EASY WAYS TO UP-STYLE YOUR KITCHEN

Given the amount of time we all spend in the kitchen,  it’s one of the rooms in your home that you should love.  Loving your kitchen is more that liking how it functions for you and your family, it also involves how it looks and feels.  After years of use, a kitchen can sometimes become dull and lifeless and before you know it the space has lost the style it once had.

When it comes to the investment you have in your home, kitchen remodel are one of the best investments you can make but they can be expensive.  So what are you to do when you want to add the life and energy back into your kitchen but want to do that on a budget?  You employ one or more of these design tricks.

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•  Paint Something

Paint is definitely the easiest way to change the look and feel of any room in your home and there are several ways paint can transform a kitchen.  Your  kitchen island is a prime candidate for paint and painting it give you a great opportunity to infuse a color accent into the space.  If you want to go one step further, consider painting your cabinets.  You don’t have to paint all of them, paint just the uppers or lowers which will add a dramatic design contrast.  And a final and easy paint option is to paint the walls.

Better Homes and Gardens

House and Home

This Old House

• Open Up The Shelving

The trend of open shelving is still a hot one and for good reason.  Open shelving creates visual depth and can make your space feel larger while providing visual impact and interest.  Open shelving can be achieved by taking the doors off of cabinets, replacing solid doors with glass front doors or installing floating shelving in place of traditional cabinets.  The only downside of open shelving is that you have to keep the shelves looking neat and tidy.

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

 

• Re-Accessorize Your Countertops

I know kitchen counters can become a drop zone of all types of things and that combined with small appliances, your kitchen can easily become a hot mess.  The easiest way to keep your counters neat and organized is by creating groupings of items at key spots along the countertop instead of allowing every inch of counter space to be filled.  Store what appliances you can behind closed doors and then use baskets and tray to corral tems out on display.  As you go about re-accessorizing your counters, think about the types of accessories you use.  Use items that create a style or color theme which will add style to your space.

Simple Details

Shabby French Cottage

Better Homes and Gardens

 

• Accent With A Rug

Don’t limit your rug shopping to traditional kitchen rugs. Look at fashion rugs as an option for your kitchen.  Rugs are a great way to infuse pattern and color, and they can add energy and style to your kitchen.  And don’t skimp on the size of rug you use–where the space allows, go big or use multiple rugs to anchor and define different zones within the kitchen.

Emily Henderson

Coastal Living

My Domaine

• Up-Style With Lighting

Lighting is one area where you can really have fun when decorating your kitchen.  Go big and bold, hang a unique fixture and consider a countertop lamp to add accent lighting.  If your space can accommodate a larger light fixture, look at outdoor lighting as an option since many outdoor lantern styles have the heft and scale that can work in a larger space.

Brooke Berry

Style Estate

Home Bunch

When is the last time you gave your kitchen a facelift?