7 Ideas to Refresh a Dated Kitchen

You needn’t refurbish your entire kitchen to add some much-needed flair and bring it into the 21st century. Tired kitchens can be easily updated with simple changes that don’t have to break the bank. You might be surprised at what a few additions and changes may do to your kitchen’s overall look and feel. From replacing outdated drawers to adding colour, here are 7 ideas to refresh your dated kitchen.

1. Replacing kitchen cupboard doors
Replacing kitchen cupboard doors can do wonders for your kitchen. You can do this without wasting money on new appliances and, instead, working with what you’ve got for a completely new look. Often times, your cabinets and cupboards themselves will still be in tip-top shape, meaning that easy revamps to the doors — their colour and handle design — is all that is needed to make stunning home improvements.

2. Installing open shelves
If you’ve got enough kitchen space to spare, open shelves are a perfect solution to kitchen storage requirements. Not only are they easy to install, but they also provide a little bit of your personality on display, through gorgeous ornaments, art pieces, cooking books and glassware. There are plenty of designs to choose from, including open pantries, chic brackets and corner hideaways.

3. Sink and faucet replacements
Let’s face it, old kitchens commonly use a sink as a purely utilitarian space. It’s for washing and that’s it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t add some flair with a new, more contemporary or retro-chic design. As one of the centrepieces of a kitchen, the sink draws the eye. Although installing new cast iron or porcelain sinks can be a great way to change your kitchen’s aesthetic, you needn’t replace the entire sink. Consider a faucet replacement, trading in your old-fashioned tap for something more modern like a pull-down spray.

4. Re-painting walls
Paint is one of the cheapest ways to improve a room’s overall look. Don’t be afraid to deviate from classic, clinical kitchen white and greys, and go for a bit more colour. Bright yellows and blues are particularly popular right now with retro twentieth-century modern kitchen aesthetics, but the world is truly your oyster when it comes to re-painting the kitchen.

5. Update the lighting
Another quick and easy upgrade to your tired kitchen aesthetic is new lighting. From a complete overhaul to new signature areas like under-counter spotlights, new lights can really add a new dimension to your kitchen. You can consider everything from track lighting to area spotlights or even fairy lights to guide the eye. Another neat trick is to add some LED lighting underneath (or within) cabinets, as this creates a great mood at night-time. Whatever you choose, old lighting can be an eyesore and is well worth updating.

6. Replacing countertops and work surfaces
Countertops may not cost as much Countertops are where the bulk of your kitchen activity is done. As such, you will want to replace tired, scratched and peeling countertops with new and more aesthetically pleasing designs. The type of countertop will be specific to your particular kitchen and the existing cabinets. Nevertheless, you can update your countertop either with a new version of your previous work surfaces or go for something entirely different. There are many fantastic countertops on the market today, from granite through rustic wood and copper effect worktops.

7. Opting for new appliances
This last option is a bit of a splurge, but sometimes it’s just time to update your appliances for a new kitchen space. You may want to take this one step at a time, updating appliances one by one, or you may want to overhaul them all together. Whatever option you choose, newer kitchen models often provide a sleeker and more sophisticated look, as well as offering more eco-friendly energy settings. These new appliances — whether cooking hobs, ovens, refrigerators or dishwashers — will help your kitchen look newer and feel modern.

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