The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in a house. It’s a place of work, first and foremost, and that means that it can get tired quickly. If you feel like your kitchen is looking worn down, but you aren’t prepared to do a full rip-out and refurbishment, then this post might have the tips you need to make your kitchen feel as good as new.
Repair and Replace Appliances
The first and most important thing to do is to make sure that your appliances, sometimes called “white goods”, are okay. This includes the oven and stove-top, the refrigerator and freezer, and sometimes a washing machine, depending on your kitchen layout.
If these appliances are broken or not working properly, then it doesn’t matter how nice your kitchen looks, it needs some serious work.
Sometimes you can get these appliances repaired as it’s more cost-effective and less wasteful. Always get a professional to come in and check the appliances rather than trying to fix it yourself. This is especially important for refrigerator repair, as refrigerators can be broken further if you don’t know what you’re doing.
If a professional looks at your appliances and says they aren’t worth fixing, either due to high costs or the fact that they will just break again soon, then it might be time to look for something new. This is a good opportunity to think about what you really want and need out of your kitchen, as someone who cooks all the time might have different kitchen requirements than someone who mostly eats out or gets takeout.
Refresh Paint Jobs
One of the easiest things to make your kitchen look more like new, especially if the problem is just an aesthetic one, is to repaint the walls. You can either put some matching paint on, and this will make the room look much the same, but newer and fresher. Focus on the parts of the walls that might be chipped or worn away, like the corners.
Or, if you want to make the kitchen look different with minimal effort, then change the color of the walls completely. Add a feature wall with a brighter color to draw the eye. Think about colors that you can easily match with smaller design features or even tablecloths.
All of this will make your kitchen look much newer, and you can do it all yourself with a tin of paint and a free weekend.
Get a New Splashback
A more practical change to the kitchen walls might be to add a splashback. A splashback is a wall attachment that’s much easier to clean than painted walls. It’s usually made of tiles, glass, metal, or other materials that are easy to wipe clean and that won’t get damaged by liquid or heat.
You can design a custom splashback and have it fitted in your kitchen. This adds a great feature element to the kitchen, but with a very practical purpose.
Kitchen splashbacks normally go near the stovetop, because this is where you might get splatter from oil or sauces when they’re bubbling. You can also put it near countertops or sinks. Simply wipe the splashback clean after you’ve cooked, and your kitchen will look like new again.
Change Cupboard Doors and Handles
If you want to change how your kitchen looks without a complete rip-out, you could always switch out the cupboard doors and door handles.
Changing just the door handles is a very cheap and easy way to give your kitchen something a bit new and fresh. You can usually do it yourself. Just check what type of door handles you already have, then get some replacements that will fit. Have fun with it. If you’re repainting the room, for example, you can get cupboard door handles that are the same color as your feature wall, making the kitchen look new and cohesive.
A change that’s almost as easy is to switch out the cupboard doors themselves. As time goes on, the doors can start to look tired and grubby. Or you might just want a different style of door. You can buy cupboard doors for much less than it would cost to get a whole new kitchen and replace them yourself in a few hours.
You only need basic tools, a bit of time, and a bit of thought, but your kitchen could look completely different with some smart choices.
Level Up Your Tools
While changing your tools doesn’t necessarily change how your kitchen looks, it can change how your kitchen feels. If you cook a lot, you understand the importance of the right tools. When you’re first starting out and stocking a kitchen, you will probably just pick up what you need and you might get the cheapest option.
Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you get cheaper tools, but upgrading certain tools can make a massive difference.
The humble kitchen knife is probably the most-used tool in a busy kitchen. Premium knives can make a massive difference in how you cook. Sharper knives are safer, more effective, and more efficient. True, if you do cut yourself with a sharp knife, you might need stitches, but you’re actually less likely to slip and make a mistake like that while chopping with a sharp knife.
Wooden chopping boards are best to keep your knives healthy, although bamboo can be a good alternative. Plastic chopping boards are okay for your knives, but they can get scratched and cracked easily, which can harbor bacteria and even get plastic pieces into your food. Glass or metal chopping boards can blunt your knives over time.
Other tools might include immersion blenders, food processors and mixers, pots, pans, trays, and everything else you stock a kitchen with. Look after what you’ve got and, if you find you use something a lot, consider saving up to get a premium model. This will make cooking easier and more enjoyable in the future.
