Tired of your kitchen? With a few simple additions, swaps and changes, you can create a fresh, on-trend look without blowing your budget.
• Freshen up. Because it’s expensive to replace tiles and work surfaces, Kate Shepherd of Something Different and Something Desired recommends breathing new life into existing features. A sand-and-paint for cupboards can be very effective.
• Incorporate elements of current trends. Simply staining your cupboards with a milk stain paint, or refitting them with bleached wood, will make your kitchen more up-to-date, without redoing the entire room, suggests says Lynn Angel of Kitchen Angel.
• Create an interesting display. Removing the cupboard doors from certain cupboards – those above your countertops, for example – creates a point of interest without much effort. Not sure you want your chipped crockery on display? Angel suggests running an audit of what you like and don’t like in your kitchen; keep those things that you still enjoy, but sell the ones you don’t and use the money to buy beautiful new appliances.
• Choose some new accessories. Angel believes no kitchen should be without a set of chef’s knives, while Allan Cromwell of Cromwell Kitchens says that – although not inexpensive – adding a 900mm free range cooker and 900mm extractor will create an entirely new look.
• Update fittings. Rose gold and brass are the colours of the moment, so replacing existing fittings with fixtures in these hues will ensure you’re on trend. Trends seldom have longevity, tough, so you may have to change them again in a few years if they’re looking dated.
• A water-wise plant is one of the quickest ways to bring some life into the space.
• A coffee machine isn’t just an accessory: it’s a lifestyle investment. You’ll probably use it every day, and it will look great on the counter.
Image: iStock
Leave a Comment