Is your kitchen a dreary and uninteresting area to work in? It does not need to be like that, you can transform it fairly easily either yourself or by hiring contractors to accomplish it for you. The trick is to know what you want before you take a sledge hammer to your present kitchen.
So, before you go about destroying what you already have, go about gathering ideas for replacement. You can get great ideas from the home restoration TV programmes, from home design journals, by looking at friends' kitchens and by reading my suggestions below.
Maybe the best place to start is to think about how to reflect your own personal style. This could be a broad trend like farmhouse, Tuscan, Mexican, modern, or it could be a little bit of many styles to make up your own. However, do not forget that there is plenty of scope to express your own individuality even if you choose a broad style.
One snare to avoid is trying to get all the latest gadgets from a broad style. For example, if you pursue the modern broad style to its logical conclusion, your kitchen will look like a cold, clinical hotel or hospital kitchen full of stainless steel. If you like all that sort of stuff , then okay, but it is difficult for a family to feel at home in.
If money is short, you could just repaint the cabinets a different colour and replace the handles. That will make a huge difference. Changing the background lighting is another pretty cheap way of varying the accent of your kitchen. Install subtle lighting under the wall cabinets and if you already have those, try adding some spot lights to the ceiling and if you already have those, try using some wall sconces for candles.
If you have attractive pots and pans or want to get a set, why not show them off by fixing a rack to the wall from which to hang your pots and pans? it adds a very interesting effect to any kitchen.
You can also make a huge change to the kitchen (or any room for that matter) by altering the flooring. Solid wood is gorgeous, but if you cannot afford that, you could try veneered floor covering or stone, if the floor will take the weight. It is a good idea to endeavor to use the kitchen flooring to reinforce the broad image of your kitchen's new style.
If you do not already have one, think about creating an outdoor kitchen for use whilst the weather allows. An outdoor kitchen certainly frees up a lot of room and 'usage'. People flow to the outdoor kitchen whilst the weather is fine and your indoor living space suddenly seems less chaotic.
Last, but not least, the kitchen table. Just changing the style or shape of your kitchen table will have a big influence on the general look of your kitchen. Go from timber to glass or from square to round.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now involved with contemporary dining room tables. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Solid Oak Dining Tables.
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