways you can make your kitchen feel brand new.
Declutter the mess
The beginning of every new year is the perfect time to do some decluttering around the house. Since kitchens are such busy areas, they become cluttered very easily. So, make sure you first remove everything that’s clearly just trash and go through your spices, dried foods, and canned goods and check the expiration dates. Chances are that you’re going to find lots of foods that are nearing their end. You can either choose to use them all up before they expire or donate them to a local shelter. Once you’re done, move on to Tupperware. For some reason or the other, people tend to hoard these plastic dishes and the fact is that we don’t actually need so many of them. So, keep the ones you truly need and donate the rest. Finally, get rid of all the packaging. Pour your pasta and other dried foods into decorative jars and display them in your kitchen as accessories, instead of keeping them in their bulky packaging.
Paint your walls
Your next step should definitely be painting. The kitchen walls tend to get greasy over time so removing the old paint and applying a fresh coat will definitely breathe some new life into it. Besides, this is the perfect moment to rethink the color scheme you want to have in your kitchen and change some things around. For example, for a more modern vibe, consider going with a monochromatic vibe – if that’s something you find appealing. However, if you prefer a more colorful look, create a statement wall with some vibrant hue and make it work as a focal point of your kitchen.
Upgrade the appliances
The thing that can make any room instantly feel old is outdated electronics. No matter how fresh your design is and no matter how new everything else in your kitchen feels, if you have old appliances, they will age the look of your kitchen in an instant. So, consider replacing the really outdated appliances with their newer counterparts, such as the reliable Thermador appliances, not just because they will make your kitchen feel more modern but because they are way more eco-friendly. Sure, this upgrade will cost a bit more initially, but if you consider how much electricity you’ll manage to save with newer appliances, you will see that it’s definitely going to pay off very soon.
Touch up your cabinets
Another thing that hugely affects the look and vibe of your kitchen is definitely your kitchen cabinets. By just playing a bit with these kitchen essentials, you’ll be able to turn the look completely around. So, first, determine whether you wish to repaint your cabinet doors and change the hardware to give them a fresh, new look or you want to go for a more “out there” look and remove your cabinet doors altogether. If you opt for the first option, make sure you go with high-quality paint to ensure that your new design will last for a long time. On the other hand, if option two sounds more appealing to you, remove the cabinet doors and go for the open shelf look. Here, you should try and identify the best way to organize your glasses, cups, dinnerware, and other kitchen essentials – you can even use those jars with pasta and dried foods we’ve mentioned earlier – and create a unique, fun, and, most importantly functional design. Simply, instead of hiding your dishes away, make them serve a dual purpose and turn them into fun kitchen accessories.
As you can see, modernizing your kitchen and updating its vibe is not something that will cost you an arm and a leg, but it will definitely make you fall in love with your kitchen once more and motivate you further to spend more time in it. So, determine what you are not happy within your current kitchen design and see what the best way to deal with it is. Find inspiration by checking out some of the latest trends in kitchen décor, roll up your sleeves and start decorating!
