A kitchen is the heart of any house. It’s where people spend the most time, cooking or just catching up with family and friends. So, when entering this room, you should feel the warmth of that space. But redesigning or building a kitchen can be pretty expensive, especially when it comes to high-end materials.
That’s why we present you with a brief guide on how to make any kitchen look expensive while on a budget! You’ll be surprised to find out how many adjustments you can do with just the things around your house and some basic materials.
Change the colors
The first thing you can do is change the coloring of your kitchen. Depending on your style, you can make it brighter or darker, but it’s important to have a good color combination to create a balanced design. So, here are some tips:
• Choose brighter colors if you want your kitchen to be brighter and give the feeling of a bigger space. Some tint combinations that will make it look extravagant are white, gold, and light blue.
• Opt for darker tones if you want to give off the vibe of Dita Von Teese’s house: dark green, blue, and violet are our favorites!
You can make this color-changing project by yourself with paint you’ll find at the local retail store. Look for water-based and quick-drying options to help with the process. With some YouTube tutorials and brushes, you’ll completely transform your kitchen!
The colors will also be influenced by the lighting you choose, so decide if you want to let more natural light in or install artificial lighting. Or you can combine both and let the sun enter the kitchen in the daytime or have recessed lighting on countertops and other points of visual interest (under cabinets and over the sink) when the night’s cravings come out of nowhere. Lastly, try to use more LED lights in the kitchen, as they’re cost-effective and offer better lighting.
Replace cabinet doors
Another project that’s easy to make is replacing your old cabinet doors with new ones. Luckily, some retailers offer the chance to buy them separately, so you won’t have to change the whole cabinetry. It’s easy to reinstall them, and, regardless of the color you choose to match the kitchen’s vibe, you can repaint the other faces of the cabinets. Cheap kitchens don’t have to look messy; you can create a luxurious feeling with budget solutions.
You can also change only the door’s handles if your cabinets look good; trust us, it’s a real investment, especially if the handles are made of plastic. You can upgrade them with grips made from iron, which are long-lasting and easier to clean and disinfect. To add more safety and get rid of the doors making noise when closing them, you can install soft closing hinges. This way, the doors will last longer, and you’ll move around the kitchen without any rattle.
Treat your windows
They say the eyes are the windows of the soul ― so are the windows to the kitchen. Keeping them clean is not enough anymore if you want to inspire opulence. Your windows deserve a little treat for making them beautiful, and this is what you can do:
• Install curtains to give the feeling of a large room. You can choose from lighter-weight fabric (for a bright, warm room) or heavier drapes (if you want your kitchen to be cooler in the summertime).
• Try having some shades attached to the frame to lift them up and down whenever you want to adjust the lighting. It’s a modern looking-option if you don’t want to deal with curtains, and if you choose black shades instead of white, you won’t lose that expensive look.
• Hang some valances on top of the window frames if you want an elegant and traditional look.
• If you want to go the extra mile, install swags and cascades; even if they are more difficult to clean and take care of, they’re worth the trouble.
• If you have any hardware around the windows, installing cornices (box-shaped fixtures) on top of the window frames would be a good idea.
Keep your kitchen clean and neat
You might find this tip obvious, but we know it can be pretty challenging to clean every day and maintain a neat look when you have a family or a full-time job. But if you strike for perfection and want your kitchen to look like it’s out of a magazine, you could try making a daily cleaning schedule to keep up with everything.
For example, Monday you can clean the cabinet doors, Tuesday the fridge and so on. On the days when you’re busier, you can do the bare minimum, but as long as you clean something daily for even ten minutes, it can help a lot.
Include fancy decorations
Lastly, decorations will make your kitchen look expensive if you know where to place them. Luckily, there are plenty of shops where you can find cheap decorations and, if blended accordingly in the final décor, your kitchen will be no less than luxurious. Or, you can make a DIY project with things around the house and make them fit the kitchen’s aesthetic.
Here are some ideas depending on the style you want:
• For a modern look, it would be best to have plain decorations with bold lines and neutral tones. Add silver and gold lines where possible, and other decorations such as pillows should match the kitchen’s main colors. This is close to minimalism so that you can have fewer ornaments.
• On the other hand, if you want a more traditional vibe, you can easily go toward maximalism, but keeping the earth tones and plenty of plants as the main characteristic of the room.
You can add other types of art in both styles, like paintings or photos, but the purpose is to make that place as welcoming as possible. In the end, you can decorate your kitchen as you like and don’t have to stick with trends, but for a beginner, you can look for inspiration in magazines and the internet.
