My Favourite Ways To Update Your Kitchen
I love living on an island in the middle of the Atlantic – except during hurricane season. For the past few years October has been a particularly active year and once again I find myself home with the shutters closed, a bathtub full of water and a cupboard full of snacks awaiting Hurricane Nicole. Before the power goes out, I am avoiding the doom and gloom on the news and happily browsing my Pinterest feed.
For years now, I’ve been dreaming of updating our kitchen so my evenings are spend (much to my husband’s dismay) gathering inspiration. Now, the kitchen may be one of the most expensive rooms in the house to renovate but you can still make small updates that make a big difference – even if you don’t have a huge budget.
Below are some of my favourite ideas. Click on the images for sources and don’t forget to pin YOUR favourites for later!
It should be no surprise that paint is one of my go-to ways for updating pretty much anything – especially kitchen cabinets. It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint in a contemporary colour and some new hardware can do in a kitchen. If you’re thinking of tackling this project, here are a couple of tips.
First, make sure that you clean your cabinets thoroughly. Over time cooking oils, dirt from our fingers and residue from household cleaners can accumulate on the surface. Paint won’t stick well if you don’t get rid of any contaminants first. Start with a solution of vinegar, hot water and a couple drops of dish soap for extra grease cutting power or a household cleaner like Krud Kutter.
Once your cabinets are squeaky clean, give them a light sand. I know – I know. It’s not a lot of fun but sanding puts small scratches on the surface helping your paint to stick better. You don’t want all that hard work to peel off over time do you?
Finally, make sure to remove all doors and hinges and NUMBER THEM so you can put your kitchen back together without headaches.
Okay, now to the pretty part. Here are some beautiful examples of how painted kitchen cabinets can make a huge difference in a kitchen – especially when you step out of your colour comfort zone. Since my favourite colour is grey let’s start with this beautiful kitchen in Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal.
If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous with colour why not try a funky shade like this minty green? It’s fresh and crisp without feeling dated.
You can also mix and match colours with upper and lower cabinets. Navy and white are a timeless combination for a reason. Just check out these amazing spaces! If you’re looking for a great blue two of my favourites are Benjamin Moore Hale Navy and Kensington Blue. TIP: Add warmth with gold hardware or a butcher block counter.
Not all kitchen updates have to involve paint! If your kitchen doesn’t have a lot of space you can make it feel brighter and larger by removing a couple of cabinets and replacing them with open shelves. It’s a great way to show off that dinnerware collection – even though you’ll have to work a bit harder at keeping it tidy.
If you’re not ready to commit to getting rid of cabinets, consider taking off a couple of the doors. Paint the back for a pop of colour. You can always put the doors back on later!
If you want to see some real life examples some of the best kitchen before and after here are three of my favourites. Click on the photos to see more!
If you liked this post don’t forget to check back next week to see what’s new on the blog but if you can’t wait our Facebook page is updated daily with amazing spaces, design tips and DIY projects. Or get a sneak peak at life behind the scenes at the paint store (and more stunning rooms) on our Instagram page here.
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HAPPY PAINTING!
One Response to “My Favourite Ways To Update Your Kitchen”
Love the grey kitchen! Our kitchen at home is a galley style kitchen; when we renovated, we did one side black with a grey countertop and the other side in a grey timber with the grey counter. It looks amazing if I do say so myself!