Kitchen renovations are one of the most favored renovation projects. It may be because we spend so much time in the kitchen that we just want it to look good and be highly functional. Of course, not everyone has the up to $45,000 a kitchen renovation can cost sitting around. What can you do to make your kitchen look better without having to put a second mortgage on the house? Follow these simple tips for how to make your kitchen look better on a budget
Clean and Declutter
The first step to making your kitchen look better is to clean and declutter your kitchen. Start at the ceiling and work your way down. You will be surprised by how much better your kitchen will look when you use a little elbow grease and sweat equity to clean things up. A kitchen is a primary breeding ground for mold. Black mold can appear around sinks and fixtures. Mold removal using the right type of cleaning agents and a little scrubbing will get rid of unsightly mold quickly.
Once you have all your surfaces clean, start removing things from the cabinetry. Make a pile of the things you use regularly and will keep. Make another pile of the things that you never use and can donate or discard. It can be hard to throw away things that you think you may use down the road, but the fact is, if you haven’t used it up to this point, you likely never will. Getting rid of the things that are taking up valuable real estate storage in your kitchen will free up space and improve how your kitchen looks and functions.
Invest in organizers for your cabinetry. It will help you to stay on track with your organization and it is an easy answer to how to make your kitchen look better. An organized kitchen is a highly functional kitchen that looks great and is a pleasure to be in.
Make The Necessary Repairs
If you are wondering how to make your kitchen look better, one of the things you should do is make the necessary repairs to your kitchen. That leaky faucet does not present the aesthetic that you want. Call on professional plumbing services to replace or repair the faucet.
Professional plumbers can fix appliances too like your dishwasher. Doing the necessary home repair to your kitchen may not seem like it is a step in how to make your kitchen look better, but it is. If your kitchen is not functioning as it should, then no matter what else you do, it will still be a place of stress for you and you will not be able to recognize how good your kitchen looks.
One of the goals for improving your kitchen should be to ensure that everything in your kitchen works as it should. There are some things that you should repair even though they are not a direct part of your kitchen, but are necessary for your kitchen to function properly.
For example, if you depend on well water and your water tank is faulty that will certainly impact the function of your kitchen. Ensuring that your kitchen will have fresh water coming from the tap is important for many reasons. Fresh safe water may not be the answer to how to make your kitchen look better, it is certainly an answer to how to ensure that your kitchen functions well.
Small Projects Have a Big Impact
Many people make the mistake of thinking that kitchen remodeling must be done all at once and it must cost a lot of money. The fact is if you are looking for ways to make your kitchen look better, there are plenty of little projects you can do over time to improve how your kitchen looks.
A few easy, inexpensive weekend projects can make a huge difference in how your kitchen looks. For example, painting cabinets is an easy way to upgrade the entire look of your kitchen. There are special paints made for cabinets and vanities that deliver the protection that you need in the kitchen. These coatings are made specifically for heat resistance, and moisture resistance and to be easily cleaned.
Painting the cabinets in your kitchen is an easy answer to how to make your kitchen look better, but it by far is not the only answer. Getting creative can really make a big difference in how your kitchen looks. For example, if you have ugly exposed heaters in your kitchen, you can buy covers online to hide the heater. These decorative covers look great.
There are more easy-to-follow ideas for how to make your kitchen look better for every budget. You do not have to live in an ugly kitchen.
Do These Things in Your Kitchen To Improve The Aesthetic
We talked about the importance of decluttering, organizing, cleaning, and the power of paint. What else can you do to make your kitchen look better on a budget? Here are some easy ideas for how to make your kitchen look better when your flooring is outdated:
- Use peel-and-stick tiles to cover it up. Peel and stick tiles are inexpensive and can be installed right over the old flooring.
- Paint it. You read that right, you can easily paint a kitchen floor to improve its appearance. There are tutorials online.
- Cover it up with area rugs. Area rugs can be a great design element in the kitchen and can easily take attention away from ugly flooring.
Dealing with old worn-out flooring can be simple and it is an easy answer to how to make your kitchen look better.
What About Counter Tops?
If you are looking for how to make your kitchen look better and it is your countertops that are the eye-sore, there are ways to deal with old countertops without having to rip them out and reinstall new ones. Keep an open mind when you read these ideas.
A big trend right now is to cover old, outdated, ugly countertops with contact paper. Yes, contact paper. Contact paper is actually the brand name of the vinyl paper that has been printed with a wide range of different designs.
The vinyl paper has a very sticky backing that affixes to the countertop, and the transformation can be simply amazing. This type of paper comes in marble-like finishes, wood-like finishes, and other stone finishes. It is easy to install and easy to remove, making it the perfect upgrade for renters. This is a very simple solution for how to make your kitchen look better when you are dealing with old ugly countertops.
When Your Cabinetry Is Not Enough
We talked about decluttering, which is very important, but what do you do when you simply do not have enough cabinetry to store all the things that you do use in your kitchen? We know that things lying all over the countertop do not make your kitchen look better.
An easy fix when you are searching for how to make your kitchen look better but do not have enough room is to add some open shelving. You may not have a huge footprint to work with, but you likely have some wall space. Open shelving is a great way to store things that you are not using and to display things that you want to display.
Installing open shelving is an easy project that will take a couple of hours to do right. All you need are some hand tools and the right type of shelving. Choose shelving that complements the overall style of your kitchen. For example, if you are going for a modern look, choose white shelves, prefer a rustic look, or choose raw wood shelves that have been stained.
One of the biggest benefits of installing open shelving is adding the storage space you need but it is not the only benefit. Open shelving forces you to stay organized.
If you do not have enough pantry or dedicated pantry space to keep all your pizza making equipment and ingredients, consider installing a free-standing pantry if you have the room. A freestanding pantry can be painted to match your cabinets so it will not look out of place and can give you the storage that you need for pantry items.
Use Multi-Functional Furniture
If you are dealing with a small kitchen space that also must double as an eating spot, consider using multi-functional furniture that is specifically designed to be tucked away went not in use. There are plenty ready to purchase options or if you know your way around tools you can find designs online that you can build yourself.
It is easy to make your kitchen look better if there is plenty of room to get around in your kitchen. Roll-away or fold-up furniture can be a neat way to improve the function and the look of your kitchen. Multi-purpose furniture is very popular for the reason it delivers a great aesthetic and plenty of function.
This One Last Drastic Step
If you are looking for ways about how to make your kitchen look better, this last step can be a drastic step but it can greatly improve how your kitchen looks. Are you ready? Rip out some walls. Eek! That is kind of drastic but it can have a huge impact on how your kitchen looks and how it functions. First make sure that you are not removing a load baring wall or you could wind up with big problems.
Open-concept kitchens are very popular for many reasons. They help to keep the cook and the family well connected, they can make very small kitchens appear larger, they improve the flow through the house, and they look better than closed-off kitchens.
Is this something that you can do on your own? Yes, but it will take a little prep work and an awful lot of heavy lifting. Removing walls is not an easy task, but it is something you can do if you are motivated and not afraid.
Everyone Deserves a Beautiful Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where families gather, and where friends meet to catch up. Everyone deserves to feel proud of their kitchen and love the way it looks. Don’t let your budget stop you from having a kitchen that you love. You may have to make some compromises along the way, but there are so many easy ways how to make your kitchen look better that there is no excuse not to.
Take your kitchen remodeling one step at a time and you will get the results that you want. Plan your projects carefully and remember slow and steady is the way to win the race to a beautiful kitchen. When you need help with the projects, reach out for help.
Of course, if it is within your budget, hire a professional home improvement service to manage the kitchen remodeling projects that you cannot do on your own. Even doing part of the work will save you thousands of dollars. Do what you can and then leave the rest up to the experts if you can afford it.
Hopefully you will have some great doable ideas for how to make your kitchen look better after reading this. Now it is time to act. The first step is always the hardest to take but you can get it done and before you know it you will have the perfect kitchen for your lifestyle and for your home. Get started today.