Making changes to your kitchen doesn’t have to be extravagant, especially when you don’t need to or have a tight budget. You don’t even have to spend an abundant amount of money to integrate new looks and upgrades. Whether you want to paint your old cabinets, look into new hardware, or upscale your countertops, there are ways to update your kitchen, add value to it without a huge amount of investment.
Getting creative with your tiles
There are varieties of tiles to choose from, but considering subway and concrete tiles can save your budget. Getting a little creative can bring huge impact and character upgrades to your entire kitchen. For example, a long and vertical layout brings a new modern feel. You can also add a touch of bold colors to create a more alive and motivating vibe.
If you’re on a tighter budget, you don’t have to upgrade your entire kitchen backsplash to make some changes. Tiling behind the sink and range or wherever you need to can be enough. To add something new, applying vinyl decals to add to your already existing finish creates such a nice difference as well.
Upcycling your kitchen cabinets
One of the upsides of upscaling your cabinets instead of having a whole new replacement is reducing landfill waste. Painting your kitchen cabinets is so much quicker than getting them all removed and installing new ones. It saves you so much time, energy, and money. Unless your cabinets are durable and not completely destroyed, you don’t need to replace them and stick to your budget.
This can already have a huge impact since you can alter your entire kitchen’s appearance by applying fresh paint. People would believe you had it renovated when it’s just the cabinets you changed.
If they need more alterations, you can have the doors replaced for your existing boxes. If you need the entire thing replaced, maple wood boxes are a splendid choice for a budget-friendly investment for your kitchen cabinets, and they will last you many years with no regret.
Another way to create a new and upgraded kitchen while saving money is to replace your cabinetry with open shelving. You can open more space and make your kitchen more inviting and breathable. Of course, you don’t have to replace every cabinet with open shelving. Reducing the cabinets is just fine. Open shelving would also help you be more cleaned and organized. This way, you can declutter your kitchen and get rid of things you don’t use that take up so much space.
Replacing your countertops
Doing this can be budget-friendly as well. To do this well, you can associate durability with cost, depending on how often you cook. In this case, less durable materials are more expensive sometimes. Also, depending on your budget, you can decide between natural or manufactured stones since they can look good either way. However, engineered stone can cost less and is more durable. Extra tip: if a stone material is your final choice, it’s best to get it in neutral shades to always catch up with ever-changing trends.
If you don’t use the countertops that often, you don’t necessarily require the same resilient quality of the stone. Butcher block is another option for a good but budget-friendly cost. This material may cost a lot less than quartz or stone; it does have the upside of having much less frequent fabrication. A disadvantage of butcher block is you might have to replace it more often.
Quartz, however, is very durable and has very minimal maintenance. Also, they are more attractive to homebuyers if you’re looking to sell your place. With quartz, you can also control its costs since it can range in various amounts.
Another great option for a countertop is stainless steel. Not only you’d end up with an elegant contemporary look, but it’s durable for almost everything—water, heat, stains, and a lot more. You can find the best providers for metal supplies of your choice and design however you want them to be since metal is flexible enough.
Upgrading the lighting
Lighting alone can make an enormous difference and is an essential element in any room. Not only it’s going to be upgraded and decorative, but it’s more practical to place proper lighting, especially task lighting. Aside from the general rules in lighting up your kitchen, you can add more to your heart’s content. Although, be careful not to go overboard or even under.
Depending on how many changes you need and want to your kitchen, it’s up to you to how you can do this smartly without spending too much and over your budget. With just a newly painted set of cabinets and upgraded lighting, you can always have the new kitchen you desired.
