Sometimes a kitchen renovation is just not in the budget, or maybe it’s not the right time and you have other renovation plans first. Whatever the case, there are some inexpensive ways to update your kitchen without doing a full demolition. When I first moved into my house, I absolutely hated my kitchen. I mulled over ideas of changing the backsplash and counters but my husband and I decided that we should wait on a major renovation (we have big plans for an extension to the house that would expand the kitchen). So, in the meantime I opted for less expensive alternatives.
1. Painting the Cabinets
If you have an especially small kitchen like I do, the color of your cabinets can really help open up the space. I decided to paint the top cabinets white to brighten the kitchen and then opted for a blue color on the bottom. I used this fantastic cabinet painting kit that came with the paint, brushes, and rollers. Not only was the application smooth like a paint sprayer, but it dried really quickly! I definitively recommend this kit when painting cabinets.
2. Changing the Hardware
Like any design choice, trends come and go, this is true for your hardware as well. In my kitchen, the original pulls were a round silver – I didn’t hate them but I didn’t love them as well. Because I changed the cabinet colors to white and blue, I wanted a handle that would stand out against the colors and have a more unique shape. I settled on these hexagonal gold pulls that I think really compliment the kitchen overall.
3. Painting the Backsplash
I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of painted tile. However, when done right, it can totally refresh your space. I really hated this beige tile in our kitchen. It clashed so badly with the grey countertop that I was debating replacing it altogether. I decided to try my hand at painted tile since I didn’t have many other options and was pleasantly surprised. I decided to paint my own pattern on top to add more design and interest to my kitchen.
4. Change the Range Hood
This one is debatable as “inexpensive” but for us it was. It was clear that the seller added features to the house to make it more appealing to buyers without really considering what they were doing. This manifested in the range hood for the stovetop. It was a combination hood/microwave but there was definitely not enough room for such a large appliance. It was so big, we couldn’t get a large pot underneath to fit onto the stove. We decided to change it out for a simple range hood that, at the time, was only $100. this made the kitchen much more functional and gives it a sleeker look.
5. Add Different modes of Storage
Like I’ve mentioned before, our kitchen is small, which means it also lacks storage. You can easily mitigate this problem by adding storage solutions that work best for your kitchen. For me, the kitchen has a square footprint, leaving lots of wasted space on the opposite side of the cabinets. I first put a desk here to store appliances and leave cat food bowls underneath, however we quickly ran out of space and opted for a kitchen island instead. I’ve shown both options here, and don’t worry, there are plans to paint the island to match the cabinets!
Rachel Williams
Artist | Designer | Educator
Making mistakes and fixing them, so you don’t have to