How to Give Your Kitchen a Speedy Refresh
Short of time or money? These tips will help you upgrade your kitchen in a flash
Buying a new kitchen can be a big investment, but if funds are short or time is limited, there are lots of little things you can do to bring life to a tired cookspace. Here are nine ways to give your scheme a speedy update.
Pimp your door handles
If your cupboards have less-than-exciting door pulls, it can be a relatively inexpensive job to upgrade them, and your kitchen will thank you, because the right handles can take a door from plain to fabulous.
Think of handles as jewellery for your kitchen. That doesn’t mean you need to go for glitter or bling, but the soft gleam of polished brass against a dark drawer front or the pleasingly tactile feel of a leather door pull can elevate your room and show off your own personal style at the same time.
Shop for shiny new door handles on Houzz
If your cupboards have less-than-exciting door pulls, it can be a relatively inexpensive job to upgrade them, and your kitchen will thank you, because the right handles can take a door from plain to fabulous.
Think of handles as jewellery for your kitchen. That doesn’t mean you need to go for glitter or bling, but the soft gleam of polished brass against a dark drawer front or the pleasingly tactile feel of a leather door pull can elevate your room and show off your own personal style at the same time.
Shop for shiny new door handles on Houzz
Upgrade your accessories
How old are your chopping boards? Apart from the fact that ancient boards can harbour all sorts of unpleasant germs, treating yourself to a couple of new ones that are display-worthy can up the style quota of your kitchen in a single move.
Choose a classic wooden design with a beautiful grain and shape, or invest in a smooth, polished marble board and it’ll be something pleasing to look at every day.
How old are your chopping boards? Apart from the fact that ancient boards can harbour all sorts of unpleasant germs, treating yourself to a couple of new ones that are display-worthy can up the style quota of your kitchen in a single move.
Choose a classic wooden design with a beautiful grain and shape, or invest in a smooth, polished marble board and it’ll be something pleasing to look at every day.
Go green
Houseplants are a wonderful way of bringing fresh new life to a tired room, and in the kitchen they can be as practical as they are beautiful if you choose edible herbs.
Mint, basil, lemon balm, rosemary… The beauty of herbs is that you can mix and match and experiment with them as much as you like to find your favourites. Make space for a few pots on a windowsill or worktop and use the leaves in cooking, for making fresh teas, or for flavouring water.
Houseplants are a wonderful way of bringing fresh new life to a tired room, and in the kitchen they can be as practical as they are beautiful if you choose edible herbs.
Mint, basil, lemon balm, rosemary… The beauty of herbs is that you can mix and match and experiment with them as much as you like to find your favourites. Make space for a few pots on a windowsill or worktop and use the leaves in cooking, for making fresh teas, or for flavouring water.
Don’t forget artwork
Often the walls in a kitchen can be overlooked in favour of worktops or cabinets. But artworks can totally change the look and feel of a cookspace, bringing some personality into this hardworking room.
Obviously, with cooking and washing happening in this space, you need to be careful about what type of piece you choose and where you hang it. If it could be damaged, clearly you’ll want to site it well away from the oven and sink, and frame it appropriately.
Don’t let that deter you completely, though, because art can be a great way to express your personality as well as linking the kitchen to the other rooms in your home.
Shop for the perfect print or poster on Houzz
Often the walls in a kitchen can be overlooked in favour of worktops or cabinets. But artworks can totally change the look and feel of a cookspace, bringing some personality into this hardworking room.
Obviously, with cooking and washing happening in this space, you need to be careful about what type of piece you choose and where you hang it. If it could be damaged, clearly you’ll want to site it well away from the oven and sink, and frame it appropriately.
Don’t let that deter you completely, though, because art can be a great way to express your personality as well as linking the kitchen to the other rooms in your home.
Shop for the perfect print or poster on Houzz
Add some colour
This is not the quickest update, but if you have the time and budget for a mid-level upgrade, wood furniture can be updated with a fresh coat of paint for a totally new look.
Painting cupboards and units is a labour-intensive job that’s best left to the professionals if you want a perfect finish. However, upcycling a small piece of freestanding furniture, such as a chair or stool, is a fun job that can be tackled in an afternoon.
This is not the quickest update, but if you have the time and budget for a mid-level upgrade, wood furniture can be updated with a fresh coat of paint for a totally new look.
Painting cupboards and units is a labour-intensive job that’s best left to the professionals if you want a perfect finish. However, upcycling a small piece of freestanding furniture, such as a chair or stool, is a fun job that can be tackled in an afternoon.
Whip your cupboards into shape
When you have a total kitchen upgrade, it’s often used as an opportunity to refresh your stock cupboards. But you can still treat your existing kitchen to this same level of care and attention.
To get that ‘new kitchen’ feeling, take half a day to do a stock-take of your cupboards. Remove everything, check use-by dates, clean out old containers and wipe down dusty shelves.
Then group ingredients by type, packet colour, or whatever other system soothes your soul, before putting everything back in a neat and ordered fashion.
When you have a total kitchen upgrade, it’s often used as an opportunity to refresh your stock cupboards. But you can still treat your existing kitchen to this same level of care and attention.
To get that ‘new kitchen’ feeling, take half a day to do a stock-take of your cupboards. Remove everything, check use-by dates, clean out old containers and wipe down dusty shelves.
Then group ingredients by type, packet colour, or whatever other system soothes your soul, before putting everything back in a neat and ordered fashion.
Beautify your view
Swapping old blinds or curtains for a fresh new window treatment can add instant life and colour to a tired kitchen. A brightly patterned blind like this one can bring interest into a neutral scheme, and if this is the only element of pattern in the room, you can afford to have fun with it.
Equally, if you want to bring more light into your kitchen, but have a less-than-appealing view beyond, swap dark or tired blinds for a translucent window film instead. This will allow light into the room while also screening the view.
Swapping old blinds or curtains for a fresh new window treatment can add instant life and colour to a tired kitchen. A brightly patterned blind like this one can bring interest into a neutral scheme, and if this is the only element of pattern in the room, you can afford to have fun with it.
Equally, if you want to bring more light into your kitchen, but have a less-than-appealing view beyond, swap dark or tired blinds for a translucent window film instead. This will allow light into the room while also screening the view.
Paint a wall
Sometimes it’s not the kitchen units that need an upgrade, but the room around them. Repainting a wall is a mid-level job in terns of effort, but it can totally transform a space for relatively little outlay.
Here, a rich navy blue makes the white kitchen units look fresh and zippy and creates an elegant mood.
Need some help with your kitchen? Use our pro finder to source a kitchen designer or interior designer near you.
Tell us…
Have you updated your kitchen? Share your design tips in the Comments section.
Sometimes it’s not the kitchen units that need an upgrade, but the room around them. Repainting a wall is a mid-level job in terns of effort, but it can totally transform a space for relatively little outlay.
Here, a rich navy blue makes the white kitchen units look fresh and zippy and creates an elegant mood.
Need some help with your kitchen? Use our pro finder to source a kitchen designer or interior designer near you.
Tell us…
Have you updated your kitchen? Share your design tips in the Comments section.
If your kitchen shelves are groaning with cookbooks, crockery, plants and everyday clutter, a quick tidy up will instantly make the space look more organised.
Start by taking everything off and giving items a good clean, then put a few choice pieces back one by one, erring on the side of minimal, to create that ‘showroom’ finish.
Not sure what to keep? Ask yourself if it’s functional and beautiful. If it only ticks one of those boxes, then stash it away in a cupboard or drawer.