A full-blown kitchen remodel can cost thousands of dollars and months to complete. Who has the time or money for that? Here are 7 easy kitchen updates you can complete yourself in a weekend.
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7 Easy Kitchen Updates:
1) Wake Up Your Walls
One of the least expensive kitchen updates you can do is with paint. You can completely transform the look and feel of a room by simply changing the color of your walls. Whether you choose to stay safe with a neutral or go bold with a vibrant color, a fresh coat of paint will breathe new life back into the space.
You can see my tips and tricks to selecting the perfect color scheme here.
2) Replace Your Cabinet Hardware:
One of the quickest kitchen updates you can make is changing out your cabinet hardware. The hardware you choose for your kitchen can be compared to that perfect piece of “jewelry” you select to top off your favorite outfit. You can instantly change the look of your cabinet doors and drawers with new hardware.
You can see what I chose for my lake house fixer upper here.
3) Make your island a focal point:
Make your builder-grade island look like a custom piece of furniture by beefing up the molding, adding decorative details and/or installing columns or furniture feet to the existing island base.
Consider painting your island to make it look different than the outer cabinets
See how to paint the island here.
4) Change out your faucet:
Changing an outdated faucet is a straightforward do-it-yourself project and can instantly update the kitchen. There are so many styles and finishes to choose from. Will it make you enjoy washing dishes? No guarantees but it just might!
My personal favorite is this hands-free model from Delta .
And please…whatever you do…DON’T GET HUNG UP ON EVERYTHING MATCHING.
5) Think outside the box (or in it):
Changing the look and/or function of a select group of your cabinets can make you feel like you have a whole new kitchen. Here are some of my favorite changes:
- Remove some of your upper cabinet doors and paint the inside in a fun color or add a fun wallpaper for an instant mood-booster
- Add glass to several cabinet boxes to break up the space
- Switch out that outdated contact paper or drawer liner for something with color or pattern. There are so many amazing options on the market. Here are some of my favorites.
- Add pull-out shelves and/or drawer organizers. See my drawer organizer tutorial here
- Install stay-closed cabinet hinges to those doors that won’t stay shut. Of course, you can always replace the hinge but for an easy fix…add rolling latches to the ones that drive you crazy.
6) Update Kitchen Lighting:
If you are considering making some kitchen updates to your home in the near future, take a look at your lighting. Updated lighting can make one of the biggest impacts in a space.
Refinish:
If you are content with the style of the light fixture but wish it matched your new cabinet hardware or faucet, spray paint it. See how we updated a light fixture here.
Replace:
If the style of your current light fixture is outdated or no longer reflects your personality, switch it out. Replace the can lights over the island with pendants and if you still have one of those obnoxious florescent lights in the center of your kitchen…it’s gotta go! I can always find great prices online for updated fixtures. Here are some of my favorites:
Add-on:
I love the addition of under-cabinet lighting for several reasons:
- adds task lighting to the perimeter of the room without casting shadows
- creates the illusion of depth in the kitchen by creating a layered lighting effect
- adds subtle ambiance (kind of like a lamp in the living room)
- because most under-cabinet lighting is LED, you can easily benefit from the energy savings
- The installation is super easy
7) Bring in some bold colors and patterns through the accessories
Adding color and texture through your accessories is not only the quickest way to change the feel of a room but also the safest. I tend you select neutral colors for my walls and cabinets and then infuse color with my decor. That allows me to change the space whenever the mood strikes me.
Here are some accessory ideas to start with:
- a colorful rug
- curtains
- dishtowels
- small appliances
Here are a few of my favorite colors just to get your wheels turning:
The best part about these kitchen updates is that you can do as many or as few as you need based on your current situation.
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