Kitchen Design
11 Simple Ways to Update Your Kitchen
Check out these ideas to refresh your cooking space without going for a complete remodel
If you want to refresh your kitchen and aren’t ready to embark on a full remodel just yet, consider these ideas for a speedy update. A designer, remodeler, contractor or specialty pro can help you make the best selections and do the work.
2. Renew Your Countertop
The tone of your kitchen can be changed completely with a different work surface. You might like to upgrade from laminate to wood, stone or a solid surface. Alternatively, you could just swap in a laminate in a different color. Think about the light in your kitchen, and whether it would help to go darker as a contrast or lighter to brighten the room.
Look for a general contractor near you
The tone of your kitchen can be changed completely with a different work surface. You might like to upgrade from laminate to wood, stone or a solid surface. Alternatively, you could just swap in a laminate in a different color. Think about the light in your kitchen, and whether it would help to go darker as a contrast or lighter to brighten the room.
Look for a general contractor near you
3. Spruce Up Your Window Treatments
Take a look at your kitchen windows and ask yourself whether those curtains have seen better days. Why not refresh your space by bringing in pattern and color with a new Roman blind, like these red-and-white toile ones? Or consider updating to a hardier material. Wood-effect Venetian blinds will give the room a Scandinavian look but won’t tend to warp like real wood. Sleek-looking roller blinds come in wipe-clean materials for ultimate kitchen hardiness.
Contact an interior designer
Take a look at your kitchen windows and ask yourself whether those curtains have seen better days. Why not refresh your space by bringing in pattern and color with a new Roman blind, like these red-and-white toile ones? Or consider updating to a hardier material. Wood-effect Venetian blinds will give the room a Scandinavian look but won’t tend to warp like real wood. Sleek-looking roller blinds come in wipe-clean materials for ultimate kitchen hardiness.
Contact an interior designer
4. Integrate Some Nifty Storage Mechanisms
Corner cabinets are notoriously hard to access, especially those that have a door on one side only. However, some systems can make it much easier. Most of them consist of shelves or racks that are fitted on separate rails and pulled in and out as the door opens. Here, the shelves sit next to each other inside the cabinet, then slide forward smoothly when the door is pulled out. It’s possible to add a system after the kitchen is installed, and most conform to a universal size and scale.
Browse cabinetry professionals
Corner cabinets are notoriously hard to access, especially those that have a door on one side only. However, some systems can make it much easier. Most of them consist of shelves or racks that are fitted on separate rails and pulled in and out as the door opens. Here, the shelves sit next to each other inside the cabinet, then slide forward smoothly when the door is pulled out. It’s possible to add a system after the kitchen is installed, and most conform to a universal size and scale.
Browse cabinetry professionals
5. Splash on the Paint
One of the easiest ways to update your kitchen is to introduce a new color on the walls. Bold, dark shades, like the moody blue seen here, work well as a contrast against white cabinets. For maximum effect, these homeowners have taken the color right down to the baseboard. Alternatively, a bright yellow or orange can liven things up considerably. Often painting just one wall will be enough to revamp the room.
How to Hire a Painter to Do Your Interiors
One of the easiest ways to update your kitchen is to introduce a new color on the walls. Bold, dark shades, like the moody blue seen here, work well as a contrast against white cabinets. For maximum effect, these homeowners have taken the color right down to the baseboard. Alternatively, a bright yellow or orange can liven things up considerably. Often painting just one wall will be enough to revamp the room.
How to Hire a Painter to Do Your Interiors
6. Install a Shelf
If you have space on your kitchen walls, consider putting up one or two shelves. They would be the ideal place to house items that are cluttering the work surface, or to display attractive pottery, plants or beautiful dishes. Make sure your shelves and hardware are strong enough to take the weight of the items you wish to display. Look for interesting brackets, which can give a room a striking focal point.
Where to Hang Open Shelves in the Kitchen
If you have space on your kitchen walls, consider putting up one or two shelves. They would be the ideal place to house items that are cluttering the work surface, or to display attractive pottery, plants or beautiful dishes. Make sure your shelves and hardware are strong enough to take the weight of the items you wish to display. Look for interesting brackets, which can give a room a striking focal point.
Where to Hang Open Shelves in the Kitchen
7. Regrout the Tiles
Kitchen surfaces are prone to splatters and grime, and while tiles are easy to wipe clean, the grouting around them tends to hold on to stains. If your grout is looking shabby, it may be worth regrouting. You could choose a fresh white or go for something more forgiving, such as a gray. The process is not too complicated but involves carefully scraping out the old grout, applying the new and then wiping the tiles clean.
What Grout Color Should You Choose for Your Tile?
Kitchen surfaces are prone to splatters and grime, and while tiles are easy to wipe clean, the grouting around them tends to hold on to stains. If your grout is looking shabby, it may be worth regrouting. You could choose a fresh white or go for something more forgiving, such as a gray. The process is not too complicated but involves carefully scraping out the old grout, applying the new and then wiping the tiles clean.
What Grout Color Should You Choose for Your Tile?
8. Reassess How You Use Your Storage
Sometimes reorganizing can be just as refreshing as introducing new elements to your kitchen. A really useful method of doing this is by reclassifying what you have. I tend to group items by use — cutlery, mugs, saucepans, baking ingredients, cereal boxes and so on. Then I look at how they’re being stored, and whether that’s the most accessible or practical place for them.
Anything on the heavy side shouldn’t really be stored up high. Big bowls, pans and large appliances work best in cabinet drawers or other base-level storage, whereas stackable and lighter items (baking trays and cake pans) can go higher.
Maybe you have spices jumbled on a shelf in an upper cabinet. How about moving them into a drawer where they can easily be seen and won’t waste as much space?
Browse kitchen organization products
Sometimes reorganizing can be just as refreshing as introducing new elements to your kitchen. A really useful method of doing this is by reclassifying what you have. I tend to group items by use — cutlery, mugs, saucepans, baking ingredients, cereal boxes and so on. Then I look at how they’re being stored, and whether that’s the most accessible or practical place for them.
Anything on the heavy side shouldn’t really be stored up high. Big bowls, pans and large appliances work best in cabinet drawers or other base-level storage, whereas stackable and lighter items (baking trays and cake pans) can go higher.
Maybe you have spices jumbled on a shelf in an upper cabinet. How about moving them into a drawer where they can easily be seen and won’t waste as much space?
Browse kitchen organization products
9. Wheel in a Cart
If it’s more countertop space you’re after, a flexible solution is a cart with wheels. Perfect for a little more chopping space, it can be moved around the kitchen and even offers additional storage space beneath it. You don’t have to get it to match your existing cabinets — there are numerous designs available.
A popular choice is the traditional model with a wooden surface and painted legs, as seen here. For a more modern approach, you could use a cart in a glamorous metal, or a stainless-steel version for a professional-style kitchen.
Find a kitchen cart on Houzz
If it’s more countertop space you’re after, a flexible solution is a cart with wheels. Perfect for a little more chopping space, it can be moved around the kitchen and even offers additional storage space beneath it. You don’t have to get it to match your existing cabinets — there are numerous designs available.
A popular choice is the traditional model with a wooden surface and painted legs, as seen here. For a more modern approach, you could use a cart in a glamorous metal, or a stainless-steel version for a professional-style kitchen.
Find a kitchen cart on Houzz
10. Update Your Kitchen Linens
A spot check of most tea towel collections will reveal at least one souvenir from friends or relatives (ours include Australia and Mallorca), and a motley assortment of colors and designs.
Task yourself with a kitchen linen revamp, and choose some new towels and cloths that actually fit with the rest of the room. Perhaps color-match them with a vibrant feature, such as a backsplash, or go for a set of classic white striped towels, as seen here.
Shop for dish towels
A spot check of most tea towel collections will reveal at least one souvenir from friends or relatives (ours include Australia and Mallorca), and a motley assortment of colors and designs.
Task yourself with a kitchen linen revamp, and choose some new towels and cloths that actually fit with the rest of the room. Perhaps color-match them with a vibrant feature, such as a backsplash, or go for a set of classic white striped towels, as seen here.
Shop for dish towels
11. Add an Armchair
There’s no reason why you have to stick to hard and upright seating in the kitchen. It’s fun to play with convention, so if you have the space, consider including a slouchy, comfy armchair. Guests can relax into it while you putter around, or you can use it as a spot to peruse recipe books or simply curl up with a cup of tea.
It’s probably not wise to introduce expensive or delicate fabrics into the atmosphere of a kitchen, so consider something more forgiving. Incongruous as an armchair may seem in a kitchen, this sort of feature furniture could end up being a highlight of the room.
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen design stories
Find a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
There’s no reason why you have to stick to hard and upright seating in the kitchen. It’s fun to play with convention, so if you have the space, consider including a slouchy, comfy armchair. Guests can relax into it while you putter around, or you can use it as a spot to peruse recipe books or simply curl up with a cup of tea.
It’s probably not wise to introduce expensive or delicate fabrics into the atmosphere of a kitchen, so consider something more forgiving. Incongruous as an armchair may seem in a kitchen, this sort of feature furniture could end up being a highlight of the room.
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen design stories
Find a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
It’s not always possible to change hardware without leaving marks on the doors, but if you have the option, a new set of knobs or pulls can give your kitchen a fresh look. Here, the turquoise knobs add a colorful element to the plain white cabinets and tie in perfectly with the patterned tile backsplash.
Find a kitchen designer on Houzz