5 easy ways to update your kitchen

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The kitchen is usually the busiest area in your home. It often multi-tasks as a place where you cook for the family, entertain guests, do homework or office work, and relax at the end of the day. All of those functions can translate into a lot of things that need fixing, organising, or sprucing up.

Those inspirational kitchen ideas you see on Pinterest tend to be pretty costly. Plus, full-on kitchen remodeling can be time-consuming and stressful. But you don’t need to spend lots of time or money to make your kitchen look better and function more effectively.

5 easy ways to update your kitchen

Read on for five simple and quick ways to update your kitchen without breaking the bank.

1. Dress the windows

Most homeowners don’t put much thought into their window treatments when they think about updating their kitchen. However, if the window is the eye to your home, window treatments are an important element. They are the unsung heroes of window designs, controlling light filtration, framing the entire space, and enhancing privacy. You might be be surprised at how a simple change in window dressings can enhance the whole room.

For a neutral or all-white kitchen, adding patterned roman shade curtains can make your kitchen windows pop. If you want your windows to stand out but with a more eclectic design, faux wood shades can introduce texture, visual interest, and a natural vibe, while also ensuring privacy.

If you like a more modern style with clean lines, a roller shade can be a good option. For an open floor plan space with large windows, floor length sheers are ideal. They provide good privacy and light filtration.

2. A fresh coat of paint

This is a popular way to spruce up the kitchen, and for good reason. While it can take quite a bit of work, a coat of new paint can immediately transform any indoor space.

One area to consider when painting is the kitchen cabinets. These take up a lot of space in the room, providing much-needed storage for your kitchen tools, tableware, and food items. As such, re-painting your cabinets can instantly change the look and feel of the room. You can go with simplistic, neutral colours for a cleaner look, or dramatic, bolder shades for maximum impact.

If your kitchen cabinets don’t need new paint – maybe they’re still new, or you just love the colour – you can turn your focus to the walls. Whether you opt for a darker or brighter shade, make sure you choose a colour that complements your cabinets.

3. Don’t forget the hardware

If you update the colour of your kitchen cabinets, don’t forget about the hardware.

Handles accessorise and finish the look of your kitchen cabinets, and are a fantastic way to give the space a quick refresh.

You can buy a new set of hardware that complements the new shade of your cabinets. However, if you want a more affordable option and don’t mind the shape of your current handles, you can simply update them with spray paint.

4. Add a rug

A rug can instantly update the look of any room, including your kitchen.

You might think a kitchen is not the best space for a rug, since it receives a lot of foot traffic and tends to be messy. However, get the right size rug in the right place, and it can be a wonderful addition to update your kitchen.

Adding a rug can elevate your kitchen space by creating a cohesive look. However, unlike picking a rug for your living room, choosing a rug for your kitchen will focus more on durability, function, and ease of cleaning.

Don’t place rugs around your fridge or stove. Also, make sure to change your kitchen rug more frequently due to dirt accumulation from foot traffic and cooking.

5. Light it up

Investing in the right kitchen lighting can make a significant impact on the room’s overall feel, especially at night.

Ideally, you want to have task lights over your worktops, several spotlights on your ceiling, halogen bulbs on the extractor, and decorative overhead lighting with ambient settings in your dining area.

As you can see, sprucing up your kitchen doesn’t have to be costly or time-consuming. If you have a busy schedule or a tight budget, but are still yearning for an updated, modern kitchen area, the ideas covered here will help you to achieve a fresh and gorgeous-looking kitchen space.

Have you got a tried-and-tested way to update your kitchen?