Useful ways to update your kitchen

The kitchen is often the heart of the house, especially in modern homes where kitchens and dining rooms tend to be open planned in design. Homeowners should take pride in their kitchen and not make it a room you steer guests away from. 

But updating a whole kitchen can be very cost prohibitive and a logistical nightmare too, especially for families. Updating a kitchen doesn’t need to be that intrusive though and there are a number of other things you can do to update your kitchen, but not overhaul it.

When it is time to make those interior design decisions for your kitchen, let Willow & Bert help you out. We offer bespoke styling to the Kent area and would love to help you with your next kitchen update, like these suggestions below.

Paint the Cabinets

It’s most definitely a finicky job to do, but painting your kitchen’s cabinets is a great way to spruce up your kitchen. You will only need to invest in a paint can (or two) and some primer to get this updating job done.

To do it accurately, it is recommended that you unscrew the doors of each cabinet so you get into all the small spaces and of course avoid the rookie mistake of accidentally painting the doors shut!

Choosing the colour is the fun part, with many people enjoying a bright clean white, while others go for a darker colour to hide any potential kitchen messes.

Get a new tap

The technology that is being included into taps these days is truly amazing, so switching out your old busted and rusted taps is a great idea. Not only will this update the look of your kitchen, but the head chef of the house will love it too.

The good news is that while taps have fun features in them these days, not all styles are designed to look space age. There are many traditional looking styles out there too. 

Going with a touchless tap is a great way of keeping your kitchen more hygienic too.

Open Shelving

If you feel like you have the clutter element of your kitchen well under control and are not particularly enamoured with cabinets, then consider removing them to have open shelving.

An open shelving design is excellent for another obvious reason – you will be able to find anything in a second!

A popular trend with modern kitchen design is to have a ‘County Kitchen’ theme, and a common feature of these kitchens was always open shelves.

The only problem will be that you will need to stay on top of your dusting.

Update the Lighting

Have you ever worked in a dark kitchen, or a poorly lit one? I’m all for rustic styled kitchens, but not when it comes to lighting. Not only can it be dangerous, but you constantly have to move around to see exactly how much you are putting into a pot or have to add temporary solutions just to see.

You don’t need to rip everything out and replace them with blinding neons, but some sconce additions, pendants over eating areas and puck lights will make your light situation much improved. 

Edison bulbs can be a funky addition also.

Buy new appliances

Buying some new appliances or updating your old ones can be a great way of injecting some new life into a kitchen. You can learn to enjoy your kitchen again by updating the gadgets in them, just as much as changing the cosmetic features of them too.

A prominent culprit of outdating a kitchen is the fridge. If you have an old white plastic model that constantly needs deicing, then it’s time to look at a sleek new stainless steel model.

An added bonus for going down this path of kitchen updating is that you will increase the energy efficiency of your home. New appliances tend to use less power and you will see that positive effect reflected in your next energy bill.

Add a Backsplash

Adding a backsplash is central way you can update the personality and vibe of your kitchen. Backsplashes make kitchens feel more modern even if you only add the highly popular white subway tiled version. 

Another benefit of a backsplash is that it makes kitchen cleaning much more quick and easy.

For something even more iconic in your kitchen, try something more patterned with ceramic tiles, especially if you have a small kitchen or are only focusing on a single wall. You might even want to consider shiplap or wainscoting panels as an inexpensive but eye-catching backsplash.

If you would like further support for your interior design project, get in touch, and we’d be more than happy to help you.