This guest post comes from Emma Lawson, an Aussie lifestyle blogger, health enthusiast, mum to two boys and lover of all little things that make our lives enjoyable.
The kitchen is the heart of every home, but however tidy and lovely, your household’s heart will inevitably develop a tedious, worn look over time. Still, a floor-to-ceiling kitchen remodel can be a costly and time-consuming affair, which is why a quick stylistic fix will be a better option if you want to doll up the cooking area without extensive makeovers or extra costs in the mix. Short on renovating inspiration? Here, help yourself to these simple touch-up ideas and create a kitchen fit for a maître chef within a single weekend.
1. Dress Cabinets in a Fresh Paint Coat
If your kitchen cabinets have seen better days, a fresh paint job may be just what your culinary haven needs to brighten up within hours. To take kitchen storage from to drab to suave over the weekend, sand off peeling paint and dress up cabinets in a new color coat, or use contact paper to dial up the visual game in your cooking nest. If you’re an artist at heart, you can experiment with colors and come up with custom stencils to transplant to the storage units: that way, you’ll get to express your creativity while at the same time upgrading kitchen aesthetics.
2. Mirror, Mirror all over the Wall
Source: Although you wouldn’t expect to see a huge mirror in the kitchen, such an aesthetic addition can help revamp your cooking area and make it look more spacious than it is. A wall-to-wall mirror is a smart trick you can use to make a powerful stylistic statement and improve lighting conditions sans extensive fixture updates or replacements. For an extra dose of style, you can update your backsplash with a reflective coat and display a set of modernist stainless steel or antique-looking silver mirrored wine glasses along the shelves.
3. A Wall to Impress – and Express
In case your kitchen is short on storage, now is the perfect moment to upgrade it. A cabinetry update or an extra stack of open-back, bracketed, or floating shelves will boost the functionality of your culinary nest while at the same time infusing the space with fresh feel and interest. Or, if you’re a wine lover, you can display your treasured collection in your cooking area with the help of a lovely wine rack. You can find first-rate wine racks at Peter’s of Kensington, and if you want to play the storage game safer, you can move your beloved bottled beverage to a cooler, closet, or even a cellar.
4. Shed Light on Culinary Sessions
If you want to dial up kitchen functionality and aesthetics, you may want to do something about the lighting. A cleverly chosen lighting upgrade can render a new dimension to your kitchen and enhance its style and workability. To shed a more powerful light on your culinary endeavors, you can swap standard fluorescents for CFL or LED lighting, and top the ambient with task lighting at strategic spots around the kitchen.
5. A Quick Backsplash Fix
The backsplash may well be a necessity in the kitchen, but if adorned with the right materials, it can also double as the focal point in the room. If you want to add a stylish touch to your kitchen, you don’t have to overhaul the entire segment of the wall. Simply cover it with a temporary coat such as stamped tin, glass, pegboard, or plywood and voila: your kitchen is looking a lot lovelier, and the upgrade didn’t set you back a small fortune.
6. Flooring in a New Groove
Most kitchen floors are shod in either tile or vinyl which allow for hassle-free maintenance, but it still doesn’t mean the flooring will look its best if left exposed. For a dose of kitchen elegance, coat the floors with area rugs or non-slip floor covers: inexpensive yet effective, the update will add a dose of warmth and style to your cooking area, and it’ll also serve as an additional layer of underfoot insulation during cold months.
As elegant and well-maintained as it may be, your kitchen won’t stay shipshape and stylish on its own. To keep your cooking area as suave as you want it to be, you’ll need to update it now and again – and if you’re carrying out the partial remodel on a budget or when pressed for time, the ideas listed above may just come in handy, and you can throw in a few plants as a charming finishing touch. Life’s too short to spend your cooking hours in anything short of a pitch-perfect backdrop, so don’t let the kitchen aesthetics go amiss because you can help it.
