Home design catalogues have this awful habit of making kitchens look so darn majestic, and it’s heartbreaking to think your kitchen can’t be as polished just because an enormous budget is not available to hire a top-notch interior designer. Regardless, we all have a little designer inside of us, just waiting to be let loose. There is no reason why you can’t revamp your home with a few unique touches here and there to let your inner designer truly shine. That’s where the beauty of DIY comes in. With a few simple tools, a decent amount of patience and some creativity, you can make your kitchen look like it’s straight out of a popular magazine for a fraction of the price!
There are many options to choose from when deciding on which DIY kitchen project to pursue since they range from minor paint jobs to more drastic tiling and appliance renovations. So in this article, you’ll be able to choose from a range of projects with different difficulty levels.
Fairly Simple Upgrades
In this section, you can find projects that don’t require a large expense or laborious work. By starting with the simple things like containers, utensils and minor changes to your shelves and racks, you can still upgrade your kitchen an item at a time.
- Crochet or sew your own pot holders and oven mitts, and hang them up like décor. This is best when your mitts and pot holders match the general colour scheme of your kitchen, but it can also work if you just happen to have a nice patterned cloth on hand. Just make sure you use natural fibres as synthetic fibres may easily burn when in contact with heat.
- General utensils and cooking utensils need to be replaced more often then once every ten years! It won’t break the bank to buy adequate utensils that don’t look worn. Buy only the utensils you use on a regular basis and remember the higher the quality the longer it will last!
- Jazz up your kitchen by displaying your spice collection! Yes, salt and pepper are a display necessity. You can store them in small uniform containers and showcase them on a rack. If you’ve got a bunch of jars lying around, paint their lids a uniform or ombre-style colour to and use them to store spices. This is a popular DIY display project and makes navigating through the kitchen while cooking much easier.
- Use craft tape or printed tape to add a pop of colour to just about anything! These tapes are easy to remove and rarely ever leave a sticky residue. You can use them on shelves for a bit of colour, on different containers or even on your fridge!
- Use sharpies or porcelain paint to turn plain mugs into personalised works of art! There are loads of different patterns and designs you can use. For inspiration, check out this site.
- Put plants in unused spaces. Plants always add a lively and more earthy vibe to any room, the kitchen most of all! You get extra points if these plants are herbs that you use to cook with, or are plants that can ward off unwanted insects.
Upgrades that Need More Effort
A bigger impact needs more effort. But with a hammer, some nails and a bit of patience, you might be able to pull off these DIY kitchen projects:
- Add some trim or moulding onto cupboards, walls, door frames or even counters. This slight touch instantly adds an elegant appeal to your kitchen. Just make sure they complement the overall colour scheme of your kitchen.
- You can revamp your drawers and cupboards by simply changing their handles into something slightly more daring or more elegant. The paint or sheen on these handles usually start to chip or go dark after a few years of wear and tear, so installing new ones instantly adds a fresh look.
- If you’ve got a lot of nice flatware or stemware that are tucked away in cupboards, choose a method to display your collection such as a hanging rack that complements the space. It definitely makes your kitchen look a lot less boxy and more polished. Utilise this same method for pots and pans that are difficult to stuff in a cupboard.
- Use paint to liven up your kitchen. Other than your cupboards and shelves, you can also paint a stencil pattern on your wall. If you want to take it a step further, paint a simple pattern on your ceiling to give the illusion of more height.
Upgrades That You May Need a Hand With
These upgrades aren’t for those who just want a little exuberance added to the kitchen. Instead, they’re for folks who are intent on making an effort to change their kitchen’s overall functionality. These would take more time and may possibly require the help of a friend who’s an expert with power tools.
- Install a backsplash in your cooking area to preserve your walls. These can be made of tile, glass, stone or even mirrors! You’ve got myriad options when it comes to tiles, and you can mix and match colours and patterns to make your cooking area a lot more interesting. You can also install corbels at the ends of the backsplash to make it look like it was done by a professional
- Revamp your drawers by turning them into something more than just storage space. You can turn your drawers into a pull-out chopping board or a pull-out trash receptacle. You can even maximise these drawers by adding vertical sections between the conventional ones for those small pantry items.
- Update your countertops by giving them a new layer of paint, or a new tile or concrete layer. This works best if you feel like your old countertop is outdated and no longer in top shape.
- Install vertical rods on your shelves so you can vertically store pot lids and flatware. These are often either made of wood or metal, so you can make them as colourful as you’d like.
Summary
There are hundreds of other DIY projects that can turn a boring old kitchen into one that’s vibrant and elegant. The next time you have some extra time on your hands, and you feel like working on a home renovation project, start with your kitchen. Whenever you’re preparing a meal or grabbing a bite to eat, you can instantly feel accomplished that your kitchen was updated without breaking the bank! For further advice or DIY ideas or larger projects, get in touch with us at Select Kitchens!
