Kitchen refresh on a budget
I'm just about to move into my new home and am thinking about short and longer term renovation projects to tackle as and when I can afford it.
First up is the kitchen, which is functional but tired and outdated. With the costs of the move and buying new furniture and flooring, I don't have the budget for a brand new kitchen just yet, but am wondering what can be done to brighten up the cabinets in the meantime. The U-shape part I can just about live with but it's the wall where the boiler currently lives that's the main concern.
Any thoughts or ideas would be most welcome.
Thanks in advance
Comments (10)
bunnybuns_48
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Kitchen refresh!
Comments (16)Hi, I would recommend painting the cabinet Doors in a lighter colour to contrast against the darker floor tiles (changing them in the future to suit your needs) which would immediately lighten up the space and remove the blinds to allow light to flood the space. I would then remove the wall tiles which I feel are too obtrusive and dark for this kitchen and replace them with a lighter coloured tile or with Kitchen paint. And too finish it off, a different colour on the walls and the place should be transformed into a light airy room in hopefully under 1k... Good Luck on your project, keep us updated on how you go....See MoreKitchen needs a refresh!
Comments (21)Wow, so many brilliant ideas! Thank you everyone, I knew you'd come up with things I hadn't even thought of. The area around the washing machine is definitely going to need to be the priority. It looks awful and doesn't really serve any purpose. I like the idea of boxing in the 'utility area' into a cupboard, and will investigate this as a longer term option. In the meantime a curtain across next to the washing machine will be an inexpensive solution. I will contact the kitchen supplier and find out about integrated appliances and cupboard doors, and will also investigate the possibility of moving the washing machine to the other end of the kitchen, although unfortunately I don't think there is enough width to be able to do this whilst avoiding the bowl of the sink. Ultimately, I would like to move the washing machine into the garage and remove the worktop in that area, which might give us enough room for a small table and chairs. The current table and chair was loaned to us to see how much we used it and whether it works in the space that we have. The children don't use it for homework as I had hoped! I think I'm the only one who has used the table, and I've only used it a couple of times, so perhaps I could do without it altogether. E D - yes, you're correct. The breakfast set is no longer there, I just included the photo to give an idea of the seating that the previous owners had, and to give more of an idea of scale. Carolina - yes, I've opened the table out into a square and there was enough room to get around the kitchen still, but I don't think I'd want to use that much space for a permanent arrangement. I really like your idea of removing the top half of the dresser and retaining the storage at the bottom, with some pictures on the wall behind it. Although it looks like a lovely big kitchen, it really is limited in terms of cupboard space (either that, or I have way too much stuff)! Thank you again for all your ideas, it's helped to open my eyes to some more options that I would never have thought of. I will come back and update when we've decided what to do....See MoreBedroom refresh on a budget...help pls
Comments (1)i was wondering about a teal accent with cushioms etx but not sure how....See MoreBudget kitchen refresh - help and advice!
Comments (16)I suggest finding a nice local carpenter to help with cabinets etc. They will be able to come up with imaginative ways of upgrading and using as much of your own things as possible. I had an ok but boring Magnet kitchen with laminate doors. I wanted new doors and after spending an entire morning in the local franchise of Dream Doors, they eventually refused to come out and look at my kitchen when I said that my budget was under £5k. I priced up new doors online and then found a local carpenter. When he came round, I explained what I wanted and that my real dream was to have an “in-frame” look. He laughed, told me to scrap my ideas of buying new doors and instead he made entire new fronts that look a million times better than anything I could get off the shelf. It was also a fraction of the price!! My kitchen isn’t perfect (i find it too dark. - but that’s another story and not to do with the carpenter!!) - however it’s high quality, completely bespoke and an absolute bargain! Here’s my before and after.......See Morebunnybuns_48
2 years ago
Sonia
2 years agoI think the tiling stands out the most so you could paint them with tile paint or cover them with tile stickers. Not long term solutions but will certainly see you through for a while. The wall with the boiler - I would remove it all and put a cupboard around the boiler if you can find a similar finish to the rest. We fitted a cupboard round ours and it made such a difference. I think the cupboards are fine for now and if you paint the tiles white you can create a Scandi look a bit like this picture.
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2 years agoSonia
2 years agoHi Bunnybuns, my kitchen was from Wrens so we bought an extra 60cm cupboard (taller version) and it fitted around the boiler with room to spare. As pjdklm suggests it could be any colour, doesn’t have to be wood. My builder made some holes at the top for ventilation but I’ve since read it just needs a bit of space around the boiler for ventilation. I think if you put a double door cupboard around it, it will look a little bit more central? This is my cupboard.
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2 years agolast modified: 2 years agobunnybuns_48 thanked Erica Bagnasco Architetto
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