It’s a great time of year to refresh your kitchen. Whether the project is big or small, it’s the right time to get started. What makes this time of year so perfect? Well, it’s not going to be too hot inside to do some kitchen renovating or redecorating, you won’t be canning or preserving like you may be during summer—and it’s cozy inside, so why not work on your kitchen?
There are so many ways to go when you’re refreshing your kitchen, and there are obviously going to be a few major factors to consider—like budget and space. Do you keep a journal or have a place online where you have your pictures and ideas for how you’d like your kitchen to look? Though many of us would love to do a complete overhaul of our kitchens, that isn’t the only way that you can update your space. Check out these ideas on how you can quickly and inexpensively refresh your kitchen.
Quick and inexpensive ways to refresh your kitchen
If you’re not interested in a major change, try these ideas:
–Replace standard knobs and handles with something new. It’s easy to quickly change the hardware on your cabinets and drawers, and this can be inexpensive, too.
–Make your kitchen more functional, by using wall space above the counters and under the cabinets. IKEA has a variety of wall-mounted things like bars, hooks and organizational products to keep things off the counter, yet easy to reach. How organized are your drawers? Take everything out of the drawers, line them with some pretty paper—but some specifically designed for the purpose, or print your own—and put in some drawer dividers.
–Change up the linens. A new set of kitchen towels can brighten up the kitchen, cheaply and easily. If you’re creative, sew a simple pattern on a plain tea-towel for a customized look. It’s fun to change out the kitchen towels seasonally. Look for end-of-season seasonally printed towels to use the following year, or simply change towels out with different solid-coloured ones each season.
–Add wall tiles or panels. These are both functional and beautiful for around the kitchen sink and behind the stove.
That hanging light really changes up the look of the kitchen!
–Replace the lighting. It’s really easy to change out hanging lights—or better yet, add some extra lights under counters to brighten up your kitchen.
–Paint or replace cabinet-fronts. Cheaper than completely re-designing and replacing everything in a kitchen, just changing out the fronts of your cabinets can be quite dramatic.
Free standing or built-in?
If you’re working with expanded space—say, you decided to now use your kitchen’s dining area as part of your kitchen space—you have the happy choice of deciding if you’d like to use a free standing or built-in kitchen products. I really like free standing islands, sinks and stoves. I understand that space is not generally huge in a kitchen, and it’s most efficient to have things against the walls, but open concept spaces really make me feel less claustrophobic.
This space in the kitchen is a good combination of both free standing and built in, with one side attached to the wall:
The above free-standing island has plenty of storage space for things that you wan to keep handy. The top surface has just enough prep area. I like how narrow it is, and the fact that is made of wood.
Why IKEA?
Besides being my go-to store for home décor needs and inspiration, IKEA s a great place to go for assistance, too. Often, people think of IKEA as a place to go when you want to do-it-yourself (DIY), since everything needs to be put together. You can actually hire people from IKEA to install and set things up for you—and there are kitchen planners available to help you design your dream kitchen and pick the products that would be most suitable for your home. Okay, those reasons are great all ready, but what I also love about going to IKEA for kitchen needs, is their environmental and social policies.
All photos from IKEA.com. I am an IKEA fan-girl. I used to work there as a lighting expert, for a few years. This isn’t a sponsored post or anything. 🙂
Vesper says
Used to live near various Ikea stores when I lived in Britain, now that I have a kitchen that needs a total overhaul there is not even one on Newfoundland
tazimd says
That's frustrating! Where do you go for furniture/accessories?
oldermommystill says
I love that free standing island, we have something similar, but definitely not as nice!
tazimd says
It would be a great piece in so many settings – I could see using it in a dining room, too.
Greta says
I lived by one of the three original STOR stores, which later became IKEA for most of my life. Now, there's not one within a day of where I live. So sad.
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tazimd says
I've never heard of STOR stores before. That's sad. . .there are 2 in the area, but they're at least an hour away.
sharylove says
I should replace my towels and stuff, but I love my clearance Halloween towels from 2009 so much! 😛
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thefrugalette says
I love IKEA so much! Lighting is a big one. All we did was change the lightbulbs to a softer one and the whole room is so much more pleasant.
tazimd says
Definitely lighting can make a dramatic change, and is so cheap to do that.
Stacey says
I LOVE Ikea! Their stuff is modern but works with so many different styles.
I like your idea of replacing the cabinet fronts. So much less expensive and an easy way to update the look.
tazimd says
Oh yeah, for sure one can really grow up with ikea because of the variety of styles and price points.
way2goodlife says
My kitchen is all IKEA – and I love it it totally made it look modern, since before I had green (yak) cabinets
7onashoestring says
I LOVE IKEA everything. Oh how I wish I owned my home so I could totally deck it out with all sorts of IKEA hardware. As of now, we have plenty of their furniture… including the desk I work from every day.