If you want to make a big change in your kitchen but don’t have the time (or money!) to completely remodel the room, here are some quick updates you can do in a weekend that’ll make a big difference…
I’ve been back in my kitchen this week, but I’ve not been baking or cooking (or cleaning, for that matter!). This week I’ve been planning some small kitchen updates that I want to make in order to get me one step closer to finishing the room. I read a handy guide to quick kitchen fixes at the weekend, and it claims you can add up to 4% to your home’s value with the updates they suggested. So, I thought I’d share my ideas and projects with you in case you’d like to make a change in your own home too.
ADD COLOUR TO THE WALLS
A change of colour can make a huge impact in any room of the house but in the kitchen it can make a tired old layout look fun and fresh. But you don’t need paint or wallpaper the whole room to get the desired effect. Just one feature wall in a bold hue will draw the eye and give the impression that you’ve decorated the whole room. If you don’t want to commit to a colour, simply add some large pieces of artwork or framed posters to the walls to bring in that splash of colour. I made my own artwork below using a tea-towel, which created a large piece of art for next-to-no-cost.
UPDATE THE WORKTOPS
Often, the cabinets in an old kitchen are absolutely fine and functional so won’t need to be updated as soon as the worktop will. Just imagine the battering a worktop takes over the years from hot pans, knives, splashes and stains. My old kitchen looked considerably brighter as soon as I changed the beige marbled-effect laminate worktop for a fresh, sparkly white surface. Check out the before and after photos of my kitchen here. I couldn’t believe the difference it made – the kitchen feels so much more airy and clean now. 
MAKE OVER THE DOORS
It used to be difficult to give your kitchen cupboards a makeover but there are so many great paint formulas available these days that it’s easy to freshen up your units. Of course wooden doors are the easiest to makeover and you can choose from roll-on or spray paint to brighten them up. I have melamine cupboard doors but I’m not letting that stop me! I got a spray paint from Rust-Oleum that has been specifically created for this type of surface. I’ve painted half the cupboard doors already and it has worked really well so far. An even easier DIY project is simply upgrading the handles to something more modern.
NEW LIGHTING
If you don’t want to make a massive change but do want to brighten up your kitchen, there’s only one way to do it: new lighting. LED bulbs can be brighter but with lower energy consumption so simply switching to new bulbs can make the room lighter. Or you can add a wall-light like the neon shooting star I hung on my kitchen wall, which brightens up the room in the evenings perfectly. Alternatively, invest in a new light fitting with multiple spotlights. You’ll be adding more bulbs – and therefore, more brightness – to the room and can position the spots to illuminate darker corners.
What do you think of these suggestions? Check out this kitchen updates article for a few more easy and low-cost ideas. And please leave me a comment below with your own tips for updating your kitchen on a budget. I can’t wait to get my kitchen finished and will share some more snaps of progress soon!
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