8 ways to upgrade your kitchen cabinets
It doesn’t matter if you’re planning on selling your house at a later stage or if you just feel like jazzing up your interiors – a clean, neat, stylish, and functioning kitchen will always make a difference to a home (and its price).
But since there is no shortage of tips and tricks to style up today’s kitchens, we thought we’d move away from the floors and walls (to an extent) and see if there’s anything cabinets can do to introduce a new style. And it would seem kitchen cabinets and shelving can present quite the potential in terms of (new) kitchen style…
1. Paint them
Just because you want to add new style to your kitchen doesn’t mean ripping out those old cabinets. As long as those doors and frames are structurally sound, all you really need to do is opt for a decent clean-up before applying a fresh coat of paint.
2. Add some height
Tired of that waste of space between your kitchen cabinets and the ceiling? With pieces of wood (painted to match your cabinetry), you can close off that gap and get as decorative as you want. Or simply convert that gap into another cabinet/shelf to help out with storage.
3. Style up the hardware
Updating hardware refers to altering the door knobs, drawer pullers, and other pieces pertaining to your kitchen cabinets (but it can also include the taps/faucets). Explore the varieties at your favorite home-improvement store to see which ones can best enhance your kitchen’s style.
4. Play with lighting
A room prone to sharp objects and hot surfaces ought to be sufficiently lit for safety reasons. This includes task lighting, and one of the ways to add this form of lighting to a kitchen is by taping lighting fixtures (usually LED) under cabinets to illuminate the countertop surface underneath.
homify hint: Dimmable task lighting allows you to make your working zones as bright as needed for prep work, but also to tone down the illumination to set a certain mood.
5. Remove the doors
Tired of never seeing your prized crockery collections due to your kitchen’s closed-off cabinetry designs? Lighten the look by converting your ordinary cabinets into open shelving.
6. Opt for glass (clear, etched, colored, patterned… )
Speaking of enjoying a more open style, how about just switching out those opaque doors for something more see-through? This can help bestow a ‘lighter’ look on your kitchen and, depending on your budget and workload, can easily be implemented in less than a weekend (if your DIY skills are impressive and/or you chose to make use of one of our homify professionals, such as Carpenters).
7. Spice things up
Since not everyone will get to see what goes on behind your closed kitchen cabinet doors, we recommend using these areas for storage. Like adding a charming little spice rack to keep your herb/spice collection together while also freeing up wasted space.
8. Add decorative touches
Just like any other room in the house, your kitchen should present some decorative touches that speak of you, your home and your lifestyle. These decorative elements can include anything from potted plants/flowers and new artwork to brightly colored textiles and open shelving displaying cute travel trinkets. Or maybe your cookbook collection, or that set of china that’s been passed down from generation to generation…
Want more inspiration for your culinary corner? Then see The homify guide to kitchen windows.
