Carly's ideas
10. Showcase your style. This white farmhouse kitchen in St. Louis scores extra points by leaving a section of cabinetry open to display dishware. This is a great spot to curate based on the seasons or to cycle through your various collections.Faucet: Traditional pull-down in polished copper, WaterstoneFind copper faucets
2. Design your kitchen around a fireplace, or add one. Is there anything cozier than a crackling fire at a family holiday? If you are expanding your kitchen into another room or even building a new home, consider including a fireplace in the kitchen. We always light fires in our living room during winter parties, but it’s not enough to draw the crowds; everyone still hangs out in the kitchen. If a new fireplace is not an option for your renovation plan, try to open sight lines to a hearth in another room that has one.Find kitchen designers in your area
Paint cabinets
If your budget is around $1,500: Paint, art, new lighting, open shelves, a new sink and then a makeover for your cabinets. Brand-new cabinetry is one of the higher-cost items in a kitchen remodel, so if you can avoid it, do! If your cabinets are in pretty good shape, repaint them, following the necessary steps to preparing them for their new finish. Then replace the old cabinet knobs and pulls. Know that if your cabinets need to be refaced — which involves replacing rather than just repainting the doors — the cost will be significantly more.See more of this kitchen makeoverCabinet color: Wedgewood Gray, Benjamin MooreGet started:How to paint kitchen cabinets How to reface your cabinets How to choose cabinet knobs and pulls
11. Defining kitchens in open floor plans. Every time a bell rings, an interior wall gets knocked down. OK, maybe not that frequently but it seems like the open floor plan has dominated homes in recent years, and not all homeowners love it. And some are going the other way, seeking some sort of delineation of space, such as in the photo shown here. A half wall of cabinetry creates a semi-closed space between the kitchen and living room. See more semi-open kitchens
Pantry cabinet
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