Recent research tells us that the average American spends over 400 hours each year in their kitchen. It’s a place where we observe culinary traditions, make new memories, prepares for holidays and celebrations, and share delicious meals filled with love and passion.
If your kitchen isn’t evoking positive feelings, a few kitchen upgrades can transform your functional space into the warm, inviting gathering place your family deserves.
Kitchen makeovers can seem overwhelming if you’ve been toiling behind the same stained counters for over a decade. If you break the process down into smaller design projects, however, you can slowly turn the room into the modern, welcoming space it should be.
We’ve gathered eight ideas for smaller kitchen remodeling projects to get you started. Begin with one and watch how your space transforms into a gathering place. You may very well spend more than 400 hours there over the next year!
Read on to find your first kitchen renovation idea and get started.
8 Creative Kitchen Upgrades and Ideas
1. Re-do Your Kitchen Floors
When you think of kitchen remodeling, your mind probably drifts toward new counters or islands. In fact, your kitchen floors are often the thing that makes your home look dated. If you’re still preparing your morning eggs while standing on yolk-colored linoleum, it’s time to invest in something new.
You don’t need to leave easy-to-clean, durable linoleum behind to step into the twenty-first century. Choose a series of wood grain tiles to add a subtle, neutral, and natural touch to the space.
After pulling up your old kitchen floor, you might even have natural wood underneath! You can restore the old floor to a modern sheen with a bit of buffing.
Whatever you choose, adding a coating will ensure it maintains its look for years to come. The strongest concrete coating is scratch resistant and adds a polished touch to any room.
2. Replace Your Appliances
You might not think of appliances as a significant component of kitchen design, but they play a major role in the aesthetics of your space. Do your refrigerator, microwave, and oven all match, or are they visually dissonant? You don’t need the latest industrial appliances to create a cohesive look that adds harmony to the room and helps reduce visual clutter.
The best part of making this quick fix is that you can upgrade your technology and make your life easier. Now is the time to level up to a convection oven, refrigerator with digital integration, or over-the-range microwave. When your appliances are modern and easy to use, you’ll go out of your way to find reasons to cook with your family.
3. Upgrade Your Backsplash
One of the latest trends in kitchen renovations is the subway-tile-inspired backsplash design. These small, rectangular tiles with a slight offset evoke the ornate tile designs of the New York City subway. This is an easy and stylish way to add (or remove) a pop of color in your kitchen.
4. Let There Be Light
You can’t always control how much natural light you get in your kitchen, but you can always add more interior lighting! Consider making your space more inviting by installing a few hanging lamps. They provide an opportunity to add some personality to the room and look great over a counter, island, or bar.
5. Paint Your Cabinets
You might be reluctant to replace your cabinets, especially if they’re older. Often, heirloom cabinet doors are solid wood, which stands the test of time. Applying a coat of paint is the best way to maintain your cabinets and still upgrade the look of the room.
This is a project you can do at home. Remove the cabinet doors from their hinges, apply a base coat, and then let them dry. Add two to three additional coats, allowing the paint to dry completely in between each.
You can sand some of the paint away to reveal the wood underneath for a rustic, shabby-chic look. Apply a matte or gloss top coat if you prefer a polished look. You can even get the kids involved in this easy project!
6. Change Up Your Window Dressings
If you’re lucky enough to get a lot of natural light in your kitchen, you should make the most of it! Natural light is more inviting than artificial light and ensures you’ll spend more time in the space.
Consider a simple window makeover if your current window dressing makes it challenging to let the sunshine in. Something as subtle as shifting from heavy curtains to modern horizontal blinds can transform the mood in the kitchen.
7. Reconsider Your Counters
One of the quickest ways to transform your kitchen is to evaluate how you use your counters. Are they cluttered or disorganized? That visual chaos immediately triggers stress in the brain, making it difficult to relax.
Instead of piling boxes and packages onto the counter, you might invest in a system of containers or canisters. You’ll still have easy access to the products you use daily. The canisters will add visual cohesion and eliminate the busy appearance of the packages.
8. Add Some Art
Is there anything in your kitchen that makes you smile when you see it? If not, a piece of art can make all the difference. Consider functional kitchen art, such as a quirky cookie jar, modern coffee pod holder, or even a set of unique fridge magnets.
When your kitchen becomes a place of joy, you’ll find yourself spending much more time there!
Kitchen Upgrades That Bring Families Together
Your kitchen should be a gathering place where members from different generations come together to experience culture and collaboration. With a few minor kitchen upgrades, you can transform your space into a functional room where everyone will want to be. We hope our list helped inspire your next kitchen renovation project and brought you one step closer to making fabulous new memories.
Once your kitchen is ready to go, you’ll need recipes and ideas to help you put it to use. That’s where the rest of the blog comes in. Be sure to browse our other articles to help prepare you for great times to come.
