Every homeowner has a room that acts as the centerpiece of their house. It may be your entertainment room with gorgeous leather couches and the best flat screen television the market has to offer, or your garage full of huge toolboxes with their contents immaculately organized. Or, if you are a fan of hosting parties, baking up a frenzy in the holidays, or just having a top of the line room to serve as the hub of activity in your house, you may choose to focus your home remodeling efforts on your kitchen.
Kitchen remodels can be quick, DIY projects that are finished in a Saturday afternoon, or deeply involved commitments that require construction and contractors. No matter how dedicated you are to your kitchen upgrade (or how deep your pockets are), here are three quick kitchen refreshers that have a high aesthetic and functional yield with relatively low efforts and costs.
Make a statement with your cabinets. Cabinets are oftentimes an understated element of the kitchen; they can add just as much of a striking visual factor to the room as appliances do. Livening up your cabinets does not have include ripping out the existing ones and purchasing an all new set. Some low cost options to remodel your cabinets include: replacing the handles with bright, new stainless steel ones for a striking professional look; sanding the cabinets down and restraining them a dark wooden shade like espresso for a more sophisticated feel; painting the cabinets an unexpected hue like plum or hunter green for a pop of color; or remove the doors from your upper-level cabinets for a less cramped kitchen look with a touch of modern airiness.
A new take on lighting.If you have more traditional lighting in your kitchen, you would be surprised at what a new fixture would do to the environment in your kitchen. Depending on the size and setup of the room, you may have several available options. Elaborate chandeliers will make an eye catching statement in your remodel, but may not serve as the most functional lighting fixture. If you don’t spend a large amount of time in your kitchen but still want to make the room look fabulous, your local kitchen remodeling stores can show you a wide variety of attractive lighting options, from mobiles to rustic pendants to dreamy lanterns. However, if you are a chef at heart, you may want to consider installing a modern steel fixture with professional-grade lighting; it will appeal to you both in visuals and functionality.
Fire up your flooring.The cost of reflooring your kitchen can vary greatly depending on a handful of factors, from the flooring companies you choose to hire, to the material you purchase, to whether or not you want to put the same flooring in your dining room or living room as well. However, flooring can be a statement making addition to your kitchen even if you choose to remodel little else. Kitchen flooring needs to be durable and resistant to stains, spills, and messes. Vinyl is a cost efficient, popular option in many kitchens, but only serves as a replica of of other materials like hardwood and stone, and may peel up as the years go on.
You can choose your flooring material based on trendiness and visual appeal (like cork, hardwood, stone floors) or by its ability to stand up to wear and tear (like linoleum or porcelain tile). Keep in mind that choosing one quality of flooring may sacrifice others, so make sure you choose the material that fits your kitchen vision but is a sound long term investment.
A kitchen remodel will not only boost your morale, but also your home’s value. In fact, homeowners who have a minor kitchen remodel can expect a return on investment of over 80%. Whether you choose to spruce up your cabinets, modernize your lighting or rip out the 1980s vinyl flooring, your kitchen (and you) will emerge feeling brand new.
