When walking into your kitchen, what is it that you feel? If you are tired of seeing the outdated cabinet hardware or the worn down paint, you may be ready for an upgrade. Refreshing kitchen cabinets does not have to be an expensive or tedious job and can help breathe new life back into the space.
Let’s face it, replacing all of your kitchen cabinets is probably not the route you want to take. First, it is a major construction job and will come with lots of downtime for your kitchen. Secondly, it can be quite expensive. In fact, kitchen cabinets are one of the areas within the home that eat up the most when it comes to a homeowner’s budget.
Fortunately, you do not have to install new kitchen cabinets to enjoy an updated look. Below, we will go over some easy ways that you can upgrade even the most basic of kitchen cabinets and get the perfect look for your home.
Don’t Be Afraid of Paint
Did you know that you can paint your kitchen cabinets? It’s true and such a gamechanger at that. You no longer have to worry about replacing your cabinets to get the look you have always desired. In addition, by painting your cabinets, you can give them a refresh whenever you need to without the worry or expense of replacing them.
When it comes to painting your kitchen cabinets, you do want to make sure you do it properly and of course sand, prime, and paint them so that the paint lasts for a long time. Do choose the right paint for the job, which can be found at local home improvement stores.
You can choose any color you like, but for the best results, choose something that you actually like and can match your appliances, hardware, and décor to easily.
Get New Hardware
The hardware on your cabinets speaks volumes and when you have old, worn down, or outdated knobs and pulls, it shows. Take some time to swap out these old pieces for something new. If you plan to paint your cabinets, choose hardware that will match the new color of the cabinets.
For example, you can choose to paint your cabinet white or a dusky blue and then opt in for some gold hardware. These colors mesh well together and will create a nice, modern, and luxurious look.
If you are a bit more into an industrial or salvaged look, you can check out local vintage shops or salvage yards to see if they have any older knobs and pulls for you to use. There are many different styles, shapes, and sizes to choose from, so your options are pretty much limitless.
Choose Drawer Dividers
There is nothing worse than opening up one of your cabinet drawers to only find items scattered all over the place. Adding in a drawer divider is one way that you can eliminate this hassle and clutter from your cabinet drawers.
Today, cabinet drawer organizers do not just come in plastic either. In fact, you can choose from different wood finishes to really add a unique spin and make the cabinets feel of the highest quality.
Try Glass Door Inserts
An airy kitchen can help elevate it and add a modern spin on it. If you are tired of flat and closed off cabinets, try some glass door inserts for your cabinets. You can have the cabinet door resurfaced to accommodate the glass inserts and then have them installed. The best part? You can do this all yourself without having to hire a contractor.
If you do not want to try glass inserts, you can ditch some of the cabinet doors altogether. Open shelving is quite popular and can give you the look you desire in your kitchen. You can keep glassware and dinnerware in these doorless cabinets and create an airy look.
Beadboard Is Your Friend
Looking for some texture to your kitchen island or cabinets? If so, beadboard is your friend. You can dress up plain cabinet fronts and plain kitchen island sides with beadboard paneling. It will add a new layer of dimension and can really bring a look together for you.
Add Lights Under Your Cabinets
Installing lights underneath your sink cabinets and your upper cabinets is a great way to light up the room and creates a nice ambiance too. You do not have to install lights under every single cabinet and can choose areas to highlight such as around the sink and stove.
If you choose to use glass inserts or open shelving options, you can also install lights over these areas to really brighten them up and draw the eye in.
Mismatch Your Cabinets
Sounds a bit odd, right? It actually works though. You can add beauty to your kitchen along with a layer of contrast by choosing to mismatch the color of the upper and lower cabinets. For example, you can choose white for your upper cabinets and then a dark navy blue for your lower cabinets. To tie the whole look together, you can choose gold hardware for the cabinets.
Under Cabinet Shelving Can Help
Maximize the space that you have in your kitchen by using dead space that would not otherwise be used. For example, you can add shelving underneath upper cabinets to store baking plates, mugs, or any other items that you just seem to need extra space for.
You can choose from a variety of materials but the most common ones are generally made from a vinyl-coated wiring and can be added and removed with ease.
Cabinet Modification for Sliding Doors
Get tired of that small cabinet space that you can’t ever seem to find a use for? There is a solution. Adding in a sliding storage option is easy, especially as they make cabinet modification kits that allow you to do just that. You can find something that meets your needs and suits your budget.
One popular option is a sliding drawer for spice storage. No longer will you need to take up an entire shelf for these spices and you can simply use that little cabinet void that you couldn’t before. For example, think about the small space between the cabinets and your stove – perfect spot for a slide out spice storage rack.
Giving Your Kitchen Cabinets an Upgrade Is Easy
Updating and upgrading your kitchen cabinets is easy and there are many affordable kits and helpful tools available at your local home improvement store. From a new coat of paint to the addition of lights, there is always something small and affordable you can do to make the kitchen look nice and the cabinets stand out.
What will you do to improve the look of your kitchen cabinets this year?