You are home from an exhausting day at work, after tasks and reports have drained you out of the energy you’ve been trying to save to do some chores around the house. But when you enter the kitchen and see the ink stains on your tablecloth they remind you how much you hate your outdated kitchen and want to redecorate it with new cabinets.
But kitchens are the most expensive rooms to renovate, as cabinets and appliances can be quite expensive, especially high-quality and good-looking ones. Kitchens should be renovated and updated every 10 to 15 years on average, so if you can’t remember how long it has been since you last invested in a new piece of furniture you had fancied, it might be the moment to consider a remodel.
If you are short on funds or don’t want to spend a fortune on remodelling, know that redecorating your kitchen on a budget is accomplishable. Here are the six tips to get closer to the kitchen of your liking without breaking the bank.
Keep the current kitchen layout
The kitchen layout is important as it enhances its aspect and how easily the kitchen units and utensils can be reached and used. Declutter your kitchen first. Then you can switch kitchen units’ and objects’ places to bring a breath of fresh air or look for DIY ideas to repurpose stuff you don’t use anymore cheaply. Moving appliances and pieces of furniture around the kitchen can also help with the light and ambience of the room or make your kitchen chores more convenient. After you decide what else you need to proceed with, give the room the well-deserved makeover.
Repurpose old appliances
You don’t have to be too artsy to have a nice looking kitchen. Cheap kitchens can be stylish, cosy and evoke harmony just like expensive ones. Some paint and creativity can do wonders, especially since the internet abounds with inspirational DIY content. We all have stuff we no longer use, but rethinking their applicability and purpose might save you the money you would spend buying new things. Old utensils such as cutlery, dish racks and pasta strainers could use a good wash and scrub before being found another purpose. Lightweight and decorative objects and figurines can be hung up on the walls, ceiling and cabinets. Spoons can be bent and used as plants and candle hangers, and wine bottles as chandeliers.
You might find you have a good time doing this by yourself or with the family, and these changes can uplift your mood in the long term.
Estimate how much the redecoration will cost
Start by setting a budget and making a must-have list to avoid being a spend-thrift. Depending on the budget, you can either buy and replace or focus on what you deem the most important and only repurpose some items. Try to find the best bargain to cover as many of your needs as possible. Check the internet thoroughly and ensure you don’t place your money on sites that don’t look trustworthy. And don’t hesitate to take a glimpse into second-hand furniture stores too.
Paint and refurbish
Painting your kitchen walls and cabinets is a low-cost update that will undoubtedly bring a breath of fresh air into your cooking area. You can opt for semi-gloss or high-gloss finishes because they make a space look modern and welcoming. The colours you choose should match your personality and deliver the feeling you search for in your kitchen. Light, warm colours such as whites and beiges will do wonders by making your small kitchen look more eye-catching and inviting. A white ceramic tile backsplash will do the trick as well. Cooler shades such as blue will help manage stress and induce calmness and spirituality, whereas green-painted cabinets or walls will evoke feelings of relaxation and joy for nature lovers.
Used cabinets can be cheap and fancy
The cabinets are the pièce de résistance, as the rest of the decor is usually built around them. If you know what model of cabinets you’d love in your kitchen but are low on money, try showing your dream cabinet to a local kitchen furniture provider to find out if they can make something similar but in your budget. Otherwise, look in second-hand furniture stores and have one that meets your needs and can be refurbished. Choose colours according to the mood you want to invoke, but be careful not to mix too many colours as you might make the room feel closed in instead. As a final step, a lacquer finish can be applied to give the kitchen cabinets a matte or glossy finish.
Change the brightness
Start by identifying the areas that need the most lighting in your kitchen. For extra sources of light and a touch of modernism, add extra power points or replace the existing ones as you please. Mini pendant lights, multi-light pendants and recessed ceiling lights are ambient, come in different sizes and colours and are the most fashionable ways to illuminate your kitchen from various sources. Flush mount kitchen ceiling lights are the go-to for small to medium kitchens, whereas chandeliers of any style will create focus and give a glamorous touch in a kitchen of any size. Under-cabinet lighting makes cooking chores easier and helps observe the smallest of stains and dirt in order to keep your countertops clean all the time.
Consider changing the curtains into more mild-coloured ones to bring more light in. Short curtains will allow sunlight in, and you can even place some plants and flowers for fresher air.
Conclusion
Now that you have gained an insight into the art of low-cost kitchen redecoration, you must pluck up your heart, let your creativity flow, conceive a list of must-dos and spring into action. Be open and ask for others’ opinions and feedback! You can never know where a good idea can come from. You might enjoy the transforming process so much that you begin to look to improve the aspect of your whole house and not only your kitchen. And you will certainly be proud of your work once your friends and family speak your praises for your well-done job.
